Looking for a camera security system.

[metaprogram]

Thanks for the pointers. Regarding Blue Iris, where does it get the video from? Do I configure my cameras to save to a NAS and then point the software at the NAS? Usually the software is running *on* the NVR / NAS, so when you say to install Blue Iris on a Windows Box it makes me wonder if the software plays nicely with NAS solutions.

 

[fenderman]

Thanks for the pointers. Regarding Blue Iris, where does it get the video from? Do I configure my cameras to save to a NAS and then point the software at the NAS? Usually the software is running *on* the NVR / NAS, so when you say to install Blue Iris on a Windows Box it makes me wonder if the software plays nicely with NAS solutions.

it gets the video from the camera as does every other solution. BI runs on windows...you can record to nas. But its alway best to record locally then you can store old video to nas. you can record to both if you wish. BI will run circles around any standalone nvr or nas. How you concluded that BI wont play nicely with nas simply because it runs on a windows machine is beyond me. Do you understand what NAS is? are you confusing NAS with an NVR?

 

[metaprogram]

I understand what NAS and NVR are, but I've never had a surveillance system set up so I'm not sure of the exact flow of data. Consider a situation like some cameras recording to a Synology NAS running Surveillance Station. The NAS itself has an operating system installed (probably some variant of BSD), and my impression (which may be wrong) is that you install some kind of Surveillance Station daemon *on* the NAS, and they then provide a client which runs on Windows which will connect to the NAS to allow you to view the videos and control the settings of the cameras.

So let's say I have the same Synology NAS now and I want to use Blue Iris instead of Surveillance Station, but I don't want the video to go through my normal day to day Windows machine. I just want it to go directly to the NAS. I don't have a lot of physical space and I'd like something that I can just stick up in my attic out of sight / out of mind. Is this possible?

 

[fenderman]

I understand what NAS and NVR are, but I've never had a surveillance system set up so I'm not sure of the exact flow of data. Consider a situation like some cameras recording to a Synology NAS running Surveillance Station. The NAS itself has an operating system installed (probably some variant of BSD), and my impression (which may be wrong) is that you install some kind of Surveillance Station daemon *on* the NAS, and they then provide a client which runs on Windows which will connect to the NAS to allow you to view the videos and control the settings of the cameras.

So let's say I have the same Synology NAS now and I want to use Blue Iris instead of Surveillance Station, but I don't want the video to go through my normal day to day Windows machine. I just want it to go directly to the NAS. I don't have a lot of physical space and I'd like something that I can just stick up in my attic out of sight / out of mind. Is this possible?

no, the blue iris machine has the camera feed streamed directly to it.
you can point a recording folder to the nas if you wish..it will be like any other storage and not related to surveillance station.
You dont want any nvr running in a hot attic.
you dont want to use your daily machine for blue iris - you can buy a machine for 100-500.
all this info and more is available in the wiki

 

[nuraman00]

buddy, you already have the NVR,why install SD card again? This is waste of money i think, other options seems not bad for the money you cost.

Thanks for your input. I was thinking in case someone takes the NVR, I would at least have local storage on the cameras. But that's why I asked. If people think it's a waste of money, then I'll pass.

I just thought of one more thing.

Should I be using a Uninterrupted Power Supply, for the NVR? So there would still be power for a little bit, if the power went out. If so, can someone recommend a model?

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Thanks for your input. I was thinking in case someone takes the NVR, I would at least have local storage on the cameras. But that's why I asked. If people think it's a waste of money, then I'll pass.

I just thought of one more thing.

Should I be using a Uninterrupted Power Supply, for the NVR? So there would still be power for a little bit, if the power went out. If so, can someone recommend a model?

then need a power bank to supply the cams. you can lock the nvr in a cabinet or hide somewhere not easy find. Normally the thief will stole the money or expensive items, not find the nvr firstly after break into, lol.

 

[nuraman00]

reolink wifi just toys can't say as a surveillance, watch hikvision or dahua. Your budget can get a better system, why not.

@metaprogram, do a forum search for Reolink here and see what you think from folks that own them. They're usually not happy threads.

On the blue bar at the top of the screen, click on the Wiki, and look for the link to the Cliff Notes. It's got a lot of good info for what most folks on here are using to build their systems. In short, Dahua Starlight model cameras <because they're the best for low-light conditions>, PoE instead of WiFi <both require just one wire run to the camera, but PoE is infinitely more reliable that WiFi>, and either a Dahua NVR <which works with the advanced motion detection features on the Dahua cameras like IVS/Tripwire, something Surveillance Station can't do> or Blue Iris NVR software running on a Windows box <which has its own advanced motion detection features built in>.

@metaprogram, I think these are good recommendations.

 

[nuraman00]

These were the 2 uninterrupted power supplys that were recommended.

What does everyone think, about whether I should get one, and about these models (or any others)?

https://www.amazon.com/APC-Battery-Protector-Back-UPS-BX1500M/dp/B06VY6FXMM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1527189953&sr=8-3&keywords=apc+1500va+ups

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000DZU02A?tag=price17125-20&ascsubtag=wtbs_5b0712771993b12519558b54

 

[fenderman]

These were the 2 uninterrupted power supplys that were recommended.

What does everyone think, about whether I should get one, and about these models (or any others)?

https://www.amazon.com/APC-Battery-Protector-Back-UPS-BX1500M/dp/B06VY6FXMM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1527189953&sr=8-3&keywords=apc+1500va+ups

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000DZU02A?tag=price17125-20&ascsubtag=wtbs_5b0712771993b12519558b54

what will you be running on them?

 

[nuraman00]

what will you be running on them?

The NVR. So recording can continue during a power outage.

One of the last two installers recommended an uninterrupted power supply. He also recommended not plugging my TV into it, as it would drain power faster. After thinking about it, I agree only essentials (the NVR) should be used.

