fenderman
Staff member
- Mar 9, 2014
- 36,891
- 21,417
When I drink alone I prefer to be by myself. No wifi. Nothing. Just me and the toilet.There is a solution, you know. Look into a "leaky feeder".
Hmmm. That sounds bad now that I read it.
Why Buy Dahua?
- Thread starter MrN1ce9uy
- Start date
Q™
IPCT Contributor
fenderman
Staff member
- Mar 9, 2014
- 36,891
- 21,417
mat200
IPCT Contributor
- Jan 17, 2017
- 17,146
- 28,928
Hi @MrN1ce9uy
It is a fair question to ask, and as bigredfish points out - hard to realize until you really look at image captures.
I normally try to equate the question with something many here and on other forums may understand better - vehicles.
You can buy a new vehicle for cheap - however do expect there to be a minimal price point for a decent quality freeway rated vehicle which can carry 4 passengers. Yes, it will be significantly more than the cheapest moped, or e-scooter.
For those in the computer industry - yes, you can buy a new computer from Walmart for cheap, and often find clearance computers for even cheaper.
Now, try to give that as a gift to your close friend / son / daughter who is a serious gamer.
Yup, a $99 on clearance computer just will not perform as well as a better system for that purpose.
Last edited:
tangent
IPCT Contributor
- May 12, 2016
- 4,641
- 3,997
For a close friend or relative, you could make the purchase from Andy yourself and resell the cameras. They down side is they're more likely to expect support 
I'd like to have a buck every time a parent has asked me advice on which laptop to buy for their soon-to-be-off-to-college son or daughter.
I quote them around $600 + or - for one that I could live with and they call me a few months later with the one they got for $300, saying the young student is complaining "....it's soooo s-l-o-w." Turns out, it's a 1.6GHz Celeron with 2GB of RAM.......duh.
More often than not, that old adage "You get what you pay for" is very true when it comes to IP cams, PC's, laptops, etc.....most tech devices.
tangent
IPCT Contributor
- May 12, 2016
- 4,641
- 3,997
There are plenty situations where you're better off spending your money smarter not just spending more of it.
The adage, if it seems to good to be true it probably is seems more appropriate.
Selling new computers like that is practically criminal.
A good $600-800 computer makes so much more sense for a college kid than a $1800 MacBook Pro or $1500 surface pro (both of which are awful in terms of repairability). Your typical computer may not survive 4-5 years of college abuse.
Does grandma really need an iPhone Xs or would the $200 Moto G6 exceed all of her needs. Even if she can't "FaceTime"... cry me a river, you can handle installing Duo on you iPhone if she can handle using it.
Do you get anything meaningful as a home user by buying "north american" dahua products from B&H compared to buying from Andy?
Last edited:
I've never regretted spending too much on a computer. But I've definitely regretted spending too little. Example: I wanted a cheap PC to connect to the TV for certain situations. I got a $200 Nuc/Brix style unit. Sure, the Intel GPU can handle video decoding, but the "SSD" is 32 GB of soldered-down eMMC so its so slow that something as simple as installing Windows updates takes forever. Now a couple of years later, the Win10 build is unsupported and there's insufficient free space to upgrade, so every time I use it, I have to click through a few screens begging me to update Windows. I would have been far better off getting an Optiplex like I did for Blue Iris for maybe $100 more.
Last edited:
- Feb 5, 2018
- 1,009
- 1,358
George Thorogood, perfect. And that first scene taken from Bad Santa. A classic. Billy Bob Thornton was spectacular in those movies... and in the first season of "Fargo".
But I digress!
Why do I suddenly want a drink?
All of our cats drink from the toilet. It must be classy!
- Feb 5, 2018
- 1,009
- 1,358
You definitely are getting yourself into an unpaid tech support commitment whenever you recommend or obtain gear for a friend or relative. Sometimes it's worth it. Sometimes not so much.For a close friend or relative, you could make the purchase from Andy yourself and resell the cameras. They down side is they're more likely to expect support
tangent
IPCT Contributor
- May 12, 2016
- 4,641
- 3,997
Yeah, been there done that. You'd think that when a relative requires extensive tech support that they'd at least send you $20 at Christmas or on your birthday. Nope. Sometimes the best solution is just to send them a link to an article, tutorial, or manual and tell them you're too busy.You definitely are getting yourself into an unpaid tech support commitment whenever you recommend or obtain gear for a friend or relative. Sometimes it's worth it. Sometimes not so much.
