Need help choosing a camera system or camera components

Joegreen

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I just purchased a Dell optiplex 3020 with 8gb ram and i5-4570. So now I'm on my way to being a blue Iris afficianado. What size wd purple should I get? Will 2tb be ok? I plan on either going motion sensing or continuous record on a couple cams for now. How long could I record on continuous with 2 2mp cams on a 2tb HDD?
 

mat200

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I just purchased a Dell optiplex 3020 with 8gb ram and i5-4570. So now I'm on my way to being a blue Iris afficianado. What size wd purple should I get? Will 2tb be ok? I plan on either going motion sensing or continuous record on a couple cams for now. How long could I record on continuous with 2 2mp cams on a 2tb HDD?
Hi Joe,

2TB is a decent start if you're on a tighter budget and with only 2x 2MP cameras you should have plenty of room for storage.
 

Joegreen

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Ok thanks. I was planning on getting a 2tb wd purple from Amazon warehouse for $60 then $60 for blue Iris and $100 for the computer I just bought brings the total to under $250 for a dedicated nvr which is pretty good. Thanks for everyone's help. I'm sure this thread isn't over yet. I'll have some more questions soon. Now I just need to decide what cams, wiring, and a switch to get. I'll probably wait until another eBay deal before buying a used switch.
 

Joegreen

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So do i make the 2tb wd purple a dedicated hdd for recording or do i put the operating system on it too?
 

Joegreen

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I know an SSD is much faster as I have one in my laptop. Night and day difference but I'm trying to use what I have on hand because this is a very budget build. What is a database file?
 

Joegreen

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So I have been looking at Ethernet cable for the cams. I am thinking of buying bulk Ethernet and putting my own ends on. I see there are many types of Ethernet such as solid, stranded, copper clad aluminum wires and different mhz ratings. Is making my own cable a good idea and are the copper clad aluminum wires ok? What mhz rating should I be looking for?
 
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I don’t do installs but my own, but there are at least 500 posts from people that do this professionally that say “stay away from CCA (copper clad aluminum)”.

So I would stay away from that eBay one, search the forums, probably go buy from a reputable vendor (I have been happy with mono price but I don’t buy much).

Good Luck.


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Joegreen

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Ok I get it. I did some more reading and pure copper is the way to go.
 

mat200

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Hi Joegreen,

THIS is why you have to learn to NEVER trust random ebay, amazon, ali, and other "market place" sellers... they lie, and in this case they are lying BIG time with the the claim:

NavePoint's LIE: "NavePoint's Category 6 CCA UTP Bulk Ethernet Cable is the perfect solution for wiring your home or office."

CCA should be banned, in fact I suspect it may not even quality as properly spec'ed Cat6 or Cat5e cable.

It is never worth saving $40-60 to install bad cable when you will take a good weekend doing your cable install, your time is worth more than that.

( try monoprice.com for a recommended source, iirc there's a couple other vendors members have also recommended - feel free to search for them here )
 
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Joegreen

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mat200

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Where is the best place to buy blue iris? I see a bunch for sale on ebay for $48. Blue Iris Surveillance Monitoring DVR Software Ver 4 WinOS- Professional Edition 723175048676 | eBay. Is this legitimate? If i buy it from blue iris website i get the option to get a $12cd of blue iris included in case i ever need to install it again. Is that worth it?
Hi Joe,

If you buy it from the Blue Iris website, that is the developer you'll be buying it from iirc and he will have a better record that you have a license, so if something goes wrong and you need proof of license he should have that information more readily available.
 
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looney2ns

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Where is the best place to buy blue iris? I see a bunch for sale on ebay for $48. Blue Iris Surveillance Monitoring DVR Software Ver 4 WinOS- Professional Edition 723175048676 | eBay. Is this legitimate? If i buy it from blue iris website i get the option to get a $12cd of blue iris included in case i ever need to install it again. Is that worth it?
Buy from the author. The CD is entirely up to you. For the foreseeable future, it will always be available for download from the website.
Buying it from E-bay you run the risk of being scammed. Some have been known to sell the license key more than once. They you could be out of luck. Is a measly $12 saved worth the risk?
 
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