Greetings from Sunny SoCal

[xmfan]

Hello All,

I am based around 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles and currently in the market to research, learn and eventually install a security camera system.

At the high level, when all said and done, I hope to have around 12 (9 outside, 3 inside) cameras installed. When it comes to cameras, I am a noob, however, I am familiar with the technology it relies on (PoE hubs, networking, etc.)

I've been reading a LOT on this forum, trying to better educate myself so I can make an informed decision to purchase the needed hardware.

Below are a couple of questions I have been pondering over and could use feedback from you experts here. If I state something incorrect, apologies in advance and request your correction, guidance and support.

Q1) NVR vs PC vs NAS : I have a core2quad CPU based pc that I can use to dedicate for this purpose. I also am considering a NAS (QNAP or Synology) to use with the security cams but after a couple of cams, I will need to purchase a cam license. At $75 each, that gets expensive. Lastly, getting an NVR seems to be the most cost effective way but I am open to all feedback/recommendations on this topic.

Q2) Cameras: Like most who are just starting with the security cams, it is probably the biggest hurdle. I am not done reading everything on this topic but I am ALL OVER THE MAP on this =). Dahua vs HIKVision vs AMCREST vs SWANN vs FOSCAM. From what I have learned so far, Dahua seems to be the most popular brand. If so, which bullet type camera is most frequently used/recommended ? I am always worried about firmware upgrades, how does one go about getting the latest firmware on these cameras and what is the most preferred online dealer to purchase from online ?

most likely, there will be more questions but I'll stop for now =)

thanks,
XMFan

 

[mat200]

Welcome XMfan,

Q1) NVR vs PC vs NAS : I have a core2quad CPU based pc that I can use to dedicate for this purpose. I also am considering a NAS (QNAP or Synology) to use with the security cams but after a couple of cams, I will need to purchase a cam license. At $75 each, that gets expensive. Lastly, getting an NVR seems to be the most cost effective way but I am open to all feedback/recommendations on this topic.

A: I picked up a Dahua NVR5216-16P-4KS2 once I read the reviews here and decided on the Dahua Starlight cameras ( low light cameras were what I needed the most due to night time drug / gang activity by neighbors ). 16P means it has 16 PoE ports, so I didn't need to buy a switch. I did so because it would be the quickest setup for me.
A lot of people here really like the Blue Iris on a windows PC + PoE switch combination. Not as many people here seem to like the NAS option. Some also like the NVR w/PoE + separate PoE switch.

Q2) Cameras: Like most who are just starting with the security cams, it is probably the biggest hurdle. I am not done reading everything on this topic but I am ALL OVER THE MAP on this =). Dahua vs HIKVision vs AMCREST vs SWANN vs FOSCAM. From what I have learned so far, Dahua seems to be the most popular brand. If so, which bullet type camera is most frequently used/recommended ? I am always worried about firmware upgrades, how does one go about getting the latest firmware on these cameras and what is the most preferred online dealer to purchase from online ?

A: I have one amcrest bullet camera - picked it up here before I learned more, thankfully it is a Dahua OEM so was an easy plug into the NVR and it simply just worked!
Foscam is not well liked, so you want to avoid that one. I picked Dahua due to the starlight models, they are simply the best low light camera I can afford. ( there's some really nice stuff out there... but then I really do not want to spend more money on a camera than I did for my car

During my journey here, I along with giomania started to take some notes, and we would like to share them with you:

Please check out @giomania 's notes:
Dahua Starlight Varifocal Turret (IPC-HDW5231R-Z)

I have also made notes which are a summary of a lot of the reading I've been doing here,:
Looking for some advice and direction!

Have fun joining us here.

 

[Mr_D]

If you are comfortable with computers and networking BI is a no-brainer.

My only concern about BI vs an NVR is power consumption. I already plan on having a separate POE switch (20-25w not counting POE load) and BI appears to require a beefy PC. Electricity is expensive in California and will only increase in price so it is a factor.

 

[mat200]

My only concern about BI vs an NVR is power consumption. I already plan on having a separate POE switch (20-25w not counting POE load) and BI appears to require a beefy PC. Electricity is expensive in California and will only increase in price so it is a factor.

Hi Mr_D,

I picked up a NVR5216-16P-4KS2 and updated the firmware - it is working very well for my needs and takes very little power ( compared to my PCs ), tho the fan is loud - so keep it out of your bedroom.

 

[Mr_D]

Hi Mr_D,

I picked up a NVR5216-16P-4KS2 and updated the firmware - it is working very well for my needs and takes very little power ( compared to my PCs ), tho the fan is loud - so keep it out of your bedroom.

Yeah I'm looking at the non-POE version of that one. They claim under 9.5w not counting the hard drive. Any BI-capable PC is going to be several times that with the CPU under load. I'm thinking of putting the NVR in the TV cabinet with the receiver & Roku. I'm hoping it'll look like a DVD player and get ignored.

