Help with an install.

[Uno]

Hey everyone,

As mentioned in my intro post, I am currently working on a new build where I am running structured wiring. This is a larger property, about 9000sq ft with an in-home half court gymnasium. This is an ICF construction. I am running Mediabridge cat7 cablefor all TVs, Unifi APs, and security cameras. I am planning on running everything down to a server room in the basement and having a server run Blue Iris and record 24/7 at least 7 days. I was thinking of also getting the ubiquiti USG Pro to separate the security cameras from the rest of the network traffic. Would I still be able to integrate the camera feed on ActionTiles (on the other network) with the USG?

I need your expert advice on the cameras to use on this property. The owner is only interested in Dome cameras. The smaller the better but I feel the distance they will be installed at, wouldn't matter how large the domes are. To cover most of the property, I will need about 10 cameras. For the very high up spots, would a 2MP camera and 45mm focal length be sufficient to cover the entire side of the house?

Please watch the video as it will be a lot easier to explain where I plan to put the cameras.


I would really appreciate your help and advice on what route to go with in terms of which cameras to choose and their locations.

Thanks,
Uno

 

[SouthernYankee]

if the owner understand the down side of the dome cameras, they get dirty, also if the cameras are mounted in the soffits (real high) they will not be able to identify anyone. You will only see what happened not who did it.

look at dahua dome zoom N25CL5Z, it is expensive.
or
Dahua IPC-HDBW5231E-ZE Starlight
or
IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M starlight two cameras in one.

look at Andy for dahua cameras, he is a forum member, there are stores on amazon and aliexpress. He is very reliable and provides excellent shipping service , less than 5 days most time.
Empire Technology Co., Ltd - Small Orders Online Store, Hot Selling and more on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
EmpireTech-Andy @ Amazon.com:

If you are wiring arr an ethernet wire to all the door bells on exterior doors.

 

[SouthernYankee]

Welcome to the forum.

Please read the cliff notes and other items in the wiki. The wiki is in the blue bar at the top of the page.

Read How to Secure Your Network (Don't Get Hacked!) in the wiki also.

Quick start
1) Use Dahua starlight cameras or Hikvision darkfighter cameras or ICPT Night eye cameras (https://store.ipcamtalk.com/) if you need good low light cameras.
2) use a VPN to access home network (openVPN)
3) Do not use wifi cameras.
4) Do not use cloud storage
5) Do Not use uPNP, P2P, QR, do not open ports,
6) More megapixel is not necessarily better.
7) Avoid chinese hacked cameras (most ebay, amazon, aliexpress cameras(not all, but most))
8) Do not use reolink or nest cameras (they are junk)
9) If possible use a turret camera , bullet collect spiders, dome collect dirt and reflect light (IR)
10) Use only solid copper, AWG 23 or 24 ethernet wire. , no CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum)

 

[bigredfish]

I count at least 12 maybe 14

Agree with @SouthernYankee , if you hang them all high at the second story you wont get good ID. Maybe a couple high for overview, but most ideally at 7-8ft. Avoid domes, use Turrets instead, maybe some bullets for the longer distance overview and sides.

6 front, 2 sides, 4 rear at minimum for me.

Just an opinion, worth what you paid for it

 

[looney2ns]

I agree with the others, he is hamstringing you from doing a proper job. Anything over 7ft high makes it a top of head cam. Extremely unlikely to I'd anyone especially at night.
The point of security cams is to see who did it, not just what happened.
And a Ring on a house like that? Avoid at all costs. Avoid anything wifi or cloud based. Good luck, you'll need it.

 

[Uno]

And a Ring on a house like that? Avoid at all costs. Avoid anything wifi or cloud based. Good luck, you'll need it.

Why do you say that? The AP would be 10ft away from it

 

[Uno]

I count at least 12 maybe 14

Agree with @SouthernYankee , if you hang them all high at the second story you wont get good ID. Maybe a couple high for overview, but most ideally at 7-8ft. Avoid domes, use Turrets instead, maybe some bullets for the longer distance overview and sides.

6 front, 2 sides, 4 rear at minimum for me.

Just an opinion, worth what you paid for it

I think he'll be fine with turret style, too. Can these be mounted on the wall vertically and pointed towards the desired field?

 

[tangent]

Some mfgs use some variation of "dome" to describe what we often refer to as "turrets" on the form. Show them some marketing materials that do this

If you must install domes, at least you'll get some business replacing them every few years.

