j4str

I don't know much about these camera systems. I have a rough budget of $1000. I like to spend less if possible, but i'll spend more if i have to. I researched it in the past, I even ran some cat6 when i remodeled my garage, but i finally have the money to put something in. I know i want at 8 cameras, but id like the capability to put more in if i decide there is a dead spot. I want to put in 2 cameras that can see whats going on in the street. 2 cameras appropriate for near my entry doors. 2 the sides of my houses that don't need to see very far and 2 for the interior of my house. Im honestly not too concerned with picture quality. From what ive seen, even the budget systems seem to blow me away with picture quality. Maybe I'll want decent ones for the 2 that point out to the street, since they will be trying to record things near and 100' away instead of just relatively close.

i was looking at this NVR

https://www.amazon.com/EmpireTech-16Channel-Network-Recorder-NVR5216-16P-4KS2E/dp/B07BKV7Z97/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1538419878&sr=1-12&m=A329YQ83EBQGJF&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65

mainly what i want out of my nvr is ease of use. Reliability, durability, etc. A mobile app that works correctly

I'm assuming i'll still need to buy a hard drive. Western digital purple

https://www.amazon.com/Purple-Surveillance-Hard-Disk-Drive/dp/B00IMPO5OW/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1538449049&sr=1-3&keywords=purple+western+digital&dpID=41p1OtCUBuL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

do i need to buy dahua cameras with that nvr or can i use any ol cheap camera?

thanks in advance

I wouldn't mind registering if it meant that the cops knew they were there and could come knocking on my door, if it helped in a specific crime. I would NOT register if it meant handing over log in info so they can log in whenever they feel like it

i have since moved the media panel from the attic, down in to the same closet as the future NVR, so now they are side by side. I ran my the cables to the media panel, but i may just end up running them to boxes and putting rj45 ports on the wall in the closet, then i can hook them up how ever i want.

heres my camera layout.

1. daycare interior

2. daycare interior

3. daycare front door

4. daycare back room

5 daycare back room

6. driveway/street

7. daycare backdoor/path

8. back porch door

9. front yard/street

10. back yard

11 back yard

12. shed back yard

13. front door

*. is the media panel and nvr location

many of those are way in the future. The only ones i want to install at the beginning are 1, 3, 4, 7, and 13.

another question. I have a 1000' spool of shielded 20/3 and another 1000 of shielded 18/4. I have absolutely 0 use for these. Im planning to run a few runs to various spots for spares for whoe knows what. Can anyone think of any good uses for them? Should i just run to my camera locations for power, or is poe easier/better?

Why don't you decide on a system type and/or a resolution that you find acceptable so people can make more specific suggestions. So far people have been suggesting IP cameras. That's almost always your most expensive and highest quality route but also your best possibility for any and all future upgrades.

i really can't decide. My goal was to get in to a cheap system that i can easily upgrade over time. Starting out, i really have no requirement for resolution. 480 tvi would be perfectly acceptable to me, since most of my locations are set up to record at 10' and under. Id like to put most of my budget in to a really nice NVR, but seeing how i eventually want 12+ cameras, a 16 channel nvr seems to really be out of the budget. I may just have to go with a DVR kit, since it seems to be more in my budget, but i don't consider that to be upgradable.

Are there any 16 port NVR's out there (that are worth a ****) for under, say $1,000???

to really give a better idea of whats going on. We are converting the back half of our house in to a dedicated home day care. Im spending every dime we have getting it remodeled, but id like to get at least some sort of camera system installed. It would be nice to know (as a rough example), if there is a dispute, what time parents arrived or maybe what employees are up to. So facial recognition isnt' a high priority, especially since the cameras are set at less than 10' with great indoor lighting. Eventually, i don't mind spending 3-5k on a system, but its not in the budget right now, but id like to get a decent NVR so its easy to upgrade in the future

There is way cheaper than that. Here's one for under $38 shipped. Don't let our expensive tastes cloud your judgment

 

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-1-0MP-720P-PoE-HD-IP-IR-Camera-Outdoor-Weatherproof-Infrared-Night-Vision-IR/2055430648.html

would those function as advertised? Or would they be more trouble than they are worth. Im satisfied with skimping on resolution for price, but not reliabilty

That seems pretty doable. I was hoping for cheaper, but I want my stuff to at least be functional. I think I will probably start with 6 and eventually end up with 12 or more. As I add more I can get higher end cameras.

