Been Broken Into

Mick-B

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Hi guys looking for some help, we have just had our home broken into, they took lots of stuff, xbox, PC, wife's jewelry etc. And and wrecked a bunch of stuff, I'm in a bit of a financial bind replacing, repairing, Christmas etc. so can't afford to spend a lot on a security system.

So, my friend is changing out his broken Reolink NVR and at the same time he is changing out his cameras, he said I can have the cameras they are 5mp Reolink, (I know, I know, after reading the forum, Reolink seems to have a bed reputation) so my plan would be to buy a decent NVR, then upgrade the cameras as I can.

So really my question is, would a Dahau NVR something like a NVR21008HS-8P-4KS2 work with the Reolink cameras RLC-42.

Thank you, appreciate any feedback.
 

fenderman

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Hi guys looking for some help, we have just had our home broken into, they took lots of stuff, xbox, PC, wife's jewelry etc. And and wrecked a bunch of stuff, I'm in a bit of a financial bind replacing, repairing, Christmas etc. so can't afford to spend a lot on a security system.

So, my friend is changing out his broken Reolink NVR and at the same time he is changing out his cameras, he said I can have the cameras they are 5mp Reolink, (I know, I know, after reading the forum, Reolink seems to have a bed reputation) so my plan would be to buy a decent NVR, then upgrade the cameras as I can.

So really my question is, would a Dahau NVR something like a NVR21008HS-8P-4KS2 work with the Reolink cameras RLC-42.

Thank you, appreciate any feedback.
Get an alarm system
 

Mick-B

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Thanks for the suggestion, but it really didn't answer my question.

I don't want a monthly reoccuring payment, I thought one of the reasons for a visible security camera system was a deterrent.
 

Kevin_Essiambre

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Thanks for the suggestion, but it really didn't answer my question.

I don't want a monthly reoccuring payment, I thought one of the reasons for a visible security camera system was a deterrent.
Problem is, it may be a deterrent, but they will still be able to empty the house before you realize. An alarm system that isn't monitored will still sound an alarm but doesn't have recurring monthly bills. When an alarm goes off, usually they run instead of stay.

FYI, if you do have a burglar alarm system that is monitored with a smoke detector, usually you get a discount on your home insurance.

Sent from my new phone. Autocorrect may have changed stuff.
 

Mick-B

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Thanks Kevin, you made some great points, I will certainly look into an alarm system.

I would still love to know from you experts if the Reolink cameras would work with the Dahua NVR.

Thank you
 

fenderman

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Thanks for the suggestion, but it really didn't answer my question.

I don't want a monthly reoccuring payment, I thought one of the reasons for a visible security camera system was a deterrent.
The answer to your question is are you focusing on the wrong thing

Your cameras gonna do nothing for you. You will not be able to monitor it 24 seven and the motion detection alerts will have to be turned off because you’re going to have tons of false alerts. You can buy a Ring Alarm for 200 bucks monthly monitoring is eight dollars
 

Kevin_Essiambre

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Thanks Kevin, you made some great points, I will certainly look into an alarm system.

I would still love to know from you experts if the Reolink cameras would work with the Dahua NVR.

Thank you
I cannot comment on that brand of security cameras.

Ask your insurance company what kind of discounts you would be looking at for an alarm system.

And if you do decide to get one, shop around. I work with a small company where I am but there is over 100 installers in my area to choose from.

Sent from my new phone. Autocorrect may have changed stuff.
 

fenderman

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I cannot comment on that brand of security cameras.

Ask your insurance company what kind of discounts you would be looking at for an alarm system.

And if you do decide to get one, shop around. I work with a small company where I am but there is over 100 installers in my area to choose from.

Sent from my new phone. Autocorrect may have changed stuff.
Most installers and alarm companies are incompetent fools. You can install the same system yourself and save thousands off inflated contracts and monthly monitoring.
 

Kevin_Essiambre

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Most installers and alarm companies are incompetent fools.
Yes, you are right. This is why I have one company in the area that I service to install alarm systems. Took me awhile to find a company that isn't incompetent.

He can absolutely install the alarm himself. I've done three of them for my dad, each one getting more complicated. The latest one has a strobe light that will continue going off after the siren stops until the master code is entered to clear the alarm status. This is so he knows if the alarm has gone off when he returns home (the alarms aren't monitored).

