Home New Setup Cameras, NVR vs computer and RAID

[LandofTomorrow]

Hello everyone,
I have been reading many of the threads over the past few weeks (and even more so after registering recently) to understand about IP camera systems. I recently had a installer suggest that I put in around 6 cameras (single level home has a multishaped roof with a wooded back yard, driveway on side and long front yard).

His suggestion is LTS cameras (CMIP3022-28 and CMIP3042-28 both fixed focus with 1/2.8" CMOS ), from reading here it appears the dahua starlight are the preferred ones. It is one long thread so i read some of it. If the installer agrees to use these cameras, I may go with these Dahuas though they are more expensive than the ones he listed.

Given that, I had some questions:
1. Is a particular Dahua NVR (s) recommended with these starlights? 8 channel suffices for me
2. Can i run a software RAID so i duplicate the hard drive writes (mirror). So id need a NVR with 2 sata connections. Do these NVRs have such a feature built in or do I need to find a linux software?
3. Alternatively I can use my home server that runs all the time by running blue iris. While I understand that an i5 is what is suggested, this server is running on a dell T20 with xeon e3 1225 (benchmark around 7k so more than older i5s and less than recent ones). Can 6 cameras run on BI without messing my ability to do other things like backing up client pcs, running plex? I know this is a tough question but trying to understand 'how much CPU or benchmark' is really used.
4. Very minor point..but cant seem to see in datasheet if they make this camera in dark color (brown or black). Like i said minor point but checking as my home is a dark brown.

Thank you for taking the time answering these questions.

Oh and lastly the suggestion seems to be from Andy from aliexpress...Is that an authorized dealer for warranty purposes etc or is the same camera available locally in the USA from a Dahua dealer?

 

[mat200]

Hello everyone,
I have been reading many of the threads over the past few weeks (and even more so after registering recently) to understand about IP camera systems. I recently had a installer suggest that I put in around 6 cameras (single level home has a multishaped roof with a wooded back yard, driveway on side and long front yard).

His suggestion is LTS cameras (CMIP3022-28 and CMIP3042-28 both fixed focus with 1/2.8" CMOS ), from reading here it appears the dahua starlight are the preferred ones. It is one long thread so i read some of it. If the installer agrees to use these cameras, I may go with these Dahuas though they are more expensive than the ones he listed.

Given that, I had some questions:
1. Is a particular Dahua NVR (s) recommended with these starlights? 8 channel suffices for me
2. Can i run a software RAID so i duplicate the hard drive writes (mirror). So id need a NVR with 2 sata connections. Do these NVRs have such a feature built in or do I need to find a linux software?
3. Alternatively I can use my home server that runs all the time by running blue iris. While I understand that an i5 is what is suggested, this server is running on a dell T20 with xeon e3 1225 (benchmark around 7k so more than older i5s and less than recent ones). Can 6 cameras run on BI without messing my ability to do other things like backing up client pcs, running plex? I know this is a tough question but trying to understand 'how much CPU or benchmark' is really used.
4. Very minor point..but cant seem to see in datasheet if they make this camera in dark color (brown or black). Like i said minor point but checking as my home is a dark brown.

Thank you for taking the time answering these questions.

Oh and lastly the suggestion seems to be from Andy from aliexpress...Is that an authorized dealer for warranty purposes etc or is the same camera available locally in the USA from a Dahua dealer?

Welcome LandofTomorrow,

I'm new here also, and having a great time learning a lot from the experts here. I wanted to help others out, so I've made a quick summary of what I have learned so far to share:
Looking for some advice and direction!

Due to the recommendations here for Dahua Starlights, and my need for night time videos I have elected to go the Dahua route.

1. - NVR Q: Great advice from the experts here - get an NVR which is one step above what you think you want. Thus If you think you want only 8 channels - get one with 16.

