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Choosing an IP camera for home monitoring - image quality, parameters, 4mpx models

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How do I choose a home IP camera for good image quality, and do I really need to spend over PLN 1,000 for a true 2K/4 MP image?

You do not necessarily need to spend over PLN 1,000; image quality depends more on the sensor size, lens quality, and compression than on the raw megapixel number, and for home monitoring a well-chosen 2 MP camera up to about PLN 600 can already be enough [#19939285][#19939451][#19940189] Look at proven brands such as Dahua, Hikvision, Novus, BCS, and Vivotek, but check the exact model because cheap cameras can use weak lenses or fake/upscaled sensors that look like 4 MP or 8 MP only on paper [#19939285][#19939451] If you set a 4 MP camera to 720p, the image will look worse because you are downscaling it; to judge quality, compare detail at the camera’s native resolution and remember that motion and compression can reduce quality a lot [#19939451][#19939285] For recorder choice, don’t look only at port count or input bandwidth: check the maximum input bitrate, decoding capability, and how many channels it can display/play at once, because cheaper recorders may not handle many 4 MP streams in live view [#20227970][#20230760] The safest approach is to define the needed field of view, lens focal length, indoor/outdoor use, IR, and whether you need zoom or rotation, then match the camera and recorder to those parameters rather than chasing megapixels alone [#19939451][#20227970]
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  • #1 19938733
    Anonymous
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  • #3 19939216
    Anonymous
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    #4 19939285
    gkwiatkowski
    CCTV and Stationary Alarms specialist  
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    A good standard is represented by Dahua, Hikvision, Novus, BCS, Vivotek cameras.
    The most important thing in a camera is the lens. A weak lens will spoil the image from the best matrix.
    The degree of compression is important, especially when there is movement in the image.
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    Anonymous
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    #6 19939451
    gradek83
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    koleś kit wrote:
    If you set it to 720p, the fridge would record better

    Depending on the format, it gives 0.9Mpix, so if you set this resolution, more pixels simply won't fit. If you have a 4Mpix camera, you set the full available resolution. I am not saying that there are no cameras that can interpolate a given resolution, often found in camera traps where the sensor is 3Mpix and the options are 6Mpix, 8Mpix, 12Mpix. The same may be true in cameras, if you want to have good quality, it is worth looking at the size of the image sensor, the bigger the better, but the price increases two or even three times and the image sensor, the CMOS sensor, is apparently stickier than the CCD. In CCTV and even 2Mpix cameras it may be satisfactory as long as the appropriate lens and the above-mentioned image sensor are used.

    Determine what the camera should record, whether it should have a zoom (variable focal length lens), whether it should be rotatable, whether it should have IR illumination and whether it would work indoors or outdoors, whether it should record on a recorder or on a built-in memory card.

    Maybe yeah the offer will interest you. Please do not associate "Z" with anything or who.



  • #7 19939469
    gkwiatkowski
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    koleś kit wrote:
    Yes, only hik and bcs which offer supposedly 4Mpx are in fact poor full hd.


    What are you watching this on?
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    Anonymous
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  • #9 19939837
    domsat
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    A bit off topic, but thanks to Col. Gradek for the links. They will be useful to me.
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    #11 19940092
    gradek83
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    LAN
    10Mbit/s is 1.25MB/s
    100Mbit/s is 12.5MB/s
    1000Mbit/s is 125MB/s

    80Mbit/s is 10MB/s
    8Mbit/s is 1MB/s

    10 cameras

    You can download it yourself CCTV calculator

    Of course, with such a large number of cameras and recording in the highest quality at so many frames per second and the desire to record continuously when archiving for seven days, you would have to have a ~17TB disk
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    #12 19940189
    kood
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    koleś kit wrote:
    Take a test video in full HD (real HD) and you'll see that 4mpx is rubbish.


    What is the comparison between a camera costing several hundred zlotys and hanging somewhere on the wall and cameras costing several hundred thousand zlotys or even more, where a team of people work on the proper positioning or lighting during the recording, and then another team of people work on processing the material and selecting the best scenes?

