The Dahua IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E-S3 is a smart network camera designed for robust surveillance in demanding environments. It uses advanced deep learning to accurately detect and classify people and vehicles, significantly reducing false alarms. This camera is ideal for those needing reliable, intelligent monitoring with powerful analytics for enhanced security and operational insights.
Perfect For
- Commercial Building Exteriors
- Large Parking Lots
- Warehouse Perimeters
- Public Parks and Open Areas
- Critical Infrastructure Sites
- Long Driveways and Entrances
Features
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Advanced AI Detection: Accurately identifies humans, vehicles, and even animals, reducing false alarms from irrelevant movements like swaying trees or heavy rain.
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Extended Night Vision: Provides clear black and white video in complete darkness up to 120 meters (393.70 ft) using its built-in IR illuminators, ensuring reliable overnight surveillance.
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Smart Object Detection: Automatically alerts you to abandoned or missing objects, adding an extra layer of security for valuable items or preventing hazards.
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Detailed Face Analysis: Captures and analyzes facial attributes like gender, age, and expressions, which can be invaluable for forensic investigations or business intelligence.
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People Counting & Heat Maps: Tracks foot traffic in specific areas or across tripwires, providing valuable data for retail analytics, queue management, or occupancy monitoring.
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Robust Weather & Vandal Protection: With IP67 and IK10 ratings, this camera is fully protected against dust, water immersion, and significant impacts, making it suitable for harsh outdoor conditions.
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Flexible Storage Options: Supports up to a 1 TB Micro SD card for local recording, and can also store footage on FTP, SFTP, or Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices.
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Built-in Microphone: Captures clear audio from the monitored area, adding another critical layer of information to your surveillance footage.
Downloads
Quick-Read Specs
| Feature |
Specification |
| Resolution |
4MP (2688 × 1520) |
| Lens Type |
Motorized Vari-focal (8 mm–32 mm) |
| Night Vision |
IR up to 120 m (393.70 ft) |
| Deterrence |
None (No built-in strobe/siren) |
| AI Features |
SMD 3.0, AcuPick, IVS, Face Detection, People Counting, Video Metadata, Smart Sound Detection |
| Audio |
Built-in Mic (No built-in speaker) |
| Storage |
Up to 1 TB Micro SD card |
| Power |
12 VDC / PoE (802.3af) / ePoE |
| Weather Rating |
IP67, IK10 |
Extra Info
AI-ISP Technology for Superior Imaging
This camera incorporates AI-ISP (Artificial Intelligence Image Signal Processor) technology. Unlike traditional image processing, AI-ISP intelligently adapts to diverse lighting conditions, from bright daylight to challenging low-light scenarios. This means the camera can produce images with exceptional detail and clarity, even in complex environments, ensuring that critical visual information is captured effectively. The "Deeplight" night vision effect is a direct benefit of this, offering enhanced low-light performance.
Self-Learning Capabilities for Reduced False Alarms
Powered by deep learning, the camera features Self-Learning algorithms. This allows the device to continuously learn and adapt to its environment, distinguishing between genuine threats (like humans and vehicles) and environmental factors (like swaying trees or shadows) that often trigger false alarms in conventional systems. This significantly improves the accuracy of intelligent detection functions, saving users time by minimizing the need to review irrelevant alerts.
Perimeter Protection for Targeted Security
The Perimeter Protection feature utilizes deep learning to accurately classify humans and vehicles. This goes beyond simple motion detection, enabling the camera to set up virtual tripwires and intrusion zones that specifically detect unauthorized entry by people or vehicles. False alarms from animals or falling leaves are greatly reduced, making this ideal for securing property lines, restricted areas, and specific entry points. It also supports functions like "fast moving," "loitering detection," and "people gathering" to proactively identify suspicious behaviors.
AcuPick for Rapid Evidence Retrieval
AcuPick is an industry-leading search technology that leverages both the camera's on-board AI and compatible back-end devices (like Smart NVRs). When you're searching through hours of footage for a specific event or person, AcuPick intelligently processes the data to quickly and precisely locate targets such as people, animals, or motor vehicles. This drastically reduces the time and effort required for forensic investigations and event playback, making your surveillance system far more efficient.
Comprehensive Video Metadata for Advanced Analytics
The camera's Video Metadata function uses deep learning to automatically detect, track, capture, and extract attributes of vehicles, non-motor vehicles, human bodies, and faces. For example, it can identify a motor vehicle's type, color, logo, and even whether a seatbelt is worn or if someone is smoking. For human bodies, it can discern gender, clothing type and color, and accessories like bags or hats. Face attributes include gender, age, expressions, glasses, and beards. This rich metadata transforms raw video into searchable, actionable data, enabling powerful analytics for security, traffic management, and business intelligence applications.
Q&A
Can this camera record in color at night?
No, this specific model (IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E-S3) primarily relies on infrared (IR) illumination for night vision. This means it will record in black and white when the IR illuminator is active in low-light or no-light conditions.
Does this camera have a built-in speaker for two-way audio or alarms?
While it has a built-in microphone for audio input, this camera does not have a built-in speaker. Therefore, it cannot support two-way audio communication or play audible alerts directly from the camera. An external speaker would be needed for audio output.
What makes the "WizMind" series different from other Dahua cameras?
The "WizMind" series, including this camera, is Dahua's high-end line focused on advanced AI capabilities. These cameras are "Driven by deep learning algorithms" to provide highly accurate detection and analysis of people and vehicles, offering features like Video Metadata, AcuPick, and enhanced Perimeter Protection with reduced false alarms compared to standard or Lite series cameras.
