Need help picking out Equipment for remote Location- Needs to boot back up easily

[dalepa]

I have a remote bay house and just use a mini-PC running 7 cams including 3 Huisun 10x.. I love my Huison 10x for 3 reasons: The price (~$150 Here), the ability to PTZ 10x 260deg, and my favorite reason, they don't attract bugs or spiders. Nothing more frustrating than leaving on Sunday and Monday a web is blocking my Hikvison cams. I've never had a web on the 10x's.

I also have a 10x on the end of my 300ft pier looking back, and another one watching the sunset.

With the 10x, you probably dont need to mount a camera on the tree, you can zoom in from a mount on the house. Indoors or fixed areas, a Hikvision turret will work.

The BlueIris Android/IOS apps work great for remote viewing/alerting...

My Suggestions

 

[CaliGirl]

Sorry to bug you with all the questions. This task has been more challenging then first expected.

I google searched the beep out of "NVR4208-4K" and can't find one with POE or at a reasonable price. This one is $379 with no HDD. Where did you buy yours overseas?

1. Can I buy one with-out POE and add a powered switch easily?
2. Most don't come with a HDD. Is it simple enough to buy a Purple 4TB and format it correctly myself with a Mac?

 

[Q™]

...With the 10x, you probably dont need to mount a camera on the tree, you can zoom in from a mount on the house...

This is true -- however -- the trees between the house (in the posted photograph) and the lake are going to block horizontal field of view (the Pan part of the Pan/Tilt/Zoom); IMO a more effective approach would be to mount the PTZ camera as close to the shoreline as possible which would allow an unobstructed horizontal view/sweep of the lake and shoreline. In addition while Nayr is right about "sway" that is one big-ass tree and -- again IMO -- the sway that tree MIGHT experience at the height/location indicated by the red star will be minimal. Furthermore, if sway did become an issue then de-install the camera from the tree and mount it at an alternative location using a different approach.

Once again...all IMO, eh?

 

[CaliGirl]

Here is one with no POE for $294

 

[CaliGirl]

Ya, not enough field of view for the PTZ under the deck. Needs to be on the big tree, a pole near by, or maybe on the dock somewhere.

Biggest thing holding me up is finding a 4TB Dahua 16ch NVR-4k or picking a Blue Iris capable computer as suggested by Q2U and dalepa.

This website is so helpful as an IP newbie.

I am getting very excited about this project!!! Going to capture some amazing scenery, snow, sunsets, wildlife, birds, etc.

 

[Anto]

Here is one with no POE for $294

FYI, Dahua products sold on Aliexpress and Ebay will not be covered under Dahua warranty because the sellers are not authorized Dahua dealers.

I purchased this new Dahua NVR4208-4k on Ebay for $199.00. Dahua will not cover it under warranty and the seller doesn't give a darn. I should have read all the details on Ebay. Positive feedback on Aliexpress and Ebay is a bunch of baloney...notice the seller I purchased the NVR from has 100% Positive feedback.

 

[Q™]

Huisun Mini-PTZ v2: $150.00. Runs on POE. Read up on getting the newest model with the "external POE" dongle. Build a roof over it to keep the snow off of it (like a birdhouse, but without any sides or front on it). Folks are going to chime in about the Huisun Mini-PTZ v2's newly reported failures but the "external POE" dongle may resolve this issue. In addition, it's $150.00...if it needs to be replaced just throttle back the power boat for a couple of hours, eh?

 

[mando209]

Need help picking out Equipment for remote Location- Needs to boot back up ea...

Wow up to 12tb.that is alot of video.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mando209]

Need help picking out Equipment for remote Location- Needs to boot back up ea...

If u are aiming for the huisun cam I would check out YouTube.check to see if u like the 10x zoom.u probably might want 20x or 30x get more view of the Forrest?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[fenderman]

I would certainly not recommend a Huisun for a remote location where the next visit will be a while out...they are not reliable. No one has a clue if the proposed "fix" will work....

 

[CaliGirl]

Legendary @Q2U. Bird house over the tree Camera is perfect. I can already see what it will look like. And it will protect from the heavy snow load. So the Huisun Mini-PTZ v2 is great for the tree, but need to add the additional POE adapter to power it, vs normal POE. I think that is the gist of it?

Yes @mando, the longer the zoom the better for this camera, as there is 3+ miles of view to engage with and allow visitors to checkout the lake. I don't think that tree moves all the much in the wind at the base of the thick trunk. But, if it does, I will just move the camera or install a pole or put it on the dock. With POE that makes things easy. Googling what happens if POE shorts out in the snow and if there is a protection to the POE switch :/

@fenderman can you recommend something else the Huisun given your experience? I was really starting to like the idea of the mini Huisun PTZ. But not if it is a hassle. The Foscam's have been rock solid all summer as long as the power is working. Only time they go down is when the power goes out in the winter now. Then some come back on and some never do. I was thinking an 8hr UPS might solve that issue. But, not sure how long the UPS will run with a blue iris computer and 5 cameras.


We get some bad storms that knock the power out overnight:

 

[Q™]

@mando209 thanks me for recco'ing the Huisun Mini-PTZ...then thanks Fenderlicious for trashing the Huisun Mini-PTZ. One side o' da fence or the other bro...not both!

 

[fenderman]

Foscam is bottom barrel junk...If you want a reliable ptz go with dahua or hikvision...you will pay 500 or so...

