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Surveilance Camera and Recording Set Up. What's the current viable methods?

alphonso

Titanium
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Location
Republic of Texas
I have a Radio Shack camera(s), monitor, VCR recording set up. VCR tape is getting hard to find. Wondering what are the viable recording set ups now days.
 
You want a power over Ethernet (PoE) system from camera to switchboard/dvr. I'm actually going through this now but for my house.


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I spent time researching a new system, the current good stuff at reasonable price is 1080P resolution, with IP cameras (POE like Sendit said) and an IP DVR with 2TB or more storage. I chose a QSee system and am very happy. Costco puts good kits on sale regularly and they make it easy to buy and get help.
IP gives you the most flexibility and allows you to view them over a network or on your cell phone, and is good for wireless cameras if you need them. POE does away with needing a power supply at each camera.
I bought a QT 8116 but I think it's obsolete and replaced with newer larger DVRs now.
 
I'm looking for a setup as well. Want 4 outdoor and 4 indoor cameras, 2 outdoor would be on poles so they would have to be wireless.

I always find 1 little thing I don't like and never buy one.
 
We got a system from supercurcuits.com that I've been really happy with. NVR, 6 outside cameras and 5 indoor cameras was something like $1200. Excellent video quality day and night, I can zoom in on someone 30' away and easily tell if they shaved that morning. I haven't owned this for very long so I can't speak about reliability, but all the reviews say it's a good system.

Alibi 52 Series 16-Channel Rack-mount NVR

Alibi 4. Megapixel 65 ft IR Vandalproof WDR Outdoor Dome IP Camera

Alibi 4. Megapixel 65 ft IR WDR Outdoor Bullet IP Camera
 
The standard today, at least for institutional use, is a PC application that stores the video to a hard drive with time stamps. With today's flash memory having so much capacity it might be possible to find a gadget that stores video at modest resolutions directly to flask memory.
 
Let me try to clarify what I think I want.

1. 3 or 4 outdoor cameras. Somehow I have acquired 3: 1/3 Sony /CCD 420TVL cameras, new in the box. Have no idea how or what to hook them up to.

2. Storage device. Appears that DVR is the way to go.

3. Stand alone system with monitor.

4. Don't want to connect to PC or LAN or to a cellphone. I don't even have a cellphone.

Am I wrong on these druthers?
 
I would not be too addicted to your old cameras.
A unit that works with them will have BNC connectors for the NTSC signal the camera puts out and each will need power.
The resolution (picture detail) is not all that great.

Most units will allow you to plug in a pc monitor or HDMI TV and act as simple standalone. (no pc or cell phone needed)
Remote viewing from say half way across the world is now built into most but requires a internet connection and some hassle to set up.
Remote web assess should never be described as easy. It's not plug and play unless you are very lucky. WTF is a IP address, some weird set of numbers? And what is a static address how do I get this, Why would my address change , my house never does ............ so you pay for a service to handle this side unless you like dealing with the inner workings of the net.
Storage is normally automatically overwritten as it becomes full so if you want 2 years or even 2 weeks worth you have to back up to somewhere and digital video eats space like crazy.
Mine can be set to only store if motion is detected.

Check e-yuck, low buck but decent here:ZMODO 4CH NVR 4 18p HD IP Network Camera Spoe CCTV Home Security System 5GB | eBay
One step back in the menu up top to CCTV systems will yield a crazy amount of choices.
I have a older 16 channel Zmodo and it has been perfect for,, Hmm,,,, not sure 6-8 years or so. Runs 24/7/365 on a 54 inch screen mounted in the shop.
In this time I have never turned it off or reset it. Like a old Timex it just keeps on ticking.
Ultra cheap I did not expect this level of performance from it. Great for finding people in the maze of machines when you need them.
The cameras outside also help the local police when dummies smash cars at my intersection.
A connected PC makes viewing recorded footage easier than fiddle farting with the remote plus you can give others a thumb drive copy.
Running cables to the cameras is a pain and you hit a limit at above 200-400 feet without added electronics but those I know with low end wireless are not so happy sometimes at distances much shorter than this.

If you are coming from the old tape world you will be amazed at these new gizmos which far surpass what I have.
This world has changed totally, think CDC-6500 or PDP-8 (both machines I loved and cursed) to today's laptop.
Bob
 
Current gen IP HD cameras are so much better than the old CCTV systems that you really SHOULD upgrade. You won't believe the difference in detail you can see. CCTV systems need to be buried.
 
... subscribed to learn... In the same boat right now. What about SSD storage, rotated/overwritten every so oft when deemed unnecessary?
The system I linked to does all of that, it's completely programmable, accessible from your phone and stuff. My nerdy employee did all the research so I don't know all the details, but I've been impressed with it. The NVR can be networked or used as a stand alone unit, has room for 4 hard drives, etc.
 
Throw those songs out the window. Seriously. You can get pretty great quality camera on Amazon


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+1 on Blue Iris, I ran zone minder for many years, but blue iris blows it away. I run it on a virtual machine on a mac. 5 1280x? cameras running about 10 frames precession. As described above, use IP HD PoE cameras.
 
Look into Hikvision Cameras. Most of the other camera companies buy Hikvision, wholesale, and brand them as their own at significant mark up.

They will gladly sell direct to consumers and you will save a tremendous amount of money buying direct.

They are network/IP based and thus quite easy to set up.

DVR/NVR -> POE Switch -> Cameras. one ethernet run per camera and one uplink ethernet from the DVR/NVR to your network.

If you care about security don't go anywhere near wireless. It's simple to jam wireless.

Seriously look up some Hikvision samples, the quality will blow your mind.

I have personally set up a dozen of these systems over the years and all are still up and running with no considerable issues to speak of.

- Adam
 
... subscribed to learn... In the same boat right now. What about SSD storage, rotated/overwritten every so oft when deemed unnecessary?

SSD storage is generally not needed, or even desirable. SSD's have a limited number of write cycles and a 24/7 multicam system would absolutely thrash it.

Western Digital makes the "Purple" line of hard drives that are made specifically for the surveillance industry. Not to say that any ol' drive wouldn't work, but they are designed in a specific way, and have some interesting features that i can drone on and on about if you like.

Any system, unless told not to , will begin overwriting footage when it runs out of space. With an 8 cam system, full resolution, 30 FPS, you can expect about 30-45 days of 24/7 recording on a 4TB WD Purple drive.

In regard to resolution, believe it or not 1080P is quickly being surpassed. This year has seen the release of many new cameras operating at 4MP 5MP and even 8MP. they typically run at 2560 x 1440 or higher depending on framerate.

One thing no one has gotten into is the lens. It really makes all the difference. The same exact camera (image sensor) with a 2.8mm lens will cover significantly more area than a 6mm lens, albeit with less overall detail. It is incredibly important to tailor your lenses to your applications/coverage needs.

These are a few of the things to consider if you are going to put some money into a system. Feel free to ask me anything about it, and i will be glad to bore you until you beg me to stop.

- Adam
 
Look into Hikvision Cameras. Most of the other camera companies buy Hikvision, wholesale, and brand them as their own at significant mark up.

- Adam

+1 That's who makes the Qsee hardware I like.

Western Digital makes the "Purple" line of hard drives that are made specifically for the surveillance industry. Not to say that any ol' drive wouldn't work, but they are designed in a specific way, and have some interesting features that i can drone on and on about if you like.

- Adam

I'm all ears - :)
 








 
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