Totally lost and need help

[karp 0]

Hi everyone

 

I've been going through the forum reading up (some good info) but I'm still a bit lost (sorry for all the questions)

 

 

I do want to have a camera for the front door though. So my questions are :

 

1. where should I place the camera

 

2. My plan is to run the wires through the roof of the porch into the garage and get power from there. Or should I use the outlet on the roof ? I'm not sure if I can do that (I don't want the plug showing)

 

3. The most important question, what camera ? I would like to keep the cost under $120 if possible for a wireless ip camera

 

Not sure if this matters but I am in Toronto, Ontario and the porch gets full sun in the day.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[MaxIcon 0]

You'll want to mount it off to the side, since mounting above the door will give you the tops of their heads when they're up close. This will also avoid pointing it at the sun, which will wash it out.

 

Also, I'd avoid wireless if you can - you need wiring anyway for power, so might as well go for the reliability and speed of a wired network connection. I don't use wireless on any of mine, so if that's a must-have, you'll need someone else's suggestions.

 

So, if this were my setup, I'd mount the camera above the window, or maybe all the way to the end of the porch, depending on your lens and resolution. You'll be pointing at the porch light, which will wash out the view more as the camera gets closer to it. Further away helps keep the light from dominating the view and gives you a wider field of view.

 

WDR will help with the light, but you're looking at more expensive cameras then.

 

I'd use a Dahua HFW2100 1.3MP mini-bullet or equivalent. It's $185, and can run either from POE power using a single network cable or from a power supply. If you don't need IR, because of the porch light, a mini-dome without IR will be cheaper.

 

There are lots of less expensive cameras - Foscam, Wansview, etc. Many of these have wireless. I don't know much about these, though.

[karp 0]

Thanks for your help, helps me out a lot

[yakky 0]

Agree, stay away from wireless. Every camera needs at least 1 wire, might as well have a good network connection. For DIY, I really recommend playing around with placement, mount the camera temporarily and see how it works out in a given location. Pros don't have the luxury of doing this but you can really test it out and find an idea place.

[Numb-nuts 1]

Ideally, it needs to be positioned so that no light enters the lens directly so at the front edge of the porch with the sun behind it, then there is a night light on your porch to be avoided if possible. Consider these when looking to position the camera. I mirror what the others have said. wireless is a waste of time for you, FORGET WIRELESS. there is no substitute for a good wired connection and you will need a wire for power, unless they've introduced wireless DC power without tell me

[karp 0]

thanks again for the reply's. So if I don't go with the wireless camera am I still able to view the door from smart phones and tablets ? Anymore recommendations on cameras ?

 

Thanks again

[MaxIcon 0]

Viewing from smart phones and tablets depends on a few things - does the vendor supply an app, is it supported by standard apps like IP Cam Viewer, which runs on both Android and iOS, or will it show up in the browser the device uses.

 

Browsers usually have the worst support, in my experience, especially for cams that require ActiveX. Vendor apps run the range from quite good to awful.

 

If your devices can run IP Cam Viewer, I'd look for a camera supported by it (and it supports quite a lot of them). It's a robust, simple, inexpensive app, and can even record to your device, though time is limited by memory available.

 

Here's a link to the Pro Android version; there's also a free Lite version that I haven't run. You can find the iPhone version by googling IP Cam Viewer Pro.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rcreations.WebCamViewerPaid&hl=en

[mirandasieck 0]

Try dome camera for your home.