Getting a new roof - creating a camera plan.

[DarthTader]

Howdy everyone - I have been lurking here for some time now in anticipation for getting my own system planned. Apologies in advance for the length of the post, but I am hoping that I have done enough research to not be completely ignorant. I want to put my thoughts out there in order to make sure I did not overlook anything.

My girlfriend and I bought a house a few months back. The house needs a new roof, so once the roof comes off I will be taking the opportunity to pull a ton of cable around the house. In addition to the cameras, I am looking to get my 'home networking' going now that I finally have the means and the space.

Here is a rough property overview I made using Google Maps. The overview just has a few key distances marked and shows the property lines (adjacent property is vacant and we have permission to use the space).

Now before I get too ahead of myself and jump into things, I know I have probably overlooked a lot. Even though I have used the IPVM v3 tool, read reviews, and watch videos, I know nothing is the same as getting a camera in my hands and testing it out. With this in mind, my initial plan is to purchase an IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS and test how it looks around the property in various locations.

The second version of the overview contains a bunch of photos I took during a walk-around while thinking about camera placement (BIG file, click to zoom in for more detail - and don't mind all the debris, we've had some huge windstorms lately ).

With these shots in mind, what are your opinions on this rough plan I made for camera placements? Are there any you feel are missing or are not needed? I am particularly concerned about the trees blocking views, but I think this should work relatively well.

At the moment, I'm thinking the red circles will be the IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS (or the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE if it is worth the cost to upgrade). For the green circles , I am thinking about the dual starlight cam, IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M. I have some concerns with this (dome outside, limited pixel density due to the wider angle), but I am interested in hearing what you guys think. Do you think that the coverage is enough in the driveway, side, and backyard? The driveway typically will have 1-3 vehicles parked in it - one being a large panel van. Also, I would also love to find a use for the IPC-HFW5231E-Z5 eventually, it seems like a beast!

In terms of the networking once the roof comes off, besides pulling way more than I anticipate needing, are these any issues people see with how our floor plan is currently laid out? I will probably drop 3 or 4 cables to each room, and at least one to each area I eventually identify for cameras. I hope to route the cables to the closet area in the Office. I have some time to test before the roof comes off and I have to get to work pulling cable.

At the moment I am stuck between the 4TB/8TB WD Purple Drives and 8/16-port switches. My guess is I should air on the larger sizes here, it will help ensure my setup is scalable and supports at least a few weeks of continuous storage. I still need to find a dedicated PC to use, but I have some time before I get to that step.

Finally, is there anything obviously missing from this list items? Mostly pulled from the various helpful pages here on IPCamTalk.

Spoiler: Purchase List

Item Cost Comments
RJ45 Crimpers $15.99
CAT5e Cable Cat6?
RJ45 Ends $8.99
POE Switch (8 Port) $109.99 More options here
33' Fiberglass Wire Pull Rods $23.99
RJ45 / Ethernet Boot Covers $6.27
RJ45 Cable Tester $8.89 Worth upgrading?
Velcro Roll $5.78
WD Purple Drive (4 TB) 112.96 right size?
IR Illuminator out of stock
IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS $129.99 No mic + ePoE model, review
IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M $179.01 2x starlight cams
IPC-HFW5231E-Z5 $197.60 Varifocal bullet 7-35mm
IPC-HDW5231R-ZE $176.99 -Z upgrade

For anyone else getting started like me, here are some of the links I saved that I found useful -

Spoiler: Helpful Links

IPCamTalk Wiki, IPCamTalk Cliff Notes, IP Camera Tools and Accessories, Choosing Hardware for Blue Iris, Hard Drive Size Calculator, Starlight Lineup, Perfect Pixel Count - Axis, DORI Distance, and the Dahua Camera Comparison Sheet

Thanks for sticking with me here – I would love to hear all your thoughts!

 

[tangent]

https://calculator.ipvm.com

 

[DarthTader]

https://calculator.ipvm.com

As I mentioned, I have used this tool extensively with the cameras I listed above. I do not have a member account and can therefore only show four cameras at a time. I placed the cameras in my first post based on my use of the IPVM Calculator.

 

[pal251]

Have you mapped out where to drill in the attic yet? Put a small rod up next to the header where you need to drill so you aren't messing around for a long time with the roof off.. the roofers won't give you much time to run the wire and you don't want to have your attic exposed for s long time.

Buy multiple boxes of wire and run it all at once. If you need three then run 4 or 5. One or two as a backup .

 

[mat200]

Hi @DarthTader

I would highly consider running grey schedule 40 PVC now that I've read numerous stories of critters chewing on cables...

