New from Pennsylvania - setup questions

mat200 said:
Welcome mdm,

Congratulations you've done a great job - everything off hand looks fairly good.

PAL will be fine. Doesn't really seem to matter much with IP cameras.

I have read here that BI does not take advantage of additional graphics cards - just the chip instruction set in i5/i7 - thus why the CPU is so important. Thus you can save some money by not getting the graphics card.

NO Cat5. Cat5e OK. Cat6 better. Recommend Cat6 in general as the price different is not so much compared to cat5e - and if you are only buying 1 box you may want to use it else where.

Clip of my notes from SD wiki:
Lorex / Dahua OEM 6x 4K / 8MP security camera system w/ 8 port POE IP NVR 2TB HDD kit at Costco B&M YMMV for $799.99

Cat 5e / Cat 6 ethernet cable:
DO NOT buy CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum) wire - it is a fire hazard
  • Recommended that you buy buik cat5e/cat6 cable and not use the cable which comes in the kit, as if you need to return it you will have to also return the cables.
  • Recommended vendor for bulk Cat 5e / Cat 6 cable is monoprice, they often have sales during the weekend.
  • Either Cat 5e or Cat 6 cable will work with these cameras. Normally Cat6 cable is a bit thicker due to the plastic separator in the cable. Also Cat 6 cable often has wires slightly thicker than what you see in Cat 5e cables. While a thicker copper wire means less voltage loss over the run, it may not be significant for most of us. Note the spec for ethernet and PoE is 100M / 328 feet.
  • If you are pulling multiple wires through 1/2" EMT pipes or other tight spots it maybe better to use cat 5e.
  • If you are only buying one bulk box of cable you may want to get cat6 in case you would like to wire up other locations.
  • There are numerous types of Cat 5e / Cat 6 cable, you want to get Solid unshielded cable, either for in-wall installation or plenum rated cable ( better for multistory buildings and business type buildings ).
  • If you plan to have the cables exposed to direct UV get a UV rated cable, or place the cable in conduit. Otherwise the cable will degrade over time.
  • Also get RJ45 ends which are rated for solid wires, as well as a crimping tool.
  • Remember to cut the cable longer than you think you will need, and leave some extra length in case you need to adjust the location a bit.
  • Recommend pulling N+1 or more cables to each location, where N = number of cameras you plan to have. This way if you decide to add an additional PoE or ethernet device nearby you can in the future.
  • If your attic is too short to easily work in recommending using Grey PVC pipe 3/4"+ and pushing the sections to the locations you want to run the cat5e/cat6 cabling to.
  • Have a friend help you pull the cabling so you can reduce snags and knots which may cause breakages. Also remember not to pull the cable with too much force as it is more delicate than electrical cables that you may be used to pulling.
  • You can use the pull tools which electricians use to help with the wiring pulls.
  • Unshielded vs shielded cable - typically you can avoid using shielded cable, just try to keep the cable 1 foot or more from electrical lines, florescent lights, and electrical motors. If you must pass by something which produces EMF / electrical interference you can use a section of EMT pipe in that location to pass the cat5e/cat6 cable through.
  • Thieves have been known to cut telcom cables to houses as well as cat5e/cat6 to cameras - if you feel the need to protect your cables do consider putting them in conduit or run the lines inside the wall. ( Metal EMT works well in most cases, in humid environments you may want to consider less strong non-metal conduit. )

Ref:
Fancy tools for wiring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cNC4AN_us4
Drywall holes fixing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXhDlDBzXjY
Click to expand...

Hi @mat200
What about Cat6a? Does it perform better over longer distances or is that a myth? I have a few runs that seem long to me. It looks like most I've read say problems beyond 300M. Is that the distance from cam to switch or total distance all the way back to the router? Would my proposed setup work with 6a? Thanks again.
 
mdm said:
Hi @mat200
What about Cat6a? Does it perform better over longer distances or is that a myth? I have a few runs that seem long to me. It looks like most I've read say problems beyond 300M. Is that the distance from cam to switch or total distance all the way back to the router? Would my proposed setup work with 6a? Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Hi mdm,

Cat6 and even Cat5e works well enough, of course if you're looking to use the same cable for other locations which you want to use faster networking for computers then getting a box of cat6a would be good.

A lot of new construction the advice is to stop installing cat5e and use cat6, or even cat6a.