I ordered from Andy a Dahua NVR: NVR5216-16P-4KS2 - it arrived very quickly via DHL.
It's a very popular model, you can also get the one without PoE ports - and use another way to power the cameras ( PoE switch, Mid-span PSE - Power Sourcing Equipment )
Dahua NVR5216-4KS2 / NVR5216-16P-4KS2

2. - RAID question - RAID 1 in this case ( mirroring ) - From what I have read RAID can be problematic due to the performance hit, thus most people appear to only setup a normal HDD storage setup in the NVR. IF you are looking for reliability and redundancy you can install mini-SD cards into various camera models - including the nice starlights mentioned here. Which is probably a better option to reduce single point of failure. Note: The NVR5216-16P-4KS2 runs embedded linux, and allows for 2 HDDs, thus in theory it should be capable to do RAID 1 if they've included the software. ( SATA connectors are included )

3. - Blue Iris - from what I have read, it is a very liked solution - however, it looks like the CPU will have to do a lot of codec work ( encoding/decoding ) thus a lot will depend on the type and volume of processing it has to do. Hopefully someone with experience running BI can let us know if it needs to be a more or less dedicated system. I didn't have an extra i5/i7 windows system lying about so I chose the NVR route.

4 - The Dahua starlight turret cameras ( 5231 ) are white painted metal cases. You can easily paint them to match your walls.
One of the forum members did a great job painting their starlight wedge to match his wall. I really liked it. It maybe in the installation pictures section, ...
Installation Pics

5. - I recommend Andy. He does a great job, informs us of status, ships quickly, participates here on this forum, and has been very helpful. Feel free to contact him, and note his company has several Aliexpress store fronts, and you can also do business with him via pay pal ( Aliexpress can sometimes be a PITA ). Feel free to reach him @EMPIRETECANDY

 

[looney2ns]

This is the popular NVR: Aliexpress.com : Buy DAHUA 8/16/32CH 1U 4K&H.265 NVR support 2HDD Onvif NVR5208 4KS2 NVR5216 4KS2 NVR5232 4KS2 from Reliable 265 nvr suppliers on BEC Technology Co.,Ltd Buy the 16ch version, just $10 or so more.

You don't need RAID.
Always suggested to use a dedicated machine for BI, YMMV. Your xeon's, I believe, won't support some of BI's features, and they are power hogs.

Andy saves you money, the same cams from the us would cost significantly more$$. But typically you can't get the same cams from the US.

 

[LandofTomorrow]

Welcome LandofTomorrow,

I'm new here also, and having a great time learning a lot from the experts here. I wanted to help others out, so I've made a quick summary of what I have learned so far to share:
Looking for some advice and direction!

Due to the recommendations here for Dahua Starlights, and my need for night time videos I have elected to go the Dahua route.

1. - NVR Q: Great advice from the experts here - get an NVR which is one step above what you think you want. Thus If you think you want only 8 channels - get one with 16.

I ordered from Andy a Dahua NVR: NVR5216-16P-4KS2 - it arrived very quickly via DHL.
It's a very popular model, you can also get the one without PoE ports - and use another way to power the cameras ( PoE switch, Mid-span PSE - Power Sourcing Equipment )
Dahua NVR5216-4KS2 / NVR5216-16P-4KS2

2. - RAID question - RAID 1 in this case ( mirroring ) - From what I have read RAID can be problematic due to the performance hit, thus most people appear to only setup a normal HDD storage setup in the NVR. IF you are looking for reliability and redundancy you can install mini-SD cards into various camera models - including the nice starlights mentioned here. Which is probably a better option to reduce single point of failure. Note: The NVR5216-16P-4KS2 runs embedded linux, and allows for 2 HDDs, thus in theory it should be capable to do RAID 1 if they've included the software. ( SATA connectors are included )

3. - Blue Iris - from what I have read, it is a very liked solution - however, it looks like the CPU will have to do a lot of codec work ( encoding/decoding ) thus a lot will depend on the type and volume of processing it has to do. Hopefully someone with experience running BI can let us know if it needs to be a more or less dedicated system. I didn't have an extra i5/i7 windows system lying about so I chose the NVR route.

4 - The Dahua starlight turret cameras ( 5231 ) are white painted metal cases. You can easily paint them to match your walls.
One of the forum members did a great job painting their starlight wedge to match his wall. I really liked it. It maybe in the installation pictures section, ...
Installation Pics

5. - I recommend Andy. He does a great job, informs us of status, ships quickly, participates here on this forum, and has been very helpful. Feel free to contact him, and note his company has several Aliexpress store fronts, and you can also do business with him via pay pal ( Aliexpress can sometimes be a PITA ). Feel free to reach him @EMPIRETECANDY

@mat200

Thank you for taking the time responding to my questions. I agree it is a wonderful forum.
1. NVR. Thank you

2. RAID: Mirroring (based on my knowledge of windows) shouldnt cause a hit in performance vs say parity but dont know if these linux setups have that issue. The reason i mirror is that eventually your hard drive will fail, and sometimes at the worst moment, irrespective of vendor.

