Need help with custom camera setup

Rub8322

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Hello, I am new here with no experience in this field.

I am planning to buy my custom build camera system, should I do cctv or poe?

I'm leaning towards Poe as it maybe simpler to setup and less costly, please advise.

If Poe is my best route, what are the items I will need to complete it and make it work, (ex poe switch, software, etc.)
 

Abbell

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I have and installed many analog CCTV systems. I highly recommend going to IP (POE) cams. I will not pretend to be an expert, but there is some information you will require. How many cameras, what kind of coverage are you looking for, what kind of storage and what is your end goal.
 

Rub8322

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I'm looking to use from 3 to 4 cameras to cover up as much wide angle as possible, night vision, with phone app recording storage if better than nvr. Im not familiar with the security camera field so the simpler way would be best for me but also to be effective.
 

Kawboy12R

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Skip analog CCTV stuff and get yourself an NVR kit with PoE IP cams. Use your phone to connect remotely to the NVR when you want to view things from away, not for event storage. Just don't expect the wide angle cams you say you want to be useful for identification unless people come right up close to the cameras. Wide angles are good for close up ID and for telling you what's going on. People are often frustrated by seeing footage of folks stealing stuff from their cars at a distance and having crappy quality for ID at a distance because there's not enough pixels or light on target after 10-20 feet or so.
 

Kawboy12R

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Depends on what you're trying to do. Indoor store coverage? Home entrances only? Vehicles in a driveway? Distant mailbox? Plates at night? Distances?

The short answer is a kit from some place like Nelly's or Wrightwood or Costco and match lenses to your needs. A costco kit will probably be all wide angles and you'd buy some 6, 12, or 25mm lensed cams from somewhere to address your specialized needs. 2.8 to 4mm lensed cams are good for people coming up right to the cam and showing you what's going on or what happened. You'll nees some 6mm or longer lenses to properly cover parked cars right near your house, short driveway entrances, etc. Car on the street? Probably 12mm or a ptz if it isn't parked in the same spot all the time. Not enough info for a great answer yet though.

What's the budget? Don't forget to allow money for improved lighting such as dusk to dawn, motion, and maybe external IR illuminators, particulary if you want even halfway reliable video motion alerts. I'm not trying to scare you away, but there's a bit to know what someone wants out of their system before properly recommending one. If you already have a decent desktop computer that sits around not doing much most of the time, preferably i5 or better, and aren't afraid of a bit steeper of a learning curve and configuring it yourself, then skip the NVR and run something like Blue Iris and add a PoE switch to power the cams. Don't forget to add another HD for video storage depending on how long you might need footage for though.
 
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