Dahua IPC-MBW4231-AS/M12 - 2MP 1080p IR PoE Mobile Railway IP CCTV Camera

The Dahua IPC-MBW4231-AS/M12 - 2MP IR Mobile Network Camera is part of Dahua’s IP camera range — network cameras that carry video and power down a single Cat5e or Cat6 cable to a PoE NVR.

Also listed as DH-IPC-MBW4231-AS/M12.

Listed to EN50155 (the railway rolling stock standard) and E-MARK (ECE Regulation 10), it is built as a railway camera for vehicles and rail use. As an infrared camera it has LEDs reaching up to 30m for night vision, and its 1/2.8-inch STARVIS CMOS sensor with 0.009Lux colour minimum illumination makes it a low light camera.

Who is it for?

IP is the right platform when you are cabling from scratch, or when you want resolutions and analytics beyond what coax will carry. One cable per camera does both power and video, the recorder powers the cameras directly through its PoE ports, and adding a camera later means running one more cable rather than two.

It suits homes, shops, offices, warehouses and multi-building sites equally — the difference is how many channels you need and how much detail each position demands. Where a property already has coax from an older analogue system, our HD analogue range upgrades the picture without rewiring instead.

Choosing the right camera

• Resolution. 4MP suits most homes and shops and keeps storage sensible. 8MP (4K) gives more detail across wide areas, car parks and long driveways, at roughly double the storage. More megapixels is not automatically better — an 8MP camera spreads its pixels over a wider view, so a 4MP camera aimed at a narrower area often gives more usable detail on the thing that matters.
• Body shape. Turrets and eyeballs are the general-purpose choice and easy to aim. Bullets suit long narrow views and act as a visible deterrent. Domes are discreet and tamper-resistant for interiors and reachable positions.
• Fixed or varifocal. A fixed 2.8mm lens covers a wide scene usefully to around 15m. A motorised varifocal lets you zoom from the recorder to frame a gate or the end of a drive, and holds that setting.
• Night vision. Infrared records in black and white. If you need to identify the colour of a vehicle or clothing after dark, choose a full-colour or dual-illumination model instead.

What you will need

• A PoE NVR with enough channels and support for the camera’s resolution — an 8MP camera needs a recorder that records 8MP per channel.
• Cat5e or Cat6 cable, up to 100m per run. Beyond that, add a PoE switch nearer the cameras and run one cable back.
• A surveillance-grade hard drive, sized for how long you need to keep footage. We fit and format it before dispatch or collection.
• Signage. If your cameras capture anything beyond your boundary you are a data controller under UK GDPR and must display a notice.

Frequently asked questions

Will it work with a non-Dahua recorder?

Dahua IP cameras support ONVIF, so they will generally work with third-party NVRs, though some analytics features only work on a Dahua recorder. Tell us your NVR model and we will check.

Do I need a separate power supply?

No — the NVR’s PoE ports power the camera down the same network cable.

How much hard drive do I need?

It depends on resolution, number of cameras and retention. Tell us the setup and we will size it for you.

Browse the full Dahua range, all IP cameras, or NVRs. Need help specifying a system? Contact us, call 01902 902251, or visit the Wolverhampton trade counter.

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