I'm lost - Complete system design w/ 5 Cameras

Hi all,

Having been helped here before with excellent results, (thanks soundy and rory) and having tried to do the research myself [with not such good results], I come here with my dilemma.

I need a complete new system, with no current wiring in place. This means that I will either wire it with analog cables, CAT5 cables, or do a wireless network.

I'm pretty sure that I want to go PC based, but I'm undecided on the brand, [GeoVision or AverMedia]. Cost vs. value.

My dilemma: I have absolutely no idea what brand/type/etc camera to buy.

This system is to protect my business. I'll need 5 cameras. One in the backyard, one in the packing area, one in the loading area, one at the front entrance and one for a wider view of about 40-50 feet in front of the whole building.

This last one should preferably get a sharp picture up to 40-50 feet away.

Two of these cameras are indoors. I also want them to have night vision capabilities, although the outdoor area is comparably well-lit at night.

I have no idea where to start. What brand cameras should I take a look at? What should the overall power of the DVR card be? What kind of cameras? IP/CCTV?

I'm not looking to protect a bank, and I don't want to break the bank.

Is $2,500.00 w/out installation a realistic budget?

Any outline ideas?

Many, many thanks!

Ben

YES! please do look at zmodo cameras: viewtopic.php?f=54&t=20204&start=0

see swong46's picture of his zmodo camera

I have no idea where to start. What brand cameras should I take a look at? What should the overall power of the DVR card be? What kind of cameras? IP/CCTV?

 

Take a look at zmodo camera. A 8 channel dvr is ok. IP camera is fit for you

You have a history of spamming the place here.

Anyone here with some good suggestions?

CNB and Eclipse make some pretty good analog cams. Especially for low light scenarios. Acti for IP megapixel cams, but they require a signifigant amount of light. Killer cameras for the price and in the right conditions though...

Avermedia for a hyrbid (analog and IP) recorder.

I'm fond of using CAT5 and baluns. Lots of options for the future, it's nice to only have to run cable once.

If you'd like, give some more details of the your enviornment and your expectations of the system. Myself and/or others on the forum can give you more specific answers for cameras. Lighting conditions, field of view (FOV) required, level of detail you'd like, the distance of the cameras to the target, etc.

Sounds good. Since I already went with AverMedia for my home installation, my installer recommends that I go with it in the business as well for better interfacing.

Your recommendation just boosted my confidence.

Thanks for the camera recommendations.

For this setup, I'm going to use the NV7240, since I need the split view for the screens and cannot get it in the NV5000.

Anyone has any experience with these guys?

avermedia-nv7240c08-nv7240---8ch-hybrid-dvr-card-pci-240fps-8ch

[mod edit no store links]

Also, any more recommendations for camera brands? Cost is somewhat of a factor, but I'm willing to pay in order not to get junk.

Thanks,

Ben

After some preliminary research, I'm having a hard time narrowing down my camera selection.

What I do know is that I need the cameras to have good IR capabilities; I'm not satisfied with the day/night cams out there. Two of the cameras I'll be purchasing should be PTZ. All of them, I presume, should be cctv/analog, since IP cams seem to be comparably cost-prohibitive.

Can anyone ask me some necessary question so as to guide into narrowing down my selection?

Many thanks,

Ben

After some preliminary research, I'm having a hard time narrowing down my camera selection.

 

What I do know is that I need the cameras to have good IR capabilities; I'm not satisfied with the day/night cams out there. Two of the cameras I'll be purchasing should be PTZ. All of them, I presume, should be cctv/analog, since IP cams seem to be comparably cost-prohibitive.

 

Can anyone ask me some necessary question so as to guide into narrowing down my selection?

 

Many thanks,

Ben

Hi ben. with you using avermedia then you have both options. to upgrade later. with regards to cameras i would cnb true day night. these are very good cameras. and also ptz cameras dont buy with built in ir.

i have pm. you live demos 1 ptz and the other cnb cameras. so as you can play and see the quality.

Thanks Tom,

I'm waiting to see how these images look at night.

I've looked a lot at the CNB models. In this price range of $70-$200, I'll pretty much go for the highest end model.

Some people told me that few day/night cameras match up to IR. Is it true? and if not, what should I look at?

I need 7-9 of these cameras. That's because the PTZ's seem to be very expensive comparably. So I'll probably take 9 of them, instead of 7+2 PTZ.

Can anyone recommend a good model?

Right now I'm looking at the VB2310NVR for this price: [mod edit - no store link]

Any better suggestions?

Thanks,

Ben

Some people told me that few day/night cameras match up to IR. Is it true? and if not, what should I look at?

What do you mean? As in a true day/ night camera won't work with infared light?

This is not true.

A TRUE day/ night camera means the camera has an infared filter that automatically pops down over the lens when there are X amount of lummens or less.

A day/ night camera is designed to pick up infared light.

Cheaper "day/night" cameras will have this filter permently fixed on the lens and will not provide an optimum day time picture.

This is not true.

So is the camera above good enough?

If not, any specific suggestions? Most of them should also be outdoor cameras.

Edited to add:

To clarify further, I'm currently using the Sony SSCCD77 and I'm getiing pretty bad results, even with good lighting. But the dark, its beyond terrible. Yet, Sony claims that it can work in no-light conditions.

Actually, when looking on Sony's website, this camera can "see" IR light, but you need separate IR illumination. Sight.

Ben

Also, I'm having a hard time finding the current "Monalisa" models online. Can anyone direct me?

Edited to add: And these models should be have IR capability.

For some odd reason CNB has only the "20" and "21" variety of the cameras advertised in the IR section, which, oddly, I cannot find online.

So, is the VB2310NVR good enough for my use. Does anyone have any experience with this model?

Thanks,

Ben