playasyougo 0 Posted January 11, 2011 Hi, New to the site and looking for some help and advice if possible please. My car was recently damaged outside my house so the reason for me looking into a home CCTV kit. I occasionally import cars as a small business so they sit in my front driveway while they wait to be worked on. This is another reason for me looking at a CCTV system. I stay in a terraced house in the centre of 3. I'm number 13, with number 15 having a reasonable sized wall in the back and a large hedge at the front. My house along with number 11 share access to the rear of the houses. There is a small hedge with separates the front garden from number 11 to my monoblock drive. This drive fits two cars side by side. There are spaces for 4 cars to be parked out the front of the houses, where my car was damaged. I've drawn a terrible plan in MS Paint to give you a rough idea of what I'm working with here - Plan was to have 2 cameras at the front, one facing down the street, the other up, both crossing over and both capturing the front drive and car parking bay. The rear camera will cover the rear entry to the back of the house. I have roughly £400-£500 to spend on a system that I would like to have the following requirements. - Above average day and night image quality - Remote access with Blackberry & iPhone I've been on the web most of the night looking through various sites and the technical information to take in on the cameras alone is hurting my brain. Any help and advice is appreciated along with good and bad criticism. Thanks, David Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SDM Group 0 Posted January 11, 2011 Please use a professional installer, this may cost a little more than your budget, but in the long run you will be better off. What do you do for a living? Would you trust a CCTV expert to do your job? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scruit 0 Posted January 11, 2011 What do you want the cameras to do? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bpzle 0 Posted January 11, 2011 Horrible MS Paint?!?! Oh no buddy!! That's AWESOME!!! I wish all of the people coming on this site asking questions would be this detailed and committed... It really helps! In all honesty, you may save more money in the long run by having professional, unbiased, honest, and committed help.... That's what a company like mine specializes in. Tomcctv would probably be a better fit for you though, as he is in the UK and I'm in the US. You can still install the equipment yourself, that's not a problem. What professionals will help you with is not just selecting the right technology for your needs and budget... but ultimately by putting you in something that will give you the return on investment you are looking for. This isn't just a matter of finding the cheapest materials and doing it yourself... This isn't a matter of going to a hardware store and building your own fence in a weekend... That's the mistake most people make for CCTV.... MOST DIYers fall into one of these categories: A: not honest with themselves and are probably never truly happy with their system. B: Are not as well skilled/ educated on the topic as they may think they are to even realize that their system is crap and a waste of money. C: People who truly NEED a solution, don't have the time/ money to play around, and recognize the value of getting professional help. These people are generally happiest with the end results... However.... you also have your type D of do-it-yourselfers (DIYers)... They love to play with technology, don't mind making mistakes.... and have the funds to make mistakes... There's a few of these DIYers floating around the forum right now that you need to pair up with, if you are a type D DIYer.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
playasyougo 0 Posted January 11, 2011 Thanks for the replies so far guys. SDM Group: I currently work in an office with a part time business related to cars. I've qualifications in auto engineering and previous job experience supplying and installing high end car audio. I've always been a technical person and while you may be correct saying get Pro install it all, i simply do not want to spend three times my current budget for the privilege of the system being possibly that little bit better. The quotes I've had here have been crazy. Plus, as with most companies in my area and speaking from past experience, i simply do not trust other people to do the jobs they say they can do. I've seen CCTV installations done by Pros with visible wiring and very poor cable management. Attention to detail should be a priority but that's something a lot of fitters in the UK lack nowadays. I'm not saying i want a system that's really advanced, just something to capture what's gone down outside my house. Scruit: As above, I'm looking for the cameras to record any events outside my house as far as the cars in the 4 car parking bay. Not looking for much i don't think but people please correct me. This is why I'm on here, for open and honest discussion related to the posted topic. bpzle: Thanks. I would say i would fall into Cat A & D. No matter what i do i can always say i could go back and do it better. Something i can and usually do. Not really fazed by taking this on as i've seen DIY installations by some old friends that have been done to my standard certainly. Hidden cables on interior and exterior and good picture quality day and night all within a suitable budget. I'm not looking for much more than that to be honest. I can understand some people do not like to give out information for nothing but if anyone wants to reply to this then feel free. It is what the sites created for after all is it not? I've been recommended this camera to use in my application - http://www.securitycamera2000.com/products/540TVL-Waterproof-Sony-CCD-Color-Metal-Dome-Camera-IR-Led-4-9mm-Lens.html Does anyone have any good or bad comments about the suitability of it? Thanks again, David Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bpzle 0 Posted January 11, 2011 David, Thanks for your honesty! There is NOTHING wrong with your answers! I wish you the very best and to please HAVE FUN! That's what it's all about... for you anyway, right? If there's anything that you think my company can help with, please let me know! -Brandon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
