Here at Protec Security and Electrical we’re taking a look at another new camera that was released from Dahua earlier this year in Perth, the Dahua TIOC known as the Three In One Camera offering active deterrence, two way audio and colour at night technology. As usual I purchased this camera at my local Perth supplier and installed it on my own home to test. For this purpose I use a Dahua AI NVR capable of using the AI features of these cameras, most Perth customers looking for CCTV will have a standard NVR leaving only some of the features functional.
First impressions:
This camera replaced a Dahua 3641, a Wizsense AI camera with scene self adaptation and smart motion detection. I had been using this camera at my Perth home to monitor the work vehicles overnight using intrusion detection linked to a push notification on my mobile phone. This camera performed as advertised and I was very impressed with the daytime image. The night time image is great for an IR camera, as this camera is located next to a Hikvision ColorVU camera I find it hard to favour IR night vision anymore however they all have their purposes in different CCTV locations.
As usual I was aware that firmware updates would be required and especially with this camera there would need to be a lot of adjustment directly logged into the camera. I dare say straight away that this camera is not one to be adjusted by an end user day-to-day, so decisions would need to be made on what functions you would like this camera to perform for you while your installers are on site.
Camera setup:
After installation and updating of the Dahua AI NVR I started the venture of setting up the camera and to test the usability. The flashing light activation works well and can be scheduled through the CCTV camera setup using intrusion detection. This works well for guarding my work vehicles at night as this is surprisingly bright and imitates emergency vehicles. The audible warning presets are usable and I had this trigger with the active deterrence light when a person was near the vehicle however the disarming function on the phone application would not work correctly, this is likely a firmware issue that will be resolved. I have ended up disabling the audible warning and leave only the flashing light. The smart motion detection works great and reduces the false alarm rate by over 90%, push notifications to your mobile phone can now be taken seriously.
Night time image:
I anticipated the night time image of this new CCTV camera to be near the quality of the Hikvision ColorVU IP camera until I had a read of the specifications.
-Minimum illumination for Dahua TIOC 0.005 lux
-Minimum illumination for Hikvision ColorVU 0.0014 lux
This makes the Hikvision ColorVU able to provide a clear colour night time image at 3.5x darker locations. After testing the Dahua camera I disabled the LED altogether and found that it does not function well as a full colour night time camera without the illuminator.
This camera also goes for slightly more per unit over the Hikvision camera. I find that Dahua may have packed this camera with features however not all features work as well as they could, if a trade off is the night time image for active deterrence, two way audio, flashing warning lights all for marginally more than a competitor brand I can see why these cameras are so popular in Perth WA. I aim to almost exclusively use Hikvision products due to the unrivaled reliability, with Dahua’s new technology, new phone application and user interface released over the last year and a half they’re surely a huge competitor and a system to consider.
I would say this camera would pair well with a Dahua system using it in a location that may not have much day to day human access such as a rear shed or outbuilding. The push notifications from Dahua with SMD would mean you can rely on getting a notification is someone is near but also knowing that that person would have received the audible warning – if you happen to catch that notification in time you can even have a chat to the person through the camera itself, if that’s not enough to convince someone to bugger off of your Perth property you may need a large dog.
Other cameras to add to this system would be the Dahua 3641 as I have found the quality of the image is far better then the predecessor 4631.
We’re always happy to discuss the pros and cons of each camera model, their best applications, NVR options and endless other questions here at Protec Security and Electrical. If you’re researching your CCTV system then ensure you get knowledgeable installers with real-world testing of your chosen system.
