Hello! Amateur in Washington DC trying to get a 4-Channel System up and running

[yesman]

Hey everyone - what an awesome resource this forum is!

We've had some long running issues in our urban neighborhood in DC and myself and some other neighbors are trying to step up our surveillance of the trouble areas.

Last week I pulled the trigger on an all-in-one wireless system (Arlo) but ultimately discovered that while it was cool tech it didn't provide me the 24/7 monitoring that I really am looking for. Now I know I need a complete system and am looking to piece it together myself with some guidance hopefully from the pros in this community.

I'll be posting my system component ideas in the hardware section.

 

[bp2008]

Good luck! Arlo is an interesting system but the limitations of running wireless and on battery power are just too much for a serious security system.

The typical recommendation is to pick a brand, either Hikvision or Dahua, and choose an NVR and cameras to go with it. Money can be saved buying the equipment directly from Chinese sellers on aliexpress, amazon, or ebay, but you get better support and a real warranty if you buy USA versions from a USA seller.

 

[corkangel76]

never trust your security system to a set of batteries! One bad cell, and your house gets robbed..