playasyougo 0 Posted January 11, 2011 David, Thanks for your honesty! There is NOTHING wrong with your answers! I wish you the very best and to please HAVE FUN! That's what it's all about... for you anyway, right? If there's anything that you think my company can help with, please let me know! -Brandon Hi Brandon, Thanks for your reply. You could give me your opinion on the camera i posted in the link if possible please. I appreciate you cannot speak for the company and have not seen the camera in action, but does it appear to tick all the right boxes for me? Personally, i think it does. David Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bean00 0 Posted January 11, 2011 The link comes up "Page not found" for me. Just post the model number as the store link will be removed by the mods to protect cctvforum's advertisers. I'll happily tell you what I think of the camera. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted January 11, 2011 Hi playasyougo. i would not buy from that site. stick with people in your area. that website you listed were do you think they are ??? NOT UK. your budget i would use the avermedia http://www.avermedia.com/AVerDiGi/Product/Detail.aspx?id=232 always check websites and buy local if you can. BUT stay away from maplins Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bpzle 0 Posted January 11, 2011 dead link for me too... but I did notice THIS: Hmm... that's what everyone starts out looking for... "primary goal: BUDGET! more money in my pocket, now I can move on and be about MY business.... cool for a while, then so what... life goes on... who CARES about cameras...UNTIL WE NEED THEM. CRAP!! That fuzzy ant broke into my car at 3:25AM... CRAP if I could only give something to police that they won't laugh at.... why did I spend $50 (usd) on a camera? Should have spent $150... Dang! It would TOTALLY be worth it to me NOW to have spent just that much more..." What do you think? Could you imagine yourself having that conversation with yourself one day??? The point is: there's balance. YES there's a need for security. NO, it doesn't make sense to spend $1,000,000 on a system to protect your home... The key here is: what is YOUR return on investment??? Are my troubles temporary or permanent? Do I need a temporary solution or a (semi) permanent one? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bean00 0 Posted January 11, 2011 Camera specs: +1 Rather high S/N ratio for one of those cameras +1 They list 30m IR Range, so 20m is more realistic. Most of those domes won't even do that much. -1 They don't list Effective Pixels. Could simply be left off, but it's possible its a 350-420TVL camera they are passing off as a 540TVL. Usually these "eye-ball" cameras have whatever cheap guts the manufacturer can put into them(which is a shame cause those housings rock.), so unless they specifically ordered it with a better CCD DSP combo it probably isn't the greatest camera. DVR specs: -10 AVTech DVR(I believe). Specs well, but video is generally low quality, and I've had an absolute ton of DOA's selling rebranded AVTechs at a previous company Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
playasyougo 0 Posted January 11, 2011 dead link for me too... but I did notice THIS: [attachment=0]crap moto.jpg[/attachment] Hmm... that's what everyone starts out looking for... "primary goal: BUDGET! more money in my pocket, now I can move on and be about MY business.... cool for a while, then so what... life goes on... who CARES about cameras...UNTIL WE NEED THEM. CRAP!! That fuzzy ant broke into my car at 3:25AM... CRAP if I could only give something to police that they won't laugh at.... why did I spend $50 (usd) on a camera? Should have spent $150... Dang! It would TOTALLY be worth it to me NOW to have spent just that much more..." What do you think? Could you imagine yourself having that conversation with yourself one day??? The point is: there's balance. YES there's a need for security. NO, it doesn't make sense to spend $1,000,000 on a system to protect your home... The key here is: what is YOUR return on investment??? Are my troubles temporary or permanent? Do I need a temporary solution or a (semi) permanent one? To be honest i never noticed they were not in the UK. I would have come time to pay them as i would check that out. I've been looking through that many sites to be honest. Thanks to TomCCTV i have found this site that sells Avermedia products at manageable prices. I will contact Avermedia to see if they deal direct. www.cameras-cctv.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bean00 0 Posted January 11, 2011 Thanks to TomCCTV i have found this site that sells Avermedia products at manageable prices. I will contact Avermedia to see if they deal direct. They don't sell direct to endusers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted January 11, 2011 Thanks to TomCCTV i have found this site that sells Avermedia products at manageable prices. I will contact Avermedia to see if they deal direct. They don't sell direct to endusers. they do sell direct. payasyougo. were are you in the uk you will have a local supplier. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bpzle 0 Posted January 11, 2011 +1 for Avermedia... great products... However, buyer be ware: Where you buy also matters... support? warranty? in stock? returns/ exchanges? honesty? commitment? all questions you need to be asking... all things that mean I know tom well enough to know that if can help, he will... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
playasyougo 0 Posted January 11, 2011 Thanks to TomCCTV i have found this site that sells Avermedia products at manageable prices. I will contact Avermedia to see if they deal direct. They don't sell direct to endusers. they do sell direct. payasyougo. were are you in the uk you will have a local supplier. I'm in Edinburgh. David Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bean00 0 Posted January 11, 2011 They don't sell direct to endusers. they do sell direct. payasyougo. were are you in the uk you will have a local supplier. Avermedia sells direct to End-users now? When did that happen? They never did when I sold their product. If you meant that site you gave him, obviously I knew that. He said was going to contact Avermedia directly though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted January 11, 2011 I'm in Edinburgh. David i was up your way in november putting a avermedia into the gun armory in edinburgh. just pm you a better price for dvr and cameras. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
