Recommended Settings

[jc001]

Have purchased the following CCTV camera

4K IP CAMERA VIVID HD 8MP UHD POE CCTV DOME TURRET 30M IR OUTDOOR BLACK 2.8MM

for outside and I have come across the web interface with various settings but I've no idea what some of the sections or settings mean.

I do know about the settings for IP address and simple settings for the camera but it's the image and video settings I could do with some guidance on.

Have basic knowledge of how PoE and cameras work as I have managed to set the camera up and connect it to the internal network and it's viewable in the program I am using called ispy.

The camera is only for home use and on a drive pointing towards a door. This all works correctly and was simple and straightforward.

When I logged into the web interface, I tend to leave the default settings as they are but in case there is something that could do with a modification from the user, I will change it if recommended.

Would it be OK to post various screenshots of the camera settings that I am unsure of and ask for any recommendations users have from past experience?

 

[Dan]

Hi @jc001

It is OK to share screenshots of the camera settings and let us know which ones you are unsure about.

Also, can you provide more details about the exact model you have? What you have provided above is basically just a description of the camera, do you know the brand of the camera? Is there a label on the camera with its actual model number?

 

[jc001]

Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated.

I went to the tab screen about the camera and it says under model:

CAM-IP-TURRET-8MP-B-V2

Below are the various screenshots from the tabs.

In layman's terms would it be possible to say if any need changing and what they mean?

Thanks again for the help. I am new to the IP camera world, but have managed to connect it to the software. It's just the settings if any that are recommended to change.

 

[Dan]

Hi @jc001

We can't really go through and explain every setting, most should be pretty self-explanatory but if there are any particular settings you don't understand we are happy to try and explain them.

Also, we can't really recommend if any of these settings need to be changed without seeing the day/night image the camera is currently producing. If you don't want to share the camera images for privacy reasons, can you explain any issues you are having with the camera image that you are not happy with? (e.g. is it too dark in the daytime, are you seeing whiteout/hotspots for light sources/sunlight reflection, is motion through the scene distorted, etc...)

 

[jc001]

Hi Dan

Many thanks for the reply.

Understand that every screenshot cannot be taken into account.

I was only asking if there are any settings that someone would recommend from past usage of IP cameras that they have found useful or changed and it has worked out for the better.
My example would like if someone installed Microsoft Word for the first time and within the settings of the saving option there was a setting called "Auto Save" and it was switched off.... then the recommendation would have been to turn that option on as that would save a lot of time (If that makes sense?)

Indeed I can't share an image of the outside view I have due to the nature of where it is and what it shows.

I have managed to whittle it down to 2 images and highlighted in red the only settings that I would like some guidance on. (Attached)

If you can say in laymans terms what these mean and if I need to change them then I should be OK?

 

[Dan]

Hi @jc001

I understand your MS word example but it doesn't really translate to CCTV because the settings you enable/disable are all dependent on the scene your camera is covering.

Below is a brief explanation of the settings you have highlighted:

Video Encoding - All IP CCTV streams are encoded/compressed because raw data would be too massive to handle, so by default, IP cameras are usually set to either H.264 or H.265. H.265 compresses the camera stream further than H.264 and this reduces the data/bandwidth and storage used by the camera. H.265+ will compress the data/storage use further but you will likely run into problems using smart events whilst having H.265+ enabled. If you only have one 8MP camera then using H.265 will be fine.

Day/Night Switch - these settings control how the camera behaves during the day and night, in most scenarios leaving this set to auto should work fine as the camera will just automatically switch into IR mode when the scene is dark enough. If you have lighting in the scene that is on all the time you can try switching it to day mode so the camera never switches to B&W IR mode and you always have a colour image (but you will probably need a lot of light to get a good colour image at night). Alternatively, if you have a unique lighting situation (e.g. floodlights that stay on for several hours after it gets dark) you could set it to schedule switch and set manually when the IR switch happens.

Sensitivity adjusts how dark it has to be before the auto IR switch happens and Filtering time adjusts how quickly the IR switch happens. Again in most scenarios, these settings left as default are fine, but you can have a play around with them if you want (check the IR switch in your playback recording to see how it looks before you make any changes).

When the smart supplement light is enabled it adjusts the power/brightness of the IR LEDs based on the activity in the scene (e.g. if people/objects come close to the camera it will reduce the brightness to avoid whiting them out. Again this is something to test to see if it makes a difference to the scene you are covering.

 

[jc001]

Hi Dan

That example of Word was as basic as I was trying to get. (i.e layman terms)

Your reply of the red highlighted areas and your response has covered more than enough.

I now understand what these mean and see if I require them or not.

Thanks again for your help.