Looking at first system a bunch of ?s & is this a good deal?

[srfrmac87]

[FONT=&quot]Hello,[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I have been a viewer of the forums for a while and have been doing my own research. I think I am ready to take the plunge and get a system together. I apologize for the long post. I posted a small summary at bottom.

I know there are guides on how to what to look for in purchasing a new IP camera surveillance system but my questions are a little more in depth than that so that is why i am posting here. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I am looking for more of personal preference. I am trying to decide between using my home server computer and a bundled system.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I have a home computer that is a little bit of an older Dell XPS i7, 8gb ram, and looking to expand HDD for more space. I am currently using it as a media server (tv tuner/PVR) and webserver for my own personal website. I was also going to put a part time game server on this computer as well. I was considering using this computer to also manage IP cameras (4-8) on my network. Based on recommendations here and through a couple professionals I know, i was considering either Hikvision or Dahua. I wanted to know if you think this was going to bog the computer down too much. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]My initial instinct was to set up the cameras using the computer because i was going to integrate the computers onto my personal website for remote viewing and management if need be and for simplification purposes (less overall equipment). Eventually it would also be part of my home security system which is otherwise irrelevant at this point. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]That was my plan until i saw this posted on woot:[/FONT]

http://electronics.woot.com/offers/q-see-16ch-hd-ip-nvr-w-8-3mp-cameras?ref=el_cnt_wp_2_9

[FONT=&quot]I realize that the cameras and NVR are refurbished, which really doesn't bother me too much, but I was curious if you guys and gals thought this might be enough of a deal to get me started. And i wanted to know your thoughts on refurbished equipment. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I have several hurdles in my mind to jump through for my own decision and your opinions will help me with that. I will get bigger surveillance HDDs to add to this system, 3TB probably is not enough.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I wanted Hikvision based on the support in this forum and quality of videos and ease of use I have personally seen from this system. I do have one of my professional friends willing to sell them to me "at cost" but I don't know what the price might be. I have a feeling it will still be a bit too expensive for me but I am looking into that as an option. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]So if it is too expensive that route, that would also mean taking a chance on buying the cameras from a place like aliexpress. I am not against it, but at the same time I am not for it. Just another factor in my decision making.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]When I stumbled upon this Q-See system at woot, I thought this was an elegant and simplified solution to my problems. I just don't know about quality vs. price. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Finally, this has been a question on my mind since I considered getting security cameras. What are your thoughts on interior cameras? Obviously, I am not trying to invade the privacy of my own guests, family, etc. but I want to know if you guys use them or recommend them. Do you use covert, or overt cameras? Any other thoughts on interior cameras?[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]TL;DR[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]1. Will 4-8 3MP cameras overload my older I7 that is already being used as webserver and PVR and stuff?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2. Is this system a good deal? [/FONT]http://electronics.woot.com/offers/q-see-16ch-hd-ip-nvr-w-8-3mp-cameras?ref=el_cnt_wp_2_9
[FONT=&quot]3. I realize that Q-See isn't exactly high end equipment but are they a "stay away from" type of equipment company?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]5. Would I be able to add other branded cameras to this NVR? (best guess?)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]6. Is refurbished equipment frowned upon?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]7. Will I notice a significant difference in performance between using the above Q-See system vs using a couple "better" cameras and recording software on a computer?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]8. What happened to question 4?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]9. Would I be better off buying equipment in a less expensive package like this or buying a couple cameras and adding them later down the line?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]10. Personal preference on interior cameras? Whether to have them, not to have them, locations (obviously not bathroom you pervs), hidden vs. visible, etc.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I realize this is a lot to digest but i truly do appreciate any of the help![/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]-Kyle[/FONT]

 

[fenderman]

@srfrmac87 That qsee kit is rebranded dahua but way over priced. For 100 more you get a new system not reconditioned as well as 4mp, and lifetime return to costco. http://www.costco.com/Q-See-16-Channel-HD-IP-NVR-with-3TB-HDD,-8-4MP-Cameras-with-100'-Night-Vision.product.100213199.html

 

[PSPCommOp]

You said an older Dell i7... how old? That will make a difference. I know most say that a NVR PC shouldn't be used for more as the CPU usage will go up drastically and cause lag. With that in mind if its not cost effective to purchase a dedicated PC for that, one of the kits might be a better option, but I can't speak for that system you posted as I have no experience with it.

 

[srfrmac87]

it is a i7 920 - 2.67 ghz. stock. Windows 7 Pro. circa 2009?

