IP Cameras Home environment - need some advise please...

[Itay]

Hi,

It's my first post in the forum, after reading ALOT here ! (great forum BTW) - I hope that's the correct forum to post this.

I will be moving in to a new house in a few months and going to remodel it all, one of the things I want to do is to have IP security/monitor cams. Would appreciate your comments and suggestions for the following configuration:

Hardware:
I want to place security and monitor cameras for the following areas:

1) Backyard (~62 square meters) - 2 Cameras (Bullet or Dome?), thought of a 2.8mm 3M Bullets.
2) 3 children/baby rooms for monitoring them overnight, those cameras should have audio features so we could keep an audio stream open all night and see them from our room (Domes?).

Which cameras you will recommend for the 2 areas? I know HIKVISION cameras are recommended (at least for the backyard), though of Bullets for the backyard and Domes for the children rooms.

Dedicated NVR or a PC/NAS as an NVR?
I have a PC installed with Windows 10 (looking into the option of switching all to an Ubuntu Server) that is used as a NAS where I keep all the Music,Pics,Media,DVB server, etc. with about 8TB of space on it, How can I use this machine as an NVR?
Obviously I want to be able to access recordings, get email and push notifications via secured VPN connection that I will need to run on a server (same NAS box).
I noticed around the forum that people say that if using a PC I would need a strong i7 CPU, is this correct also if i want it only to record in the background and not always present the live view cameras on screen?

Infrastructure:
My intention is to install all the cameras using CAT5E/CAT6 (makes a difference?) ethernet cables and a POE switch for power (though of the DLINK DGS-1100-08P), this will be connected to the general home LAN switch as well to reach the NVR or PC NAS).

Software/Applications:
Will need a way to monitor the system on iPhones/iPads/tablets/computers (win/mac) to see the cameras.
Heard a lot of the BlueIris software - is it free? if no, do you know free and good alternatives? will it give the overall solution for me?

Important things to take into consideration:
Regarding the children rooms:
A must is a 2 way audio so I will be able to hear and speak (if needed) with the kids, i.e let them know that i’m coming to them in a sec, etc.
If the cameras have an analog audio out it would be better to use, to avoid all night wifi radiation.. ??

Now the tricky part - hear the cameras (2 cameras is enough for the 2 very small kids only) in my room, as the view application on the tablet/phone/pc/NVR (no matter which one) can show multiple camera view (split screen) it can play only 1 camera sound at a time (the one you focus on) - what I can do is to take the left channel of one camera (1st room) and the right channel of the other camera (2nd room) and connect those to a stereo speakers (even simple PC speakers) knowing that left speaker is kid A and right speaker is kid B.
Anyone thinks it won't work? or can suggest another solution?

Will need also the ability of using those cameras to mark an area (lets say the kids bed) and set that if a kid is crossing this line (got out of bed) trigger a reaction like push notification, make a sound in my room (preferred), whatever, which is pretty cool..

Sorry if its a long post, just want to provide all the information to have a better chance of having better answers and recommendations.

Thanks,
Itay

 

[fenderman]

No bullets or domes...look at turrets...see the dahua reviewed by nayr

 

[Itay]

thanks, will look into that..

can anyone else share his thoughts on the environment solutions i described?

 

[toohp]

Ive just gone through a similar process Itay , I ended up buying 2 Hikvision exir turrets Ds-2cd2342wd-1 2.8 mm lense , picture quality is amazing I think for the price . Havn't got a DVR yet , hooked up into a POE switch (tplink ) . Installed ivms4500 software on computer & phone for live view & remote viewing . Blue Iris is not free that I know off but Im new to all this too .

 

[nayr]

Blueiris costs money..
2-Way audio is not going to happen.. if you want to talk to your kids be a good dad and scream at the top of your lungs.
Wireless is not going to work well
Audio output is mono, im sure it multiple sources could be remuxed into stereo and played out speakers.. but its not going to do that out of the box, your going to ahve to create something that can do that.
Dahua does push notifications on linecross; but it requires a matching Dahua NVR thats capable of IVS Events (linecross)
Dahua has the best Mac support of anyone at this point.
Always run cat6 for residental use; your not going to use a whole spool on just IP Cameras so you'll want the cat6 for hooking up tvs, wifi access points, etc.
Unicorns are not real

 

[Itay]

Thanks toohp & nayr for your inputs,
Few things:
* First of all - no wireless at all - all is going to be POE with a dedicated 8 port POE switch.

