Hi, Im a n3wb and im here for some help. Nice to meet you all.

[DKELLY]

Hello security gurus, I guess everyone that ends up here has a story, so i'll just jump into mine. Im 37 and i live in a decent neighborhood in a fairly nice area. Lately someone (likely local teens) have been breaking into garages, houses etc. Including mine. I have a family, my wife, and a relatively new addition, my daughter Grace. When i went outside one morning and saw that someone had pried my garage door open and there were scrapes at my back door deadbolt, i kinda freaked out. They didn't take anything since the garage was empty of everything but a few couches and table for nerd night lol. Since then i have reinforced my doors and added steel strips behind the deadbolt and a few extra 2x4s to the frame with some 6 inch construction screws holding it all together. Now the only thing that will open those doors without a key is the swat team with a battering ram or hydraulic press.

So on to what i need your collective expert advice, Im looking for a outdoor camera system, I only need 1 or possibly 2 cameras and some kind of DVR/NVR?( not sure about the lingo) to start, i can build on it from there.
I need
1). motion activation that doesn't go off every time a bird or bug flies in front of the camera
2) Mobile alerts to my phone and access to the system by cell phone both apple and android OS
3) good enough image quality that the cops can identify anyone it catches.
4) expandability to at least 4 cameras I probably wont ever need more than 4
5) cloud storage would be nice but not a must have.

I'm fairly good with computers and I can install my own hard drive etc to save on cost, and i have a handy man that can run wires to everything.
Im looking for a good "budget" or starter package for around $300 to $400 at the most.
So thank you all in advance for your time.

 

[SouthernYankee]

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1 to 2 cameras is not going to cut it , the garage need at least 2 cameras, the front door needs 1 to 2 cameras, the front of the house and the street need 1 to 2 cameras, that is just a start. My setup almost all my cameras see another camera, So when they hit it with a baseball bat I have video.

It is recommended that recording be continuous, Motion detection works sort of ok, but shadows, wind cause motion, it takes work to set up good motion detection. Look at PIR sensors built into cameras.

If using an NVR for ip cameras purchase the cameras and the NVR from the same manufacture and supplier.

read study plan before spending money.
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My standard welcome to the forum message.

Please read the IP Cam Talk Cliff Notes and other items in the https://ipcamtalk.com/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) If you do not have a wired monitored alarm system, get that first
2) Use Dahua starlight cameras or Hikvision darkfighter cameras or ICPT Night eye cameras (https://store.ipcamtalk.com/) if you need good low light cameras.
3) use a VPN to access home network (openVPN)
4) Do not use wifi cameras.
5) Do not use cloud storage
6) Do Not use uPNP, P2P, QR, do not open ports,
7) More megapixel is not necessarily better.
8) Avoid chinese hacked cameras (most ebay, amazon, aliexpress cameras(not all, but most))
9) Do not use reolink, ring, nest cameras (they are junk), no cloud cameras
10) If possible use a turret camera , bullet collect spiders, dome collect dirt and reflect light (IR)
11) Use only solid copper, AWG 23 or 24 ethernet wire. , no CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum)
12) use a test mount to verify the camera mount location. https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/my-test-rig-rev-2.28966/
13) (Looney2ns)If you want to be able to ID faces, don't mount cams higher than 8ft. You want to know who did it, not just what happened.
14) Use a router that has openVPN built in (Most ASUS, Some NetGear....)
15) camera placement use the calculator... https://calculator.ipvm.com/

Cameras to look at
IPC-HDW2231R-ZS https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/review-dahua-ipc-hdw2231rp-zs-starlight-camera-varifocal.28993/
IPC-HDW5231-ZE https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/review-dahua-starlight-ipc-hdw5231r-ze-800-meter-capable-epoe.22032/
IPC-HFW4239T-ASE https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/ipc-hfw4239t-ase.30143/
IPC-T5442TM-AS https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/review-ipc-t5442tm-as-led-full-color-starlight.39097/
IPCT-HDW5431RE-I https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/review-ip-cam-talk-4-mp-ir-fixed-turret-network-camera.36011/
DS-2CD2325FWD-I
IPC-T5442TM-AS https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/review-oem-4mp-ai-cam-ipc-t5442tm-as-starlight.39203/ - 4MP starlight+

Other dahua 4MP starlight https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/dahua-4mp-starlight-lineup.42000/#post-388253

My preferred indoor cameras
DS-2CD2442FWD-IW
IPC-K35A https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/review-dahua-ipc-k35a-3mp-cube-camera.37581/#post-373517

If interested in Blue Iris and other setup items see the following post
https://ipcamtalk.com/threads/newbi...r-hardware-–-blue-iris-–-dahua-cameras.42278/

Read,study,plan before spending money ..... plan plan plan
Test do not guess

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[DKELLY]

Thanks for the reply. the area i need to cover is relatively small and the angles of approach to the cameras are limited to the 90 or so degrees in front of the cameras placement will be. I did mention expandability, the 1 or 2 cameras is more of a budget issue than lack of coverage and forsite. I do plan on having better coverage of every area when i can afford the upgrades, Im perfectly ok with continuous recording, i just want alerts sent to my phone when large objects enter a specified zone like a door/ window/ gate etc. Thanks again for taking the time to reply. Do you have a recommendation for a NVR/DVR camera supplier I can check out?

 

[SouthernYankee]

For Hikvison look at Nelly's Security

if you are interested in Dahua cameras, a forum member sells dahua and ships world wide. You can read some of the members recommendations on his service. He also provides cameras to other forum member for evaluation and reviews.
you can email him for a quote, or purchase from his Aliexpress store or his Amazon store.

Andy
@EMPIRETECANDY
kingsecurity2014@163.com
Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: EmpireTech Andy
Andy's AliExpress store: Buy Products Online from China Wholesalers at Aliexpress.com
Andy's Amazon store: EmpireTech-Andy @ Amazon.com:

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