tplaya07

@shockwave - I never disregarded anything you mentioned, but your talking about adding another 3 cameras which would cost $300-400 more for the low end option, and $600-800 more for the high end. Not to mention, moving from fixed to varifocal lenses for the low end option will easily add at least another $50-75 per camera. I do plan on quoting varifocal in the high end option though. As mentioned, I am a noob when it comes to CCTV (which is why I'm here asking for advice), but I figured these were these best choices considering what they wanted. My rational was that the two 6mm bullet cams were mounted on top of the flat roof in positions 2 and 5. Position 5 is about 20ft from the entrance gate, and 6mm supposedly gives about a 12ft horizontal view from this distance, which I figured would be adequate. Would this not suffice as a decent option for facial recognition? Position 2 is about 20ft away from the mailboxes, providing a 12ft wide view at this point, but also seeing the playground (50ft to center of playground) in the background at about a 30ft wide view. Facial recognition isn't a huge concern at this position, but I figured the 6mm would at least give a pretty good shot of a person's features? Cameras 1,3, and 4 would be the vandal proof dome cameras and all are 3.8mm fixed. I thought this would give a good facial shot of anyone entering the building and at least good enough to tell the type and color of cars driving by in the background? Cameras 3 and 4 are just there to survey the pool area and see what's happening. Contrary to my first post where I mentioned that they merely had an 8ft tall cinderblock wall along the back, my friend reminded me that they had also just recently mounted a 5ft tall chain link fence on top of that cinderblock wall. So, I don't think they'll continue to use that method to gain entry as it's now a 13ft drop to the concrete pool deck. So, if there is any vandalism, I'm hoping that cameras 3 and 4 can provide enough detail of the person's to be able to match them up on the choke point cameras 1 and 5. Lastly, here is what I've come up with for the higher end system. Thoughts and feedback are appreciated. (~$3300 cost); ---$1200 Samsung Security SRD-870DC 8 Channel DVR, 500GB, Coaxitron, DVD, H.264, D1@240FPS ---$230/ea (4x) Bosch VDC-455V03-20S 1/3-inch 540TVL 2.6-6mm Lens Impact-Resistant FlexiDome XT+ Camera, Surface Mount ---$190/ea (2x) Bosch VTI-216V04-2 WZ16 Integrated Outdoor IR Bullet Camera, 3.8-9.5mm Lens ---$85 Bosch ALTV248UL3-BOSCH Bosch ALTV248UL3 8-Channel Steel Cabinet Power Supply, 120VAC Input, 24-28VAC Output ---$200 1000 of RG59U Siamese (power included) wire. ---$150/ea (2x) 1TB hard drives (in addition to the 500GB). Should easily provide over 30 days of recording at full D1 resolution. ---$150 for conduit, fittings, hardware (approximately 170’ of conduit) and other accessories (BNC crimp tool, BNC connectors, etc.) ---$100 LCD monitor

Tom - as mentioned in my first post, they are not fully committed to Camera 5 yet, just something I recommended to them. That's why I posted/asked for opinions on the 4-ch setup as a cheaper alternative. As for the only recording D1 on channel 1, I didn't even notice that, and I'm glad you caught that. Since the cameras seem to meet your approval, if I just substitute the CNB DVR for a Dahua 8 ch ($170 w/o HDD from Rory's site) or a Qvis Zues 8-ch, does everything else look good? I couldn't find it in the description or data sheets, but I assume the CNB domes come with the surface mount and the bullet comes with the wall mount, correct?

