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Vstarcam C996DR
Dome Camera with 0.9MP (1280×720) resolution, 59° field of view, and 0m IR night vision range. Features Super Low Light technology for superior night performance.
SPECIFICATIONS · C996DR
Specifications
About the Vstarcam C996DR
The Vstarcam C996DR is a discreet dome housing well-suited to indoor retail, office, lobby, and educational environments where aesthetics matter. Sub-megapixel resolution is suitable only for general overview footage — useful for movement detection but insufficient for facial recognition or license-plate reading. There is no built-in IR illuminator on this model, so it depends entirely on ambient light. In dark environments, pair it with external IR floods or white-light illuminators. A standard 50–80° horizontal FOV mimics how a person sees a scene and works well for general-purpose monitoring of rooms, parking spaces, and perimeter walls without distortion. The Super Low Light sensor is the feature most installers care about for residential and parking-lot use — it preserves identification detail when older cameras lose all color and most contour.
Best use cases for this camera
Entrance, lobby & vestibule
Low-light sensitivity preserves face detail even when interior lighting is dimmed for energy savings. Useful for capturing visitors as they enter and leave.
Strengths
- •Super Low Light sensor maintains color detail in near-darkness
- •Vandal-resistant dome housing harder to tamper with than bullet form factor
Considerations
- •Resolution limits forensic digital zoom — recorded faces beyond ~12m may not be identifiable
- •No built-in IR — requires external illumination for night use
Coverage at Different Distances
| Distance | Coverage Width | Coverage Area | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5m | 5.7m | 28 m² | Entrance, corridor |
| 10m | 11.3m | 113 m² | Room, retail aisle |
| 15m | 17.0m | 255 m² | Warehouse, parking row |
| 20m | 22.6m | 453 m² | Parking row, courtyard |
| 30m | 33.9m | 1018 m² | Parking lot, yard |
| 50m | 56.6m | 2829 m² | Perimeter, large area |
Field of View Visualization
Night Vision Performance
Daytime
Full 0.9MP (1280×720) resolution at 59° field of view. Effective identification range up to 20m in good lighting conditions.
Nighttime (IR)
Built-in IR LEDs illuminate up to 0m in complete darkness. Super Low Light sensor captures colour images in near-darkness.
Installation tips for the C996DR
Ceiling-mount at 2.5–3.5 m for indoor use; for vandal-prone outdoor locations use a wall mount with the lens facing outward and downward.
Coverage geometry & DORI distances
At a 5-metre standoff the Vstarcam C996DR covers about 5.7 m of scene width; at 10 m that grows to 11.3 m, and at 20 m to 22.6 m. Translating those numbers through EN 62676-4 pixel-density thresholds, the camera can detect a person up to 45 m, observe up to 18 m, recognise up to 9 m, and produce identification-grade detail (the ≥250 px/m bar used by Polish and EU courts as evidentiary) up to 4 m. Effective range above the identify threshold relies on supplementary lighting or a longer-focal-length optic — the geometry above assumes the 4mm lens declared by the manufacturer.
Power & cabling
The Vstarcam C996DR draws an estimated 5.5 W under typical load (with the IR illuminator engaged where applicable), placing it in the 802.3af (Class 3, ≤15.4 W) budget. A single switch port supplies enough power without an injector. Cabling: stick to Cat6 STP for runs up to 100 m end-to-end — beyond that, add an inline PoE extender or move to fibre with a media converter at the camera end. On outdoor runs, route through ø25 PVC or PE conduit to keep the cable shielded from UV and rodents.
Privacy & legal (GDPR / RODO)
Any camera operating in a publicly accessible area falls under GDPR (RODO in Poland) — Art. 13 obliges the data controller to post an information sign at every entry point with controller name, DPO contact, lawful basis (typically Art. 6(1)(f) legitimate interest for property protection), purpose, and retention period. Even a narrowly-aimed dome camera can incidentally record passers-by, so the Art. 13 sign at the entry point applies regardless of how tightly the lens is framed.
Installer time & cost (rough estimate)
A typical EU installer quotes 3–4 h of labour per dome camera of this class (approximately €135–€185 excluding hardware), broken down as bracket mounting, cable termination at both ends, on-site commissioning, and a brief operator handover. Allow extra time for high mounts (>4 m), exterior installations requiring scaffolding, or sites where cable routing demands wall penetrations or conduit work.
Indicative EU 2024-2025 pricing — actual quotes vary by region, mounting height, and site conditions. Excludes hardware, transport, permits, and VAT.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Vstarcam C996DR suitable for outdoor installation?
Yes for the IP66/IP67-rated variant of this model. Bullet and dome bodies in the Vstarcam range survive direct rain, snow and UV; check the IP / IK rating against your environment (IP66 for rain/dust, IK10 for vandal-prone locations).
What PoE class powers the Vstarcam C996DR?
The camera draws roughly 5.5 W in steady-state operation, requiring a 802.3af (Class 3, ≤15.4 W) switch port. A single Cat6 STP cable carries both data and power up to 100 m — beyond that, add an inline extender or convert to fibre near the camera.
How much storage does the Vstarcam C996DR consume per day?
At 0.9MP (1280×720) resolution, 15 fps H.265 continuous recording, the C996DR produces approximately 4 GB per day — about 120 GB per month. Motion-only or event-triggered recording typically cuts that by 40–70 % depending on scene activity. Plan NVR HDD capacity for the longest retention period required by your privacy policy or insurance contract.
Up to what distance can the Vstarcam C996DR identify a person?
Per EN 62676-4:2025 pixel-density thresholds, this camera identifies (≥ 250 px/m on the target) up to about 4 m, recognises a person up to 9 m, observes general activity up to 18 m, and detects motion up to 45 m. Identification distance assumes daylight or full IR illumination on the target — at the limits of the IR cone the effective identify distance shrinks roughly 30 %.
What network bandwidth does Vstarcam C996DR use?
Typical ingest is 2 Mbps for the main stream (H.265, medium scene complexity, 15 fps) plus ~0.5 Mbps for a low-resolution sub-stream used by mobile clients. For a 16-camera installation of this class, plan a 50–100 Mbps NVR uplink and a dedicated VLAN for camera traffic.
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