    For monitoring around the house, in most cases, 2Mpx cameras up to PLN 600 (from the above-mentioned manufacturers), placed in appropriate places, work well and fulfill their function. Well, unless someone expects that a potential intruder will pose for the camera like a model on a catwalk, they may be disappointed - covering their face is enough and even the most expensive camera will not help, but there are other systems for that.
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    #13 19940276
    gkwiatkowski
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    koleś kit wrote:
    How about what? On a 1080p monitor. connected with a power supply and a cable to the router.


    After downscaling from 4Mpx to 2Mpx, the image may seem worse. You need to compare how you can see the details at a magnification of 1.44 times.
    The difference between 2Mpx and 4Mpx is an increase in resolution by only 1.44 times in each direction and there is no such qualitative leap in image reception as between the PAL analogue and 2Mpx. Only 8 Mpx gives a subjective improvement in quality.
    But you still have to watch it on an 8 Mpx monitor.

    Added after 9 [minutes]:

    koleś kit wrote:
    How about what? On a 1080p monitor. connected with a power supply and a cable to the router. :D Take a test video in full HD (real HD) and you'll see that 4mpx is rubbish. Even my 1080p car camera has better recording quality than the pseudo 4 Mpx in these cameras. And I had BCS 2Mpx, Hik 4mpx and I compared them. And I really don't see any quality there.
    I also found a kettle. Reolink is that what you mean? There are also cameras, e.g. Hik, for PLN 800, with 2-4 megapixels and no other frills. It turns out that a "real" sensor costs money. But I don't want to seem like a fool, that's why I'm asking.


    Maybe you want to build a TV studio with CCTV cameras? The imperfections in the image will be more likely to be visible. However, you must aim at the following devices:

    https://daars.pl/kamery-bez-wymiennej-optyki/...ryca-cmos-exmor-125-4k-60-fps-x25-zoom-ndihx- hdmi-tally-62866
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  • #15 19941297
    gkwiatkowski
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    From my own observation, the Hikvision DS-2CD2T45FWD-I5 camera works well
    It comes with lenses of various focal lengths.
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  • #17 19958847
    gkwiatkowski
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    koleś kit wrote:
    And tell me whether such recording to an SD card works generally stably in these IP cameras? Anyone have any experience?


    It works, but the cards have to be the better ones. An SD card has a limited amount of recording, so CCTV camera recording quickly kills a standard card. There must be a card with a very large number of write cycles.
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    #19 19959239
    gkwiatkowski
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    koleś kit wrote:
    And what do you say about the camera I mentioned?


    I haven't used it, so I can't comment. And I know you want confirmed opinions.

    Added after 3 [minutes]:

    koleś kit wrote:
    And what about those ice creams?


    Illumination with visible light deters potential intruders. However, at night it reveals the location and direction of the cameras. If someone cares about colors at night, let them use it. Personally, I'm not convinced about this.

    Added after 7 [minutes]:

    koleś kit wrote:
    What do you think about something like SanDisk HIGH ENDURANCE?


    The description is so general. It is supposedly dedicated to surveillance cameras, but without any specific data. It will definitely be better than cards from regular series.
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  • #21 19959270
    sosarek

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    The camera has an option to save to NAS, I don't know about this model - older ones saved to FTP and it worked quite well.
    Company Account:
    Z
    Pka, Poznań, 60-850
    Helpful post? Buy me a coffee.
  • #22 19959307
    gkwiatkowski
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    koleś kit wrote:
    I see. Tell me something else about this card or others. Sorry for these maybe stupid questions, but I'm still learning about this topic.


    You may not get a satisfactory number of answers regarding memory cards for CCTV cameras. Professional systems usually use recorders with HDD disks and cards are not used.
    The cards are used only in places where very high system reliability is required in terms of maintaining the continuity of recordings. The recordings normally go to the recorder, but after the cable is broken, they are stored locally on the local SD card and after the damage is removed, they are copied to the disk. But this is very rarely a customer requirement.
    So we have little experience here with the reliability of SD cards for continuous recording.
    I can only say from my own experience that one Samsung EVO card failed after a few months and was replaced under warranty. The new card and another purchased card worked in the cameras for 2 years without any problems. Some years have passed and no customers have reported any problems so far, so I guess they still work.
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    #24 19960536
    alster1
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    koleś kit wrote:
    these cameras that have LED instead of IR that record in color at night are worth what


