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Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Dual
Panoramic Camera with 3.7MP (2560×1440) resolution, 58° field of view, and 0m IR night vision range.
SPECIFICATIONS · SMART CAMERA C500 DUAL
Specifications
About the Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Dual
The Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Dual is a wide-coverage panoramic camera that eliminates blind spots in lobbies, classrooms, retail floors, and warehouses. 4MP sits in the sweet spot for installations where storage is a concern but you still want crisper retroactive zooming during incident review. 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.
Best use cases for this camera
Single-camera room coverage
A single panoramic camera replaces 3–4 conventional cameras when ceiling-mounted in the center of an open space. Ideal for retail floors, classrooms, and small warehouses where simplification of cabling and licensing matters.
Strengths
- •Single-camera coverage of full rooms reduces cabling and licensing cost
Considerations
- •No built-in IR — requires external illumination for night use
- •Fisheye distortion requires dewarping in software for natural viewing angles
Coverage at Different Distances
| Distance | Coverage Width | Coverage Area | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5m | 5.5m | 28 m² | Entrance, corridor |
| 10m | 11.1m | 111 m² | Room, retail aisle |
| 15m | 16.6m | 249 m² | Warehouse, parking row |
| 20m | 22.2m | 443 m² | Parking row, courtyard |
| 30m | 33.3m | 998 m² | Parking lot, yard |
| 50m | 55.4m | 2772 m² | Perimeter, large area |
Field of View Visualization
Night Vision Performance
Daytime
Full 3.7MP (2560×1440) resolution at 58° 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. Switches to B/W mode for clear night footage.
Installation tips for the Smart Camera C500 Dual
Center-ceiling mount at 2.7–3.5 m gives the most uniform coverage; corner mounts work but waste roughly 25% of the field of view on the wall.
Coverage geometry & DORI distances
At a 5-metre standoff the Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Dual covers about 5.5 m of scene width; at 10 m that grows to 11.1 m, and at 20 m to 22.2 m. Translating those numbers through EN 62676-4 pixel-density thresholds, the camera can detect a person up to 93 m, observe up to 37 m, recognise up to 19 m, and produce identification-grade detail (the ≥250 px/m bar used by Polish and EU courts as evidentiary) up to 9 m. Effective range above the identify threshold relies on supplementary lighting or a longer-focal-length optic — the geometry above assumes the 6mm lens declared by the manufacturer.
Power & cabling
The Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Dual draws an estimated 12.0 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. Panoramic / fisheye coverage almost always captures more than the controller intended — schedule a privacy mask review after install to blur out staff-only areas, neighbouring premises and any glass that admits a view of third parties.
Installer time & cost (rough estimate)
A typical EU installer quotes 4–5 h of labour per panoramic camera of this class (approximately €180–€230 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 Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Dual suitable for outdoor installation?
Most panoramic units in the Xiaomi catalogue are IP66/IK10 rated for outdoor use — verify the exact suffix in the model code (e.g. "-W" for weather-rated). Mount under an eave or recessed canopy where possible: direct rainfall on the dome causes droplets that distort the wide-angle image.
What PoE class powers the Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Dual?
The camera draws roughly 12.0 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 Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Dual consume per day?
At 3.7MP (2560×1440) resolution, 15 fps H.265 continuous recording, the Smart Camera C500 Dual produces approximately 15 GB per day — about 450 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 Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Dual identify a person?
Per EN 62676-4:2025 pixel-density thresholds, this camera identifies (≥ 250 px/m on the target) up to about 9 m, recognises a person up to 19 m, observes general activity up to 37 m, and detects motion up to 93 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 Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Dual use?
Typical ingest is 6 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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