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JayOwen

Gated community gate cams

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Hi, I am doing an install at a gated community and had some questions. I need a general overview cam, 2 license plate cams(1 for coming in, 1 for going out) and a facial close up cam. There is power easily available but no gate house for the dvr. There is a house about 100 yards away that I can locate the DVR in. The way I see it I have three options. I can run cable to the house, build a weatherproof, secure dog house type of thing and keep the DVR in it right next to the gates, or use wireless cams. I like the wifi the least, its been my experience that the image quality is lacking? Also are IP Wifis a better quality than the older 2.4 mhz analog? If so whats their distance range?

On a side note can anyone suggest some inexpensive wired eyeball cams with varifocal and IR? Thanks!

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IP based wireless links are massively better than the old analog wireless video gear, far less expensive, allows the use of megapixel cameras for much higher resolution, and can carry multiple cameras on one link.

 

Even if you plan on using analog cameras, an encoder at the camera end, transmitting to a NVR, will still get you far better image quality than analog transmitters.

 

As long as you can establish a line of sight link between the two points, with no obstructions (that includes moving cars, so you need to be higher than a vehicle at both ends), you could use IP cameras and a switch to connect to the wireless gear at the gate end.

 

Then, you would have the wireless end on the exterior of the home, wired to the NVR.

 

I use a lot of Ubiquiti gear for this type of project, the Nanostation series equipment will run you less than $200 USD for a complete link (2 units). The 5GHz product (NanostationM5) tends to be more reliable, due to more channel choices, and less other equipment running in that band.

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I use a lot of Ubiquiti gear for this type of project, the Nanostation series equipment will run you less than $200 USD for a complete link (2 units). The 5GHz product (NanostationM5) tends to be more reliable, due to more channel choices, and less other equipment running in that band.

 

 

So How many ubitity nano station you can have in the same network? ihave a project Community complex and they want cameras all around and no way to run cable underground, I was thinking about using nanostation but i am thinking about 8 cameras using nanostation.. so is there is any limitation about amount of nanostation in the same network?

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So How many ubitity nano station you can have in the same network? ihave a project Community complex and they want cameras all around and no way to run cable underground, I was thinking about using nanostation but i am thinking about 8 cameras using nanostation.. so is there is any limitation about amount of nanostation in the same network?
The limitation is more about total bandwidth, than the number of stations. 8 stations to a central point should work fine, I would use the Ubiquiti RocketM5 with the omnidirectional antenna at the receiving point. With the 5GHz gear, 40 MHz channels will get you ~75Mbps total throughput, 20MHz channels about 30-35Mbps or so (assuming good signal quality from all stations).

 

I have an apartment complex with six NanostationM5's going to a Rocket M5 as I described, with a total of 14 cameras on those links, mostly 2MP cameras running at about 6FPS or so, and it works quite well.

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If you have power readily accessible can't you just put a large weatherproof enclosure made of fiberglass and kept secure with padlock and just run everything into that? Mount a small mobile type DVR that the cameras feed in to, or at worst a small 4 channel DVR with a very small footprint and a surface mounted small 7-10 inch lcd monitor for review / setup?

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IP based wireless links are massively better than the old analog wireless video gear, far less expensive, allows the use of megapixel cameras for much higher resolution, and can carry multiple cameras on one link.

 

Even if you plan on using analog cameras, an encoder at the camera end, transmitting to a NVR, will still get you far better image quality than analog transmitters.

 

As long as you can establish a line of sight link between the two points, with no obstructions (that includes moving cars, so you need to be higher than a vehicle at both ends), you could use IP cameras and a switch to connect to the wireless gear at the gate end.

 

Then, you would have the wireless end on the exterior of the home, wired to the NVR.

 

I use a lot of Ubiquiti gear for this type of project, the Nanostation series equipment will run you less than $200 USD for a complete link (2 units). The 5GHz product (NanostationM5) tends to be more reliable, due to more channel choices, and less other equipment running in that band.

 

The Ubiquiti stuff is excellent for these types of setups... and the price is nice too.

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I second the Ubiquiti solution. We just completed an apartment community with 12 3MP cameras using Nano M's, works great and we've had no issues whatsoever.

 

Ilan

EOS Digital Services

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