* What are the advantages of a turret camera over a dome? the crazy IR sensor and 3-axis?
From what i see in its spec it won't be suitable for the kids rooms because it has no Audio features at all. so the EXIR type is preferred to be outdoor (would use it over a bullet or a dome)?

* Now for the indoor kids rooms, I guess we are left with the domes at the edge of each room corner right, from what i see, domes have an audio out, I searched in the specs for a mono/stereo but couldn't find, it has those green connectors, so i guess each camera output can be a channel in a streo system down in my room, a mic is probably not a must.

* Forgot to mention, i would like also a smaller camera outside my front door, a Hikvision mini dome will be fine right?

* And last question, i see all the Hikvisoin cameras are available on Aliexpress with slight difference in model number (i.e a "5" instead of a "2"), i guess its not a fake right? there is something to do with firmwares, english versions, upgrades etc.
can i buy it from Aliexpress and be sure it will work? i need to verify some things first? after all its 2 times cheaper then Amazon...

Like these two:
Turret:
New arrival DS 2CD2135F IS replace DS 2CD2132F IS and DS 2CD2132 I H265 3MP 1080p IP network dome poe cameras audio sd card IPC-in Surveillance Cameras from Security & Protection on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
Dome:
3MP IP POE Outdoor dome camera wifi wi fi wireless cam DS 2CD2135F IWS replace DS 2CD3132F IWS DS 2CD2132F IWS ds 2cd2132f is-in Surveillance Cameras from Security & Protection on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

I really appreciate your comments and support..

 

[Itay]

Sorry, thats the turret link:
Free shipping New model DS 2CD3345 I same as english DS 2CD2342WD I 4MP array 30m IR Network Dome security ip camera H265-in Surveillance Cameras from Security & Protection on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

 

[nayr]

turrets have every possible advantage over a dome, imagine putting a curved plastic dome over your head and how it'll screw with your vision.. domes are massivly pains in the ass to adjust, catch stray light from side angles and cause the plastic dome to glow, degrade with expsosure to sun, I could keep going on and on.

even if they have audio out they do not do 2-way audio.. its only 1-way.. so you can talk or listen but not both; and there is a HUGE latency, and you need an amplifier and speaker that are powered by something other than the camera; I told you its not going to happen.

Minidomes are horrible, and nothing with a plastic dome should ever be used outside... do not install a single damn dome.

They are grey market imports; Hikvision will not help you and firmware updates will destroy em.

 

[toohp]

I bought my camera s from a local dealer , stayed away from the grey imports & glad I did as I don't know a lot about this stuff . Love the image quality .
Next I want to add a PTZ cam but there expensive .

 

[fin301]

For inside. I would recommend the HikVision Cube cameras. They have the built in SD, Built in audio plus 2 way audio, built in PIR which I think is way better than the motion sensor as it picks up heat. The model I have is the DS-2CD2442FWD-IW. You can also get the 3mp version which people are saying they cant see much difference.

For out side I would go with a turret for sure. I have a dome and had to fit a external IR light as the reflection was shocking with the bultin IR light on. Also when its raining, it hits the dome and messes up the image.

 

[Itay]

Thanks !

OK - Domes are out, Turrets it is for the outside.
BTW the frontdoor is is not on the outside, its like a hall - does it makes a difference and a mini dome will be OK? i don't want something too big and messy outside the door.

What about those CUBE model for the rooms? it looks like its perfect for baby monitoring (and in the same time security), will this be OK to hear the kids? (reminding no WIFI, only LAN POE)
does it have an analog audio out in some way? i need 2 cameras to be on all night listening..

 

[fin301]

I have my Cube camera around 3 meters up and can here people talking clearly around 10metersaway. I can't say the 2 way audio is great as there seems to be a delay to it. The audio works over POE so there is only 1 wire connected to the camera. The camera has built in WIFI but I haven't used it.

The dome should work fine inside but I would recommend an external IR light as you could still have problems with reflection from the internal IR light.

