Boogieman

720p is so cheap, 960h makes no sense. That's where I get it.. Seems like you fell for some marketing gimmick with respect to 960h being 720p equivalent..

Cable should not be exposed anyway... Switches are cheap... 45 for 4 port poe.. Nvrs with built in poe can be noisy... Please don't buy no name junk...

Rain will not ruin a good camera. What is the IP66 rating does it mean anything or is it a marketing thing when it comes to showing that is durable exposed to the elements? Buy a reliable brand and you will be fine..

Rain will not ruin a good camera.

The actual parts cost will be about double for IP. Labor should be the same. A 12 camera ip decent system with NVR and drive is about 2000. That is the cost of the system without install.

Well, this kit's able to capture footage at 900 TVL and the camera produces 720p equivalent footage, allowing to pick out key areas of focus in fine detail. So it's enough for a home security purpose as for a wired system. 960h is HALF the resolution of 720p....not sure where you are getting the 720p equivalent nonsense. 960h should not be installed in 2015, ever.

That is like what is a must have feature in a car...it all depends. Min resolution in 2015 should be 1080p

None of this is true. IP systems are no tougher that dvr's. Do you know what a laundromat is? not sure if they have those in china. 328 feet from the switch is not going to be an issue. As I showed you before a 250 dollar dahua NVR can display 16 simultaneous streams..In the US that is NOT expensive. With IP, you easily hide the NVR if you wish, anywhere on the network, or use two in tandem with one as a backup. You dont have to homerun all the cables if doing so will be difficult. If you need a function that is not available on the NVR you can easily change over to pc based software with little trouble.

There is very little to no lag in ip...regardless, even if you had a 2 second lag, who cares, you dont need realtime monitoring... IP will give you the most options an future expansion...Ethernet can be run 328 feet from the switch, I doubt you need longer runs than that. TVI is transitional technology meant to be used to replace older analog D1 systems while using the old cable. If you end up going with TVI for cost purposes ask the installer to use ethernet with baluns so you can later upgrade to ip without rewiring. Make sure he uses quality copper cable not copper clad aluminum (cca) which is junk.

Where are you getting your doa/failure data? I have never had a doa.....they are extremely reliable.

The new lorex ip systems are rebranded dahua and are just fine...

Just buy a cheap hdmi splitter on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/J-Tech-Digital-Splitter-Certified-Bandwidth/dp/B002WPAU38/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1446417924&sr=8-3&keywords=hdmi+splitter+1x4

Dell lost my business years ago, and has never won it back. I'd rather choose what parts go into my system, than let a money hungry company choose the cheapest component suppliers. For bargin dell products, thats what you'll get. There are several efficient power supplies above 550 watts. He said it was a media server, so not sure if hes using it as a server or a player hooked to his main TV. I'd hate to be under powered after building a system. Nas hard drives can use 15-20 watts or more, easy. I don't believe there is a point to using 3mp cameras if you aren't using full (or close to) resolution, and at minimum 10 FPS. I personally use 30 FPS but thats me. Always build for more power than you currently need. With perhaps the exception of the processor as you can swap it out for something more powerful later. The cost between i5 and i7 is negligible, even if you're going Dell. I had two 3mp cameras @ 1080p 30fps running on blue iris on an i5 as was getting quit high system loads. So yes it all depends on what you want to do with the cameras. Again its not the cameras but the software. Blue iris is fantastic but uses lots of cpu...exacq for example does not. You can easily run 10+ 3mp cameras on an i3 haswell. In fact you can run them on a celeron using exacq. I doubt you are running 3mp at 30fps as most 3mp cameras top out at 20fps unless you are running at 1080p. I have 50+ dell optiplex systems running, with zero issues. 20 or so are VMS systems running under load 24/7. They are supper reliable with next day repair for 3 years (never had to use it). I also use hp elitedesks without issue. Spending the time and money to build is silly and a complete waste of resources. Never add a power supply that is too powerful as they are inefficient at low loads. Not sure where you are getting your power consumption numbers but wd reds which are the most popular nas drives today consume 3-5w. http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/SpecSheet/ENG/2879-800002.pdf Even if op added 5 or 10 drives any standard 400w power supply would be more than capable.