How does this look for the low end option (approx. $925 for parts/materials)? It's only a 4-ch setup, so they have no room to expand....but I will quote them 8-channel equipment in the higher end option. ---$200 CNB HDF1212 4-Ch DVR, H.264 Max 120fps recording @ CIF Free DDNS Service Simplex Function,No HDD ---$100/ea 3x CNB LFL-20S MONALISA 3.8mm Vandal-Resistant Eyeball Dome, 600TVL ---$90 CNB WCL-20S MONALISA WEATHERPROOF IR - 600TVL 6MM FIXED LENS, 34 LEDs, UPTO 90FT, DC12V ---$50 Altronix Sav4D 4 Output Power Supply, 12VDC @ 5 Amp, PTC Circuit Breaker, Grounded Power Cord, UL Listed ---$100 500’ of RG59U Siamese (power included) wire. ---$75 500GB Hard drive ---$100 for conduit, fittings, hardware (approximately 170’ of conduit) and other accessories (BNC crimp tool, BNC connectors, etc.)

@tom - I plan on doing a regular analog setup, not hybrid with IP cameras. @jxk - Gotcha. There just doesn't seem to be many DIY friendly CCTV websites out there (that I could find) that have a nice variety of brands to choose from. Maybe this will make things a little easier... Being that the basic requirements are listed in my original post, what would you guys recommend for; Low-end system $500-750 for equipment? Mid-line system for ~$2000 for equipment? Links/prices for items suggested would be appreciated.

OK. I found some reviews of this model at Costco that claim the quality is mediocre at best. So we'll rule this one out. I like the Dahua DVR's, and the Qvis, but there was next to nothing listed for cameras that I could find. And I'd prefer to get everything from the same place if possible. I've also been looking on 123security as they seem to have a very large selection, but the DVR prices are much higher. Is there any other websites that I can look at that have a wide selection of items that I can compare features? As for the mid/higher end option, I think I have decided to go with a Bosch setup, as they seem to have a good reputation here from some of the other topics I've read. Does Bosch sell any DVR's without the HD? In looking at pricing/specs, it seems that DVR companies charge an arm and a leg for upgraded hard drive sizes and DVD-RW options (both of which I have access to being a network administrator).

I'm going to put together at least two quotes for them. How does this system look for a low end option? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-SDE-4001-8-Channel-DVR-Security-System-6-Cameras-Night-Vision-/390380628972?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ae47fabec#ht_2698wt_858 I know it's a refurb, doesn't have as many domes as I'd prefer, and all lenses are 3.8mm... but does anyone have any experience/feedback with this system? It seems to be a PoE system, as Cat5 seems to be the only wire running to it. The kits includes (6) 60ft Cat5 cables, so I know I'll need to buy a few 75-100'ers. But is there anything else I would need to install this system (besides conduit, router for internet, LCD monitor, and battery backup / surge)? I'm still looking into the Dahua and Qvis DVR options as well with some higher quality Speco, Bosch, or Sony Cameras.

Thank you for the quick replies. Tom- I probably did not clarify well enough in my initial post. Remote viewing is essential, but I don't think there would ever be more than 1 or 2 people using it at any given time. Most of the board members are older retired folks in their 50's - 60's+, and although they did have cell phones, I don't think any had smart phones, or would ever use those types of features. If a DVR has the feature, great; but it's definitely not a necessity if that feature costs more. They mainly just want to be able to sit down on a computer somewhere and log into the web browser stream to check up on things. As for the DVR, I have heard a lot of great things about the Dahua brand, but have only seen them sold on Ebay and dhgate. Regarding the camera lenses, I am not set on any particular one. I merely mentioned the 6mm and 3.6mm ones more as question whether these would be the preferred lens for the viewing areas I illustrated. I am not opposed to varifocal, and have looked at those as well (and definitely provide more flexibility), but also seem to cost significantly more than their fixed counterparts. jxk716- Cameras 2 and 5 will be mounted on top of the flat roof, which is why I mentioned bullets rather than domes. I just took a look at the Qvis apollo you mentioned and it looks nice. I also really like the motion sensing feature. It brings up a few questions though... If an 8-ch DVR can record D1 at 60FPS, does that mean that if I have only 5 cameras connected, it will record at 12FPS (60FPS / 5), or does each channel have a max of 7.5FPS that it's limited to? Also, with motion sensing, if camera 1 (for example) has a lot of activity, but all the other cameras are still, will it only record that single cameras activity at a very high FPS (60FPS at D1)? I guess my confusion is in how the DVR distributes the overall FPS while recording when using the motion sensing feature. Lastly, I see that some DVRs don't come with any hard drives, while others have options to add additional HD's. Since I'm an IT person now, I have access to tons of HD's. Is there any stipulations on what hard drive can be used?