Sent from my new phone. Autocorrect may have changed stuff.
 

Mick-B

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Thank you for all the information and great advice, I will go with an alarm system, I also just purchased a Reolink NVR from Ebay, this will be my 1st install, from what I have read the most difficult part is running the cables, luckily we are a single story with great attic access into the eves.

Kevin, would you have any recommendations for a decent, reasonably priced non monitored alarm system?

Hopefully both of these will prevent any future instances of burglary and hopefully I'm not in if it does happen again cos my 9 will be out.
 

fenderman

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Thank you for all the information and great advice, I will go with an alarm system, I also just purchased a Reolink NVR from Ebay, this will be my 1st install, from what I have read the most difficult part is running the cables, luckily we are a single story with great attic access into the eves.

Kevin, would you have any recommendations for a decent, reasonably priced non monitored alarm system?

Hopefully both of these will prevent any future instances of burglary and hopefully I'm not in if it does happen again cos my 9 will be out.
reolink is a crap company that posts fake reviews both to user forums and amazon. There are much better options.
Cameras will not prevent burglaries at all.
You can self monitor with ring. But for 8 dollars a month monitoring with cellular backup included for the 8 bux. its a no brainer
 

Kevin_Essiambre

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Thank you for all the information and great advice, I will go with an alarm system, I also just purchased a Reolink NVR from Ebay, this will be my 1st install, from what I have read the most difficult part is running the cables, luckily we are a single story with great attic access into the eves.

Kevin, would you have any recommendations for a decent, reasonably priced non monitored alarm system?

Hopefully both of these will prevent any future instances of burglary and hopefully I'm not in if it does happen again cos my 9 will be out.
I've only used DSC alarms with a PC1616 panel and basic touch screens. Others don't like DSC. Others may have better recommendations.

If you install the system yourself you can get monitoring for it later if you want to get the discount on home insurance.

If I were to install another, I would try using the DSC touch screens. They're easier to program. Only downside is cost on the touch screens.

PM me if you want detailed information.

Sent from my new phone. Autocorrect may have changed stuff.
 
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@Mick-B

An option no one has mentioned yet is using a professional system like a Honeywell Vista 20p or DSC Power Series with a 3rd party device called the Eyezon Envisalink 4. The Envisalink 4 connects to the Panel's communication terminals and to your router with an Ethernet cable. The device will give you remote control of your system with a web browser or smartphone. You can also get text/email notifications for system events such as arming/disarming, alarms(Intrusion, Fire, CO etc) and sensor low batteries without a monthly fee. The device retails for about $100.00. They also offer professional monitoring for about $10.00 a month (last time I checked).

The Ring alarm system is a good deal but I'm not a fan of any proprietary alarm systems. The Ring alarm system will only work with their monitoring center so if you decide at a later date you are unhappy with their service the system is useless. With the Honeywell or DSC system's you can pick and choose any monitoring company you prefer. You aren't stuck with one option.

Honeywell/DSC also has a lot more variety of sensors (Intrusion, Fire, CO, Environmental etc)
 

CCTVCam

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If you're going to go with an alarm then consider a wireless system. Although not foolproof, unless you live in Beverely Hills or the Simthsonian, the average thief isn't going to hack your system and even then most have some kind of anti hack defence. Installing them is far easier than having to run wires. Usually it involves putting sensors up, then registering a sensor with the control panel and repeating the registration for each sensor. If you're going the alarm route, make sure the alarm either has a deafening panel sounder or fit deafening internal sounders that trigger with the main outside bell. Nothing panics a thief out of a property faster than a deafening alarm. The alarm I have, that isn't made anymore, hurts my ears when the panel sounder goes off. It panics me to get to the panel never mind a thief to get out and leaves my ears ringing afterwards! The main disadvantage of wireless is you have to periodically change the Lithium sensor batteries. The batteries are quite expensive, around $6 each and on mine at least, the cases often break when you open them. Consequently. I keep some spare sensor shells in stock to replace ones that break when opened. The battery life depends on the sensor location. The more the room is used, the shorter the life. I'd say typically, they last around 18 months.
 
