Here's my plan for camera system - comments/opinions/suggestions welcome

[105437]

Here is what I'm planning on installing soon. I'd love to hear any comments/opinions/suggestions. My system will eventually grow to a total of four cameras but I'm starting with two.
1) Should I be worried that the PoE switch is 10/100 and I'm planning on using max quality settings on the cameras.
2) Need someone to provide a link to the right Cat 5e cable to use. Runs will be in crawl space, walls and attic.
3) Settled on using Sighthound to provide all video management and camera views from LAN, WAN via computer, iPhone, iPad.

Thanks!

 

[fenderman]

They switch will be more than adequate...buy your cables from a reputable source...monoprice, cable matters, c2g, the latter two on amazon...
make sure is solid copper not copper clad aluminium or CCA. No ebay etc...
The only problem I see here is wasting an expensive macbook like that to use for VMS..

 

[105437]

@fenderman... thanks for the reply. So the fact that the Cat 5e will be run in the crawl space and attic don't change the spec from Cat 5e that runs in walls. Shielded vs un-shielded matter? The MacBook also is used to edit video from time to time. I also have a Mac Mini on my LAN but it only has 4GB of RAM and standard HD. I figured between the two, the MacBook had more horsepower with the i7 vs the i5 and the extra RAM and faster HD to handle the HD video processing.

 

[fenderman]

@fenderman... thanks for the reply. So the fact that the Cat 5e will be run in the crawl space and attic don't change the spec from Cat 5e that runs in walls. Shielded vs un-shielded matter? The MacBook also is used to edit video from time to time. I also have a Mac Mini on my LAN but it only has 4GB of RAM and standard HD. I figured between the two, the MacBook had more horsepower with the i7 vs the i5 and the extra RAM and faster HD to handle the HD video processing.

If you are going to use any computer for an NVR, it should be dedicated to the task...but if you are just testing and getting your feet wet with it, its fine.
You dont need an ssd or more than 4gb or ram to record video...not sure if the mac mini can handle the processing load, that depend on how much SH depends on the cpu..
Unless you are running cables along side electrical lines (which my not even be code) you will be fine with shielded cable..I use cat6 that is 23awg, just because..the price difference on a 1000f roll is negligible...but any quality cat5 will do just fine..

 

[105437]

Thanks @fenderman... perhaps I don't need to dedicate the MacBook to this. What's the alternative, store everything directly to a NAS. If I do this how does Sighthound fit into the picture, I still have to dedicate a Mac to run it 24/7 right? Thanks for the cable advice, I just may go with Cat 6.

 

[fenderman]

Thanks @fenderman... perhaps I don't need to dedicate the MacBook to this. What's the alternative, store everything directly to a NAS. If I do this how does Sighthound fit into the picture, I still have to dedicate a Mac to run it 24/7 right? Thanks for the cable advice, I just may go with Cat 6.

yes, you need to have the pc on 24/7...I dont know much about sighthound, but most vms software can write to nas..

 

[105437]

Just wanted to confirm... If I bought my cameras off aliexpress from either CCTV China or FunGee Technology, I would have english menus/interface and firmware v5.2.5 that I will not be able to upgrade. In addition, I will not have warranty either. Am I right? Thanks!

 

[corkangel76]

if you buy anything off ALI, you are guaranteed no warranty.

- - - Updated - - -

and there is never a guarantee of what firmware version you will get, or what language it will be hacked to. but CCTV China has been mentioned here repeatedly as a "reliable" source. I got my cameras from Nelly's Security, and felt more comfortable with a warranty and guaranteed english.

 

[105437]

@corkangel76... thanks for the info. Not sure it's worth paying twice as much to buy from Nelly's. If it came in some other language that would be the only real problem for me.

 

[corkangel76]

I guess I'm just old school, I like warranties, and not having to deal with people who may or may not be shady in their business practices... the guys at Nellys have been awesome, helpful, and friendly, and stand behind their stuff.

