Help with Installation for a Beginner

[enigma002]

Hope this is posted in the right place.

Hope someone can help me out here. There have been a string of break ins recently in the neighborhood. We have finally decided to mount some cameras. After reading on this site and browsing online, I figured the best cameras for us would be the Q-See 4MP set from Costco. I should receive it next week. I’ll probably pick up a turret cam to use on the front door.
http://www.costco.com/Q-See-16-Channel-HD-IP-NVR-with-3TB-HDD,-8-4MP-Cameras-with-100'-Night-Vision.product.100213199.html


Goals:
1. Install without too much hassle. Would prefer to do it cleanly if possible.
2. Accessible images/streams from mobile devices and an attached monitor.
3. Access to recordings for at least the previous 7 days.

Site/Installation Locations:
1. House is a 2 stories plus basement.
2. There is no crawl space or attic access.
3. The basement is completely finished.
4. The house has telephone wire that’s CAT5E (I plan to convert to telephone jacks to Ethernet jacks).
5. All cables terminate in the basement by the access door.
6. Garage is detached; there is power from the home.

Plan:
1. Expand the hole where the ISP routed the data cable and run the IP camera cable bundle through it.
2. Run outdoor Ethernet on side of the house and run cables along the exterior wall.
3. Attach a powerline adapter in the networking area to connect to the detached garage.
4. Mount a box or bracket to wall above the basement door to put all the hardware (NVR, switches, etc.).

Questions:
1. Does this set up make sense?
2. Is there anything I need to purchase separate from the kit to install?
3. Anyway to improve the cable set up (especially the network area)?
4. Do I need to run conduit outside?

Whew! That was a lot. Any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful. Thanks for looking and TIA for your help.

 

[enigma002]

Fencing, if local rules allow. Followed by a dog or two...followed by some cameras to watch the action.

We know. We're getting a fence installed in the next 2 weeks. Fences don't really seem to matter around here either. People just jump over from their pickups. We could get barb wire, but with cams and fences, it's already starting to feel like a prison.

People who really want something don't really care regardless of what type of fence, security, cams, pets, etc. We're not guns or pet people either. We just hope that if a break-in does occur, no one gets hurt and the cams catch the faces of those people.

Just really looking for a way to ease/improve the cam setup. Thank you.

 

[1advancing]

q-see? awful choice. Swann would be better choice for the non-pro camera setups.

 

[Kawboy12R]

The Swann IP stuff I see on Costco ATM is the old 3mp Hikvision stuff. Crap at night without a fair bit of extra light. Not exactly sure what that Q-See stuff is or what it is like at night but both the new Dahua and Hik 4mp stuff is better than the old Hik 2032 bullets that Swann rebrands.

Running cable over brick is a PITA and above my pay grade to recommend to others how to not break their bricks. Nothing major wrong with your camera locations that I can see. Check to see if they shipped outdoor rated cables with the kit if you'll be having long exposed runs of cable and you opt for no conduit. It's not required with outdoor burial grade cabling. Make sure you know what a drip loop is and use them at the cameras and where all cables enter the house. Get a *FAST* PLA and hope for the best when running 3x 4mp cameras. I'm not an NVR guy but that plan would at least require a POE switch in the garage in addition to the PLA. That's assuming that the NVR will run three cameras off one port on the back which isn't a given. That might be a question for upper level Q-See support or someone on here who has done it already with that NVR. I consider myself to have a good connection with my AV500 PLA setup to my back building and I can notice video artifacts (errors) when running 1x 4mp, 2x, 2mp, and 1x 1.3mp worth of video off it. With only 3 cams or 4 cams throttled down it runs cleanly. You might be lucky or end up running a cable to the garage. A Ubiquiti wifi bridge is also an option if you don't want to bury a cable.

 

[1advancing]

I try to stay away from such products and projects with non professional equipment. I also see that these companies are getting into IP as technology advanced. But just from previous experience with analog systems, I never purchased q-see or Lorex but had to work with it in some setups I "took-over" or when clients bought like you guys are saying from Costco and asked for help to setup, or friends etc. But from what I seen q-see and night owl are worst, Lorex is somewhat ok but problematic, Swann is most descent out of them all. I used to setup Swann analog cameras on budget projects and besides lower image quality it worked well for recording and mobile access. But that was a while back I haven't played with recent models of Swann or q-see but would rather not as there are much better solutions.
Are you saying that Swann is basically using Hikvisions hardware now?
Interesting to know if it is exactly same or some limited cheap version.

 

[Kawboy12R]

See this system? http://www.costco.com/Swann-24-Channel-HD-IP-NVR-with-4TB-HDD,-16-3MP-Cameras-with-115'-Night-Vision.product.100171179.html

Hik 2032 bullets. The older 2mp Swann systems with bullets that looked like that had the 2032 bullets in 2mp mode. Decent in the day, grainy at night. MUCH worse than current 4mp 3345-I or 4431C-A or 4231C-A cams. As for "limited" or crippled, possibly a bit in the features or options.

 

[enigma002]

Thanks for the responses. I bought the kit based on a few threads in this forum. The kits is basically a rebranded Dahua product (maybe a few downgrades for the Q-See brand as you mentioned). Things should be here tomorrow.
@Kawboy12R. Thank you for the tips. If the PLA I have doesn't cut it, then I'll just run the cables in conduit to the garage. I honestly doubt the cables are outdoor rated.

 

[gpower07]

Thanks for the responses. I bought the kit based on a few threads in this forum. The kits is basically a rebranded Dahua product (maybe a few downgrades for the Q-See brand as you mentioned). Things should be here tomorrow.
@Kawboy12R. Thank you for the tips. If the PLA I have doesn't cut it, then I'll just run the cables in conduit to the garage. I honestly doubt the cables are outdoor rated.

I installed couple of them. cable is not rated outdoor use.

 

[nayr]

Run conduit if your cables have to be external, 1/2 EMT Conduit.. and a bender will pay for its self typically with even the smallest jobs as fittings cost more than the conduit its self... if you want to run multiple ethernet cables inside go for 3/4 EMT instead.

it can be painted to match, and is alot easier to work with than people think.. I love EMT conduit and use it all over the place.

go to harbor freight and get a 120vac hammer drill and there assortment of long masonry bits, it'll expand your service hole without much trouble and you'll need it for anchoring down straps for the conduit.

If you leave exposed cabling, they can be cut with just a pocket knife