 

[bp2008]

If there is a way to reduce the Windows Tower cost that would be nice. Do I need a computer display, or is the idea to set it all up with hdmi on a TV and hide the tower once it's all working? Or remotely log in from my Macbook Pro and adjust the windows tower.

Absolutely the cost of this can be reduced. Look at this one for example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-EliteDesk-800-G1-DM-USDT-USFF-i5-4590T-8Gb-500Gb-Windows-10-Pro-E4-/391529701084?hash=item5b28fd1edc:g:aukAAOSwyLlXoloL That is about the size of a mac mini, but faster and a whole lot cheaper (since it is refurbished). You can set it up with a TV, keyboard, and mouse, and either leaved it connected that way or hide it and log in remotely from a mac like you say. This particular model I linked doesn't have an HDMI output but you can get a DisplayPort to HDMI cable/adapter to solve that.

There is also nothing inherently unreliable about a "computer" vs an NVR. NVRs are computers too ... they are susceptible to the same hardware failures as any other computer. The only thing that makes a PC less reliable is all the power you have to break things if you don't know what you are doing A dedicated Blue Iris system with all automatic updates disabled can run just as reliably as any NVR.

So here is what I came up with, after all the nice advice:


$500~ Windows 10 Tower (couldn’t find anything about Skylake?) What specs do you suggest for blue iris?
$75 POE switch: amazon is this ok for up to 100ft cable runs maybe, prob more like 50 though
$200 Huisun Mini PTZ: where to buy? amazon $199?
$300 (3) Hikvision turrets: can you suggest a model number where to buy, amazon looks like fakes?
$60 (3) cat6 ethernet cable 100ft each: amazon
$60 UPS backup APC amazon
$60 Blue iris
$10 Blue Iris IOS

=$1,265

The PoE switch you found is one of the most popular and most cost-effective. As others have said, you are fine for at least 300 feet of cable per run.

I think most people buy their Huisun/Hikvision/Dahua cameras from aliexpress. Just be careful which sellers you give your money to. Aliexpress is basically Chinese Ebay ... you need to do a little basic research into the reputation of a seller before you buy from them. The big drawbacks of buying this way are that it usually takes weeks for your items to arrive, and if any of them fail after a while you don't have any local warranty support. Even if a seller will take it back, it is too much time and money to ship a camera back to China. Fortunately, cameras are rarely defective and you save enough on each camera that you could afford to lose a third of them and still come out ahead. I personally use this seller usually, but there are many others to choose from: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1282343?spm=2114.01010208.3.23.sSBXBb

When you buy cat6 cable, be sure that what you buy uses pure copper conductors. Many inferior cables use copper-clad-aluminum (CCA) and you should avoid that.

 

[Q™]

...Mini-PTZ v2 is great for the tree, but need to add the additional POE adapter to power it...

As I remember, the Huisun Mini PTZ requires "POE+" that meets the 802.3AT standard.

...I don't think that tree moves all the much in the wind at the base of the thick trunk. But, if it does, I will just move the camera or install a pole or put it on the dock...

I would think that a dock would move a tad more than a tree.

...I was thinking an 8hr UPS might solve that issue. But, not sure how long the UPS will run with a blue iris computer and 5 cameras...

If my memory isn't failing me I do believe that if you get the right UPS you should be able to have the UPS send a shutdown signal to the PC when the UPS battery runs low and then -- as I remember -- there is a facility which will boot the PC when the power comes back on. @nayr or @bp2008 should have better information about this UPS functionality 'cause they're both network geeks whereas I am a poseur.

 

[bp2008]

If my memory isn't failing me I do believe that if you get the right UPS you should be able to have the UPS send a shutdown signal when the UPS battery runs low and then -- as I remember -- there is a facility which will boot the PC when the power comes back on. @nayr or @bp2008 should have better information about this UPS functionality 'cause they're both network geeks whereas I am a poseur.

Any decent UPS has a USB cable and software you can run on a PC to have the PC shut down automatically after a power outage. However this won't shut off the network gear and the cameras, so the UPS will still go dead in a long outage. I haven't found a UPS yet that can make a computer turn back on. Most PCs have a feature that can be enabled in the BIOS to make the computer turn on automatically after power is lost and then restored, but this only works if the PC actually loses power. If it got shut down because the UPS told it to, it won't come back on.

 

[tangent]

I don't see a PTZ birdhouse working that well. A fixed or maybe a varifocal camera may make more sense.

If you buy a Dahua NVR, Dahua cameras are probably a better choice than Hikvision. Both of these brands are pretty good, but Hikvison has been creating more problems for people who buy chinese region cams with modified english firmware.

 

[bp2008]

If you buy a Dahua NVR, Dahua cameras are probably a better choice than Hikvision. Both of these brands are pretty good, but Hikvison has been creating more problems for people who buy chinese region cams with modified english firmware.

I don't know if Dahua is any better about firmware and support than Hikvision. Dahua is just less popular right now on this forum so you don't read as much bad press about them. As long as you never need to update firmware and never forget your passwords, there isn't a lot of reason to need support from either company.

 

[Q™]

I don't see a PTZ birdhouse working that well...

Not a birdhouse as I envision it...rather a "roof" over the PTZ, much like a roof on a birdhouse.

 

[CaliGirl]

I'm more confused then ever guys :/.

I appreciate everyone's advice 10 folds!!!!!! I can't decide if an NVR or Dell Desktop with Blue Iris is the way to go for power outage reliability? You all make such great points.