An IP camera transmits its feed over the network: a single Ethernet cable is enough for video, audio, and—with PoE—power. This is the technology to choose for any new installation.
The three Dahua ranges
Lite covers residential and small business: good image, standard motion detection, affordable price.
WizSense adds onboard AI analytics: the camera distinguishes a person or vehicle from an animal or a branch. This reduces false alerts and offers the best value for money in the range today.
WizMind is the professional range: metadata, license plate recognition, counting, privacy protection. It is designed for tertiary and industrial sites.
What resolution?
4 MP is sufficient for monitoring an area and recognizing a silhouette at ten or fifteen meters. 8 MP (4K) allows for facial identification or reading a license plate at the same spot, but produces about twice as much data and captures slightly less effectively at night with the same aperture. Mix and match: 4 MP for general coverage, 8 MP for identification points.
Focal length
2.8 mm for a room or entrance (wide angle), 4.0 mm for a facade or driveway, 6.0 mm for a corridor or a gate viewed from afar. Varifocal models are adjusted during installation.
Night vision
Infrared provides a clear black and white image, discreetly. Full-Color and Smart Dual Light models switch to white light upon detection and record in color—crucial for identifying clothing or a vehicle.
What else you need
An NVR with enough channels plus two extra, a surveillance hard drive sized according to retention duration, and Cat 6 cable.
Legal framework in Belgium
The system must be declared, and the premises indicated by the regulatory pictogram. Filming public roads or a neighbor's property is prohibited: use the camera's privacy masks.
