Face illumination on Doorbell Camera

[dornfield]

Hi,
I have a new burglar alarm installed (by a household name company), but the doorbell camera needs some 'assistance'. Our front door is quite recessed and so there is no direct light onto the face of the person at the door: and with bright light behind them (daylight), the person is pretty much just a silhouette, with no clear facial detail. I am thinking to install a PIR light to illuminate the face, but what should I be using? I don't want everyone who visits to be blinded, feeling like they are undergoing interrogation. It just needs to be sufficient light to make their face clear on the doorbell camera. Would some form of (hopefully discrete) vertical strip light be best? So that it illuminates over a broader range of 'visitor heights', rather than a spotlight which, if mounted well above head height, would possibly still cast shadow, or if mounted at 'face level' risks shining straight into the eyes of the visitor.
I'm actually surprised that face-illumination is not an integrated feature of the doorbell camera: I can't be the first person to have experienced this as an issue?
Any suggestions?

 

[secureiam]

What doorbell do you have.
the level of recess is going to affect how much light can get between the person face and the door bell.

Each door bell has there limitations and adjustments.

So many us it on a night and give a b &w image.

I have many that are always full colour 24/7 until the person is blocking out the ambient light.

 

[dornfield]

The only visible 'branding' is "alarm.com". It was supplied and installed by ADT. There is also no obvious light on the fairly chunky fitting (see image). I am yet to even try to familiarise myself with the myriad instructions for use of the whole system, but the installer did not think that there was a way to address the 'silhouette' issue. Certainly, he did not think there was an integral light and did not suggest using it on infrared, although that might be an easy fix, even if it then gives no information on "What colour was the clothing?" when the police ask!

 

[secureiam]

Not familar with the brand so cant comment on too much on functionality without a spec sheet aand or manual.

I expect from the looks of things it might not be capable of anything decent, but cant be certain.

 

[sparkymarka]

Sounds like it doesn’t have backlight compensation ….either not or switched off

 

[sparkymarka]

Looks like this one

 

[secureiam]

Alarm.Com ADC-VDB780B Installation Manual (Page 8 of 18) | ManualsLib

www.manualslib.com

 

[secureiam]

says something about one app and 24 hours later it can be changed by a portal.

doesnt really say much about the settings.

 

[dornfield]

I think I'll take it up with ADT. Adjustment may be buried in the setting, but I am still very new to the system and not yet confident of adjusting things in case I screw up the other setting made during installation.

 

[secureiam]

good luck with ADT

 

[Sally2000]

good luck with ADT

and deep pockets!

 

[dornfield]

Amusingly, the camera outside our garage was activated last night at just gone 11pm. The "person detected" turned out to be a large spider spinning a web in front of the camera. Very ghostly on infrared!