There is no need to spam the forum with 3 posts with the same question. Its annoying.

You dont need or want wifi.. With ip cameras and an NVR, the cameras do NOT have to connect directly to the NVR...as long as the NVR and cameras are on the same network it will work..this allows you to have two different NVR's in two locations in the home with not direct connection to the cameras..

Hard drives consume 4-6 watts of power...not need for a 750w power supply, they are not efficient at low power levels.. the type of system needed will depend on the software used. Some packages can run those cameras fine with a haswell i3 or less. Regardless, building a system today is a waste, as you can get it cheaper than build price via the dell business outlet with next day service.

You can hide a second NVR anywhere in your house there is a network connection..they will not go looking through your house for a second NVR. Or get a pc based vms and upload the folders via ftp... I believe dahua NVR's allow you to ftp video..someone can confirm that. not sure.

You never discussed bitrate. Frame rate is independent of bitrate. (though a higher frame rate will require a high bitrate for the same image quality, the settings are independent.) FYI, most commercial installations are still running with 5-7 fps....the video captures face images just fine. 15fps is OVERKILL but its a nice to have because its more pleasant to look at when reviewing video. THERE IS NO need for 30 or 48fps. What ruins forums with NO experience giving bad advice. You are a newbie. That is why your condescending post to a pro installer like ssmith was ironic. What camera were you using when you experience your motion blur in a well lit garage? Please answer that question.

You dont understand that 30 or 48fps is unnecessary and is not related to the motion blur your are seeing. What camera did you use that resulted in motion blur in your well lit garage?

I have reviewed tons of footage...the optimal setting depends on what you are trying to capture. For basic home and business use 15fps is WAY more than needed. There is a reason most security cams, even high end, dont do over 30fps... What camera were you using that captured the blurry image?

Its funny how you seem to be giving ssmith10pn advice. How many cameras have you installed? 5? Hes a pro installer. The system has 1500 cameras, he knows what hes doing. In another thread you recommend 48fps to avoid blur which is simply improper advice, seems like you are a novice trying to dish out advice. Problem is the when you provide bad advice it hurts end users. Let him answer my question about the test and see. Don't be too harsh on me, I only have one post count. What does installation have anything to do with knowing how it's operated? You can have an installer hookup 1million camera and not able to understand the main objective of identify or recognize the subject, is no expert at all. Understanding the risk of your system is important or else it becomes a general/landscape photography camera. My point is based on your posts on this forum, you dont seem to know what you are talking about.

Its funny how you seem to be giving ssmith10pn advice. How many cameras have you installed? 5? Hes a pro installer. The system has 1500 cameras, he knows what hes doing. In another thread you recommend 48fps to avoid blur which is simply improper advice, seems like you are a novice trying to dish out advice. Problem is the when you provide bad advice it hurts end users.

The blur you are experiencing has NOTHING to do with the frame rate. Its a poor camera and exposure settings. 48fps? are you kidding?? 15fps is way more than enough! Please dont dispense poor advice. It hurts end users. You simply need a quality camera with correct settings.

Lol, makes me cringe when I seen new installs with low resolution blurry video like that...720p/1080 is cheap..folks are being fooled into this low end "bargain" junk.

Actually lots of cctv security systems supports recording and remote monitoring. I suggest you to get the best cameras you can afford for your budget, the higher the TVL rating the better the picture generally speaking. Think it's a good option for you, floureon 4ch 960h Onvif CCTV DVR with 4 x 900TVL night vision bullet cameras +1TB HDD(cloud-based remote access, smart motion detection, email alert) - Features of vandal proof and IP66 weatherproof are needed for outdoor installing (if you need). - As for recording, many dvrs will record right on a HDD when they detect any activities (we call it motion detect), and send you an email alert attached with pics or vids. - As you know, function of motion detecting can save lots of HD space so it supports longtime recording (approximately 10days). - You can access & view in real time video signal from remote location via pc, phone by using CMS software or phone app. Hope that gives some ideas. Why in the world you would you recommend a low resolution analog system from a junk brand without knowing the OP's needs. Its 2015..960h should NEVER be used in a new install (at least not in first world countries). 720p should be the minimum. 1080p even better. OP what is your budget? How many cameras? Do you live in the US? Why do you need remote recording?