Multi-Building NVR Advice

Hi,

As a newbie I am looking for advice on a multiple building application as shown in the image below. Currently we only have two cameras in Building #1 (Church). The main building (Building #2) is connected to Building #1 (Church) via a single aerial Cat6 cable. As shown we also expect to add WiFi to Building #1 (Church) in the near future.

I purchased a 8 PoE NVR (DS-7608NI-I2/8P), which I assumed could be used could be used in a layer 2 (Ethernet switch) fashion. I have now learned that the NVR is a layer 3 device (separate IP subnet created for the devices on the PoE NVR interfaces relative to the NVR LAN interface).

• Can the NVR be used in a Ethernet Switch (layer 2) fashion?
• What advice can you share regarding the location and configuration of the NVR in the multi-building scenario below? (both for the near-term [where only Building #1 (Church) has cameras], when WiFi is added in Building #1 (Church), and finally when cameras are added to either of the two other buildings (Main or Parish Center)

Thanks in advance for your consideration.

Assuming using a Hikvision NVR necessitates having cameras connected via the PoE ports on the NVR and these must be on a separate IP subnet from the NVR LAN port (someone please let me know if this is not the case), then would the VLAN arrangement below work? The switches in Building #1 (Church) are VLAN capable, although I have never messed with VLAN setups (I'd need to need to get a VLAN-capable switch for Building 2).

Rob Bond said:

Can the NVR be used in a Ethernet Switch (layer 2) fashion?

Click to expand...

The simple answer is : in theory yes (traffic can pass between the PoE ports, and through the NVR interfaces) but in practice this would not be feasible or sensible.
Whilst it's true that traffic could be routed across the NVR LAN and PoE interfaces, that's a burden on the CPU, and should be limited to administrative access to the cameras and not much more. It would generate serious congestion to attempt WiFi traffic over this route, and more than consume the NVR inbound bandwidth budget.
And you really don't need to, you have all the elements that you need to create a sound network.

My suggestion is quite simple.
Locate the NVR in Building #2 from where it will be able to connect to the 2 cameras in Building #1 via the NVR LAN interface, which you should connect to the Building #2 ethernet switch. That switch should have Gigabit ports, as should both switches in Building #1. WiFi traffic could in theory amount to several hundred Mbps aggregate.
The NVR will also be able to connect to future cameras in Building #3 via the LAN port.
Given ease of cabling, the future cameras in Building #2 can be connected to the NVR PoE ports.

Rob Bond said:

Assuming using a Hikvision NVR necessitates having cameras connected via the PoE ports on the NVR and these must be on a separate IP subnet from the NVR LAN port (someone please let me know if this is not the case)

Click to expand...

You can mix and match, with between zero up to the number of PoE ports connected to the PoE ports, and with some on the LAN such that the total number of LAN-connected and PoE connected doesn't exceed the number of channels of the NVR model, in your case 8.

alastairstevenson said:

... My suggestion is quite simple.
Locate the NVR in Building #2 from where it will be able to connect to the 2 cameras in Building #1 via the NVR LAN interface, which you should connect to the Building #2 ethernet switch. That switch should have Gigabit ports, as should both switches in Building #1. WiFi traffic could in theory amount to several hundred Mbps aggregate.
The NVR will also be able to connect to future cameras in Building #3 via the LAN port.
Given ease of cabling, the future cameras in Building #2 can be connected to the NVR PoE ports.

Click to expand...

So just to be clear, are you stating in my original graphic I could connect the LAN interface of the NVR to the Ethernet switch (Building #2), allowing the NVR to properly manage the cameras in Building #1 (Church)? In this two camera configuration none of the NVR PoE interfaces would be in use. See graphic below.

All Ethernet Switches are GbE.

Rob Bond said:

So just to be clear, are you stating in my original graphic I could connect the LAN interface of the NVR to the Ethernet switch (Building #2), allowing the NVR to properly manage the cameras in Building #1 (Church)? In this two camera configuration none of the NVR PoE interfaces would be in use.

Click to expand...

Yes, that's correct. Until you add 'future cameras', maybe wired to the NVR PoE ports.
You'd in effect be reconfiguring a couple of the NVR PoE channels to use a LAN IP address as opposed to the default PoE IP addresses.
The slightly non-intuitive method is not to 'delete' one PoE channel and 'add' a LAN channel - you can neither add nor delete with an 8-channel NVR with 8 PoE ports - but to use 'modify' to change the configuration of the chosen channels.
And you will recognise that with this flat network, all devices will be accessible to all clients, including any on WiFi. Which presumably could be almost publicly accessible.
The cameras do have an IP address filter built in.

Long term I'd run fiber between the buildings