Bit the bullet on a Video Surveillance System.

[Hozzie]

Well, after last weeks thread on the thief in Chattanooga, as well as watching some different threads along the way about home security, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a video surveillance system.  I travel a lot and feel like this at least gives me the ability to check on my house and with the motion detection, hopefully be alerted if something really odd is going on.  

 

After a ton of research on cctvforum, I ended up going with an NVR and IP camera's so I could get the higher resolution.  It was certainly a bit more expensive than a DVR, but I am not sure by a lot.  I know there was some discussion about POE in another thread and I think that seemed to be the easiest install option so the one I bought has 8 channels, all POE enabled.  I wanted something that was as much self contained as possible.  I could have built a PC and went with a software NVR, but this will use less power.  I am going to start with 5 cameras (2-3MP with IR for outside and 3-1.3MP with IR for inside).  I am really curious how this is all going to turn out.  I think I got a really good deal on everything, I just need to buy whatever size hard drive I want (will probably get a 3TB) and some new Cat6 for the runs.  

 

I am not an expert by any means, but if you are looking for a residential system and want to go IP with an NVR, feel free to ask questions and I will tell you why I decided to get what I did.  Dahua is of course a Chinese manufacturer and you have to be careful who you buy from, but I bought from a reputable dealer and am confident I will be able to get support if needed.  

 

If anyone is interested the things I bought to check on if you are in the market, they are:

 

(1)Dahua NVR5208-P

(1)Dahua IPC-HDW2100

(2)Dahua IPC-HFW4300s

(2)Dahua IPC-HFW2100s

 

I feel like I got a great deal.  If anyone is interested, let me know and I will let you know where I got all of it.  To give you an idea, these items were $1184.  If you look it all up and compare, you will see that it is a good deal on these items.  I will definitely upload some info when I get it up and running. Pretty excited to get started actually.

Edited February 24, 2014 by Hozzie

[NashvilleStage]

Yeah, keep us updated on how it turns out. I've seriously thought about installing a multi-camera system for the house. It's just one more thing on "The List", though.  :rofl:

[Hershmeister]

Tag for research when i get to this part of my new home

[RC3]

Too bad turning those cameras into semi automated turrets is probably illegal.

[peejman]

Been thinking more and more about getting a couple cameras. At this point I think I want cloud recording so I don't have to mess with DVR and such.

[RC3]

Been thinking more and more about getting a couple cameras. At this point I think I want cloud recording so I don't have to mess with DVR and such.

I would use the cloud as a back up in case they find the recording equipment.

[musicman]

Ha!! I thought this thread was gunna be about a surveillance video of some dude gettin' capped! Haha!

Anywhy, congrats. I've been contemplating a similar move. I've also been contemplating ACTUALLY moving, so I think I'm just gunna wait for now. I'll be following this to see how it all turns out. :-)

[TMF]

Well, after last weeks thread on the thief in Chattanooga, as well as watching some different threads along the way about home security, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a video surveillance system.  I travel a lot and feel like this at least gives me the ability to check on my house and with the motion detection, hopefully be alerted if something really odd is going on.  

 

After a ton of research on cctvforum, I ended up going with an NVR and IP camera's so I could get the higher resolution.  It was certainly a bit more expensive than a DVR, but I am not sure by a lot.  I know there was some discussion about POE in another thread and I think that seemed to be the easiest install option so the one I bought has 8 channels, all POE enabled.  I wanted something that was as much self contained as possible.  I could have built a PC and went with a software NVR, but this will use less power.  I am going to start with 5 cameras (2-3MP with IR for outside and 3-1.3MP with IR for inside).  I am really curious how this is all going to turn out.  I think I got a really good deal on everything, I just need to buy whatever size hard drive I want (will probably get a 3TB) and some new Cat6 for the runs.  

 

I am not an expert by any means, but if you are looking for a residential system and want to go IP with an NVR, feel free to ask questions and I will tell you why I decided to get what I did.  Dahua is of course a Chinese manufacturer and you have to be careful who you buy from, but I bought from a reputable dealer and am confident I will be able to get support if needed.  