I'm trying to figure out what it will cost to put a camera system together. My plan is to start out with cheap cameras and upgrade them one at a time as time goes on and I was originally hoping to find them for about $50 each but it seems like that is unrealistic. I realize this will cost more in the long run, but I'm also looking at short distances where I don't need a lot of detail.

i should also mention i want something that will work. When i say cheap, i mean i want the cheapest that will actually function as advertised.

should i run the cable to my central media panel or over to where the pc or nvr will go? The media panel is a more central location and would be much easier

the cable i have is honeywell 5078 e158012-a. Solid copper 24awg

Hi. If your at that stage with your home then cat6 with coax to camera locations and just run cat6 to locations you might need sensors or lights in the future

 

Good to run cat6 to every room while at the stage you are at ..... Create your own network all back to a central point ...... Even if you don't use it at least your home is ready for the future

 

Network lights and switches

 

Network fridge and freezers

 

Networks door openers

 

Spend a few $100 now is better than 1000s later

my house isnt THAT open. The grand scheme of things, is im converting my attached garage in to habitable space. The garage is going to be a day care for my wife, but we want to put the camera system dvr/nvr/pc out there. I'll certainly be able to fish wires in the future if need be, but it wouldn't make sense to not run a few things while its easily accessible. Ive done a little (very little) research and it sounds like i definitely want an ip camera system. I have a box of cat5e that's nearly full. Is cat5e sufficient, or do i need cat6?

Im installing a media panel in my attic, where i intend to run all the phone lines/coax/network cables to. Would it make sense to run the cables for the cameras to the media panel, or do they need to run to nvr location?

I'm doing a remodel on my home and while the sheetrock is off, I thought I should get some cables for a camera system installed. I'm not sure whether I'd be better with an IP system or traditional analog. Anything else I need to run while my walls are open?

i think ive decided i want to go with an 8 channel dvr. Can anyone recommend a cheap no frills unit that works as it should?

can anyone recommend me some specific models? PM me if necassary

I've seen a few manufacturers with basicly the same camera, all the specs are identical, but they want a few dollars more for an almost identical camera with an extra 100 tvl. Is it just a gimmick to squeeze a few more dollars out of you?

if he agreed to the terms beforehand then he doesn't have much to complain about. But personally, im not in the camera business, im an electrician. Electrical contractors charge anywhere from 65-85 an hour in my area. Same with plumbers and sheet metal workers and most other trades. I don't see why camera installers would be any more expensive, so yes i think $500 for 2-3 hours labor is pretty darn high

in most cases a Color IR wont do much with that view anyway other than light up the front door area, which already looks like it has light?

we turn the lights off once it starts getting late and we don't think any one else is stopping by. What i would prefer is a color camera during the day, and black and white at night. All this technical talk is giving me a headache.

But if you are concerned about vandalism then you might want to look at a vandal dome, in your price range it would be a Turret Color IR Dome.

I have absolutly zero concern about vanalism. My town has very little crime. We do have our share of drug addicts, but they only target "easy" houses. My main number one reason for putting up security cameras is so that people will know i have them, but i also want them to function.

Can some people recommend some specific models, or pm me some links, for what you would put up for my application, keeping in mind my price range?

i can get this one for $65

http://www.avsipcctv.com/products/camera/torpedo/nw3848ir

it look like its worth the money?

Your right, no VGA port, guess they left that out to keep the cost down.

 

It does have a BNC out and it comes with a RCA/BNC adapter to plug into a TV. If you really wanted to plug it into a computer monitor, you could always buy an RCA to VGA converter on eBay for $20-30, but my recommendation would be just to use a 13"-24" tube tv as that seems to look best on Analog cameras anyways. It will look better on a tube tv than it will on an LCD computer monitor or LCD TV. The only advantage to using an LCD TV or computer monitor is they are slimmer and take up less space.

i was wanting to use a tube monitor, but i have a 19" tube tv that would probably work just fine.

See my post about the QR414 I recently reviewed, its a very basic DVR but gets the job done for the budget consumer, has D1 recording, net viewing capabilties, etc:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=23787&p=142635&hilit=qr414#p142635

 

Feel free to PM me if you are interested in purchasing, I am thinking about carrying these full time and I have a few here to sell for a decent price, below your budget. Just be sure to get some good cameras to go with it, I dont recommend the Q-see cameras, but some of their DVR's are fairly decent if you are needing basic recording capabilities, this one is an example.

I tried looking them up and i found people saying they didn't have a VGA port. This true?

That DVR you posted records in low resolution CIF only.

The Atom in my post refers to the Intel Atom CPU not a DVR.

That $130 is more like over $200 retail.

right, thats how i found your post was searching for atom dvr. But your post said dahau standalone dvr. I found no references to the avs atom dvr on this website (or any other website, other than the manufacturer) Would the dahau be a better dvr? What resolution is low resolution. I can't find any resolution specs anywhere.

