屋外住宅用カメラの選び方

Lens focal length

How far can the outdoor house camera see? This is a problem we often encounter when we choose outdoor house cameras, especially outdoor surveillance, which often has a wide range and a long distance, so we need to give priority to it when choosing.

The effective monitoring distance of an outdoor house camera is mainly determined by the focal length of the lens and the angle of illumination. There are complex calculation formulas in it, and different manufacturers will obtain slightly different data due to differences in lens apertures and algorithms. In addition, there are some camera lenses that can be zoomed, and the size of the lens can be adjusted according to the scope of the monitoring scene, which is more flexible and convenient. For the situation where there are multiple points to be monitored but only one camera is installed, a zoom camera can be considered.

Waterproof and dustproof

Outdoor monitoring will inevitably face various extreme weather and environments, so waterproof and dustproof functions are also our priority.

Regarding waterproofing and dustproofing, there is a set of international IP protection level standards. The IP (Ingress Protection) protection level is composed of two numbers, such as IP68. The first number indicates the level of dust-proof and foreign object intrusion prevention of electrical appliances, and the second number indicates the degree of air tightness of electrical appliances against moisture and water immersion. The larger the value, the higher the protection level. For outdoor house cameras, at least ensure that they meet IP66 or above standards, that is, they can completely prevent dust intrusion and withstand the impact of continuous high-pressure water column, so as to ensure that outdoor house camera is not afraid of wind and rain.

Night vision function

Outdoor monitoring usually also has higher requirements for night vision. At present, most of the mainstream surveillance cameras on the market support infrared night vision. On top of this, there are starlight night vision, full-color night vision, and black light night vision.

In order to ensure the night vision effect of outdoor surveillance, it is recommended to choose an outdoor house camera that supports starlight night vision or full-color night vision.

Starlight night vision usually uses a large aperture lens and a high-sensitivity sensor to allow more light to enter. It can still guarantee a clear and colorful picture in low-light and low-light environments, but it will still automatically convert to black and white when the brightness falls below a certain threshold.

Full-color night vision, When the ambient light is extremely low or even dark, the supplementary light will be turned on automatically, so as to realize full-color day and night.

In addition, there are some enhanced functions. For example, some cameras provide a 3D digital noise reduction function for the situation where there is insufficient light at night and the image is not clear. Some cameras provide a WDR-wide dynamic function.

These enhanced functions can make the monitoring picture more pure, delicate, and soft. Under the same configuration, we can give priority to cameras with enhanced functions.

Storage method

At present, the storage methods of outdoor house cameras mainly include memory cards, hard disk video recorder storage, and cloud storage.

If there is only one outdoor house camera and the video storage period is not high, it is recommended to choose a memory card for storage, which is also the most cost-effective storage method.

On the contrary, if the video storage period is required to be longer, or if there are multiple surveillance camera videos that need to be stored at the same time, it is recommended to choose a hard disk video recorder for storage.

NVR storage needs to configure NVR and hard disk separately, and the cost will increase. But in comparison, the storage capacity is much higher, it supports multi-channel camera input, and it is also convenient for centralized storage and centralized viewing.

The storage cycle calculation methods of different manufacturers are also different. We can simply calculate how much storage space we need to buy based on the camera resolution (number of pixels) and the storage cycle.

Cloud storage, Almost every manufacturer will provide this service. Cloud storage is usually charged according to the storage period, and the cost is relatively high.

However, because the video is stored in the cloud, it is not easy to be damaged, and it is convenient for investigation and evidence collection. If you have high-security requirements for video files, you can consider using both local storage and cloud storage.

Power supply network mode

At present, there are four main power supply methods for surveillance cameras: power supply, network cable power supply, battery power supply, and solar power supply.

The network supply methods of surveillance cameras mainly include network cables, wireless WIFI, and SIM cards.

For outdoor monitoring, power supply and grid supply can often be considered together, for example:

It is recommended to choose a camera with a power supply and WIFI network if it is not far from the room and it is convenient to pull electricity, such as balconies, gates, indoor courtyards, surrounding villas, etc.

This method saves the trouble of network wiring. When the WIFI signal is unstable, the WIFI signal amplifier can also be used to enhance the WIFI signal, which is simpler and more practical in comparison.

If there is some distance from the room, the WIFI signal cannot be covered or the signal is unstable, such as outdoor parking spaces, gardens, vegetable fields, orchards, etc., you can choose the way of POE (network cable) power supply.

Surveillance cameras that support a network cable (POE) power supply can work normally without a power supply. The network cable can serve as a power supply and network supply at the same time, which is more suitable for scenarios that require multiple outdoor house cameras.

At present, the maximum distance of data signal transmission of ordinary network cables (category 5 cables) is about 100 meters, which can meet most needs.

For some situations where the monitoring range is very wide and it is inconvenient to pull electricity, such as large-scale farms, fish ponds, orchards, etc., you can choose solar + battery power supply and flow card power supply to realize monitoring.

However, it should be noted that the way of solar power + battery power supply is affected by external factors such as the environment and weather. The current technology is not so mature, and it is difficult to support continuous and uninterrupted monitoring. It is necessary to consider the setting of monitoring strategies during use, and The cost of this method is relatively high.

Generally speaking, the network and power supply methods of outdoor monitoring need to be reasonably matched according to the existing conditions. For some special environments, it is necessary to consider poles or choose waterproof and anti-corrosion materials.

Intelligent function

For outdoor house cameras, in addition to the basic parameters and functions, you can also focus on the following four intelligent functions:

Automatic cruise: Outdoor monitoring generally requires a relatively large range of attention. The automatic cruise function can enable the camera to automatically cruise through a certain sequence and cycle time interval, thereby realizing multi-point and large-scale monitoring, especially suitable for orchards and scenes such as farms and fish ponds.

Motion detection: Accurately judge whether someone is moving in the monitoring screen, intelligently distinguish invalid and false alarms, make the alarm function more practical, and can be pushed to the bound mobile phone in time.

Sound and light warning: When someone breaks into a dangerous area illegally, the camera detects the intrusion, and the sound and light alarm can be linked to effectively deter illegal acts.

Two-way voice intercom: When an abnormal situation occurs, the local two-way voice intercom function can be used to take quick and effective response measures to various emergencies to avoid losses.

The following is a simple analysis of some common outdoor monitoring scenarios.

For scenes with larger areas, it is necessary to consider installing multiple surveillance cameras to ensure complete coverage.

For scenes such as doorways, roads, and fixed parking spaces, the monitoring range is usually relatively clear, but the monitoring distance is relatively high. Therefore, the main focus is on the focal length of the lens and the night vision function. It is recommended to choose a camera with a large focal length.

For large-area and wide-ranging monitoring scenarios such as villas and farmyards, it is recommended to choose a monitoring package.

Taking the villa as an example, the monitoring points need to consider multiple areas such as the villa’s gate, courtyard, fence, garage, etc., plus indoor living rooms, balconies, and other locations, it is necessary to install multiple cameras to achieve comprehensive monitoring. Therefore, it is recommended to choose a monitoring package that can support simultaneous access to multiple cameras, unified storage, and unified management.

For scenarios such as orchards, farms, and fish ponds with a wide monitoring range and complex power supply conditions, we can consider the following:

The monitoring range is not large, the distance is within 100 meters, and the power supply network is stable.

In this case, we can consider using a POE-powered monitoring kit, and choose the installation point according to the required monitoring range.

In addition, we can also consider extending the WIFI coverage by means of wireless bridge relay, so that we can still choose wireless WIFI surveillance cameras at a long distance, reducing the trouble of wiring.