Night vision testing

N

nodesdeep

n3wb
Feb 19, 2026
4
3
Canada
Long time reader, figured I'd share some findings from my setup.

I'm running both the IPC-T24IR-AS (~$100) and IPC-T54IR-AS (~$250) on Frigate with a GTX 3050 handling detection. Both are 4MP turrets but the T54IR has the larger sensor and honestly the build quality feels a step above too.

During the day both cameras produce a sharp image and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. At night is where the sensor gap shows up. I also have a Hikvision in a similar position so I grabbed comparison shots at the same time.

Screenshot 2026-02-18 at 7.04.35 PM.pngScreenshot 2026-02-18 at 7.04.25 PM.png

The T24IR is noisier in low light and loses detail in the shadows. The T54IR is noticeably cleaner!

RTSP has been stable on both — no drops in weeks. Using the standard Dahua format:
rtsp:/user:123IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0 (main)
rtsp:/user:123@IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=1 (sub for detection)

For dark areas the T54IR is amazing for the price!

I put together a video with the full side-by-side comparison if anyone wants to see it in motion rather than just screenshots:


Curious what others think - anyone running the T54IR or a higher end camera? I'm wondering what I should test next!
 
  • Like
Reactions: bigredfish
The Dahua 5442 series (54IR) has become the favorite of most here.

Note many typically run higher bitrates if your VMS can handle it. I run 10240 h.264.h CBR for best quality.
Exposure can run 0-2 or 0-3 in daylight, for nighttime and reducing motion blur try to be at 1/120 or faster. In IR I’ll typically run 0-5 or 0-6 (of course you have to play with gain and NR)

The camera with an even better sensor is the Color 4K-T and 4K-X (turret and bullet Dahua 5849 series). Both use a 1/1.2” sensor and are amazing.

Smart Warm Light Series Camera

Building security systems for home and business offices. Protecting customers' personal safety and property security. All the security cameras and NVRs we sell are of great quality and at affordable prices.
empiretech01.com empiretech01.com
The downside is that they do not have and can’t see IR
 
Thanks so much for the info. I'm glad I stumbled on the 54IR, its impressive for sure, I can see why people like it.

I'll play around with the settings, thanks for that, I'll give it a try.

I'll check them out, unfortunately without IR I don't think it will work for me. I have very little supplemental light.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom