Need any help I can get -- buying piece at a time?

drumdude67

drumdude67

n3wb
Mar 17, 2017
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Hi guys,

I am glad to find this forum...I went to another forum and got pointed slightly in the right direction but it kinda died out...

I'm looking for a relatively simple <=4 camera setup. Since my initial budget idea was $200, I was told to just get an NVR first and then buy cameras as funds are available. I'm looking for outdoor cameras for a residence.

Can you guys possibly recommend a route to go?

An under $200 NVR (which one?) or go the PC route with blueiris?

I can afford up to $300 to start, right off the bat. Then maybe $200 per month after that until I'm set. Probably stopping at 3-4 cams.

Anybody have an ideas? Many thanks for the help...and apologies to join and ask questions right away :)

-John

PS - I am a software developer and have fairly good tech sense...so some reasonable config work on my end is fine (networking, etc)
 
drumdude67 said:
Hi guys,

I am glad to find this forum...I went to another forum and got pointed slightly in the right direction but it kinda died out...

I'm looking for a relatively simple <=4 camera setup. Since my initial budget idea was $200, I was told to just get an NVR first and then buy cameras as funds are available. I'm looking for outdoor cameras for a residence.

Can you guys possibly recommend a route to go?

An under $200 NVR (which one?) or go the PC route with blueiris?

I can afford up to $300 to start, right off the bat. Then maybe $200 per month after that until I'm set. Probably stopping at 3-4 cams.

Anybody have an ideas? Many thanks for the help...and apologies to join and ask questions right away :)

-John

PS - I am a software developer and have fairly good tech sense...so some reasonable config work on my end is fine (networking, etc)
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum...you will want to match the cameras to the NVR if you go that route...you budget is way too low...if you must, buy a camera will sd card storage so you get immediate recording then look at NVR's/blue iris...
A good start would be the dahua starlight thread..
 
fenderman said:
Welcome to the forum...you will want to match the cameras to the NVR if you go that route...you budget is way too low...if you must, buy a camera will sd card storage so you get immediate recording then look at NVR's/blue iris...
A good start would be the dahua starlight thread..
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply! I totally see now the 200 budget is too low. Thats why Im saying I can do like 200 or 300 on JUST the NVR or whatever, then add cameras later for more. Any thoughts considering this?
 
drumdude67 said:
Thank you for your reply! I totally see now the 200 budget is too low. Thats why Im saying I can do like 200 or 300 on JUST the NVR or whatever, then add cameras later for more. Any thoughts considering this?
Click to expand...

$170 will buy you a turret, with money leftover, go go go. no need to buy the NVR with one camera, get 2 cams then get an NVR.
 
drumdude67 said:
Thank you for your reply! I totally see now the 200 budget is too low. Thats why Im saying I can do like 200 or 300 on JUST the NVR or whatever, then add cameras later for more. Any thoughts considering this?
Click to expand...
Why in the world would you by an NVR when you have no cameras to connect it to? Save the money and buy them at the same time OR follow my advice above and start with cameras. You can buy two fixed lens starlights for 260 total or so..pop sd cards in them...
Then buy a 100-150 dollar i5 sandy bridge or ivy bridge pc to run blue iris or use milestone which is free for up to 8 cameras...(make sure the pc is at least sandybridge with quicksync, dont by a first gen i5) not for 360 you have a system...
 
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Thanks to both of you! Fender, the buying an nvr first was just a suggestion someone else made at another forum. But I hear you on that -- id rather have a camera first and then move on from there.

I'll search the forum here for good places to buy the starlights.
 
Oh....should the starlights be POE style? I know theyd be standalone at first...but i want to think of the future as well.
 
drumdude67 said:
Last question, i think....i see, on here, some aliexpress links for purchasing those cams...would you happen to know of a specific camera and place to purchase? Is this where you would order?

--Starlight 2MP - Wholesale products with online transaction

If so, which one would you recommend? Many thanks.
Click to expand...

Aliexpress.com : Buy DAHUA 2.7mm ~12mm motorized lens 2MP WDR IR Eyeball Network Camera IPC HDW5231R Z ,free DHL shipping from Reliable network camera suppliers on Empire Technology Co., Ltd

He shows out of stock right now though.
 
drumdude67,

Welcome to the forum!

drumdude67 said:
I'm looking for a relatively simple <=4 camera setup.
Click to expand...

I'd recommend a "future proof" approach.
Many, many times people add more cams than they thought they initially needed. If you go the NVR route, more channels doesn't increase the cost dramatically.
My wife likes having the cameras, and a remote display in the kitchen. When IVS detects someone come up the driveway, the android app makes a noise and she glances at the monitor. She is now asking for cams for the back and side of the house.
So don't start out limited to 4 cams.

