Newbie from NH just starting out

[cctvbob 101 0]

Hi Folks,

One of my neighbors is a real jerk and decided a last year that he didn't like me living next door to him. Since then my house has been broken into several times and there's been no end to the vandalism on property in my yard. I'm going to be installing a decent alarm system but would also like to set up a surveillance camera system using between five and eight cameras, two or three on the exterior and the rest inside.

 

I'm new to this stuff and could use some advice on what equipment to get, where to buy it and, most importantly, how to install it. Since I am a real novice on this, I'd like something that won't really take too much experience to figure out how to do the installation, something as close to "plug & play" as possible, I guess. I've started looking around sites on the internet and have picked up some info, but joined this forum to get a better idea of what to do. I have a number of starter questions that will probably seem amateur to many of you regulars here, but here goes:

 

1. I may be wrong here, but from what I've learned so far, it seems that the trend in surveillance camera technology and manufacture is moving toward IP cameras rather than CCTV. Am I correct there?

 

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of CCTV systems versus IP dvr systems? From what I've read so far, it seems that at present the image quality in cameras availabe in CCTV systems are still somewhat better than IP cameras. Is that true? I could use the versatility of being able to move some of the cameras to other locations at different times of day in order to capture video of these guys, so wireless IP cameras would be useful but being able to identify license plates and faces would be a huge plus on one or two cameras. If cctv cams are better than IP in low light conditions and/or at producing better resolution, would it be better to have a hybrid dvr that would give me the best fo both sytems--both picture quality and versatility?

 

3. Manufacturers--I've looked at the stuff that Amazon is selling but I get the impression that most of it isn't all that great. What are some good manufacturers of DVRs, cams, etc? Also, could you give me names of some reliable online vendors that provide good support for someone with little experience in installations and have decent prices? Also, are there any good store front retailers in the southern NH and eastern Mass area?

 

4. Once again, a very important consideration would be ease of installation. I reasonably smart and have some knowledge of electronics but not much.

 

5. Price range: Up to about $1500.00 in total.

 

I know I've asked quite a few questions here but it should go without saying that any help on this will be very much appreciated. Thanks up front.

 

Bob

[Kawboy12R 0]

1. CCTV doesn't really specify the format of the video camera being used. You're talking about the difference between the "old" analog CCTV cameras versus the "new" digital network IP cameras.

 

2. HD network cameras, in general and under reasonable lighting, tend to easily outperform analog cameras, especially the cheaper analog cameras that come with mass market kits. There are exceptions of course, especially in low lighting, but there are some very good low-light network cameras as well. There's nothing wrong with a hybrid system, and if you pick the hybrid NVR based on the network cameras it supports (and you want) then you've got quite a versatile system. Just make sure in advance that the NVR supports motion detection with the network cameras you want to use. It's common for an NVR to be able to view the video stream but not detect/record motion events. It's either record everything or nothing unless you can record on alarm events using a PIR. Oh, and most wireless IP cameras are cheap crap. You're better off to use a wired IP camera and a wireless bridge if you MUST have wireless connections. Analog is simple and pretty much universally compatible. Resolution is low and therefore choosing lenses for distance shots is a bit more important than with IP cams. Network cams cost a bit more than bargain basement analog cams, but you can get really REALLY good performance (if not great selection) in the $200 range compared to sub-$200 analog cameras. If you consider the fact that live quality = saved quality with IP cameras and it takes more than a garden variety DVR to give you same-as-live recorded quality, well, I'm surprised that anybody without unreasonably high expectations from an absolute rock-bottom budget would choose anything but IP. The tipping point, IMHO, is in the number of cameras needed (hard to beat a Costco analog system for $800 with 16 cameras if you really need 16 cameras) and whether or not saved quality is of utmost importance.

 

DVRs? Digital Watchdogs have a good rep. Some of the upper end QSee ones have good saved video. Aver is a good cheap hybrid but pay attention to their camera support list, especially which ones work with motion detection. Dahua makes a hybrid if you don't mind taking a chance with glitchy support for anything but Dahua network cams. CNB makes a decent lowish-light analog vandal dome. They don't hold a candle side by side with my Axis P3364s, but add just a bit more light and they're usable. Daytime performance (even live) doesn't come close to them, and they're only 1.3mp. Bosch makes excellent analog cams if you must have analog, but with excellent performance at $175/cam from Hikvision hi-def IP rebrands from Costco (Swann and Lorex) and VMS support from Blue Iris to Avigilon, why bother with analog? A cheap computer will give same-as-live saved video evidence from network cameras, too.

[shockwave199 0]

How's your knowledge of networking? Comfortable with tweaking your router and your home network? It's best to be comfortable with that kind of stuff if you're gonna go with an IP system.

 

What's your exterior lighting like all around your house?

 

How many cameras do you think you'll need? What areas do you need to monitor?

 

How many feet from any camera you'd install on the front of your house to the street?

 

Knowing your all this stuff will save time for helping you.