The current security cameras due to H264 and better compression are very good about reducing the bandwidth required, so you do not need cable for faster gigabit speeds ( cat6a ).

Either way ideally you want to not exceed 328 feet, as that is the spec. If you have a very long run you can add a switch hopefully some place to keep the distances within spec.

I personally bought cat6 for my work as I thought that would be good enough.
 
mdm said:
Hi @mat200
What about Cat6a? Does it perform better over longer distances or is that a myth? I have a few runs that seem long to me. It looks like most I've read say problems beyond 300M. Is that the distance from cam to switch or total distance all the way back to the router? Would my proposed setup work with 6a? Thanks again.
Click to expand...
sorry - 100m not 300m!
 
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mat200 said:
Hi mdm,

Cat6 and even Cat5e works well enough, of course if you're looking to use the same cable for other locations which you want to use faster networking for computers then getting a box of cat6a would be good.

A lot of new construction the advice is to stop installing cat5e and use cat6, or even cat6a.

The current security cameras due to H264 and better compression are very good about reducing the bandwidth required, so you do not need cable for faster gigabit speeds ( cat6a ).

Either way ideally you want to not exceed 328 feet, as that is the spec. If you have a very long run you can add a switch hopefully some place to keep the distances within spec.

I personally bought cat6 for my work as I thought that would be good enough.
Click to expand...

New standards were recently adopted for 2.5/5 G ethernet. That's because 10G ethernet over copper never really happened for the home consumer market and small business too. The gear is too expensive and the per port costs were too high. Many felt that 1G was plenty for the home.

With the advent of 1G fiber wan connections, and newer wireless standards, the new ethernet standards were born.

I stopped using cat 5e, based on the new standards - where you can get 5G over cat 6, but 2.5G over cat 5e. I think that's why we are moving from cat 5e - which is perfectly fine for 1G ethernet - or the stuff folks are actually using.

It remains to be seen if the consumer gear starts to come with 5G ports. My entire house is wired with 5e, and I am not worried about it or regretting that at all. But if I wired it now I would do 6.
 
Thanks everyone...@mat200 @fenderman @Stanley71 @EMPIRETECANDY @suddenstop
I got my first cam from @EMPIRETECANDY (-- DAHUA 2.7mm ~12mm 2MP WDR IR Eyeball Network Camera IPC-HDW5231R-Z -- thanks Andy -- cant believe it got here so quickly). I have an unmanaged switch, a spool of cat6 cable and connectors, and a dedicated PC running BI. Next big issue -- I of course want to remote access my feeds --- I have gathered from my reading on here that setting up a VPN is the way to go rather than port forwarding (e.g., VPN for noobs), but I have Verizon Fios and this Verizon supplied router -- Actiontec MI424WR (Rev. I)http://onlinehelp.verizon.net/consumer/bin/pdf/VzMI424WRUserManualv4.pdf. Now I have the feeling you are going say "get rid of that craptastic thing" -- I would if I could but I need it for TV VOD and other features and apparently I need to stay connected from ONT to this router via coax. I have been reading about setting up another router using the actiontec as a bridge (e.g, Ditch the Actiontec MI424WR router! - Verizon FiOS | DSLReports Forums; Ditch the Actiontec MI424WR router! - Verizon FiOS | DSLReports Forums). I have little experience with networking, but would appreciate any suggestions especially if anyone has done this bridge thing having FIOS. Also, any suggestions on a well-featured but dead simple router to go with behind the actiontec. I want to set my system up wisely, maintain security, and be able to grow. I appreciate this help.
 