How long can a 1TB Micro SD card record footage on this camera?
The recording duration on a 1TB Micro SD card will vary significantly based on several factors, including the resolution, frame rate, video compression (H.265 is more efficient than H.264), the amount of motion in the scene, and whether continuous or event-based recording is used. With optimal settings (e.265 AI coding, lower frame rates, event-only recording), a 1TB card could potentially store weeks or even months of footage. For precise estimates, it's best to consult recording calculators available from Dahua or similar resources.
Is this camera compatible with NVRs from other brands?
Yes, this camera supports ONVIF (Profile S/Profile G/Profile T/Profile M) and CGI protocols. This ensures broad compatibility with a wide range of Network Video Recorders (NVRs) from other manufacturers, allowing for flexible integration into existing surveillance systems. However, to fully leverage all advanced AI features like AcuPick or detailed Video Metadata search, pairing it with a compatible Dahua Smart NVR is recommended.
Can the intelligent functions like "Intrusion" or "Face Detection" be turned off if not needed?
Yes, most intelligent functions and alarm events can be configured or turned OFF via the camera's web interface or management software (like SmartPSS Lite). This allows you to customize the camera's behavior and only enable the features that are relevant to your specific monitoring needs.
How far can this camera "recognize" a person, and does that apply to its AI features?
According to the DORI (Detect, Observe, Recognize, Identify) table, the camera can recognize a person (meaning you can determine if it's an acquaintance or stranger) at a "T" (Telephoto, 32mm focal length) distance of approximately 79.0 meters (259.19 ft). However, the DORI distances "do not reflect intelligent function distances." For optimal performance of AI features like face detection or people counting, the effective range will be shorter and is detailed in the installation and commissioning manual or project design tools.
What is the benefit of "Dual Power Backup"?
The "Dual Power Backup" feature means the camera can be powered by both a 12VDC power adapter and Power over Ethernet (PoE) simultaneously. If one of these power sources fails (e.g., a power adapter is unplugged or a PoE switch loses power), the camera will continue to operate uninterrupted on the remaining power source without restarting. This provides an extra layer of reliability and ensures continuous surveillance even during minor power disruptions.
Camera Model Comparison
IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E-S3 vs. IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E
Here is a detailed comparison between the newer Dahua IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E-S3 and its immediate predecessor, the IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E, highlighting their key specifications and features.
| Category |
Newer Model (IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E-S3) |
Older Model (IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E) |
| Model Name/Number |
IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E-S3 |
IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E |
| Image Sensor |
1/1.8" CMOS |
1/1.8" CMOS |
| Max. Resolution |
4MP (2688×1520) @25/30 fps |
4MP (2688×1520) @25/30 fps |
| ROM |
4 GB |
128 MB |
| RAM |
1 GB |
1 GB |
| Min. Illumination (Color) |
0.0007 lux@F1.6 (30 IRE) |
0.002 lux@F1.6 |
| Min. Illumination (B/W) |
0.0004 lux@F1.6 (30 IRE) |
0.0002 lux@F1.6 |
| Illumination Distance |
120 m (IR) |
120 m (IR) |
| Illuminator Number |
4 (IR LED) |
3 (IR LED) |
| Focal Length |
8 mm–32 mm |
8 mm–32 mm |
| Max. Aperture |
F1.6 |
F1.6 |
| Field of View (H/V/D) |
H: 43°–15°; V: 24°–9°; D: 50°–17° |
H: 43°–15°; V: 23°–8°; D: 50°–17° |
| WDR |
140 dB |
140 dB |
| AI Features |
Video Metadata, Smart Sound Detection, IVS, Face Detection, Smart Object Detection, People Counting, SMD 3.0, AcuPick, Smart Search, Heat Map |
Video Metadata, Smart Sound Detection, IVS, Face Detection, Smart Object Detection, People Counting, SMD 3.0, Smart Search, Heat Map |
| Audio |
1 in, 1 out; Built-in MIC |
1 in, 1 out; Built-in MIC |
| Storage |
Max. 1 TB Micro SD card |
Max. 256 GB Micro SD card |
| Power Supply |
12 VDC/PoE (802.3af)/ePoE |
12 VDC/PoE (802.3af)/ePoE |
| Protection |
IP67, IK10 |
IP67, IK10 |
| Dimensions (L × W × H) |
273.2 mm × 95.0 mm × 95.0 mm |
273.2 mm × 95.0 mm × 95.0 mm |
| Net Weight |
1.13 kg (2.49 lb) |
1.11 kg (2.44 lb) |
| Stream Capability |
4 streams |
3 streams |
Summary Recommendation
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Choose the Newer Model (IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E-S3) if:
- You require enhanced AI capabilities, specifically the AcuPick feature for more precise target matching and quicker search through video data.
- You need larger on-board storage capacity, as it supports up to 1 TB Micro SD card compared to the older model's 256 GB.
- You prioritize slightly improved low-light performance (lower minimum illumination values) and an additional IR LED for potentially more robust illumination.
- You benefit from the increased stream capability (4 streams vs. 3 streams).
- You want the latest iteration with potentially more optimized internal components (indicated by increased ROM).
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The Older Model (IPC-HFW5442EP-Z4E) might still be suitable if:
- Your budget is a primary concern, and the enhanced features of the S3 series are not critical for your specific application.
- Your existing infrastructure or monitoring needs do not demand the very latest AI features like AcuPick or higher storage capacity.
- The slight differences in minimum illumination and the number of IR LEDs do not significantly impact your use case.
