Another noob with questions. Sorry. =)

[thestip]

Hey everyone!

I looked through the forums before posting, but just about every post on system specs were for setups that are seriously overkill for what I need. So, I decided to post. If I missed an obvious answer, feel free to point it out.

What I need: A basic 3-4 outdoor camera system for a low-traffic area that works well at night. I need them to be accessed easily via a PC or cell phone, both on my LAN and remotely. I prefer wired over wireless and don't need any PTZ functionality. PoE is snazzy, but not something I have to have. I don't need audio.

What I tried: A pre-built LaView 720p pile of ... junk. Cost was a factor in that decision; $179. I know, I know; I didn't think and I got what I paid for. It's going back.

What I'm going to try: I'm about to get a complete i5-4460 (3.4GHz) system handed down to me, so I wanted to get Blue Iris and connect up to 4 720p IP cameras, 1.3 or 2MP

Which of the lower-cost cameras would you recommend? There are a few on aliexpress for around $75 that have decent reviews with plenty sold, but are no-name brands. Are any of those worth more than the box? Is trying to stay under $100 per camera insane? I don't see me needing more than 2MP or 1080p; I'm in the country and just want to keep an eye on things.

Will that processor work for 4 cameras? I'm thinking it should suffice from what I've read, but I would like a 2nd opinion.

Thank you in advance for any info you can provide!!

 

[Michelin Man]

The two most common brands are Hikvision and Dahua, you can get a 3MP 2032 for about US$82 there are a few other style of cameras you can get.

I personally wouldn't stuff around with the no-brand stuff, I mean the Hikvision stuff isn't expensive especially for the quality you get.

Only one way to find out if your system can handle the cameras. If it doesn't maybe get a low level NVR or turn down the quality a bit.

 

[Del Boy]

If you can afford it then go for the new WD Hikvision stuff. DS-2CD2342WD-I for example.

If you want to stick under $100 per camera then you will be looking at DS-2CD2345-I / DS-2CD3345-I but not sure how that works with BI (I'm sure fine but someone else will need to confirm).

1080p I think is fine. If you are in the US then ask @milkisbad what 2MP stuff he has. I would either do that or go for the DS-2CD2345-I given what you have written.

Start with one camera and see how it goes!

 

[thestip]

Thanks for the info! PM sent!

 

[Del Boy]

No worries... post some pics when you've got them up. I'm a massive believer that 1080p / 2MP is ok 95%+ of the time and is slightly better in low-light/night. So be nice to see some footage.

 

[thestip]

Thanks everyone. Looks like I'm going to order 2x CMIP1122W-28 from milkisbad to cover the front of the house, then look at 1-2 more, maybe the 4mm models for the back and driveway. The IR Matrix LED looks like a must for me and the WDR... well, I just might as well get it for only $20 more.

This is roughly were I plan to mount the cams and the area I'd like covered:

On right, looking left

On left, looking right

The cams will be crossing each others field of view to allow the door to be covered as well as the front "yard". I'm open to comments and suggestions on the camera placement.

 

[bp2008]

Just make sure the cameras can't see each other or else you will get a bright spot where the infrared LED(s) are and it may seriously hurt your night time image quality. It can work to just have the cams both pointed downward so the other cam is out of view, but if that isn't convenient then a permanent obstruction of some sort between them is even better.

I am sure Milk will provide great service for you and help you get your remote access set up.

 

[bp2008]

By the way, that i5 should be more than sufficient for any 4 cameras, especially if they are only 1.3 megapixel. You could run more like 10 or 20 megapixels total on that system without having to cut frame rates back too much.

 

[thestip]

Thanks for the info!

Didn't even think about the IR messing with the other camera. Pretty obvious now that you mention it. I'll put them up with velcro or something at first to test the locations.

 

[digger11]

This works better than velcro... http://www.cam-it.org/index.php?topic=10137.msg59853

 

[bp2008]

Nice trick, digger.

Some of my cams in my back yard interfere with each other's night vision because they point at each other unobstructed. Unfortunately this is really hard to avoid without losing some good mounting spots so I just live with it.

Here is one notable example:

 

[thestip]

Pretty sure I can get them not looking directly at each other... guess I'll find out soon enough!

Thanks for the pic.

 

[thestip]

First 2 cams from Milkisbad are set up! Took a week to get here (New Jersey to California) and cost $21 via UPS. Man, I'm spoiled by Amazon Prime!

Hardware:
Dell Laptop (forgot the model) i5-2520, 4G RAM, 120G SSD, Intel 3000 series onboard video (low-end)
2TB WD Purple for recordings (via USB3)
2x LTCMIP3022W-28 (2.1MP, IR Matrix, WDR)
TP-LINK TL-SG1008P 8-Port Giagbit PoE Switch, 4 POE ports
1000' CAT5e from Monoprice
Bag of RJ45 connectors

Software:
Win 7 Pro
Blue Iris Demo currently. I was looking at iSpy but I don't like the idea of yearly fees.
No-IP used for the DDNS forwarding

Settings:
15fps, 1080p (3 second pre-recording buffer)
Direct to disk recording

CPU Utilization: ~20% with the two cams and serving a web page.

Overall, the setup of everything was fairly simple. Camera placement and making the network cables took the majority of the time, Blue Iris took care of all the port forwarding. I still need to tweak one camera; headlights are triggering recordings way too often no matter what I do and I really don't want to mask out any more areas.

Cam1 Pic:
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14265500/Cam1.20150929_113512.jpg

Cam2 Pic: (probably going to move this one)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14265500/Cam2.20150929_113519.jpg

Cam3: Ordering this week

Cam4: Maybe early next year

Web Server: http://stippytestcams.ddns.net/ (guest/guest, limited # of connections)

Milkisbad was great: fast replies to emails, cams shipped out next day. Getting my next camera(s) from him!

Thanks to everyone for their input!