Setup and location advice.

danimal86

danimal86

Getting the hang of it
Oct 8, 2019
143
54
Sacramento, Ca
I've been lurking in the shadows for a while and thought i'd come into the light and ask for some advice. I'm piecing together a camera system and looking for some placement advice. (mods please move to the correct location if this isn't the right one)

So far, i've ordered:
Blue Iris v5
i'll be running it on a dedicated desktop with a i7 2600k with 8g of ram (no gpu) and a few 2tb hdd's, and will be recording 24/7
8port POE+ switch, 500ft of CAT5e (no need for cat6 right?)
1 Armcrest PTZ IP2m-858W
2 Armcrest 4k Bullets
1 Armcrest 4k Turret
2 La View Saturn Series 4k Turrets

LaView Saturn 4K 8MP PoE IP Turret Cameras

Get the LaView Saturn Series 4K UltraHD 8MP Turret Dome Ourdoor PoE Audio IP Camera,2.8mm, h.265+, True 120dB WDR, IP67, MicroSD card slot, IVS,ePoE f
www.laviewsecurity.com www.laviewsecurity.com

So i kind of purchased that PTZ on impulse since it was a lightening deal (i dont plan on utilizing the wifi, it will be over ethernet). I haven't dug into blue iris yet, but my initial thoughts were to have it scan the area, and if another camera senses motion to zoom to that area (if possible) I think it may be a little bit much for my house, and an eyesore. Very cool gadget factor though.

So my thoughts are to put a turret in the front entry way to capture the front door. The front door light turns on at sunset and off at sunrise so i'm not too worried about low light levels. We do have a street light across the street and one house down to the south (down in the aerial photo). I'll add some bullet cameras in the corners of the house on the first story eves to capture the front yard area. I'd like to have one really good low light camera along each of the side yards as they are pitch black. And probably one camera in the back yard under the patio cover. I'll probably throw a cheaper camera in the garage while i'm at it.
House Aerial.jpg

Here's a front view of the house. The only place i can think to put the PTZ is at the lower arch above the front door. I'm thinking it would be an eye sore. I could put it on the second story but not sure about it being 1080 (but it does have a 25x optical zoom)
IMG_20191205_160055.jpg

Thoughts on which camera to place where? Any major errors i made?

Thanks,
Dan
 

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danimal86 said:
..

Thanks,
Dan
Click to expand...

Nice place Dan, and a big welcome here.

I'd setup a strong test rig ( not the usual one we make with a bucket and 2x4 ) - and test out a few locations for the PTZ ( it is heavy, but imho a very sweet deal you got on that one.. )
 
mat200 said:
Nice place Dan, and a big welcome here.

I'd setup a strong test rig ( not the usual one we make with a bucket and 2x4 ) - and test out a few locations for the PTZ ( it is heavy, but imho a very sweet deal you got on that one.. )
Click to expand...
Thanks Mat200! I was following you on SD during BF and CM. Thanks for all your input!

Good call on testing it out at some locations. The peak on the second story could be a good option if its usefull from that far away.
I guess i should also look into what features i can use from Blue Iris when using a PTZ camera.....see if its worth the hassle.
 
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danimal86 said:
Thanks Mat200! I was following you on SD during BF and CM. Thanks for all your input!

Good call on testing it out at some locations. The peak on the second story could be a good option if its usefull from that far away.
I guess i should also look into what features i can use from Blue Iris when using a PTZ camera.....see if its worth the hassle.
Click to expand...

Thanks Dan,

There's a demo version of Blue Iris you can play with. I know many here really like it.
 
mat200 said:
Thanks Dan,

There's a demo version of Blue Iris you can play with. I know many here really like it.
Click to expand...
I went whole-hog and just bought blue iris. It should be delivered today. I'll set it up this weekend.
 
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You will need to tune blue iris and reduce the frame rate as you have 5 8MP (4k) cameras and a 2MP camera. And an old processor.

Calculate your MP/SEC or Mb/sec. As you do not have a GPU go with h265 compression. There are a number of calultaors online. Bandwidth calculator | CCTV Calculator

Look at CPU stats running BI. Blue Iris Update Helper
----------------------------------

Please read the IP Cam Talk Cliff Notes and other items in the IP Cam Talk Wiki. The wiki is in the blue bar at the top of the page.