Another reason is coverage. 4 wide angle cams can cover a lot of your yard, so you might think you're "covered". Wide angle cams are lousy for security in many situations. Read about "Overview" versus "Security" on this other thread. Scroll down past the camera mounting portion, and read about coverage, pixels per foot, facial identification, choke points, etc. Best way to mount under eaves?

If you're like most, your understanding will change as you get experience.

Fastb
 
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Fastb said:
drumdude67,

Welcome to the forum!



I'd recommend a "future proof" approach.
Many, many times people add more cams than they thought they initially needed. If you go the NVR route, more channels doesn't increase the cost dramatically.
My wife likes having the cameras, and a remote display in the kitchen. When IVS detects someone come up the driveway, the android app makes a noise and she glances at the monitor. She is now asking for cams for the back and side of the house.
So don't start out limited to 4 cams.

Another reason is coverage. 4 wide angle cams can cover a lot of your yard, so you might think you're "covered". Wide angle cams are lousy for security in many situations. Read about "Overview" versus "Security" on this other thread. Scroll down past the camera mounting portion, and read about coverage, pixels per foot, facial identification, choke points, etc. Best way to mount under eaves?

If you're like most, your understanding will change as you get experience.

Fastb
Click to expand...
That's awesome she wants more cameras, mine just seems to not care much, she likes the living room cam because she can check on the dog. Perhaps this weekend I will show off some of the fancy stuff I can do with the ptz.
 
My wife loves her Pomeranian. There are coyotes where we live. The cameras record the coyotes when they're on the property, where they walk, what they pay attention to. Somehow, this makes her feel "aware", "knowledgeable", or maybe more "in control" . Dunno.
Here's a coyote near our front door, for example


And we have new neighbors. No side fence. They plan on remodeling, so lotsa contractors, subs, etc. Wife believes burglaries sometimes occur due to tip-offs from workers or delivery guys....
Hence, a cam will go up for side yard.

I said "she likes the cams" - but she also likes the "early warning" tones that someone is coming up the driveway. So it's not the cam, per se, but a fringe benefit (the tones). Maybe tell your wife about that (assuming you have IVS, and receive push notifications on your phone)

Lastly, when out and about, if someone comes up the driveway, we can immediately view video to see who it is. My wife likes that as well.

Good luck generating some interest!

Fastb
 
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hmjgriffon said:
Aliexpress.com : Buy DAHUA 2.7mm ~12mm motorized lens 2MP WDR IR Eyeball Network Camera IPC HDW5231R Z ,free DHL shipping from Reliable network camera suppliers on Empire Technology Co., Ltd

He shows out of stock right now though.
Click to expand...

Thank you, but that is not outdoors, right? Can you point me to an outdoors version? I see this one:

Aliexpress.com : Buy Dahua 2MP starlight IR Mini Dome Network Camera IPC HDBW4231E AS ,free dhl shipping from Reliable network camera suppliers on Empire Technology Co., Ltd

But that listing has no reviews...if you happen to know where to buy the outdoor version of that one you had, thatd be awesome.
 
drumdude67 said:
Thank you, but that is not outdoors, right? Can you point me to an outdoors version? I see this one:

Aliexpress.com : Buy Dahua 2MP starlight IR Mini Dome Network Camera IPC HDBW4231E AS ,free dhl shipping from Reliable network camera suppliers on Empire Technology Co., Ltd

But that listing has no reviews...if you happen to know where to buy the outdoor version of that one you had, thatd be awesome.
Click to expand...
The turret is an outdoor camera..Do not buy the dome in your link...
 
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Does it matter if its pal or ntsc? Im in the US....is that a factor? im going to wait for that seller to get them in stock.
 
With ip cams, and digitized video, both pal and ntsc will work fine.
 
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Thanks again, guys. So here is what Im going to do...if anyone sees anything that isnt a good idea, please chime in!

First, im getting two of the $170 turret cams that hmjgriffon suggests...the seller is out of stock but ill buy when hes got them in, unless someone knows somewhere else.

I plan to run some cat 5 or 6 cable, and bury under ground (might need a protective pipe or outdoor cat5 maybe?) right in to my current network. Ill use something free to watch on the PC for now. Might need to buy a switch with POE first, not sure if I have one.

Second, when I get paid again in a couple weeks, im getting either an NVR or a PC with at least the capabilities mentioned above. and blue iris. Not sure which route to go yet.

Thanks to all of you for getting me even this far!
 
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