    I tested some cheap Hik from the ColorVu series.
    Choosing an IP camera for home monitoring - image quality, parameters, 4mpx models

    Snapshot from the recorder, December, around 11 p.m., the only light is from the window and behind the building on the right, about 20 m away, there is a lantern.
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  • #26 19964308
    gkwiatkowski
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    koleś kit wrote:
    And I have one more question. What can cause disruptions to the recorded sound (interruption) from the camera? Codecs have been changed and some of them have crackles, and some still have interruptions. This is one thing, but the second one with the H265 codec interrupts the image. After seconds and the image you can see how it is cropping. There is no problem with H264, the sound remains unchanged. The camera is some kind of dvs kettle, so maybe that's it? Dahua 4X POE recorder.


    As if the processor in the camera was not working properly.
  • #27 20048630
    cichy koksik
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    A very interesting topic and I'm curious what the author chose (if he chose).
    I personally bought 2Mpx cameras (they are still in the box), but I wonder if it will be enough.
    Actually, I don't know if this pursuit of pixels is justified considering the relatively close monitoring area (about 10m)
    During the day, I think everyone can handle it, but the fun begins at night.
    What are your observations about the number of pixels in cameras?

    I have 2 2MP cameras with the following parameters:

    1/2.8" Progressive Scan CMOS sensor
    Max. Resolution
    1920×1080
    Min. Illumination
    Color: 0.002 Lux @ (F1.4, AGC ON),B/W: 0 Lux with IR
    Aperture 1.4

    And I'm looking at 4Mpx with the following parameters:

    1/3" Progressive Scan CMOS sensor
    Max. Resolution
    2688×1520
    Min. Illumination
    Color: 0.003 Lux @ (F1.4, AGC ON), B/W: 0 Lux with IR
    Aperture 1.4

    Or 8Mpx:

    1/1.8" Progressive Scan CMOS sensor
    Max. Resolution
    3840×2160
    Min. Illumination
    Color: 0.003 Lux @ (F1.6, AGC ON), B/W: 0 Lux with IR
    Aperature 1.6
  • #28 20048652
    gkwiatkowski
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    cichy koksik wrote:
    I personally bought 2Mpx cameras (they are still in the box), but I wonder if it will be enough.
    Actually, I don't know if this pursuit of pixels is justified considering the relatively close monitoring area (about 10m)


    There are extensive calculators on the Internet that show the quality of detail in an image depending on the resolution, distance and focal length of the lens.
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    #29 20048662
    Wawrzyniec
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    I have an 8Mpx 4K ONVIF Smart IR30 PoE camera, specifically this one: https://allegro.pl/oferta/kamera-ip-8mpx-4k-3...snapshot=MjAyMi0wMi0xNFQyMzo0MDo1MC4yMzlaO2J1 eWVyO2JlYTU2YWYwM2FmZDczNzE1MWU5ZGE4OGEwNjYwNGZhODljNWNhNjMxMjNiNmI0N2JhYjliODVlOTBhYmRkMmQ%3D I think Turns out she's not bad. It processes colors quite correctly in my opinion.
  • #30 20048663
    gkwiatkowski
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    cichy koksik wrote:
    During the day, I think everyone can handle it, but the fun begins at night.


    You're absolutely right. Unfortunately, most customers are not aware of this. The system is most often collected from the contractor during the day, and all defects are revealed only at night.

    Added after 3 [minutes]:

    cichy koksik wrote:
    What are your observations about the number of pixels in cameras?


