Home DVR/Surveillance System

Hello;

I am new to the world of DVR/Surveillance systems. I am a computer/network guy though, and want to setup a small surveillance system at my home and was hoping for some input/suggestions from the pros . The guiding principle on this project is "bang for buck." Something that is good (enough) quality not to feel/look/seem cheap, without breaking the bank. I can spend more, but I really wanted to stick to the 120-150 max area.

I would like to go the BNC capture card route (is my terminology right? - I want to buy a card to install in one of my PCs and connect the cameras to for viewing/recording) and plan on using 4 cameras (possibly adding 2 more a little later on down the line). So, I'm thinking I need an 8 channel card (unless they also come in 6 channel?) 2 cameras will be indoors and 2 will be outside. All will need night vision. PTZ not necessary but a nice feature.

I have neighbors that have possibly the worst kids I've ever met. Therefore, the outdoor cameras NEED to be waterproof (I guess they would need to be waterproof for when it rains, anyway though) and somewhat durable. For the indoor, I would prefer dome cameras, and if possible, somewhat of a higher quality.

Please let me know if this is realistic in this price range. If so, suggestions/links on amazon are MOST welcome and appreciated!

Thanks!

Dustin

P.S. I'm not 100%, but I'm pretty sure that the DVR software you use is up to you, (ie not determined by the BNC capture card). If so, can you please suggest a very simple - modern looking program? Doesn't need a ton of features, just scheduling and motion detection as well as storage management (archiving, only keeping a set time of recorded video before deleting, only recording up to a certain amount, etc)?

Also, being able to access remotely is a MUST! (Either web browser or app, doesn't matter).

Hello;

 

I am new to the world of DVR/Surveillance systems. I am a computer/network guy though, and want to setup a small surveillance system at my home and was hoping for some input/suggestions from the pros . The guiding principle on this project is "bang for buck." Something that is good (enough) quality not to feel/look/seem cheap, without breaking the bank. I can spend more, but I really wanted to stick to the 120-150 max area.

 

I would like to go the BNC capture card route (is my terminology right? - I want to buy a card to install in one of my PCs and connect the cameras to for viewing/recording) and plan on using 4 cameras (possibly adding 2 more a little later on down the line). So, I'm thinking I need an 8 channel card (unless they also come in 6 channel?) 2 cameras will be indoors and 2 will be outside. All will need night vision. PTZ not necessary but a nice feature.

 

I have neighbors that have possibly the worst kids I've ever met. Therefore, the outdoor cameras NEED to be waterproof (I guess they would need to be waterproof for when it rains, anyway though) and somewhat durable. For the indoor, I would prefer dome cameras, and if possible, somewhat of a higher quality.

 

 

Please let me know if this is realistic in this price range. If so, suggestions/links on amazon are MOST welcome and appreciated!

 

Thanks!

Dustin

 

P.S. I'm not 100%, but I'm pretty sure that the DVR software you use is up to you, (ie not determined by the BNC capture card). If so, can you please suggest a very simple - modern looking program? Doesn't need a ton of features, just scheduling and motion detection as well as storage management (archiving, only keeping a set time of recorded video before deleting, only recording up to a certain amount, etc)?

 

Also, being able to access remotely is a MUST! (Either web browser or app, doesn't matter).

"150" max is that per camera?

Capture card route is not the best regardless, cards are very limited to the kind of software they are compatible with....

how important is image quality?

No, that's for the project. I was looking at cameras like this one on amazon like this one when I came up with my budget :

http://www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-Vision-Outdoor-Security-Vandal-proof/dp/B000TGC03U/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1394131568&sr=8-5&keywords=cctv+camera

Sorry, just realized I missed the other half of your post. Image quality is sort important, I mean, I would like it to be clear, but doesn't need to be 1080p.

I could go with a normal DVR system too if capture cards are really that disadvantaged. Not a huge deal.

Besides, I have a few U's to spare in my wall mounted server cabinet - do DVR's come in the rack mountable variety?

You may look at

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NVC-1204C-CARD-960H-960x480-4CH-120fps-Korean-Made-US-Seller-for-Tech-Support-/121200119896?pt=US_Surveillance_Security_Systems&hash=item1c38171058

Sorry, just realized I missed the other half of your post. Image quality is sort important, I mean, I would like it to be clear, but doesn't need to be 1080p.

 

I could go with a normal DVR system too if capture cards are really that disadvantaged. Not a huge deal.

 

Besides, I have a few U's to spare in my wall mounted server cabinet - do DVR's come in the rack mountable variety?

The best variety I can give you is speco brand. The sell 4,8, or 16 channel dvr's. Hard drives are scalable to fit your needs. The system can do all you want without breaking the bank.

Their analog cameras that I have bought range from 100 to 350. They come with different settings depending on what you want to see. The more expensive ones have light intensifiers that will give you very nice low light color images..

Hope this helps some.

Your total project budget is only $150? That barely even covers 1 good camera!

I know it is a little late for your post, but this low cost approach is what I designed my ReelCam Video Surveillance system (reelcam.blogspot.com) for.

It uses webcams, and mobile devices as video cameras. You can use a low end Windows PC as the DVR. It doesn't work directly with IP cameras, but using the virtual webcam driver like Manycam, could possibly bridge the two together.