3. Blue Iris: Agreed about CPU but the computer i mentioned isnt a slow coach, just cant make out what people mean "CPU hit". Plex for example says that if u want to transcode you need atleast 2000 benchmark intel CPU. It would be nice if I can get such a ballpark figure for say 6 cameras so I can make an educated guess. I prefer running it on the server as that runs 24 7 anyway and has software backups etc. Hoping someone with experience will write in. Or if I should post in the BI forum?

4. Thanks. I guess white cameras may stand out but may be another way to make people wary just like a security sign!! Some vendors like LTS offer grey

5. Thanks. Do you know if the warranty is preserved. I really dont know if IP cameras fail a lot or are pretty reliable after initial installation.

Thank you again and have a great day!!

5.

 

[LandofTomorrow]

This is the popular NVR: Aliexpress.com : Buy DAHUA 8/16/32CH 1U 4K&H.265 NVR support 2HDD Onvif NVR5208 4KS2 NVR5216 4KS2 NVR5232 4KS2 from Reliable 265 nvr suppliers on BEC Technology Co.,Ltd Buy the 16ch version, just $10 or so more.

You don't need RAID.
Always suggested to use a dedicated machine for BI, YMMV. Your xeon's, I believe, won't support some of BI's features, and they are power hogs.

Andy saves you money, the same cams from the us would cost significantly more$$. But typically you can't get the same cams from the US.

@looney2ns
Just saw your post after I replied to other post.
Ok, good point about separate pc.. For safety maybe?

Maybe NVR is the way to go then. I am very comfortable with pc/windows but if I dont have to code/meddle around for linux, I am OK going with it. BTW, xeon E3s aren't power hogs at least compared to the xeon e5 workstations that i also work on. But then you probably meant NVRs, NAS which probably consume even less.

 

[mat200]

@mat200

2. RAID: Mirroring (based on my knowledge of windows) shouldnt cause a hit in performance vs say parity but dont know if these linux setups have that issue. The reason i mirror is that eventually your hard drive will fail, and sometimes at the worst moment, irrespective of vendor.

Thanks,

btw - RAID on linux is very good, the issue which applies to all OSes is the re-write errors/delays, and thus one HDD maybe behind the other, which may not be an issue under typical IT loads, however for incoming streaming services maybe problematic.

 

[LandofTomorrow]

Thanks,

btw - RAID on linux is very good, the issue which applies to all OSes is the re-write errors/delays, and thus one HDD maybe behind the other, which may not be an issue under typical IT loads, however for incoming streaming services maybe problematic.

Aah i see. So keep say one purple drive in the NVR and also a SD card in each cam as backup? I didnt realize the SD cards were big enough for HD video. How big do you or others put in?

Oh and on the NVR poe vs separate POE switch part... I am trying to keep it simple. Would a built in POE NVR be easier to run? While Id like to have some IVS features, not aiming for the sky at this point. Rather start and forget (well not forget completely ). Thanks again.

 

[mat200]

Aah i see. So keep say one purple drive in the NVR and also a SD card in each cam as backup? I didnt realize the SD cards were big enough for HD video. How big do you or others put in?

Oh and on the NVR poe vs separate POE switch part... I am trying to keep it simple. Would a built in POE NVR be easier to run? While Id like to have some IVS features, not aiming for the sky at this point. Rather start and forget (well not forget completely ). Thanks again.

I'm probably not the best person to answer that question, do checkout the discussion associated with NVRs with POE ports here:
Hitting cameras web pages with a laptop in an NVR with POE

 

[mat200]

4. Very minor point..but cant seem to see in datasheet if they make this camera in dark color (brown or black). Like i said minor point but checking as my home is a dark brown.

Here it is, a great paint job on a wedge mini-dome by the front door:
Wanted to Buy - IPC-HDBW4231F-AS - (Mini Wedge)

 

[LandofTomorrow]

Here it is, a great paint job on a wedge mini-dome by the front door:
Wanted to Buy - IPC-HDBW4231F-AS - (Mini Wedge)

Wow thanks. Man you go out of the way to help. Thank you!!