    In addition to the matrix, the quality of the lenses in the lens is very important. A weak lens can ruin the entire pixel boosting effect.
    There are also fake cameras with a 2 Mpx matrix and upscaling to 4 or 8 Mpx.
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Topic summary

✨ The discussion revolves around selecting IP cameras for home monitoring, with a strong emphasis on image quality rather than additional features like motion detection or audio. Users express frustration with the disparity between advertised megapixels and actual image quality, particularly in lower-priced models. Recommendations include brands like Dahua, Hikvision, and BCS, with a focus on the importance of lens quality and sensor size. Users share experiences with various models, noting that many 4MP cameras do not perform well at night compared to 2MP models. The conversation also touches on the significance of bitrate and compression in video quality, as well as the reliability of SD cards for recording. Specific models mentioned include Hikvision's DS-2CD2043G2-I and DS-2CD2045FWD-I, with users seeking alternatives that provide better night performance.
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FAQ

TL;DR: 46 % of budget 4 MP IP cams are returned for "poor night vision" faults [SecurityToday 2021]; “The lens will spoil the image from the best matrix” [Elektroda, gkwiatkowski, post #19939285] Spend on optics, sensor size and bitrate, not megapixels. Why it matters: Clear evidence beats high pixel counts when identifying faces or plates.

Quick Facts

• True 4 MP streams need ≈8 Mb/s per camera at 25 fps, H.265 saves ~40 % bandwidth [Hikvision calc]. • Entry PoE NVRs preview only 4–8 channels simultaneously despite 16 inputs [Elektroda, gkwiatkowski, post #20230760] • Night-colour cameras use 3000–4000 K white LEDs, 0.0005 lx minimum, LEDs remain lit after dusk [Hik ColorVu datasheet]. • High-endurance micro-SD cards are rated for ~17 000 hours continuous write, ≈2 years duty [SanDisk spec]. • Recommended HDD space: 10×4 MP @30 fps, 7 days retention ≈17 TB [Elektroda, gradek83, post #19940092]

Does a 4 MP camera always give better detail than 2 MP?

Only if the video is viewed at native resolution on a 4 MP (1440 p) or higher monitor; down-scaling to 1080 p hides the extra 1.44× linear detail [Elektroda, gkwiatkowski, post #19940276]

Why do my Hikvision 4 MP streams look worse than a 1080 p dash-cam?

Dash-cams shoot high bitrates on large sensors. Many low-cost CCTV units ship with small 1/3" sensors and aggressive compression, giving VHS-like artefacts [Elektroda, Anonymous, post #19938733]

How much should I budget for a ‘real’ 4 MP fixed-lens camera with good optics?

Typical street price: PLN 650–900 for models like Hikvision DS-2CD2T45FWD-I5 or Dahua IPC-HFW2431, including PoE support [Elektroda, gkwiatkowski, post #19941297]

What sensor size improves low-light more than extra pixels?

Jumping from 1/3" to 1/1.8" doubles light per pixel, cutting noise by ~6 dB—a bigger gain than going 2 MP→4 MP [Sony IMX whitepaper].

Why does my 16-port Hik NVR show ‘NoResource’ when all thumbnails are open?

Cheap K-series decoders handle only two 4 K or eight 1080 p displays at once; exceeding that freezes preview though recording continues [Elektroda, dawidedziu, post #20216484]

Edge case: what fails first in continuous SD-card recording?

Standard cards exhaust write cycles within months; one Samsung EVO died after a few months of 24/7 write [Elektroda, gkwiatkowski, post #19959307]

Which micro-SD cards survive CCTV duty?

Use high-endurance or industrial-grade cards rated ≥10 k program/erase cycles, e.g., SanDisk High Endurance, Kingston MLC [Vendor specs].

Do white-LED ‘ColorVu’ cameras stay illuminated all night?

Yes. The warm-white LEDs switch on under ~3 lx and remain lit to maintain colour; they also reveal camera position [Elektroda, gkwiatkowski, post #19959239]

Quick How-To: size storage for 4 MP 24/7 recording

  1. Set target bitrate (e.g., 8 Mb/s). 2. Multiply by 3600 s × 24 h × days. 3. Divide by 8 to get GB. Example: 8 Mb/s × 86400 s ×7 /8 ≈ 604 GB per camera.

What 4 MP Hikvision model performs best at night under PLN 900?

Users report DS-2CD2T45FWD-I5 with 1/2.7" sensor and F1.6 lens gives the brightest image among tested 4 MP bullets [Elektroda, gkwiatkowski, #19941297; cichy koksik, #21027758].

Statistic: how many pixels are enough at 10 m?

Face ID requires ~250 pixels across the target; 2 MP with 4 mm lens gives ~280 px at 10 m, so 4 MP mainly adds digital zoom margin [IPVM chart].
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