Read How to Secure Your Network (Don't Get Hacked!) in the wiki also.
 
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SouthernYankee said:
You will need to tune blue iris and reduce the frame rate as you have 5 8MP (4k) cameras and a 2MP camera. And an old processor.

Calculate your MP/SEC or Mb/sec. As you do not have a GPU go with h265 compression. There are a number of calultaors online. Bandwidth calculator | CCTV Calculator

Look at CPU stats running BI. Blue Iris Update Helper
----------------------------------

Please read the IP Cam Talk Cliff Notes and other items in the IP Cam Talk Wiki. The wiki is in the blue bar at the top of the page.

Read How to Secure Your Network (Don't Get Hacked!) in the wiki also.
Click to expand...
I'm not opposed to adding a gpu like a 1060, but I thought that was just for h.265 which I thought is more for keeping file sizes down. Ive got a lot of 2tb hdds laying around, so I'm not too worried about storage as much as cpu utilization with the 2nd gen i7.

Either way. I thought I may have to limit my frames with a bunch of 4k cameras.
 
The H.264 will run on 3 generation Intel processors or higher. In my opinion if your are not running a Intel GPU then record at h.265, it reduces network traffic and reduces storage.

Reducing the frame rate will improve the CPU usage. Set it up and run it, then modify the settings till you get the desired performance.

read the Wiki Optimizing Blue Iris's CPU Usage

Look at upgrading you computer, buy used on ebay. I just purchased last month an HP Elitedesk tower i7-4790 with 16GB for $150.00. I took some work and waiting to find a system at that price.
https://ipcamtalk.com/wiki/choosing-hardware-for-blue-iris/
 
Looking at the front view of your house, I think that the camera on the left side will give a reasonable view of the front walkway, but the porch will block the view of your driveway. Since you keep the pup in the driveway, I would use two cameras in a crossing view, one on each side of the garage door. This would double your chances of getting an ID on door checkers.

Does the light to the right of your garage door stay on all night? If not, consider setting it up that way. The more light you can get in high probability areas the better.
 
samplenhold said:
Looking at the front view of your house, I think that the camera on the left side will give a reasonable view of the front walkway, but the porch will block the view of your driveway. Since you keep the pup in the driveway, I would use two cameras in a crossing view, one on each side of the garage door. This would double your chances of getting an ID on door checkers.

Does the light to the right of your garage door stay on all night? If not, consider setting it up that way. The more light you can get in high probability areas the better.
Click to expand...
Yes, the light on the right side of the garage is linked to the front porch light, on at sunset off at sunrise.

Good idea about crossing the driveway. I'll add another camera to the list. I want to make sure the truck is covered.
 
SouthernYankee said:
The H.264 will run on 3 generation Intel processors or higher. In my opinion if your are not running a Intel GPU then record at h.265, it reduces network traffic and reduces storage.

Reducing the frame rate will improve the CPU usage. Set it up and run it, then modify the settings till you get the desired performance.

read the Wiki Optimizing Blue Iris's CPU Usage

Look at upgrading you computer, buy used on ebay. I just purchased last month an HP Elitedesk tower i7-4790 with 16GB for $150.00. I took some work and waiting to find a system at that price.
https://ipcamtalk.com/wiki/choosing-hardware-for-blue-iris/
Click to expand...
You mean the integrated graphics? Thats what I was planning on. I've been keeping an eye on refurb dell and hp's. I'm hoping this will get me started, and I can upgrade down the line....if needed.
 
looney2ns said:
Be sure to study these:
Cliff Notes
Choosing Hardware for Blue Iris | IP Cam Talk
Optimizing Blue Iris's CPU Usage | IP Cam Talk
The PTZ could go on one of the two roof peaks you have above the front door, mounted on a satellite rated tripod mount and satellite rated pole to match.
Click to expand...
Thanks Looney.
I setup blue iris over the weekend and have 3 cameras recording as we speak (just indoor on top of the server). I'm going to see how the i7 2600k (it's what I already had laying around) does with the cameras I have so far. I've been looking at some refurb dell and hp boxes on eBay for around 150-175 with a 4970 in them if the 2600k is running too hard.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to return the ptz camera. I dont forsee really needing to look around too much other than from a fixed position.
Anyone really like having a ptz, or is it just a novelty?