 

If anyone is interested the things I bought to check on if you are in the market, they are:

 

(1)Dahua NVR5208-P

(1)Dahua IPC-HDW2100

(2)Dahua IPC-HFW4300s

(2)Dahua IPC-HFW2100s

 

I feel like I got a great deal.  If anyone is interested, let me know and I will let you know where I got all of it.  To give you an idea, these items were $1184.  If you look it all up and compare, you will see that it is a good deal on these items.  I will definitely upload some info when I get it up and running. Pretty excited to get started actually.

 

Thanks for sharing.  I have a couple of IP cams I use at monitors in the kids' rooms, but when we leave on vacation I use them as a remote monitoring system.  This, in conjuction with our home alarm service makes me feel pretty secure when we're away.  We're planning a move soon to a potentially higher crime area and I think I'll end up getting a complete system like this.

[ShamGlock]

This is next on my list to get done. That was my buddies house that got broken into. They arrested the guy last night. The video had over 10,000 views on news channel 9's site alone. Plus all the sharing on fb and here. The cops told him it would be the easiest burglary they ever had to solve, and they were right. 

[peejman]

I would use the cloud as a back up in case they find the recording equipment.

 

 

The whole point of cloud storage is there's not any recording equipment to find (or buy, manage, and maintain).

[Fourtyfive]

Dropcam

[2.ooohhh]

The whole point of cloud storage is there's not any recording equipment to find (or buy, manage, and maintain).

Without something like google fiber (or EPB if your lucky and live in chatty) you'll loose significant video quality uploading multiple cams to the cloud instead of local storage.  Limiting yourself to a 1mp cams will help but you won't be able to take full advantage of higher frame-rates and resolutions offered by better cameras.

[tyguy]

Threeeighty mentioned dropcam. My wife has recently wanted one of these to monitor the kid's room. Anyone have experience with these? My first thought was a few of them scattered outside, but it's immediately clear that for the money you are quickly over the breakpoint into a dedicated system. Thoughts on where the breakpoint may be? +2 cams, +3 cams?

[peejman]

Without something like google fiber (or EPB if your lucky and live in chatty) you'll loose significant video quality uploading multiple cams to the cloud instead of local storage.  Limiting yourself to a 1mp cams will help but you won't be able to take full advantage of higher frame-rates and resolutions offered by better cameras.

 

 

True.  I'd be happy with simple photos every second or two rather than streaming video.  Seems like a few reasonably high quality photos would be as effective as video.  Not as much fun to watch, but it would serve the purpose. 

[Hozzie]

[quote name="peejman" post="1116179" timestamp="1393290854"]Been thinking more and more about getting a couple cameras. At this point I think I want cloud recording so I don't have to mess with DVR and such.[/quote] Already touched on above, but.... What you will have to keep in mind is the number of cameras as well as what resolution you want to save in the cloud. One of the main issues with having good cameras and high resolution is the sheer size of data that is accumulated. If you only streamed to a cloud service, you will be limited by your internet service most likely, not only in upload speed, but also the amount of data. A lot will depend on continuous vs motion detect recording. If I want to record all 5 of my cameras at max resolution with 15 FPS, it will create something around 2TB of data every 20 days, and that is compressed. That is a lot to upload. I will also replicate the images to the cloud, but only in a reduced size for redundancy. I still want full resolution available for cases where someone may be farther off and I need to zoom in to get a good view. I also bought this hardware nvr so I can put it somewhere hidden well and only need the box and 1 power plug. They can break cameras, but if the box is hidden well and they realize they are on camera, I hope they won't spend a lot of time looking for it. They want to get in and out in most cases. As a backup, I will have the cloud if needed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hozzie]

Dropcam

 

This issue with Dropcam is it is cloud only.  You lose Internet connection, you lose all recording capability.  Bandwidth is also critical.  I think it has its uses, but if you have more than a few cameras, I don't think it is the best solution.  I guess it just depends what you want and need.  Also, from what I understand, if you want to view the live feed, you have to connect to their site and view it as it is recorded.  You can't connect to the camera directly with Dropcam which for me is an advantage of direct IP Cameras.