I found 3/4"+ grey PVC to work well - be certain to properly support it as it does droop. Once you've got that done, it will give you some time to pull the cat5e/6.

 

[DarthTader]

Have you mapped out where to drill in the attic yet? Put a small rod up next to the header where you need to drill so you aren't messing around for a long time with the roof off.. the roofers won't give you much time to run the wire and you don't want to have your attic exposed for s long time.

Buy multiple boxes of wire and run it all at once. If you need three then run 4 or 5. One or two as a backup .

I haven't yet, thank you for the good points! The roofers will be us, so I'll be as quick as possible to keep everything safe and dry up there. Getting this done ahead of time will help speed things up for sure.

Hi @DarthTader

I would highly consider running grey schedule 40 PVC now that I've read numerous stories of critters chewing on cables...

I found 3/4"+ grey PVC to work well - be certain to properly support it as it does droop. Once you've got that done, it will give you some time to pull the cat5e/6.

Good thinking - better safe than sorry here.

I am thinking I'll go with cat6 at this point. I'll buy a box and get started with that first camera for testing soon.

 

[mat200]

I haven't yet, thank you for the good points! The roofers will be us, so I'll be as quick as possible to keep everything safe and dry up there. Getting this done ahead of time will help speed things up for sure.



Good thinking - better safe than sorry here.

I am thinking I'll go with cat6 at this point. I'll buy a box and get started with that first camera for testing soon.

Remember to check how many cables you can pull through a section, I had to use 1", 1.5" on some runs.

 

[DarthTader]

I have been spending a lot of time lately reading, sourcing parts, testing the IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS I picked up.

I am still keeping my eyes peeled for a good deal on a managed POE switch, but I think I may have found a computer I am interested in.

Do either of these seem like reasonably good deals to folks here? If so - I think I will snatch one up so I can get started playing around with BlueIris!

HP Elitedesk 800 G2 SFF Desktop 4GB Intel Core i5-6500 3.20GHz 500GB + WARRANTY - $219.99

Or possibly, for $20 more ($240.99) -HP ELITEDESK 800 G2 SFF INTEL CORE I5-6500 3.20GHz 8GB 1TB SKU#1836. No OS on this one though.

 

[mat200]

I have been spending a lot of time lately reading, sourcing parts, testing the IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS I picked up.

I am still keeping my eyes peeled for a good deal on a managed POE switch, but I think I may have found a computer I am interested in.

Do either of these seem like reasonably good deals to folks here? If so - I think I will snatch one up so I can get started playing around with BlueIris!

HP Elitedesk 800 G2 SFF Desktop 4GB Intel Core i5-6500 3.20GHz 500GB + WARRANTY - $219.99

Or possibly, for $20 more ($240.99) -HP ELITEDESK 800 G2 SFF INTEL CORE I5-6500 3.20GHz 8GB 1TB SKU#1836. No OS on this one though.

HI @DarthTader

For Blue Iris you'll need the windows OS, also on the SFF they are limited on 3.5" bays - so double check on what you may want on that.

 

[DarthTader]

Hey @mat200 ,
From the documentation I could find from HP, I believe the 800 G2 SFF has 2 x 3.5" bays and 1 x 2.5". I figured I can fit a few WD Purple HDDsand a SSD.

Would you wait for another deal for something with a little more room to work with? My experience with these machines is limited, so I'm not sure what ends up being the best machine and at a good price.

Thank you for all your help so far!

 

[mat200]

Hey @mat200 ,
From the documentation I could find from HP, I believe the 800 G2 SFF has 2 x 3.5" bays and 1 x 2.5". I figured I can fit a few WD Purple HDDsand a SSD.

Would you wait for another deal for something with a little more room to work with? My experience with these machines is limited, so I'm not sure what ends up being the best machine and at a good price.

Thank you for all your help so far!

Hi @DarthTader

2x 3.5" + 1x 2.5" bays! nice. Gen 6 nice. Windows OS included. Seems like a decent PC imho for Blue Iris. The Dell SFF systems I looked at have less bays, I did not recall HP SFF having so many bays.

If they seller has an OBO option on that, you may offer a bit less and see if they take your offer.

Fenderman is probably a bit better on the price points for used PCs than I am.

 

[DarthTader]

@mat200 - I am following up with the seller for more info. Sorry to post another one, I won't bother you with more after this!

Does this machine seem like a better deal with some more real estate? Just got posted as far as I can tell -Dell OptiPlex 7040 MT i5-6500 3.2Ghz 8GB DDR4 - 128GB M.2 SSD Win10.

EDIT: I checked the spec sheets- it doesn't have more space despite looking like it does I put an offer in on a 800 G2 with 8gb RAM and 500GB SSD, I am hoping it is accepted!