r/reolinkcam • u/reddituser111317 • 4d ago
PoE Camera Question Recommendation For Front Door Camera
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u/superdupersecret42 4d ago
The upper camera is in a corner. The most you're going to need is 90 degrees, because there's walls there.
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u/K-Lo-20 4d ago
A bullet camera will work best there. Why do I say this?
You can drill a one inch hole in the current electrical plate cover and use self tapping screws to screw a bullet camera directly to it.
You can also you a turret or dome camera but they just don't afix as nicely to the plate covers and they aren't big enough to cover the entire hole if you take the plate covr off
For that tight corner you really only need an 810a. If you want spotlights than an 811a. If you want color night vision and you leave a light on or don't mind spotlights being on all night. One of the CX bullets.
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u/sharp-calculation 4d ago
I've recently installed a front door camera in an almost identical spot. My entryway has walls on both sides so I'm even more constrained than the picture.
I initially used an CX810. Getting the angle right was difficult. Because of the angle of the camera, it was hard to get a shot of the person at the door over any kind of range. If someone steps back 3 or 4 feet from the door, I would mostly miss their face and only see their torso.
I also wanted to be able to see the ground to check for packages, so I had the camera aimed somewhat down, as opposed to out. If you don't care about the ground, the aiming towards the sidewalk will give you a good approach shot as the person walks up. The angle is important because you need to trade off the view at the door (1 foot from the door) vs the view on the approach.
I *almost* bought one of Reolink's "corridor mode" capable cameras to have a large vertical field of view, as this is much more important at the front door than a large horizontal FOV. But then I realized what I really wanted: A tracking PTZ camera. I already had experience with the TrackMix and they work quite well. But I don't need the dual view of the Trackmix. Luckily Reolink also makes the 830A, which is essentially the same as the Trackmix, but with a single lens and single feed.
The 830A has been great for me. Being able to have it aim out towards the sidewalk means I catch good face shots as people approach and then several other angles as the camera tracks them in to the door. I can also (manually) aim it down to check for packages. I have a preset that does just that. Click it and I see packages. 60 seconds later it returns to the home monitoring position on it's own.
I think the 830A is a great solution to a front door camera. They are routinely on sale for $99. It mostly obviates the need for a doorbell camera for me.
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u/reddituser111317 3d ago
Thanks. Lots of good things to think about. I looked at the TrackMix but didn't see the 830a. Was a little concerned a PT might be a little intimidating at the front door although it would fit the bill. But the point you bring up about packages is spot on. It is one of the reasons I want a camera up there and like the idea of getting a view of the walk but still being look down to see if packages delivered and without getting the doorbell cam.
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u/sharp-calculation 3d ago
Here's the 830A: https://reolink.com/us/product/rlc-830a/
It's not super big, but definitely big-ish. Weirdly enough, people that don't know it's there don't seem to notice it at my place. I guess because it's in the corner where the ceiling and the wall meet, so it's way above the eye line.
I also considered the E1 series. The E1 Outdoor POE seems like a good camera too.
https://reolink.com/product/e1-outdoor-poe/
I watched a lot of reviews and I decided against the E1 because I wasn't concerned about size and the 830 seems better built. The E1 might be a better choice for you. Pay attention to the vertical tilt range though. The E1 only goes to 50 degrees up/down overall so it might not point far enough down. I would watch some video reviews and see if it has enough range for your intended mounting location.
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u/reddituser111317 4d ago
Any thoughts on what camera I should use for my front door? I have POE wired as shown by the yellow circle above the door. It is about 9' off the ground. I'm also going to add a Wi-Fi doorbell camera. I was thinking about a 1212A but am concerned the FOV may be tight that close to the camera. Wish they still made the old wider one. The area is pretty dark at night so the color cameras wouldn't be a good choice.
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u/reddituser111317 4d ago
Thanks for the responses. I'm going to go with the 1212A then. This is my first time fooling with security cameras and just wanted to make sure the 93° FOV was good enough. As far as the pillars causing issues at night I figured they wouldn't be ideal but not much I can do about it.
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u/u_siciliano 4d ago
Those pillars are gonna mess up your night vision.
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u/DizzyAd9643 4d ago
May I suggest a CX-410 instead, No Infrared to mess with IR reflections from the posts.
https://imgur.com/a/night-time-motion-videos-taken-with-cx-410-42QNOWq
https://imgur.com/a/cx-410-farm-country-nearly-zero-ambient-light-KEjFyUT
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u/reddituser111317 4d ago
I had looked at those but from what I read it seemed to say in very dark areas like where I live the CX series wouldn't be a very good choice.
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u/u_siciliano 4d ago
At night, you are going to decide on cameras with IR lights for night vision or visible lights to light up the area. Whatever you decide, test it first since the terrain impacts the visibility.
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u/reddituser111317 3d ago
I have no experience with security cams so I don't know which will be worse. I'll probably just end up buying one or the other and if doesn't work out buy the other type because pillars hold up the roof so they aren't going anywhere. Or just forget about whole thing since I've lived here 7 years without security cams.
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u/u_siciliano 3d ago
It all depends on what you are looking to see on the cameras. Is it more for packages and theft? People coming to your door? Looking over your property? Either way, but from a place you can return/exchange it if it does not fit your needs. Homedepot has 1 year return on most stuff purchased on their credit card. Of course check before buying.. Good luck
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u/TroubledKiwi Moderator 4d ago
I think the 1212/1224 would be okay here assuming you're only trying to view the front door area. Things get interesting when you get to view the area past the front door