Edited February 25, 2014 by Hozzie

[peejman]

Ok, so it sounds like some form of local storage with cloud back-up is the way to go.  I have no interest in full time video.  I'd be satisfied with game-cam type motion activated still images.  As I said above, seems like quality still images would be better than a crappy video and probably a lot less data to store/upload. 

[Hozzie]

I agree, but keep in mind that someone may not look at the camera for just a second.  If you only save an image every now and then, you may not actually get a good face shot.  I will only record when motion is detected, but I will want it to be at the highest resolution possible.  I highly recommend going to CCTVForum and reading up.  There is a lot of great information.

[NashvilleStage]

One of the main issues with having good cameras and high resolution is the sheer size of data that is accumulated. 

 

...if the box is hidden well and they realize they are on camera, I hope they won't spend a lot of time looking for it.

 

The image quality on the newer cameras is amazing; I spent  a little time last night looking at reviews of some of them. But you're right, the tradeoff of increased detail is increased data storage & bandwidth, multiplied by each camera.

 

Since the NVR is remotely controlled & viewed, you can build a little hidden compartment somewhere & run all your wires to it. Just make sure there's some airflow through it, as the gear might overheat otherwise. I'd back up the camera system with a good alarm; that way they don't spend much time inside the house (stealing stuff or looking for the NVR). If you really want to get sneaky, you could buy a cheap NVR as a decoy, and "hide" it in a spot that would be discovered much easier than your real one. If it gets ripped out & taken, no big deal.

As an aside, make sure the crawlspace under your house is secured, along with your garage & attic. Most crawl spaces are secured with nothing more than a piece of plywood & a latch. From that point, it's real easy to see all the wires & cut them. If the garage is unsecured, someone getting in there has access to a bunch of tools.

Windows & sliding glass doors are another entry point. When my house got broken into several years ago, they came in through a sliding glass door off the back patio. Turns out the standard locks on those are pretty wimpy, and laying a rod in the floor channel (to keep the door from sliding open) didn't help either. They just used a slim-jim through the door crack to flip it up & out of the way.

[Fourtyfive]

I have 3 dropcams , I love them. They even tell you if they lose internet signal by email , they will message you if they detect motion or sound ; your choice. I can see them on my phone or any device with an internet connection. I use the cheaper plan that keeps video for 7 days , so if you want something you go get it and store it forever.

[Tobashadow]

I'll give my two cents on this. My current setup is six IP cameras with pan and tilt capability and IR on board with IR spot lights as needed to hooked thru POE to my home network with software called Blue Iris running on a couple years old laptop in our bedroom open with them shown on its screen. Its set to record on a 4 week loop on the outside cameras including audio which store to a NAS box hidden in another part of the house. The blue iris software gives me the ability to stream live to any computer or cellphone and the cellphone app it has gives me capability to pan and tilt the cameras to any position including up to ten preset positions each and hear audio live and when I setup the speakers soon I can talk live thru them. I can view clips split by the hour from any recording remotely and it will email me extra alert clips on set cameras if it detects motion or noise above a set level. It also has the ability to switch profiles by schedule or by command, for instance some of mine are live only and some are constant record, I can hit a button on a computer or my phone and they all go into record mode with mics on for times I'm gone or if someone arrives that I'm nervous about and there is no way for someone to tell they are on. A couple tips. I've spent time to color match the cameras to the surroundings the best I can but my inside ones have no lights on to hide them but my outside ones have the blinking light turned on, on purpose since it has proven to spook one person already after they tried to approach the back of the house at night and looked straight up at it and ran. Cover entrances from both sides of the doors. Storage does NOT need to be in the computer running it or even in the same room.