Hello
- Thread starter lipelliot
- Start date
looney2ns
IPCT Contributor
At this moment in time, the best all around camera is THIS.
In the wiki at the top of the page, also read the Cliff Notes. Cams listed are outdated, but other info is good.
In the wiki at the top of the page, also read the Cliff Notes. Cams listed are outdated, but other info is good.
Thanks! That looks very similar to the brand new IPC-T54PRO-ZE, minus the warm white lights, which I like. Is the T54PRO just too new to be considered best all around yet, or is there something else about it I should be concerned about?
Welcome!
Without knowing what your goals of the camera is (just monitor or do you want identify?), this thread is used as the go to for the new person here outlining the commonly recommended cameras (along with Amazon links) based on distance to IDENTIFY that represent the overall best value/best bang for the buck in terms of price and performance day and night. It might be a 2MP camera in some instances. Many here feel 4MP is the current sweet spot for these cameras.
The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection
And coupled with that thread is this great thread which will show why all of the same 2.8 or 3.6mm cameras is the wrong choice (these are the common focal lengths consumer brands sell):
i-want-2-8mm-cameras-everywhere-to-see-everything-this-is-why-you-need-specific-fovs-with-purposeful-focal-lengths.70053/
We would encourage you to look at those threads in detail.
It will probably raise more questions than answers LOL.
Without knowing what your goals of the camera is (just monitor or do you want identify?), this thread is used as the go to for the new person here outlining the commonly recommended cameras (along with Amazon links) based on distance to IDENTIFY that represent the overall best value/best bang for the buck in terms of price and performance day and night. It might be a 2MP camera in some instances. Many here feel 4MP is the current sweet spot for these cameras.
The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection
And coupled with that thread is this great thread which will show why all of the same 2.8 or 3.6mm cameras is the wrong choice (these are the common focal lengths consumer brands sell):
i-want-2-8mm-cameras-everywhere-to-see-everything-this-is-why-you-need-specific-fovs-with-purposeful-focal-lengths.70053/
We would encourage you to look at those threads in detail.
It will probably raise more questions than answers LOL.
Thank you, good links for sure. I was trying to find the right place to start a conversation about my needs, but it seems like this one will work, so I'll info dump. (as a side note, I think it would be helpful for beginners here to be given a template to fill out so that you knowledgeable folk don't have to ask for the same things every time, just a thought.
Purpose:
DORI goals: I'm aiming for between Observe and Recognize.
Current cameras: I have an Amcrest 2mp wifi flood light over the garage, and a mix of Foscam and Amcrest wifi cameras inside.
Plan: Run ethernet to all the corners of the house and install cameras to be able to see every common play place at a glance. I will also build a NAS/NVR (i5-12400, 32GB RAM, room for 8 HDD) and run BlueIris.
Ask for Help:
I've attached a terrible MS paint of my property, and rough measurements.
whole property is ~115ft square
Driveway is 40ft long and slightly downhill.
Garage is 25ft "tall" (driveway side), and 20ft deep (to the house).
House is 35ft wide by 30ft tall
Purpose:
- The primary objective is to have cameras pointing all around the exterior of the 2 story house to be able to know where the kids are on my 1/3 acre corner suburban lot. This is a less lofty goal than to visually identify an intruder, so at least at first I'm hoping to put up 5 or 6 cameras, just to obtain visibility of my yard and improving the system as needed next year.
- Obviously the system will double as security cameras in the event of intrusion, but that's not common around here.
- A stretch goal would be to have visibility of the park I'm adjacent to so I can see if the kids have run off over there.
DORI goals: I'm aiming for between Observe and Recognize.
Current cameras: I have an Amcrest 2mp wifi flood light over the garage, and a mix of Foscam and Amcrest wifi cameras inside.
Plan: Run ethernet to all the corners of the house and install cameras to be able to see every common play place at a glance. I will also build a NAS/NVR (i5-12400, 32GB RAM, room for 8 HDD) and run BlueIris.
Ask for Help:
- I'm struggling with all the different cameras and models, even when only looking at EmpireTech. There seems to be no guide on which models are from which year, what the model numbers mean, etc. I was looking at the new IPC-T54PRO-ZE because it had the white light as well as IR, and initial reports on here seemed to say it was a good camera.
- Where to place the cameras?
- the west side isn't used much so it can be a blind spot (for now)
I've attached a terrible MS paint of my property, and rough measurements.
whole property is ~115ft square
Driveway is 40ft long and slightly downhill.
Garage is 25ft "tall" (driveway side), and 20ft deep (to the house).
House is 35ft wide by 30ft tall
