Superfluous

Hi,

In my last home, I had a simple 2 camera setup and used the local storage to record. I had the Hikvision 2532 for the front door (with audio, which was great) and the 2732 for the side of the home. The local storage made it easy, but at 64gb, limited how long it could record.

New house is prewired cat6 to central location. I'm planning for 8 cameras, including 1 at the front door. What I really liked about the Hikvision 2532 was that it had a built-in microphone. I can't seem to find any others that do. The 2532 seemed to also have better picture quality than the 2732, which shouldn't be the case.

1. Is Hikvision still a good option?

2. Are there other cameras with built-in microphone like the 2552?

3. If not, do I go with the 2552 all around the house?

4. Any suggestions on an NVR for this?

My camera was working and recording fine for about a year, but when I checked on a recording recently there was nothing recorded on the local hard drive (64gb micro SD). I tried reformatting the drive but it gives me errors and it says "Status = Uninitialized." Should I assume the SD card is fried and I should replace it?

Got them installed. While I put 64gb of local storage in each, I'm thinking of buying a mini pc for storage as well. In the mean time, does IVMS work for Mac Yosemite? It didn't seem to work for me.

Sorry for the million questions but the search feature is pretty poor on this site. What's the max distance that the camera can be powered over ethernet using a PoE injector or a POE Switch? Is a 50 foot cable okay?

Which height/location is better for monitoring the windows/doors to the left?

The trickiest part for me is the wiring. What do you guys use on the inside wall where the cable will be coming out? like one of these?

So... how problematic is the fact that the mounting surface is bumpy and uneven? What could I fill the gaps with?

For some reason it got flipped on its side. It's actually a wall it's up against

The logo must be visible and upright, it's in the Hikvision terms of use. Doesn't matter which way is up, the lens rotates almost 360 degrees and you can flip the image in the settings.

So the side plug outlet doesn't matter in terms of weather?

Thanks, found it.

When mounting it on a wall, would you mount it with the logo upright? It puts the side plug on the bottom. Any issues in terms of weather/water leaking in?

Are there any write-ups on wiring through walls from exterior to interior? I'm going to have an electrician do it, but want to make sure everything is prepared and covered.

So the 2732 arrived and it looks like a nice camera. I'm a bit confused by the varifocal, since I thought it would change the point of view/degree angle, but there seems to only be one spot that is focused properly. Shouldn't the camera be automatically focusing/adapting to the change?

I'm thinking of also putting a Hikvision 2732 on the backside of my townhouse.

Where do you recommend for placement to monitor the french doors and the left window? I was thinking under the right light fixture pointing to the side (how high?). Keep in mind, my home ends just after the furthest left window. Thoughts?

As a side note, do you guys have any worries about only recording to the micro SD card in the camera? Someone could destroy the camera and therefore take your footage too, right?

You can use surface mounted conduit and jbox instead of drilling holes, but then it becomes an appearance issue. If you sell the house, either leave the cameras or putty over the hole. Why do you need a 2" hole, at most a 1" hole is needed.

Ok, as long as putty and paint is acceptable, then I should be good.

Here's a picture of the camera in my hand.

 

 

There is a smaller dome that's very cool looking from Avigilon - http://avigilon.com/products/video-surveillance/cameras/hd-micro-dome/hd-micro-dome-cameras/2-mp-hd-micro-dome/

 

As for NVR's, they are sold by number of cameras, has nothing to do with it's capabilities as many times a 4, 8 and 16 channel NVR are the exact same device but only lets you configure the cameras you are licensed for regardless of where they sit on your network. I personally prefer a PC running Windows with NVR software.

 

I record everything based on motion detection.

Thanks, I'll take a look.

Do you guys have any issues with drilling holes into things? I want to mount it in the door jamb of my front door, but I'm hesitant to put a 2 inch hole in the frame. Is it a concern when you go to sell the house?

The title for the review says "outdoor", just saying. But yes, it's outdoors in the front of my home now, was going to take it down today and ready for the next camera. I'll take a picture of it next to something so you can relate to it's size.

Yes, your review shows it's outdoor but it seemed strange that it's never mentioned on the store page. Either way, I think the camera is a bit too large.

I'm unlikely to go with an NVR, but why are they limited to a certain amount of channels? I'm assuming you can link cameras that aren't directly plugged into their ports like a computer.

Do most people only record on motion or 24/7?

Would a mini PC like this Asus VM60 be enough for a few Hikvision cameras?

 

http://www.amazon.com/VM60-G072R-Desktop-i5-3337U-Processor-Windows/dp/B00J2FA7TS/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t

I have 3 HIK running on the same comp

no problem at all

Are you on the i5 or the i3? They also have a Celery Stick version. Would that not be good enough?

Would a mini PC like this Asus VM60 be enough for a few Hikvision cameras?

http://www.amazon.com/VM60-G072R-Desktop-i5-3337U-Processor-Windows/dp/B00J2FA7TS/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t

The Dahua IPC-HDBW2200E looked promising based off of this review (http://www.networkcameracritic.com/?p=2418), but the linked store to buy it doesn't mention "outdoor" and I can't find dimensions. The camera also doesn't seem to be listed on Dahua's website... Can anyone confirm that they are indeed outdoor and what the dimensions are?

