Need Outdoor PTZ IP Camera Recommendation

[uprighttech]

Hey, guys. I need a good recommendation for a weatherproof PTZ IP camera that will work well in low light. This camera will be going into a barn so the client can view their sheep during lambing. It will not be used with a DVR box, so it needs to be an IP cam. They need to be able to view it locally from the house and from other locations using a PC or smartphone (port forwarding and all is not an issue). It can be wired or wireless as we have a wireless bridge to the barn. There is power nearby so it can be PoE or use a power adapter. No recording capabilities are required, but the ability to record to a PC or a CF card on the camera if needed might be a nice bonus. The client is willing to spend some decent money for a camera that will meet their needs. It saves them a lot of time and the hassle going out to check on the animals in the middle of the night in the cold and weather.

I had a Foscam FI9821W there, but I severly underestimated the harsh environment of the barn. I took the camera out yesterday and it was completely covered in all manner of dust, dirt, bugs, spiderwebs and who knows what else. It was just constantly restarting itself. Only made it through one season.

I have browsed some cameras from Foscam, Toshiba, Panasonic, Axis, Lorex, Q-See, TRENDnet and others, but I would prefer to get a good recommendation from someone who has set up a camera with a similar environment and requirements. They are supposed to start lambing this weekend, so I'm looking to jump on something very quickly. Thanks!

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I've been digging into this subject for myself for the past few weeks.

I recommend looking into the forum here for good info:
http://www.cctvforum.com/viewforum.php?f=19&sid=8ade33660b77a11fe4da9457faa9ddf8

From what I've read there...stay way from the entry level junk like QSee, Zmodo, Lorex, Swan,

..the members of that forum don't like Foscam either...I know Foscam is mentioned by staff here, but the experts at the above site have this to say about Foscam "These cameras are not typically discussed here because of their poor reliability and feature set. They are often cloned and copied making firmware updates and support hard to come by. So in short, probably not. However if you are just starting with IP cameras, many members have since upgraded from these over time to bigger and better."

They also recommend not touching any PTZ IP camera for under 200 bucks.

So what's your budget?

 

[uprighttech]

I recommend looking into the forum here for good info:
http://www.cctvforum.com/viewforum.php?f=19&sid=8ade33660b77a11fe4da9457faa9ddf8

...

So what's your budget?

Thanks for the link, Stone. I'd say budget is up to $1000. They get a lot of benefit from it. Just want something that works.

 

[Markverhyden]

Better plan on more than that. The camera will have to have a heater and a wiper as well. The "you get what you pay for" maxim really holds true in this environment. I've been to sites where the Bosch's have been up and running 5+ years. Something like this would do the job but I'm not sure it is an IP only. But I'm sure Bosch does have something.

https://www.123securityproducts.com/mic-500-alb36n.html?gclid=CK60ne6UkLwCFag7Ogod0zQA8g

 

[smashedbotatos]

I have an outdoor Foscam clone. It is decent for what I needed it to do. Was $99 made by Agasio. Not the best out there, but for what I needed it didn't matter.

You say in a barn? Is the area well lit during the day? If not becareful of cameras with sensitive IR. If it is always dark in there the IR will always be on. IR cut filter is a must.

Resolution, don't go lower than 720p. 480i works fine in my situation. 720p is really the way to go.

Take a look at Ubiquity Aircams. They are inexpensive, and are 720p at 1MP. Actually 0.93 who is counting. Not that sharp of quality though.

Read up on DLINK cams too. They make professional security, and business ipcams.
Here is onehttp://www.dlink.com/us/en/business-solutions/ip-surveillance/business-ip-cameras/bullet-cameras/dcs-7513-outdoor-full-hd-wdr-poe-day-night-fixed-bullet-camera-with-ir-led

 

[uprighttech]

Wanted to post an update. I searched around and posted over on cctvforum.com as recommended by Stonecat. That lead me to get an IPPTZ-EL2MPL12X-Mini-I from over at Security Camera King. Called them and their sales support was really good. The customer decided that they didn't have to have IR (some lights can stay on during lambing season). If that changes at some point, we will put up an IR illuminator. The camera has been installed about a week and a half and so far everything is working really well. I will post an update if we have any problems out of it. Thanks for the assistance.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Wow..fancier unit there...nice.
Thanks for the update, and the linky to a good source.

Still have my home security camera project...but on the back burner now, other projects up front.

 

[AndyM]

I've had some of the Sony units demo'd to me. They're expensive, but the latest models have full colour rendering at 0 lux! It's a serious bit of kit. Don't know the US model numbers, but well worth a look if the budget stretches that far.

Andy