Anyone use the Dahua 5MP doorbell?

fishpick

Looks pretty legit in terms of specs -

Model Number: DH-DB6I

https://us.dahuasecurity.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Datasheet_5MP_WiFi_Video_Doorbell_LincX2PRO_DH_DB6I_v001_003.pdf

Just wary to purchase as it seems like it might be specific to their own app / NVRs

cstout

I'm following this thread in case anyone has used it. I just came across this newer doorbell this morning and I'm interested.

Ben

Looks interesting. The specs do list RTSP, which is the thing that SecuritySpy needs to support the video/audio stream. So I think it's highly likely to work with SecuritySpy, If anyone manages to test one please report back!

fishpick

Well - to update this. I got an Amcrest AD410… and like all the reviews warn - pressed the button the 10th time and… lights out - dead.

so back to Amazon it went.

Delivery on Friday should be the DH-DB6I

so I’ll update - the Amcrest worked ok - but it was a real pain to isolate from the cloud - I’m hoping the Dahua is a bit more robust and also easier to configure

fishpick

Got the doorbell today. Opened up the box. Attached it to my bench power supply. Fed it 18.5V. Got it set up in the mandatory Dahua app.

got a motion notification

made a sound. Light turned off. Power supply went to 0A draw.

RMA was issued.

Never got to consume streams in SS.

Thus far for $70 more than the Amcrest - not impressed…

not sure if I’ll do an exchange and try again on a $200 doorbell. Or retry the $120 Amcrest…

Just junk from mainland China I guess…

Ben

I think this is very bad luck - both Amcrest and Dahua are respectable brands, and to have two devices fail in quick succession is quite unexpected!

fishpick

So far the replacement Amcrest has been working well. Bit of a challenge to get it to stop phoning home and still work locally - but got that sorted. Aside from its size - it’s a fatty - it does the job well!

Ben

Good to hear that, thanks for reporting back. How would you rate the image quality?

fishpick

It's pretty decent - it did take a lot of fiddling to get it set up right (Amcrest app, direct URL config of the device, Amcrest tool) - but overall I'm pretty happy with it. It's juts "big" - the Dahua looked nicer IMHO - this thing is a big bauble. BUT, the angle bracket centers the image of the porch nicely, the button press works great through Scrypted and I can 2 way audio with it - and it is isolated from the internet as well like all my other cameras.

Most of the image messing around was with the HRD settings to get it exposed correctly as it faces due east - so lighting conditions change quite a bit.

I'd recommend it.

Ben

Many thanks for this - very useful information.

Sawmill

OK, I'll bite.

I ordered the Dahua DH-DB6I from B&H. It won't be here for another 10 days, though.

I'll report back when I get it installed.

Sawmill

I got the Dahua DH-DB6I today and set it up. Powered up, seems to work OK.

SecuritySpy was able to discover it using the "Dahua Technology" dropdown selection and acquire it with no problem, once I remembered they had to be on the same subnet.

It displayed the unit's IP address, which I was not able to find using the Dahua app.

I manually entered the IP address displayed in the auto-detect block into the address block above it in SecuritySpy camera setup, entered the username and password and there it was.

I'm not sure about the thing technically, as far as lens quality, whether it's really 5MP, and all the other specs, but it does play nice with SecuritySpy, thanks to SecuritySpy's auto-discover ability.

it's inside right now, and it will be a while before we get it mounted outside by the gate. I'll post more info when I have it.

The doorbell function and video to my iPhone seems to work well.

Ben

This is great feedback @Sawmill, thanks for posting. You can check the specs of the video stream (format, resolution, frame rate) via SecuritySpy's Camera Info window. If you don't see these columns, click the header bar where you see the column names, and a menu pops up that allows you to add them.

Sawmill

Thanks.

Here's what it says for the Dahua: 10 FPS, 4.9 MP, 2560X1920

QFive

Am I correct that it needs constant DC power? E.G., cannot be POE powered?

How is the button press handled?

Thanks,

Ben

Looks like you are correct @Five - the spec sheet for the DH-DB6I does not mention PoE.

Sawmill

There is no "E" connection for the DH-DB6I. It's strictly WiFi, and powered by a transformer, which is not included.

brianwells

Thanks to the detailed review from @Sawmill I went ahead and purchased the DH-DB6I doorbell. It worked exactly as described but I'm still working out a few issues:

• The DMSS app that Dahua says to use for setup failed partway through adding the camera - evidently they expect the camera to be on a normal WiFi network and not one that is isolated. Only the user password and WiFi configuration was saved to the camera by DMSS - the rest I was able to complete through the ConfigTool utility and various configManager.cgi API calls.
• The two-way audio feature does not work for some reason. The SecuritySpy app indicates it is sending audio but nothing is heard at the doorbell camera. This may be a setting I have not yet discovered that needs adjusted.

Other than these issues it appears to be a really nice camera for a decent price.

Sawmill

We have ours set up at the driveway gate. When someone presses the doorbell button, my phone rings (via the DMSS app) and I can see who's there and have a conversation with them. Using the built-in sharing function of the DMSS software, my son's phone also rings at the same time, and he can pick up if it's for him.

It also transmits continuous audio/video to SecuritySpy.

brianwells

Thanks for your clear description, @Sawmill. We now also have the DMSS app setup for our phones and SecuritySpy displaying/recording video from the doorbell camera.

brianwells

The DH-DB6I has been working great for us except for the interior mechanical chime quit working. Time to start troubleshooting...

Sawmill

My 2-1/2 year old DH-DB61 quit working. It was fine until it became intermittent a few weeks ago, then stopped altogether. The external (non-Dahua) power supply failed, but I see the case of the doorbell appears to be separated slightly. It's 2-1/2 years into a 5 year warranty, and I have emailed Dahua about it. There is some discussion online that says there may be a small battery inside the case which might have swollen, causing the case to separate, and perhaps overloading the power supply. I tried a known good power supply, but the doorbell did not power up with it. I'll wait until I hear back from Dahua before I open the case. Meanwhile, someone is selling these on eBay now for $170 shipped (in the US). I ordered one of those and will replace the old one with a new one, then see if Dahua will repair or replace the old one.

Sawmill

Working through Dahua's warranty process...

Dahua says,

"it's likely the doorbell is damaged and needs to be replaced. For that, you will need to contact B&H Photo for an RMA."

I have requested an RMA from B&H.

Sawmill

B&H issued an RMA and sent a FedEx shipping label promptly. I'll be shipping it back to them later today.

Sawmill

While the Dahua I bought from B&H goes through the warranty process, the doorbell I bought on eBay has arrived. It's a Dahua without the logo. Unbranded, sold as "Dahua OEM".

It sets up and works with SS using the dropdown Dahua profile, just as if it were a Dahua.

I had seen discussion online that a recent Dahua firmware revision had disabled some APIs that were necessary for these doorbells to work with 3rd party NVRs, but this one is working OK with SS so far.

Sawmill

B&H sent a warranty replacement for the Dahua doorbell that failed. The other one I got from eBay is working fine, so I'll keep the replacement as a backup.