 

"Dahua IPC-HDBW2200E 1080P HD Outdoor IR Mini Dome Review"

"IP66 Rated Outdoor Dome"

 

http://www.dahuasecurity.com/es/products/ipc-hdbw2200e-705.html

Φ110mm×81mm (no idea on how that translates to inches)

 

The Hikvision ds-2cd2532f-i looks like a decent option as well based off of this review (http://www.networkcameracritic.com/?p=2158) and the dimensions appear to be just under 4 inches from the Hikvision website. Any thoughts?

 

The Hikvision 2CD2132 seem like decent options as well, but it's pushing it size wise (4.5 inches).

http://www.hikvision.com/en/products_show.asp?id=7330

 

Those two are nice units, I have them both. Image quality wise I would say they are exactly the same. 2CD2132 probably has better vision at night (IR). 2CD2532F is quite smaller than 2CD2132, and you have it with audio, alarms, maybe it even has micro SD card slot? You will be fine with any of them.

Thanks, I forgot to include the store link where it doesn't indicate whether outdoor or not. While it should be if it's the same model, it's strange that it's not mentioned. http://wrightwoodsurveillance.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_16&products_id=395

The link you provided seems to be a similar but different model. However, I'm guessing it's not any smaller than the dimensions you provided. So I think it may be too large.

I've done some searching around and read reviews on networkcameracritic.com and I've become confused. I'm looking for a small 2/3MP outdoor dome camera to put in the upper corner of my front door jamb. The max diameter of the unit can be about 4.5 inches, preferably less. Looking to spend under $300 or so.

The Dahua IPC-HDBW2200E looked promising based off of this review (http://www.networkcameracritic.com/?p=2418), but the linked store (http://wrightwoodsurveillance.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_16&products_id=395) to buy it doesn't mention "outdoor" and I can't find dimensions. The camera also doesn't seem to be listed on Dahua's website... Can anyone confirm that they are indeed outdoor and what the dimensions are?

The Hikvision ds-2cd2532f-i looks like a decent option as well based off of this review (http://www.networkcameracritic.com/?p=2158) and the dimensions appear to be just under 4 inches from the Hikvision website. Any thoughts?

The Hikvision 2CD2132 seem like decent options as well, but it's pushing it size wise (4.5 inches).

http://www.hikvision.com/en/products_show.asp?id=7330

I'm leaning towards the Hikvision CD2532F. Any alternatives, comments, or suggestions?

 

I agree with ak357 for powerline adapters, its what I use in one home where I couldn't hard wire a camera, ironically in the same room as the WiFi router. I use a wall plug type injector with it that plugged into the powerline adapter that had an outlet in it.

I just got new ones

so far impressed

getting about 70-80 mbps

I have 4 of them running

How do you measure the mbps?

Thanks for the replies so far everyone.

Someone mentioned I should use a third powerline adapter for the computer too. Are they not directional in terms of one being for the router while the others are on the receiving end?

http://www.amazon.com/ZyXEL-Powerline-Wall-Plug-Adapter-PLA4215KIT/dp/B006L6X7PM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1382497182&sr=8-7&keywords=gigabit+powerline

The link has about 10 different options. Which ones would I need? Gigabit with passthrough kit at 500mbps? Then one extra one? I notice there's one with a switch, could that handle multiple inputs then? Are they PoE by any chance?

To confirm:

Camera-->PoE injector-->powerline adapter-->house-->powerline adapter-->Router

Then computer connects to router wirelessly to get video and record.

Is that the optimal way?

Can someone explain why directly connecting doesn't have the same bandwidth issues as wireless?

So all I have to do is plug it into a direct outlet in the wall, then plug it in via ethernet to my router?

Also, I ran out of ports on the back of my router (Cisco/Linksys EA4500). What's the best device to create more ethernet ports?

Thanks for the reply. Since I wouldn't be able to directly wire the ethernet cable to my router, could I do Camera-->PoE Injector-->wireless bridge-->router?

 

 

Also, does having cameras on your router slow down the router for everyday internet usage at all?

 

What you are suggesting is technically possible, but in my opinion you might have bandwidth issues running four cameras and internet via wireless network. Would not be a problem with a wired setup.

I'm not sure how to avoid going wireless. Router is on the second floor while the cameras are on the first floor with no way to get a wire between them. How could I setup wireless without causing bandwidth issues? Would a second router do anything?

If you're planning on running a PC 24/7 to record video, then no an NVR is not required. Even without a PC, you still don't really need an NVR however. Most IP cameras (if not all) can record to NAS - or even onboard SD. The PC is then just needed to view/manage the recordings. As for you other question. If your cameras are PoE, you can get a switch with PoE capabilities to connect each of your cameras and then connect that switch to your router. Or you can PoE injectors for each camera then connect each camera to your router. Ideally, your router/switch is located in an area in your home that you could find a way to run the Ethernet cables from each camera.

Thanks for the reply. Since I wouldn't be able to directly wire the ethernet cable to my router, could I do Camera-->PoE Injector-->wireless bridge-->router?

Also, does having cameras on your router slow down the router for everyday internet usage at all?