 

[Itay]

Thanks,
What i need is to have 2 cameras audio open all night every night..
looks like just the Hikvision Domes and Mini-Domes have audio out which i can use, but all of you here say domes are ...
maybe another brand or company can give me a POE 3MP 1080P camera with audio out?
something like this maybe (little expensive) - Amcrest 1080P POE (Power Over Ethernet) Video Monitoring Security POE IP Camera with Pan/Tilt, Two-Way Audio, Plug & Play Setup, Optional Cloud Recording, Full HD 1080P (1920TVL) @ 30FPS, Super Wide 90° Viewing Angle and Night Vision IP2M-841EW (White) ?

 

[Itay]

Hi all,

got another question, this time about the NVR, i read allot about that if i want to use Blue Iris I need a windows machine and its recommended to be based on an i7 CPU. Now - the strong CPU is needed for what? if i want to have a live view all the time? with a dedicated screen that will show a split screen on all the cameras? or is it for the ability to record a few cameras simultaneously?
I ask because I have a PC server (windows) with all i need on it already which works great and fast enough (with ssd for the OS) but it is based on a quad-core inetl CPU - will this work with a setup of 6 3MP cameras?

 

[nayr]

CPU is needed for the advanced video analytics and hardware video encoding/decoding support. BlueIris ony supports hardware decoding w/certain CPU's.

 

[Itay]

Can you please give me some more details? what is video analytics? motion detection? line crossing, etc.?

 

[nayr]

yes, video analytics is anything other than just saving the stream direct to disk.. all of its advanced motion detection routines use CPU power to accomplish.

depends largely on what CPU you got and how many cameras you run on it; many of the newer i5's are faster than the older i7's and use much less power to boot.. and older CPU's dont support IntelQuickSync which is what you need for HW Acceleration.. HW Acceleration can take a machine loaded at 70% cpu load and reduce it to 20% cpu load just by turning it on; its definitely something you want supported on your hardware.

 

[spencnor]

Thanks,
What i need is to have 2 cameras audio open all night every night..
looks like just the Hikvision Domes and Mini-Domes have audio out which i can use, but all of you here say domes are ...
maybe another brand or company can give me a POE 3MP 1080P camera with audio out?
something like this maybe (little expensive) - Amcrest 1080P POE (Power Over Ethernet) Video Monitoring Security POE IP Camera with Pan/Tilt, Two-Way Audio, Plug & Play Setup, Optional Cloud Recording, Full HD 1080P (1920TVL) @ 30FPS, Super Wide 90° Viewing Angle and Night Vision IP2M-841EW (White) ?

I agree with all the suggestions above. I bought this Amcrest for my niece who wanted a nanny cam. She does not have a enough technical expertise to set up her own stand alone system and did not have a big budget. In the interest of something simple for her to experiment with I thought the Amcrest was worth a try for not a big investment in time and cost.

I found this for about $80. as refurbished:

Amcrest 1080P ProHD Black IP Security Surveillance Camera Wireless REFURBISHED | eBay

I helped her set it up with the free Amcrest software and the performance was acceptable over wifi. The Amcrest also has a SD card slot and you can save to your computer's HD. Of course, if you have the time, money, and knowledge there are better cameras, but for some simple is better than nothing . You could invest $80. now and give it a try. Then later decide if it's a keeper to incorporate with your other cameras.

 

[Itay]

thanks spencor - i think o would go with the hikvision as a solution, i have the knowledge to set up an edge to edge solution, just need a few more pieces of the puzzle.. and this forum looks like THE place to get the answers.

Nayr - this is currently the CPU my windows machine is holding: Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q8300 (4M Cache, 2.50 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) Specifications
I'm using it as my NAS and media server with ~8TB of storage for all the media, adding BI on it would kill it??

 

[nayr]

yeah it'll kill a core cpu; it dont have IntelQuickSync so it has to software decode h264 video..

plus you dont want to dual purpose NAS/MEDIA Server w/NVR... for many reasons; one copying a video too/from your NAS could choke out resources and cause video recording to drop frames.. and often personal NAS's are used as backup/storage of critical files; whereas NVR has no critical files; mostly junk constantly being written.. abusing disks and they have far too different uses.. Data Integrity vs Uptime; when your NAS looses a disk it could be down for days/weeks until the data is safe/restored; when your NVR looses a disk you just remove the failed drive and continue at diminished capacity w/minimal downtime.