 

[frankred]

since there have been a couple of days in between, You have probably read on here that you need at least a 4th gen i5 with quick sync. Ebay has HP Elitedesk 800 SFF for $350 ish. HTH

 

[fenderman]

since there have been a couple of days in between, You have probably read on here that you need at least a 4th gen i5 with quick sync. Ebay has HP Elitedesk 800 SFF for $350 ish. HTH

FYI, if anyone is still looking, I picked up a elitedesk 800 G2 skylake i5-6500 with 256ssd SFF for $320 (was listed at 379 or best offer) via ebay the other day...the skylakes are dropping as more supply becomes available..

 

[frankred]

FYI, if anyone is still looking, I picked up a elitedesk 800 G2 skylake i5-6500 with 256ssd SFF for $320 (was listed at 379 or best offer) via ebay the other day...the skylakes are dropping as more supply becomes available..

I see that the 6500 supports quick sync but not hyperthreading. I found on another thread that Ken says BI is highly multithreaded How does that CPU handle BI?

 

[fenderman]

I see that the 6500 supports quick sync but not hyperthreading. I found on another thread that Ken says BI is highly multithreaded How does that CPU handle BI?

The i5's dont support hyperthreading..this is true of the i5-4590 as well
http://ark.intel.com/products/80815/Intel-Core-i5-4590-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_70-GHz

 

[srfrmac87]

thanks for the help on this aspect, i think i am going the route of separate NVR. for my applications, it seems easier to keep my network segmented using that and hopefully save some power that way also. unless a new computer is stronger and strong enough to handle the camera software and the webserver etc, i will be keeping my current server anyway. just trying to keep number of devices down overall and adding another computer without removing one just doesn't help me at this time.

I'm trying to make that classic decision between Hikvision and Dahua. Initially i was thinking Hikvision because of their mini dome (DS-2CD2532F-(I)(S) or similar) and how small it is. I was planning on putting that into my door frame (front door has sidelights) and this small camera seems like it will fit and really cover my front door well (I would plastidip the white housing to camouflage it better. Other than that, I have some folks that i know that really like Dahua. They were recommended to me by an installer for cost/benefit and for NVR overall throughput/network rates. until learning this information i was thinking Hikvision because i recover video occasionally from DVR/NVRs and thus far the Hikvision had best quality (by far, but i have not run into too many other HD network cameras).

My goals are to have a camera near each door to my house (3 right near main doors about 7 feet from ground, 1 an overview of side of house where a door is and camera semi close about 8 to 10 feet from the ground), 1 in my garage (about 10 feet from the ground), and about 3-4 around my house (about 10 to 12 feet from the ground). Eventually, i want to add a LPR at the beginning of several developments where this road is the only entrance. It will help dozens of houses in my neighborhood potentially. as time goes on i will also add more cameras as needed for additional coverage, other areas, additional viewpoints from other cameras that are too high up but valid to keep as overall views. I will update with my general property layout and all to give you a better idea of my applications here. generally speaking, they are going to be a mix of general surveillance/security. Some cameras to get facial recognition, others to keep coverage of property.

in the mean time, does anyone have any recommendations on which way to go with this?

 

[srfrmac87]

So,

I hope this helps explain my situation a little bit better:

This is my house...kind of:




Here are my two possible thoughts for how to set up my cameras:

A B


Set up as follows:
1: front door 2.8 mm camera under porch
2-7: various cameras 4 mm-8 mm depending on suggestions around the house. most a more general over view for most (note difference in camera 4 between two)
8a: extra camera to make up for wider view in 4a
8b: interior camera since 4b is more zoomed in



Roofs are generally all about 20 feet above ground. gutters are all 8 to 12 feet above ground/deck. It is my general preference to mount them just under the gutter area, there is about a 12 -18 inch overhang all the way around the house, under the cover of the roof. i want to utilize this as much as possible as it is easy access to run wiring, and it will provide some protection to the cameras.

any thoughts help is appreciated. again i need help determining if this is appropriate placement and what types of cameras are recommended for me.

 

[frankred]

If you are thinking about buying 8 cameras, why not start with 2x 2.8mm and 2x4mm or even 1 each? Then you can do a few trials by stringing loose cat6 along the ground and temporarily mounting cameras. Try this during the day and night so you see what your shots look like. You may want to add an external IR source via POE and a POE splitter for certain locations. Your mounting plan sounds good. Camera 4: I don't see a need for a smaller fov from your graphic...