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Both systems mentioned above (Honeywell Vista 20p or DSC PowerSeries 1832 or 1864) work with both hardwired and/or wireless sensors. The Envisalink 4 is not compatible with AIO (All-In-One) wireless systems due to the systems not having a data bus. I don't recommend AIO systems unless you don't have any other options. AIO system contain the system and keypad in one unit that is usually mounted on a wall by the front door. Yes, most burglars aren't smart enough to hack a wireless system, however, even an idiot can smash the system off the wall....

The control panel for the Honeywell or DSC unit will be enclosed inside of a metal cabinet and is usually installed in a secure location (not by the front door).

I'm not sure which wireless system you have @CCTVCam but the wireless sensors (Smoke Detectors and GlassBreak Detectors) on my system are still using the same batteries from 2012. 18 months seems a little short.
 

CCTVCam

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TBH, it won't matter once the alarm is triggered if they attack an AIO control unit. Exterior alarm bells are usually designed to continue to alarm even if the signal from the AIO is lost. That's why the sounders have an internal battery as well as usually a separate PSU. To reset they usually need a reset code / signal from the panel so smashing the panel does nothing to stop the alarm externally. The internal sounder is another matter, but once the alarm is triggered, most don't hang around anyway.
 

SecuritySeeker

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TBH, it won't matter once the alarm is triggered if they attack an AIO control unit.
There's usually a delay before the alarm is triggered (at least that has always been my experience with alarm systems) to allow entering a ping or present a key fob so if they smash the unit within that time window I guess they might be able to prevent the alarm from sounding. Unless perhaps the alarm sends a 'sound the alarm in 20 seconds' message which tells the horn/strobelight to go off in 20 seconds unless the alarm is cancelled. Don't know if any systems actually do that but seems like a good idea.
 

Kevin_Essiambre

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There's usually a delay before the alarm is triggered (at least that has always been my experience with alarm systems) to allow entering a ping or present a key fob so if they smash the unit within that time window I guess they might be able to prevent the alarm from sounding. Unless perhaps the alarm sends a 'sound the alarm in 20 seconds' message which tells the horn/strobelight to go off in 20 seconds unless the alarm is cancelled. Don't know if any systems actually do that but seems like a good idea.
Usually the keypad is just the inputs. When you have more than one keypad they all can disarm the system and they all tell you what's going on. If it was as easy as smashing the keypad there would be no benefit. Burglar alarms are built with redundancy. Take the phone line for example. It has to be wired to seize the line to dial out. But the monitoring companies can also tell if the phone line has been cut because they lose communication with the panel. I'm not sure how they can tell this, but I know they can. The alarm doesn't like it when you disconnect the phone line... pro tip, don't disconnect phone lines at a client's house without checking to see if the alarm system is hooked up to it first.

Sent from my new phone. Autocorrect may have changed stuff.
 
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TBH, it won't matter once the alarm is triggered if they attack an AIO control unit. Exterior alarm bells are usually designed to continue to alarm even if the signal from the AIO is lost. That's why the sounders have an internal battery as well as usually a separate PSU. To reset they usually need a reset code / signal from the panel so smashing the panel does nothing to stop the alarm externally. The internal sounder is another matter, but once the alarm is triggered, most don't hang around anyway.
It does matter actually. You're assuming the system will get destroyed after it's activated. If an intruder enters through a zone that's programmed as an entry/exit zone they'll have at a minimum of 30 seconds to destroy the main panel which is plenty of time. That's also assuming the system is using a modern form of communication such as IP or Cellular. If the system is using a phone line, it'll take an additional 15 to 20 seconds on top of the 30 second entry delay for the panel to pick up the line, dial the central stations phone number, and transmit the alarm. Furthermore, you're also assuming that the OP will protect every entry point and the alarm will activate as soon as the intruder breaches the perimeter. Fact is most people don't protect every entry point (Door/windows) and could tamper with the unit before the alarm is even activated.

In addition, the OP stated he does not want a monthly monitoring fee. Using an AIO system will eliminate the ability to use 3rd party communicators like the Envisalink 4. This would result in the OP having to sign up for either basic self-monitoring using an Interactive service or having the system as a local alarm only. The only AIO system that I'm aware of that allowed an end user to program a cell phone number into the system to get notifications upon an alarm is no longer produced.
 
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