 

[mat200]

Yeah I'm looking at the non-POE version of that one. They claim under 9.5w not counting the hard drive. Any BI-capable PC is going to be several times that with the CPU under load. I'm thinking of putting the NVR in the TV cabinet with the receiver & Roku. I'm hoping it'll look like a DVD player and get ignored.

Hi Mr_D,

The media center is one of the more popular places for thieves... maybe good to place a dummy box there and hide the NVR elsewhere...

 

[Mr_D]

Hi Mr_D,

The media center is one of the more popular places for thieves... maybe good to place a dummy box there and hide the NVR elsewhere...

Good to know. I have a 5 bay NAS, switch, router, and modem in the top of my home office closet that I figured would be a likely target too. I don't have a lot of other places with both power and network that I could place an NVR. Maybe I'll stick it in a metal box on the garage wall labeled "sprinkler timer".

 

[mat200]

Good to know. I have a 5 bay NAS, switch, router, and modem in the top of my home office closet that I figured would be a likely target too. I don't have a lot of other places with both power and network that I could place an NVR. Maybe I'll stick it in a metal box on the garage wall labeled "sprinkler timer".

Hi Mr_D,

If you get a separate PoE switch and NVR you can then easily find locations for the NVR which may be less noticed.

 

[xmfan]

Hi All,
thank you so much for the feedback. I can see there are many ways to slice and dice a security cam configuration.

A synology/QNAP NAS, for me is not a viable option at this point due to paying $75-ish camera license. I do have a PC laying around so no cost there. I currently run a couple of latops 24/7 already, i suppose adding one more won't break the bank, in terms of electricity usage, I hope

I will, however need to purchase a PoE switch.

I am still reading the threads to determine which cams to go with. Dahua certainly seems to be the top with its low light capability for night recording. If I can find something else in the $100 range that is similar in performance, it would be great.

thanks !!

 

[mat200]

..
I am still reading the threads to determine which cams to go with. Dahua certainly seems to be the top with its low light capability for night recording. If I can find something else in the $100 range that is similar in performance, it would be great.

thanks !!

Hi xmfan,

Suggest looking at the Dahua starlight fixed lens turret model, which iirc is about $120-130

 

[xmfan]

Hi Mat200,
By chance, is it this model ?
IPC-HDW4231EM-AS

Hi xmfan,

Suggest looking at the Dahua starlight fixed lens turret model, which iirc is about $120-130

 

[mat200]

Hi Mat200,
By chance, is it this model ?
IPC-HDW4231EM-AS

yes,

Dahua Starlight Fixed Lens Turret (IPC-HDW4231EM-AS)

 

[looney2ns]

Solid core door, and good deadbolt on the closet.
But it's rare perps go after such items.

Good to know. I have a 5 bay NAS, switch, router, and modem in the top of my home office closet that I figured would be a likely target too. I don't have a lot of other places with both power and network that I could place an NVR. Maybe I'll stick it in a metal box on the garage wall labeled "sprinkler timer".

 

[fenderman]

My only concern about BI vs an NVR is power consumption. I already plan on having a separate POE switch (20-25w not counting POE load) and BI appears to require a beefy PC. Electricity is expensive in California and will only increase in price so it is a factor.

Power consumption on the average BI pc is 25-50w...you want a modern intel i5 or i7 depending on load. The extra 20-60 dollars a year to run it will be well worth it.

 

[Mr_D]

Solid core door, and good deadbolt on the closet.
But it's rare perps go after such items.

The closet with all my network gear is a bedroom closet with flimsy sliding doors which have been removed, so no security is possible. I did find a space in the cabinet above the refrigerator which has an outlet in an adjacent cabinet. It shouldn't be too hard to run Ethernet into it from the attic. I don't know if anyone bothers looking there for loot.

 

[Mr_D]

Power consumption on the average BI pc is 25-50w...you want a modern intel i5 or i7 depending on load. The extra 20-60 dollars a year to run it will be well worth it.

I'm looking at a potential draw of 100w with cameras, switch and recorder. That's $17/mo so I'm looking at any way to reduce it.

 

[fenderman]

I'm looking at a potential draw of 100w with cameras, switch and recorder. That's $17/mo so I'm looking at any way to reduce it.

the cameras and switch are a fixed draw..wont matter if you use an NVR or a PC..fyi most cams only draw 2-3w daytime 3-4 nightime with ir...like I said the small increase using a pc nvr is well worth the cost.

 

[Mr_D]

the cameras and switch are a fixed draw..wont matter if you use an NVR or a PC..fyi most cams only draw 2-3w daytime 3-4 nightime with ir...like I said the small increase using a pc nvr is well worth the cost.

OK it looks like I was over-estimating the camera's power draw based off the specs. When they write something like <8.5w is that just a short-duration startup draw or something so you can size the POE switch properly?

 

[mat200]

OK it looks like I was over-estimating the camera's power draw based off the specs. When they write something like <8.5w is that just a short-duration startup draw or something so you can size the POE switch properly?

Hi Mr_D,

Typically when the IR lights are on is when you will see the higher power draw.