 

[ruppmeister]

I had a Sighthound system installed on my late 2012 Mac Mini i5 with 2 HD cams and it wasn't much on system resources at all for the machine. I am using the same machine now running Windows 7, Blue Iris with 3 HD cams and 2 SD cams, Plex Server, FTP server, VPN server, and XBMC for the main living room tv and only use about 35-45% processor while all services are running.

 

[105437]

I had a Sighthound system installed on my late 2012 Mac Mini i5 with 2 HD cams and it wasn't much on system resources at all for the machine. I am using the same machine now running Windows 7, Blue Iris with 3 HD cams and 2 SD cams, Plex Server, FTP server, VPN server, and XBMC for the main living room tv and only use about 35-45% processor while all services are running.

Thanks for that info... You running Parallels to get Windows 7 on that Mini? I also have a Mac Mini running Plex too. Never thought about running Sighthound on it too. How do you like Sighthound? What do you use Blue Iris for?

 

[ruppmeister]

You running Parallels to get Windows 7 on that Mini?

No, I am currently running Win 7 using Boot Camp and force the Windows partition as the primary boot partition. I left Yosemite installed, but with very little of the HDD space and never boot into it any longer.

How do you like Sighthound? What do you use Blue Iris for?

I have switched full time to using Blue Iris that runs on the Win 7 partition on the Mac Mini.
Check out this post where I included some info (pros/cons) about Sighthound http://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php/3810...=1#post32684

 

[105437]

@ruppmeister... good info there and I appreciate it. You mentioned that no HTTPS was the deal breaker for you. Can you tell me more about that and what kind of risk it presented to you? Thanks

 

[ruppmeister]

I wanted the ability to log in remote from both my work machine and my iPhone. In both cases, your login credentials are passed in plain text back to your home server when logging into Sighthound. This to me is never acceptable as it wouldn't take much for your account to be compromised. I know some folks around here aren't too concerned about this type of thing, but me, I have cameras inside my home and don't want anyone having access to them because a company developing security software doesn't take security serious enough to help protect me.

I tried to overcome the HTTP flaw by passing all HTTP traffic through Stunnel creating a secure tunnel to my Sighthound server, but I never could get it to work. I had spent enough time on it, and the added cost of moving up to the unlimited camera license, that I decided there was a lot of good people and help in this forum to make the move to Blue Iris... and I am loving it so far.

 

[105437]

Makes sense and I didn't really think of that. So anytime I want to watch a live stream or recording from my iPhone when I'm not home connected to my LAN, the credentials are passed to my home Mac running Sighthound in plain text? That's certainly a concern.

 

[ruppmeister]

Here is just a little snippet from the Sighthound support forum. Additionally, I emailed Sighthound support and got a response from Devin telling me that they didn't see it being a problem since most cameras, if forwarded to the internet, didn't have secure login either so they didn't make a big deal of it.

I was looking to a software that allowed for remote access on a single secure connection so that I didn't have to open up my cameras to the internet for the very reason Devin said they aren't secure.

Blue Iris allows for the login credentials to be passed securely. Albeit, the stream is not secure once connected, but I feel much better about how the credentials are handled with BI than I was with Sighthound.

 

[jimmyt]

If you have not purchased your cameras, I would suggest you take a look at fourm user milkisbad. Great prices and great service with warranty. I have an 8 port router with an 8 port POE injector added in - total cost was around $45 - but I have 60w of 802.3af POE which can power up to 8 of the 2332's.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0086SQDMM/#Ask

 

[alastairstevenson]

The product description is a little misleading unless you read it carefully, it states that the device is a passive PoE device:
"WS-POE-8-48v60w passive Power Over Ethernet POE Injector for 8 IP cameras, VOIP phones or Access Points, 48 volts, 60 watts max"
but that it will power 802.3af devices
"Remote power up to 8 Access points, phones or cameras - any 802.3af device"
so some caution may be needed in terms of accidentally connecting it to a non-PoE device.

 

[jimmyt]

yep.. just make sure you only connect where needed