Those wiki pages are extremely helpful!
 
danimal86 said:
Thanks Looney.
I setup blue iris over the weekend and have 3 cameras recording as we speak (just indoor on top of the server). I'm going to see how the i7 2600k (it's what I already had laying around) does with the cameras I have so far. I've been looking at some refurb dell and hp boxes on eBay for around 150-175 with a 4970 in them if the 2600k is running too hard.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to return the ptz camera. I dont forsee really needing to look around too much other than from a fixed position.
Anyone really like having a ptz, or is it just a novelty?

Those wiki pages are extremely helpful!
Click to expand...
If you depend on a PTZ, you have a high likely hood of it looking at the wrong direction when something occurs.
More fixed cams are better.
 
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looney2ns said:
If you depend on a PTZ, you have a high likely hood of it looking at the wrong direction when something occurs.
More fixed cams are better.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't really be depending on the ptz, it would be more of an additional view. With adding another camera on the left side of the garage and pointing straight down the driveway, everything in the front should be covered.

I feel like if I return the ptz, I'll wish I didn't......and if I install the ptz, I'll wish I had returned it.
 
danimal86 said:
I wouldn't really be depending on the ptz, it would be more of an additional view. With adding another camera on the left side of the garage and pointing straight down the driveway, everything in the front should be covered.

I feel like if I return the ptz, I'll wish I didn't......and if I install the ptz, I'll wish I had returned it.
Click to expand...

Hi @danimal86

Definitely keep the PTZ - it will be the best low light camera from the 3 models you picked up, and if you got it during one of the Amazon lightning deals, it was a very good deal.
 
mat200 said:
Hi @danimal86

Definitely keep the PTZ - it will be the best low light camera from the 3 models you picked up, and if you got it during one of the Amazon lightning deals, it was a very good deal.
Click to expand...
I did get it during the lightening deal. I'm afraid that it may not get utilized to it's potential. It may just stay in one location.

Maybe I should look through the blue iris ptz settings. Maybe there are some automation I can mess with?
 
danimal86 said:
I did get it during the lightening deal. I'm afraid that it may not get utilized to it's potential. It may just stay in one location.

Maybe I should look through the blue iris ptz settings. Maybe there are some automation I can mess with?
Click to expand...

HI Dan,

Set it up on a temp setup and start playing with it, I think you'll like it.
 
Will do. I'll have to see what that 25x optical zoom is like. I think it would look a little better being up on the second story roof peak, but i reaaaaaaaaaaallllly don't want to to go up there!

Anyone have any recommendation for a good in the garage camera?
 
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danimal86 said:
i'll be running it on a dedicated desktop with a i7 2600k with 8g of ram (no gpu) and a few 2tb hdd's, and will be recording 24/7
Click to expand...

FYI, I am currently running an i7-2600k, and I run 4-2MP and 1-4MP starlight camera and it is consistently running over 25%-30% CPU. It is fine for a starter system, especially since you have it (that was my scenario), but you should definitely put a 5th or 6th gen (or better) on your shopping list to locate and purchase in the next couple months as you will outgrow it quickly imho (it's a 2011 CPU after all so long in the tooth). You are missing out on multiple generations of platform improvement, and also 2600k uses DDR3 memory instead of newer DDR4 (and in another thread some testing has shown Blue Iris is definitely memory bandwidth limited).




Check out video from 2017 (at that time 2600k is already 6 years old). It is funny in that comparison it still shows the 2600k able to hold it's own against an 8700k in gaming (due mostly to offload capability to graphics cards). Also note about 9:45 the power comparison, the 8700k has lower idle and only slightly higher full load power draw (it also has 6 cores) compared to the older technology 2600k. Those power draw numbers aren't miles apart, but you will eventually save money (at higher performance level) going with the newer tech.

Secondly, I am running 11TB of surveillance storage and I get over 6 months of 24/7 video (but running some cameras at very low FPS), so your mileage will be much lower with just 2-2TB and higher MP cameras.
 
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