What i want from a dvr:

record 4 cameras for at least a week (could be motion only)

have enough clarity to be able to identify what im looking at (doesn't have to be perfect)

id like to be able to remotely view cameras from the web, but its not an absolute must

I plan to use a vga monitor

i don't need any other fancy features, but id like to keep the price at less than 200

i've been trying to do my research on cheap dvr's. Id like to stay away from direct from china type ebay ones because i want to be able to get some support if it isn't working correctly. A few low end models ive found

avs atom-4

http://www.avsipcctv.com/products/dvr/standalone/atom-4

Found this in a "sale" brochure sent to a guy i work with. It says its on sale for 199 from 400. I havn't been able to find them for sale on the internet at all.

* 4 Channel (BNC)

* H.264 Codec

* 120 fps Display, 120 fps Recording @ CIF

* Mouse Control

* Includes 500GB HDD (Customizable)

* 1 HDD Bay

* Supports up to 2TB (SATA)

* Triplex Function

* Simultaneous Record / Playback / Network

* Auto Port Forwarding by uPNP

* Audio Play Synchronized with Video

* Multi-Hour Panorama Search

* Archive with USB Device or via Network

* Emergency Internal HDD Archive Support

* Selectable Border Colors

* S.M.A.R.T. Alarm (Auto-Monitoring of HDD status)

* Compact size for covert applications

* 2 3/8" X 11 1/4" X 9 1/4" 4Kgs

another option, in this thread

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=23393&p=139980&hilit=atom+dvr#p139980

rory recommends a 4 channel recorder for $130 without a hard drive. A dahua, but i can't find anything only about them.

any other recommendations or advise?

so am i to understand that id be better of with something that isn't an infrared day/night camera? Since it doesn't get "pitch black"

j4str?!? What do you really want? You ask a question and these guys answer you and it seems like its not what you want to here. They are telling you basically don't throw your money away on cheap equipement and install it on a low end pc and you just don't seem to get it!?!?!?!? Whats the point of asking for advice if you don't want to take any of it when you get it and keep aslking the same questions hoping to get a different answer.

 

Basically it seems like if you've made up your mind, so go out and throw you money into what you've set your mind on and when you are done, come back and let everyone know how it went.

You've completely misjudged me. Im trying to make an informed and accurate decision. If you reffering to this:

I'll keep asking around on different places till i find someone say i can get it to work.

what i meant by that was i'll ask on another forum until somebody knows more about cheap generic cards and can point me to a card that will function properly.

i was simply correcting what i had meant by my previous statement. I feel this thread has lived its life and needs to just be closed. There is no more information to be had on the subject of "cheap generic dvr cards" from this group of people (by no means do mean no information in general, just on this specific topic). What i have gathered:

1. people on this board have never used a cheap generic card

2. nv300 is a highly recommended card for the money

3. nv300 would probably not work for my pc

4. i may be able to use an older card and older software with that pc

I've come to the conclusion that a pc based system is probably not in my budget right now. I'm currently researching cheap chinese linux based dvrs, but from what i understand their main issue is reliablity (not something you want from a security system) I'll probably just wait until i have more money to put towards a camera setup.

I don't see why i couldn't get a cheap one to work if i had good software and correct drivers. [/qoute]

That's what we're trying to tell you: all of this is a VERY big IF.

 

I'll keep asking around on different places till i find someone say i can get it to work.

Okay... go ahead and do it. It will work, really it will. Feel better now?

 

Just because someone said it doesn't make it so, though. Asking on another forum won't make it any more so, either.

 

But... have fun with that. You'll drop your $20... it may or may not work. You could end up spending more money on Aspirin and Rogaine for the headaches and hair-pulling you'll go through fighting with it, than you would have just getting a decent card to begin with.

what i meant by that was i'll ask on another forum until somebody knows more about cheap generic cards and can point me to a card that will function properly.

i might just have to ditch the idea of setting up cameras for now. Having to build a new computer would just put it way out of budget

it has a riser card and fits full size pci cards. Its the computer i have, so id like to use it

Go for the Aver NV3000. I've sold and installed countless... just can't beat it for the price. Software is excellent.

 

Spending $20 is throwing your money away. You already know it will have problems... Why buy something at any price that you know right away you won't be happy with? Crime isn't a short term problem...

 

 

Your processor will be pushing it, but do able. Ram you'll need to upgrade. I'd also recommend a graphics card.

I have extra ram i could throw in. Processor i don't think can get much of an upgrade without a new motherboard and that specific computer would need a new power supply too. So basicly can't upgrade the cpu without ditching the whole pc. Im not sure about graphics cards. It takes those wierd short slimline cards. Its One of those flat cases that sit underneath the monitor that you always see in schools.

http://www.amaxpc.net/image.php?productid=16389

So will i be able to run one of those NV3000? The more i find out about the generic cards the less i want one. Its not just getting them to work that they have an issue with