Jump to content
Hathol

Good camera to catch theivs in darkness...

Recommended Posts

Hi,

I´m totaly new to surveillance and I do not really know all of the abbreviations/technical specifications that the technical guides writes about.

I have just bought a Dahua NVR3216 and I am going to start with one camera to learn how it works.

Later on I will have a total of 4 cameras outside my house, my hope is that I can caught any person approximately 15meter away in complete darkness that is strolling around my garden.

What kind of camera do I need, and what technical specifications/abbreviations should search for when I buy a new camera. I will gladly take any suggestions what camera I would buy as well.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I myself would go for something that has good lighting/low light/almost no light conditions. Try to find something with WDR technology too, you do not want to lose video quality and make it harder to ID the thief.

 

 

Rick Watson

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

i have two types of camera, a low light one at 600tvl which when the sun goes down switches to black and white and gives a decent but grainey picture. out of ten for day id give it 7 and at night id give it a 4 its a qvis anti vandal dome retails at about 120 pounds..

 

the other cameras i have is colour in the day 600tvl infra red led for night time daytime score is about a 7 and nightime is a 2 .. infra red leds are pants in my opinion much better are the low light cameras.... ill be selling mine in a bit... and putting two more qvis low light ones up ..

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you've got a Dahua NVR already then you need Dahua IP cams. If you want the camera to remain invisible while still being able to see the intruder in complete darkness then your options are limited. Dahua's HDB-3200 (not the HDB-3200C) paired with a 940nm IR illuminator is probably your best bet. I use a CMVision 940nm illuminator. Simple, reasonably cheap ($80), and invisible at night under my really dark deck. Dahua has other cams with built-in IR but they all glow red and can't be turned off.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Because of the Nvr3216, am I bound to Dahuas camera? I thought that it was working with alot of diffrent cameras.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Not necessarily, but the only time I've read a mention of someone using a non-Dahua camera with a Dahua NVR they had only so-so results (took a bit of time to get it working and the video was a bit glitchy). Dahua NVRs and IP cams are popular on here but I haven't read a single time where someone has spoken up and said they've used some other brand of camera with 100% success. I'm far from a Dahua expert though. I'm just a guy who has home and work systems and a bit of a cctv hobby.

 

Maybe TOMCCTV will speak up. He's sold Dahuas from before they were called Dahua. Hey Tom, got any practical experience and a non-Dahua camera recommendation for this guy's NVR?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just a point I'd like to make, the primary goal of any CCTV security camera is to create a DETERRENT rather than to catch anyone. Catching or gathering evidence is a solely secondary consideration. Yes the cameras has to be effective in capturing quality images as evidence, however you should also be considering how you might use the camera to deter thieves where possible.

 

Prevention is always better than cure!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Good point numb-nuts. I still haven't seen anybody look up at my cams and stop walking into my yard though, even when there was visible IR pointing out at the street. That doesn't mean that something wasn't prevented. It's hard to quantify things that DIDN'T happen. I'm still amazed that I never saw a visitor look up into the IR of my old front door bullet.

 

Still waiting for someone who has used a non-Dahua network camera successfully with a Dahua NVR to speak up...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Prevention can only be measured in some cases. Studies have shown that it does have a deterrent effect where proper signage and overtly obvious cameras are used. This however cannot be relied upon, I have had attempts at theft from my car when my huge speed-dome camera was highly visible and so was my signage. The dildo that was attempting this theft was either very confident or very stupid. All the petty criminals (out of control show-off teens) that frequent my area know about my cameras, I have seen them passing by giving resentful side glances as they pass but not daring to attempt anything as they know there were prosecutions in the early days of my system.

 

Real criminals often don't care if cameras are present and would commit crime regardless of being seen. One Mercedes commercial dealer locally was broken into and the thieves were after the catalytic convertors on the vans in the yard. Police and the dealer also realized that it took exactly 3 mins to remove each cat convertor. Point is the CCTV was well signed and very obvious but this didn't deter these criminals. All that was gained by police was lots of clues and a picture of how this happened.

 

Now you must be wondering, so which is it, deterrent or evidence gathering, well there is no hard and fast answer other than to say CCTV will reduced the instances of opportunity crime and can give police some leads that otherwise they may not have gained. Police are VERY adept at using footage to their advantage when seemingly insignificant occurrences can give police strong lines of inquiry.

 

HOWEVER Prevention is still far better than cure

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Speaking of teenagers and obvious cameras preventing crimes...

 

Here's a video of a visible camera acting as a deterrent. Three teenage boys (without dates) on New Years Eve a couple years ago were scouting out our house under construction. This video was taken with a cheap qsee camera/dvr bundle from Costco.

 

Watch the guy in the back at 11-13 seconds when his friend points out the camera. How's the old saying go, "First you say it, then you do it."

 

 

- Ron

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh Boy I wish I could lip read lol

 

Not sure these guys were running amok but realizing there was CCTV certainly made them reconsider their visit

 

213565_1.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

"still waiting for someone who has used a non-Dahua network camera successfully with a Dahua NVR to speak up..."

 

I have tested and installed a Hikvision camera with a dahua NVR and it works, and LTS ONVIF IP camera works with it too.

First, change the IP address of the cameras using the software that came with the camera to match the Network ID. The built-in IP function in the NVR will not detect other IP cameras though. Still easiest to use same brand camera and NVR as the built-in device search function will work and allows you to quickly add cameras.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Guys-

 

I'm not trying to hi-jack this thread but I'm new as well and just ordered an NVR3216 Dahua and one HFW2100 to test out. Can I also get a copy of the users manual for the NVR and camera? Is there any other pointers for documentation for setting up my system? Again, not trying to hi-jack thread but get the same information as original poster.

 

Thanks

Terry

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Good to hear, thx. How did motion activated recording work?

 

Actually was trying to get a 3rd party camera (Sunell with onvif, to be specific) to set on motion recording using Dahua's 3216 but couldn't...nothing gets recorded when the nvr is set to all motion, have to use normal record. (normal for dahua seem to mean 24/7 recording though...my client's client is only getting 1 week from 4 cameras with a 2TB)

 

Couldn't get the NVR to trigger any motion-based alarms either...and looking at the supported IPC list, not many seem to work with the motion recording.

 

 

Terry,

 

The user manuals are in each of the CD that came with the NVR and Camera. The only necessary thing you need is a program inside the 'Tools" folder inside either of the CD called 'Config Tool', which lets your computer search and change the IP of the cameras.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Dahua NVR does not compute motion detection by itself. It connects with the camera and gets the info from it, so actually the camera has the motion detection functionality. That is why you cannot record non-Dahua cameras connected through ONVIF to record motion events on a Dahua NVR.

Other functions like parameter setting of the camera are also unavailable through ONVIF... until ONVIF upgrades the specs of the standard itself...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×