 

[Uno]

I count at least 12 maybe 14

Agree with @SouthernYankee , if you hang them all high at the second story you wont get good ID. Maybe a couple high for overview, but most ideally at 7-8ft. Avoid domes, use Turrets instead, maybe some bullets for the longer distance overview and sides.

6 front, 2 sides, 4 rear at minimum for me.

Just an opinion, worth what you paid for it

I completely agree with you guys that its too high up to realistically expect to ID anyone. But having soffits that high up, where else can I place them except them looking really unattractive if mounted on the wall lower down

 

[tangent]

You need to try both of these:
IP Video System Design Tool | Intuitively Design Surveillance Systems with 2D/3D Views
https://calculator.ipvm.com

 

[Uno]

Some mfgs use some variation of "dome" to describe what we often refer to as "turrets" on the form. Show them some marketing materials that do this

If you must install domes, at least you'll get some business replacing them every few years.

Actually I wasn't familiar with the turret style as its not something I mainly do but I'll look into it.

You need to try both of these:
IP Video System Design Tool | Intuitively Design Surveillance Systems with 2D/3D Views
https://calculator.ipvm.com

Dude this is amazing! Thank you. I will do it tomorrow

 

[tangent]

I completely agree with you guys that its too high up to realistically expect to ID anyone. But having soffits that high up, where else can I place them except them looking really unattractive if mounted on the wall lower down

The higher the camera the farther away it needs to look. Which means more zoom and a much narrower field of view. I strongly suggest varifocal cameras

 

[looney2ns]

Why do you say that? The AP would be 10ft away from it

They are a security risk because they depend on the cloud. There much better choices.

 

[Uno]

They are a security risk because they depend on the cloud. There much better choices.

Oh, in terms of security...yea I'll talk to him about that in more depth. Any good secure options for video doorbells?

 

[looney2ns]

Be sure to study this Cliff Notes.. Turrets mounted on proper wall brackets look fine , paint them to match the house. Most folks never notice them.

 

[fenderman]

I would consider mounting turrets lower on the wall and painting them to match the house.
Another option if you are stuck mounting high which will be a pain to adjust if you ever need to, is a hikvision ptz like this. Its a dome, however, there is true separation between the IR and the lens. This model is a darkfighter so it performs great in low light.
DS-2DE4A404IW-DE(2.8-12MM) 4MP 4x Network IR PTZ Camera-Hikvision

Doorbell
AXIS A8105-E Network Video Door Station

 

[tangent]

For anyone not up on their acronyms, ICF is Insulating Concrete Foam, a method of construction where concrete walls are poured between insulating foam. It seems like a pretty safe assumption that at this point the walls are solid concrete. I'm not that familiar with ICF. Are they putting up framing on the interior that drywall will be mounted to? If not it would be pretty difficult to do camera wiring.

Hey everyone,

As mentioned in my intro post, I am currently working on a new build where I am running structured wiring. This is a larger property, about 9000sq ft with an in-home half court gymnasium. This is an ICF construction. I am running Mediabridge cat7 cablefor all TVs, Unifi APs, and security cameras. I am planning on running everything down to a server room in the basement and having a server run Blue Iris and record 24/7 at least 7 days. I was thinking of also getting the ubiquiti USG Pro to separate the security cameras from the rest of the network traffic. Would I still be able to integrate the camera feed on ActionTiles (on the other network) with the USG?

I need your expert advice on the cameras to use on this property. The owner is only interested in Dome cameras. The smaller the better but I feel the distance they will be installed at, wouldn't matter how large the domes are. To cover most of the property, I will need about 10 cameras. For the very high up spots, would a 2MP camera and 45mm focal length be sufficient to cover the entire side of the house?

Please watch the video as it will be a lot easier to explain where I plan to put the cameras.


I would really appreciate your help and advice on what route to go with in terms of which cameras to choose and their locations.

Thanks,
Uno

Photos and blueprints are a lot easier to mark up than a video as far as advice goes. I see big of problems with some of the locations you're planning on putting cameras.
There are probably two things you need to do to convince them of the error of their ways: show them some images from cameras from good and bad installs and show them pictures of cameras that are well installed and painted to match the house.

Your video makes one thing crystal clear, you have very limited experience with cameras.

Camera System != Security System. If not already in the plans, strongly suggest a wired security system with hard wired recessed door sensors, motion detectors, acoustic glass break sensors, and smoke detector(s).