A friend of mine is the president of the HOA. I am helping him setup a camera system around their clubhouse, pool, and playground areas, as they have had a lot of vandalism from teenagers. I have attached a diagram of the layout, and just need some help selecting the right equipment. They are on a tight budget, so I'd like to give them a few options to choose from (one low end, and one mid grade setup). I worked as a low voltage installer for about 7 years, but very little with CCTV. Camera 1 - this camera will be mounted underneath the overhang of the front door eve. The primary focus is facial recognition of people entering the clubhouse, but if possible, they would also like to be able to clearly identify vehicles in the background (they wanted license plate clarity too, but I told them a single camera could most likely not do both). ~6mm lens outdoor dome camera? Camera 2 - this will be mounted on top of the flat roof. They would like this camera to have a good shot of persons at the mailboxes, and would also like to capture as much of the playground in the background as possible. Mailboxes are priority. ~6-8mm lens outdoor bullet cam in protective housing? Camera 3 and 4 - these cameras will be mounted underneath the large overhang (dark red in picture) and overlook as much of the pool area as possible. They claim that teens (without pool keys) regularly jump over the 8' cinder-block wall (bold line in pic) that surrounds the pool area. ~3mm outdoor dome camera? Camera 5 - this camera they haven't fully committed to yet, but I suggested it was a good idea to get good facial pictures of people entering the pool area. ~6mm bullet cam in protective housing. A few years back, the vandals used the pool skimmer to reach up and bust the old camera facing the pool, so protecting all these cameras is important as well. Cameras will run 24/7, but lighting at night is pretty good around surveillance areas. As for the DVR, it needs to be an 8-channel, H264 is preferred and seems to be widespread now anyway. They would like to be able to record at least 7 days at 4CIF before overwrite (~1TB HDD sufficient?). It's not likely anyone will ever be viewing the cameras on site (inside the clubhouse), so live resolution is not a concern. However, remote viewing is essential, as my friend (and a few other members on the board) are away for large parts of the year. So they'd like to be able to view it over the internet at any time. If I'm leaving anything out, please ask. Also, I realize the above requirements are more along the lines of a mid grade setup, so I guess a low end setup would be recording in CIF for 7 days, dropping to a ~500GB HDD, and lesser quality cameras.

Don't everyone post at once...we don't want to bog down the server.

Sorry about the link. Here is a manufacturer's link. They do have prices listed because they sell direct...so I hope this link is accpetable. w w w. nti1. com/usbc5.html# And I could really use some feedback and suggestions. Alot of views, but no replies. Thanks.

I wanted to use a few webcams (Logitech QuickCam Pro 500 and some generic HP camera) I have lying around the house for a security system that hooks into my PC. It doesn't need to be anything special, just be able to see who's at the front door and keep an eye on the driveway/vehicles. They are both USB cameras, and I know that USB has a 16ft limitation. To work around this limitation I was looking at getting this; [mod edit by kp - link removed. Only manufacturer links allowed] Does anyone have any experience with these types of USB extenders? If so, how will my quality be if I run 2 webcams off this extender, as compared to just running the webcam hooked directly into the computer. If it is going to cause a major quality/performance drop, I will likely just seek other avenues. Also, can anyone recommend some good software to monitor and record the video stream? I would like to be able to record manually as well as have motion sensing recording capabilities. PTZ would be nice as well but not a necessity. Lastly, my plan was to purchase an additional, external hard drive (size recommendations welcome, but I was figuring around 80-100GB) dedicated to the surveillance. Will the webcam recording software allow me to choose where I want to save video streams, or do most just save to the primary HD by default? I just don't want the streams cluttering up my main OS and files. Thanks in advance for any help.