Help with building security system

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We manage several properties and have researched surveillance systems for while looking to implement cost effective good quality system(s). However, things have reached a head at one property and we want to install a system immediately.

The situation involves a tenant who is allowing all kinds of people to live with her and/or to come and go at all hours of the day and night. Other tenants are complaining and have indicated they want to move out. One option available is to give a “no trespass” letter to those persons we don’t want to return. If a person returns, the idea is that the Police can arrest them. However, the Police have said that if the tenant allows the person to return, they likely will not arrest them. Thus, the Police seem to be unwilling or unable to help and the only option appears to be eviction, for which we need evidence. The other tenants are scared and won’t be willing to testify, so we are left to document things ourselves, so we have started taking pictures.

In response, the tenant and her boyfriend (one of the nontenants) confronted us. The boyfriend said he will kill one of us (me) and picked up a large rock and started to throw it at me from a distance of about 4 feet. The tenant blocked him. The Police didn’t even speak to the tenant when they responded. I was able to get a peace order, but the judge said that if the tenant allows him to come back, the peace order also won’t stop him. We would like to put in a surveillance system asap so that it is not us personally taking the pictures and so that there is more consistent coverage.

The building is roughly rectangular but has parts where the building gets wider or narrower. The main points that we initially need to cover are the front porch, which provides access to our office and has the mail area; the front tenant stairway; and the back tenant stairway (where most of the traffic occurs because they are trying to be secretive).

In the porch, it seems a camera on the east end would give a view of the entire porch including the mail area and our front door. Another camera above our door with a view out of the entrance of the porch would give a view of some of the people approaching the building from the front.

The front tenant stairway comes from a door about 8’ above ground, descends about 4’, has a landing with a first floor window beside it, and then descends to ground level just where the porch begins. Possible camera locations would be on the building 10-12’ above ground level pointing to the stairway door, somewhere around the door pointing down the stairway, or in the window, pointing up or down the stairway. We realize there are issues here, that cameras ideally should be level with people’s heads, not angled down, and not viewing through glass windows. But it is what it is. The camera on the building facing the door could be level with the heads of people exiting the door but the camera above or around the door would likely point down the stairway at about a 45 degree angle. The door has an awning just above the door and we would prefer to have the cameras not be within easy access of anyone on the stairway so we are considering placing the camera above the awning, even on a special frame if necessary. That would increase it’s angle somewhat, but it perhaps could have a longer view.

The back stairway has a straight section going to the building of about 10’ or so, it then turns to the right and ascends to the second floor, then there is a 180 degree turn, and it goes up to the third floor. A camera could be mounted on the building to cover the stairway from the ground to the second floor. This camera would be about 8’ to 10’ to the people at the closest point. There doesn’t seem to be a good option for a second camera. There is a tree about 20’ from the back of the house (a big, tall tulip popular) on which a camera could be attached, but then a wire would have to be strung to the house if wired is used. We could put in a pole with a camera at the top. If we did this, we could then string a cable underground and up the pole to keep things tidy. There is a garage in the back, but any camera on it wouldn’t likely have a good view as there are several intervening trees obscuring the view.

Another vantage point might be a gate at the one side of the property. This side is closest to an alleyway that runs on the other side of the neighboring building. Often, people are dropped off or walk up the alleyway and walk around the neighboring building to go through the gate to get to the back of the building. They don’t have to walk around the other building, we think they do this to be secretive. I have even seen the tenant get dropped off in the alleyway and go up the back this way when there was parking and a shorter route from the front. One location would be to mount a camera on the building looking back from the gate along the building to the back. Another might be over the first floor kitchen window looking down but this would have a high angle and the view would be from above and from the side.

Another place would be within the front stairway inside the building. A camera could be mounted on the wall looking up the stairway. A camera could be also mounted looking at the entrance door.

I’m thinking the minimum system would be 2 on the porch as described, 1-2 in back, 1-2 at the front side stairway. I would want more ideally.

Some questions / comments:

The Dahua IPC-HDW5231R-Z or ZE (5231) seem to be the most popular camera right now. At around $165-$175, I don’t know if we can get more than about 2 if we have to get an nvr and accessories given finances at the moment.

The fixed lens IPC-HDW4231EM-ASE seems also popular. If we got a 5231, installed it at a location and determined the best focal length, might this be a suitable somewhat cheaper replacement still retaining audio capability?

While I think audio capability in at least one camera at each location, the IPC-HDW2231R-ZS without audio or ePoE seems also somewhat well received with varifocal lens. Since our runs are not too long, this might also be a suitable somewhat lower cost alternative? About audio, we have heard that in espionage, it helps to have stereo audio to help intelligibility. In applications such as ours, where two cameras would be rather close, is there anyway that two audio inputs could be used to enhance intelligibility?

Note that we have motion detector lights at all the locations (porch, front tenant entrance, and back tenant entrance). What are the best practices for having these lights with respect to camera location and operation?

What Dahua NVRs would be recommended? We understand that we could access the cameras directly without an NVR, but for sure we will want an NVR as soon as we can have it.

Please excuse the untidiness visible in the pictures. It is a current work in progress.

I apologize, but for unavoidable reasons, I may be away from easy Internet access for up to 2 days. I will try to respond as soon as I can, but please do not think I am abandoning this thread.
 

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mat200

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..In response, the tenant and her boyfriend (one of the nontenants) confronted us. The boyfriend said he will kill one of us (me) and picked up a large rock and started to throw it at me from a distance of about 4 feet. The tenant blocked him...
Welcome @bananacoconutmango

Simple quick answer: Eviction time...
 

mat200

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Hi Banana

Note - do get legal advice w/regards to audio recording.

Since you mention you are on a tight budget, and own/manage multiple properties I would seriously consider the the IPC-HDW2231R-ZS without audio - as you may get your "assets handed to you" if you're not on solid legal ground w/re to audio recording. ( laws vary by state... )

Also remember to post the appropriate signage.

Andy will be able to point you to a NVR model which would work well for you.
 

MixManSC

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IF you do have and enable audio recording, I think at minimum you MUST post security camera signs that state video and audio recording is taking place. In some states its not legal period. We have a couple of businesses (ambulance service) where we do record all audio (and phone calls) but we have an announcement system on the phones and signs posted notifying that both audio and video recording is taking place.
 
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