As for the number of cameras for me it would be:
4-6 in the front, possibly including 1-2 bullet cameras with a lot of zoom trained on the street to get license plates (this would be bullet style)
--The wood 'awning' over the garage or whatever you want to call it would block the view of the camera. That cam especially really needs to be much lower (<8') and wouldn't be very noticeable if well installed.
2-3 inside the garage
2 on side w/o door (opposite corners, overlapping, turned so the image is portrait not landscape)
2-3 on side with door (opposite corners, overlapping, turned so the image is portrait not landscape) + possibly something closer to the door
3-4 back yard
1 terrace / balcony
1-2 inside gym, possibly fisheye

Possibly a few other interior cameras in rooms with exterior doors, stairways, hallways. There are some indoor cameras that recess into the ceiling. and are pretty discrete.

If you must install a ring doorbell, i'd only consider the ring video doorbell elite which mounts to a junction box and can be connected to a wired network cable. The Axis is better, but idk if you can convince them of this.

 

[Uno]

For anyone not up on their acronyms, ICF is Insulating Concrete Foam, a method of construction where concrete walls are poured between insulating foam. It seems like a pretty safe assumption that at this point the walls are solid concrete. I'm not that familiar with ICF. Are they putting up framing on the interior that drywall will be mounted to? If not it would be pretty difficult to do camera wiring.


Photos and blueprints are a lot easier to mark up than a video as far as advice goes. I see big of problems with some of the locations you're planning on putting cameras.
There are probably two things you need to do to convince them of the error of their ways: show them some images from cameras from good and bad installs and show them pictures of cameras that are well installed and painted to match the house.

Your video makes one thing crystal clear, you have very limited experience with cameras.

Camera System != Security System. If not already in the plans, strongly suggest a wired security system with hard wired recessed door sensors, motion detectors, acoustic glass break sensors, and smoke detector(s).

As for the number of cameras for me it would be:
4-6 in the front, possibly including 1-2 bullet cameras with a lot of zoom trained on the street to get license plates (this would be bullet style)
--The wood 'awning' over the garage or whatever you want to call it would block the view of the camera. That cam especially really needs to be much lower (<8') and wouldn't be very noticeable if well installed.
2-3 inside the garage
2 on side w/o door (opposite corners, overlapping, turned so the image is portrait not landscape)
2-3 on side with door (opposite corners, overlapping, turned so the image is portrait not landscape) + possibly something closer to the door
3-4 back yard
1 terrace / balcony
1-2 inside gym, possibly fisheye

Possibly a few other interior cameras in rooms with exterior doors, stairways, hallways. There are some indoor cameras that recess into the ceiling. and are pretty discrete.

If you must install a ring doorbell, i'd only consider the ring video doorbell elite which mounts to a junction box and can be connected to a wired network cable. The Axis is better, but idk if you can convince them of this.

Thank you for your honest, and blunt, input, lol. You're right I am a complete noob when it comes to cameras. I mostly work and install computer systems. I had ADT come out and look at the property. I'm having them install their hardwired system with all the door/window sensors and motion detectors. I also asked about the security cameras because they install he prthose,and too. He pretty much gave me the same advice as my video so I'm guessing he doesn't have any more experience with security cameras than me, lol.

My ignorance brought me to this great forum

 

[tangent]

Thank you for your honest, and blunt, input, lol. You're right I am a complete noob when it comes to cameras. I mostly work and install computer systems. I had ADT come out and look at the property. I'm having them install their hardwired system with all the door/window sensors and motion detectors. I also asked about the security cameras because they install he prthose,and too. He pretty much gave me the same advice as my video so I'm guessing he doesn't have any more experience with security cameras than me, lol.

My ignorance brought me to this great forum

FYI, ADT is typically one of the worst alarm companies. However it can vary a lot from one franchise to another.

 

[fenderman]

Thank you for your honest, and blunt, input, lol. You're right I am a complete noob when it comes to cameras. I mostly work and install computer systems. I had ADT come out and look at the property. I'm having them install their hardwired system with all the door/window sensors and motion detectors. I also asked about the security cameras because they install he prthose,and too. He pretty much gave me the same advice as my video so I'm guessing he doesn't have any more experience with security cameras than me, lol.

My ignorance brought me to this great forum

Oh god, please dont let adt and their so called "installers" touch that house.