The worst are the people who really need some tech advice. Out of pity you offer unsolicited advice about how they should go about doing or upgrading something and that it can be relatively easy/inexpensive. You even point out the pitfalls and problems they should be careful of.
What do they do? Ignore all of your advice and then ask for help resolving the disaster they created.
Boy, have I heard this song before...... You even point out the pitfalls and problems they should be careful of.
.....What do they do? Ignore all of your advice and then ask for help resolving the disaster they created.
I had to drop the hammer when I had my LLC from '06 to '14 and charge relatives for PC repair and home visits. It cut down on the torrent of phone calls but allowed me to charge them for genuine issues when they soon discovered they could pay me less than half of what it would cost them to drag their PC to some shop in Huntsville or Birmingham....and they'd get it in back in a few days vs. a few months. Plus I'd make house calls for software instruction or network/Internet issues.
Obviously I don't mind helping folks when I can as evidenced by my presence on this forum. But what annoys me is when someone (as you mentioned) asks for advice, you give it and explain very simply why it's important that they take it and what could happen if they don't and then they do something against your advice and they whine and moan about their decision.
I don't care what you're considering buying....a car, smartphone, TV, PC, tablet, pressure cooker, tractor, lawnmower and on and on ad infinitum...one must spend a little time on the Internet and read TRUSTED reviews at various vendors, sites and device-related forums....do a little research. It's time well spent.
There's always been those that want something for nothing, that want to reap the rewards without expending any energy and that want great results with little effort and that will never change, IMO.
looney2ns
IPCT Contributor
Yeah, been there done that. You'd think that when a relative requires extensive tech support that they'd at least send you $20 at Christmas or on your birthday. Nope. Sometimes the best solution is just to send them a link to an article, tutorial, or manual and tell them you're too busy.
The worst are the people who really need some tech advice. Out of pity you offer unsolicited advice about how they should go about doing or upgrading something and that it can be relatively easy/inexpensive. You even point out the pitfalls and problems they should be careful of.
What do they do? Ignore all of your advice and then ask for help resolving the disaster they created.
Ha, you've met my Brother and Sister in law!
If I can weezle out of it, without upsetting my wife, (her brother) I no longer help with their self designed disasters. And try to not offer any advice of any kind.
Last edited:
Cameraguy
Known around here
- Feb 15, 2017
- 1,505
- 1,160
What do they do? Ignore all of your advice and then ask for help resolving the disaster they created.
I've all but stopped being friends and relatives computer support for this very reason. Used to spend hours cleaning out malware. Stopped doing that after the behavior didn't change with attempts at education, instead wiping and clean install with no attempt to recover/back up their files (usually wasn't anything more than web browser use anyway). That still didn't trigger the "maybe I should be more careful reaction" so I just stopped helping with that sort of thing.
Various people have been identified and arrested due to the footage from my CCTV cams. The latest was a horrible man who attacked elderly ladies in their homes before robbing them. Unfortunately for him he followed one of the victims right beside my house and walked past again after the crime. He was arrested the next day. For me, even this one incident was worth it having decent cameras installed. It was nice to see that when my footage was published in the local newspaper, many people commented on the excellent quality of it ;-)
I have been a Police Officer (UK) for many years and from a prosecution point of view, having great footage of the offender's face cannot be argued against. Nightime footage can be a potential struggle but at least give yourself the best chance of identification by using a decent low light cam such as a starlight.
My side interest is surveillance cams and many family members ask me to install cameras for them "like mine but cheaper". I always refuse as there is no point having rubbish quality footage with zero chance of identification.
I have been a Police Officer (UK) for many years and from a prosecution point of view, having great footage of the offender's face cannot be argued against. Nightime footage can be a potential struggle but at least give yourself the best chance of identification by using a decent low light cam such as a starlight.
My side interest is surveillance cams and many family members ask me to install cameras for them "like mine but cheaper". I always refuse as there is no point having rubbish quality footage with zero chance of identification.
That is an HDCVI Dahua model 3231, almost identical in performance to the IP version, 5231 series Starlights...