So it would be the NVR and nothing else.

 

[fenderman]

The NVR. So recording can continue during a power outage.

One of the last two installers recommended an uninterrupted power supply. He also recommended not plugging my TV into it, as it would drain power faster. After thinking about it, I agree only essentials (the NVR) should be used.

So it would be the NVR and nothing else.

your installer is pretty silly, you can plug your tv into it, your tv is not going to be on and running when you are not home during a power outage.
Those are two very different ups's in terms of available power.

 

[nuraman00]

your installer is pretty silly, you can plug your tv into it, your tv is not going to be on and running when you are not home during a power outage.

Thanks. That's why I wanted to ask here, to see if that concern about the TV draining power was valid.

Those are two very different ups's in terms of available power.

According to the NVR specs:


https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...nvr_4sata.html


The NVR itself uses 15.2 Watts (without the hard drive), and the PoE uses 150W.


So the load might be 165 Watts.


Using this Amazon runtime chart, I would be getting 10-15 mins of backup if I went with the TrippLite.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000DZU02A...onvert-20&th=1


Am I doing the math correctly? If so, that's not much. If I do this, I'd like to at least get 1 hour, maybe 45 mins. Other I don't think it's worth it.


Is this something that can be done, for $100 - $300?

Do you have a recommendation about an uninterrupted power supply model, or the ones the installer recommended? I'm not sure what specs I should be looking for.

 

[looney2ns]

@nuraman00
Please take the time to study the Wiki....as pointed out to you.

 

[nuraman00]

@nuraman00
Please take the time to study the Wiki....as pointed out to you.

I looked through the wiki again, but couldn't find sections on uninterrupted power supplies. Perhaps I wasn't searching for the right keywords.

If the answers to my uninterrupted power supply questions are on the wiki, can you please help point me in the right direction?

Thank you.

 

[looney2ns]

Cyberpower is a popular brand.
Me, I'd buy the largest capacity you can afford.
A good ups will save you grief not only in power outages, simple power sags and quick drops offs and back on.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_10?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=cyberpower+ups&sprefix=cyberpower,undefined,174&crid=1ORUSS91S1SFV

 

[nuraman00]

Cyberpower is a popular brand.
Me, I'd buy the largest capacity you can afford.
A good ups will save you grief not only in power outages, simple power sags and quick drops offs and back on.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_10?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=cyberpower+ups&sprefix=cyberpower,undefined,174&crid=1ORUSS91S1SFV

Thanks.

https://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1500AVRLCD-Intelligent-Outlets-Mini-Tower/dp/B000FBK3QK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I'm still not sure how to tell what the runtime will be, if all I plug in is the NVR.

Did I do the math correctly, that the load would be about 165W, in post #172? How do I apply that, to get the estimated runtime for the UPS above?

 

[looney2ns]

Thanks.

https://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP1500AVRLCD-Intelligent-Outlets-Mini-Tower/dp/B000FBK3QK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I'm still not sure how to tell what the runtime will be, if all I plug in is the NVR.

Did I do the math correctly, that the load would be about 165W, in post #172? How do I apply that, to get the estimated runtime for the UPS above?

Go to their website, there is calculator there..

 

[nuraman00]

Go to their website, there is calculator there..

Thanks.

Their runtime graph didn't show increments between 100W and 200W.

I called CyberPower 's customer support, and told them what I would be using it for. I also asked them whether I was doing the power consumption calculations correctly.

They agreed that I should be adding 150 + 17 W = 167 W.

I asked if they could give me a better runtime estimate. They said they had internal tools for that, and that they estimated between 45 - 50 minutes for about 167 Watts.

That sounds good to me.

CP1500AVRLCD - Intelligent LCD UPS Series - Product Details, Specs, Downloads | CyberPower

This is for the 1500 VA, with a max load of 900W.

I also called the company, Refurb UPS.

I told them my scenario again. They also confirmed that I should be adding the watts, to get 167 W.

They recommended this model to me:

APC Smart-UPS 1500 LCD (SMT1500) - APC UPS System | RefurbUPS.com

This one has 1440 VA, with a max load of 1000W.

APC's website has a more discrete graph.

Country Selection Page

The guy on the phone estimated about 80 minutes of runtime. Looking at the graph, this would give me 101 minutes of runtime, at 170 watts.

And the cost from Refurb UPS is $210 pre-shipping, which becomes $272 after shipping.

This APC model is also 60 pounds! That seems too big for home use.

Whereas the CyberPower one is $145, shipping included. The weight is also 25 lbs, for reference.

Thoughts?

 

[aristobrat]

Remember that 150W is the maximum output. The PoE switch will only consume as much power as the cameras connected to it require. I have a 150W max PoE switch with 9 cameras connected to it and right now (it's afternoon here, so no IR lights on) it's running at 23.63W. It'll go up a bit at night when the IR lights click on, but IIRC it's still under 45W...

I personally run the APC 1500VA that you linked to in your first post. I'd imagine that the CyberPower one above would be just as good (and a little less expensive).

 

[nuraman00]

Remember that 150W is the maximum output. The PoE switch will only consume as much power as the cameras connected to it require. I have a 150W max PoE switch with 9 cameras connected to it and right now (it's afternoon here, so no IR lights on) it's running at 23.63W. It'll go up a bit at night when the IR lights click on, but IIRC it's still under 45W...

I personally run the APC 1500VA that you linked to in your first post. I'd imagine that the CyberPower one above would be just as good (and a little less expensive).

Thank you. How do you know that it's running at 23.63W? Does your APC tell you that? Would the CyberPower also tell me that?

I'd be having 8 cameras.

EDIT: I think it tells you that, and that's what the number on the LCD represents. I just wanted confirmation.