[GTALUG] Security cams question

[Val Kulkov]

On Sat, 9 Feb 2019 at 12:15, o1bigtenor via talk <talk at gtalug.org> wrote:

> >
> > What is some example software / hardware you've looked at (links please)?
>
> http://cowcams.com/store/p1/Outdoor_10x_zoom_PTZ_camera.html
>
> above has no real mention of software just talks about hardware.
>

I have no experience with CowCams cameras, thus cannot comment. I do have
some experience with other cameras. The one I currently use is Lorex 4K
Ultra HD Outdoor PoE camera:
https://www.lorextechnology.com/4k-security-camera/nocturnal-4k-ultrahd-audio-dome-security-camera/LNE8950ABW-0-p
It is not a PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera, but if you are considering non-PTZ
cameras, read on.

For occasional observation of wildlife, the resolution makes a tremendous
difference. 1080p does not cut it, unless animals appear right in front of
your camera. My camera recently captured a video of a squirrel making
tunnels in a fresh new snow, occasionally popping up its head from the
snow. It was fun to watch -- my daughter said it was a snow gopher. (Let me
know if you would like to see the video and I'll send you a private link)
However, the area of interest was rather small compared to the overall
video frame. I had to cut out and enlarge the area of interest, otherwise
the object was looking too small on a TV screen. If the original video were
only 1080p, the result would have been too blurry to see any significant
details.

The hardware of my Lorex camera is good. I cannot complain about it. PoE
appears solid, the camera is easy to mount and it works just fine at -20 C.
The software is not so good. On the scale from 0 (worst) to 10 (best), I
would give it 5. The web interface requires an installation of a Chrome
app, which sometimes works sometimes doesn't. The Windows interface, FLIR
Cloud Client, which I use to connect to the NVR, is reasonably good for
viewing live stream and recordings, but not as good for configuration (at
least in my own experience). The camera can be used either as standalone or
with an NVR.

I use totem for viewing RTSP stream from the camera. VLC sometimes does
work, sometimes does not. I still have not figured out why VLC has problems
with the RTSP from this Lorex camera. It is possible that VLC does not like
the H.265 codec I configured to use for video broadcast and recording.
There is a H.264 codec option, but I found that it consumes substantially
more bandwidth that H.265 and for this reason only I use H.265. If the
bandwidth is not an issue, you probably will have more reliable results
with H.264.

It is possible to get a JPEG snapshot from the camera, although only at the
main stream's resolution.

The product documentation says that the camera has 200 ft night vision.
Like with all other cameras with IR capability I have used before, it is
hype. At dark, you get reasonably good video/picture within 30-50 ft from
the camera in IR light. 50-70ft is not so good, and you can barely discern
objects within 70-100 ft. More than 100 ft: forget it. However, I should
reiterate that in my experience, the exaggeration of the night vision
distance is the norm in this industry.

Lorex has a 2K (4MP) PTZ camera within your price range, but I have no
experience with that model. I suspect however that its software will be
similar to the one on my camera. This camera also has colour night vision,
which is what my camera is missing. I have no idea how good or bad this
colour night vision will be.
https://www.lorextechnology.com/4k-security-camera/weatherproof-hd-motorized-varifocal-dome-ip-security-camera/LNZ44P4BW-0-p
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