Greetings from Denver, CO

May 27, 2017
27
2
Denver, CO 80220
Hey Folks,

Discovered this site about a month ago and finally joining and absorbing it all. In the process of setting up my own DIY system with a Netgear GS724TPS 24 port switch as my POE backbone and a Dell Optiplex SFF PC with a Core2 Quad 2.67 Ghz CPU and 8 GB of DDR3 RAM running Windows 10. I also have a 2 TB Seagate 7,200 RPM hard drive in this PC and will be connecting another 1.5 TB Seagate 7,200 RPM drive via USB. Is this setup sufficient to run 5 IP Cameras?

Still trying to figure out which cameras go get and I started with HD View Cameras (I believe these are rebranded Hikvision 3 MP IP POE 2.8mm dome cameras with Sony Sensor as seen here on AZ: Amazon.com: HDView 3MP Megapixel IP Network Camera ONVIF PoE, SONY Sensor, Super Matrix EXIR, 2.8mm Wide Angle Lens 3-Axis, Indoor/Outdoor Dome: Camera & Photo. This camera was $85 and seems like a decent camera but I am wondering if there is something better.

I am already sending back a NVR I got from AZ seen here: Amazon.com: HDView 8 Channel 1080N 5-in-1 (TVI/CVI/AHD/960H) DVR, Can Switch to Onvif NVR (Up to 5MP), 4 Channel Audio, P2P Network Setup: Camera & Photo. This NVR (also HDView) was total garbage and I couldn't even get it working properly with their "HD View" camera as seen above. This means the 4 TB WD Purple drive is also going back because I got that great deal frmo Microcenter on the 2 TB drive that I installed in the Dell PC (all told into the PC for about $150 and the switch for $130 after putting in quieter fans).

So, my first question is whether I should keep the HDView cameras or send them back and get something better. As I mentioned each camera was $85 and it feels like I could get something better for this amount (ordered from HDView b/c I thought it would work better with the NVR).

For the cameras I am looking for at least 2 MP IP POE cameras and prefer 3-4 MP. I need coverages and day/night infrared for the front corners of our house, one general camera with day/night infrared for the middle back to cover our yard and then probably 2 bullet cameras to cover each gate to the back yard. I am thinking that bullets cold be lower res but I am looking at 3 dome cameras for the other locations and possibly a 4 MP 4x optical zoom camera as my primary in one front corner.

I would prefer to spend about $75 for each 3-4 MP IP POE dome camera, around $50 for the POE bullets and then $100 or so for a 4 MP POE zoom camera. What are your recommendations given that criteria and where should I buy them? AZ has some great deals on SV3C bullets and domes as well as REOLink (people here seem to have REO) and Alptop. I am also trying to figure out whether I should stick with the 2.8mm domes or go with a more general 3.6mm dome/bullet. FYI, our property is about 1/3 acre with a fence in the backyard and a cul-de-sac in the front that leads to a park we abut.

Any ideas/thoughts are GREATLY appreciated. Sorry this is so long but I wanted to provide details. Thanks again.
--Denny
 
As an Amazon Associate IPCamTalk earns from qualifying purchases.