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Reactions: mat200
mdm said:
Thanks everyone...@mat200 @fenderman @Stanley71 @EMPIRETECANDY @suddenstop
I got my first cam from @EMPIRETECANDY (-- DAHUA 2.7mm ~12mm 2MP WDR IR Eyeball Network Camera IPC-HDW5231R-Z -- thanks Andy -- cant believe it got here so quickly). I have an unmanaged switch, a spool of cat6 cable and connectors, and a dedicated PC running BI. Next big issue -- I of course want to remote access my feeds --- I have gathered from my reading on here that setting up a VPN is the way to go rather than port forwarding (e.g., VPN for noobs), but I have Verizon Fios and this Verizon supplied router -- Actiontec MI424WR (Rev. I)http://onlinehelp.verizon.net/consumer/bin/pdf/VzMI424WRUserManualv4.pdf. Now I have the feeling you are going say "get rid of that craptastic thing" -- I would if I could but I need it for TV VOD and other features and apparently I need to stay connected from ONT to this router via coax. I have been reading about setting up another router using the actiontec as a bridge (e.g, Ditch the Actiontec MI424WR router! - Verizon FiOS | DSLReports Forums; Ditch the Actiontec MI424WR router! - Verizon FiOS | DSLReports Forums). I have little experience with networking, but would appreciate any suggestions especially if anyone has done this bridge thing having FIOS. Also, any suggestions on a well-featured but dead simple router to go with behind the actiontec. I want to set my system up wisely, maintain security, and be able to grow. I appreciate this help.
Click to expand...
You can learn more here, sometimes just need little time, you will be a big guy soon. Lol
 
Thanks @looney2ns
I am following this except, I cant figure out how to apply it to a particular jack. It just asks for the IP address. Here are the steps suggested.
  1. Open your Web browser and enter http://192.168.1.1 in the Address field.
  2. Enter the router username and password.
  3. Click the Security icon at the top of the screen.
  4. Click DMZ Host.
  5. Enter the IP address and click OK.

It is auto-populated with 192.168.1.0.

Do I use that? If so, how to I know which jack it applies to and thus which jack to plug the ASUS router into?
If something different, how do I figure that out?
Sorry I am such a noob on this -- learning alot along the and appreciate the help.
Oh...one other thing -- any thoughts on this router
https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Band-AC1750-4-Port-Gigabit-RT-AC66U_B1/dp/B01N08LPPP/

thanks again
 
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mdm said:
Thanks @looney2ns
I am following this except, I cant figure out how to apply it to a particular jack. It just asks for the IP address. Here are the steps suggested.
  1. Open your Web browser and enter http://192.168.1.1 in the Address field.
  2. Enter the router username and password.
  3. Click the Security icon at the top of the screen.
  4. Click DMZ Host.
  5. Enter the IP address and click OK.

It is auto-populated with 192.168.1.0.

Do I use that? If so, how to I know which jack it applies to and thus which jack to plug the ASUS router into?
If something different, how do I figure that out?
Sorry I am such a noob on this -- learning alot along the and appreciate the help.
Oh...one other thing -- any thoughts on this router
https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Band-AC1750-4-Port-Gigabit-RT-AC66U_B1/dp/B01N08LPPP/

thanks again
Click to expand...

That router would be good.

The IP address it is wanting, would be that of the new router. Its just telling the fio's router to open DMZ to that IP address of the New router. Sorry I wasn't clear. It doesn't matter which actual lan port the new router is plugged into on the fios.
So if your new router has an IP 192.168.1.0, then the default that comes up is fine.
You can change the IP in the new router if need be.

From the manual:
To designate a local computer as a DMZ host: 1. Select DMZ Host from the left side of any Security screen. The “DMZ Host” screen appears. 2. Click in the “DMZ Host IP Address” check box, then enter the IP address of the computer to be designated as a DMZ host. Note that only one network computer can be a DMZ host at any time. 3. Click Apply. Click in the “DMZ Host IP Address” check box again to disable the DMZ host.
 
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looney2ns said:
That router would be good.

The IP address it is wanting, would be that of the new router. Its just telling the fio's router to open DMZ to that IP address of the New router. Sorry I wasn't clear. It doesn't matter which actual lan port the new router is plugged into on the fios.
So if your new router has an IP 192.168.1.0, then the default that comes up is fine.
You can change the IP in the new router if need be.

From the manual:
To designate a local computer as a DMZ host: 1. Select DMZ Host from the left side of any Security screen. The “DMZ Host” screen appears. 2. Click in the “DMZ Host IP Address” check box, then enter the IP address of the computer to be designated as a DMZ host. Note that only one network computer can be a DMZ host at any time. 3. Click Apply. Click in the “DMZ Host IP Address” check box again to disable the DMZ host.
Click to expand...
Ah.. OK. That really helps. I am going to give it a go once I have the new router in hand. Thanks for the guidance!
 
mdm said:
Ah.. OK. That really helps. I am going to give it a go once I have the new router in hand. Thanks for the guidance!
Click to expand...
In process trying to set up DMZ on FIOS router with new Asus router to get OpenVPN running. It says I have to set up DDNS first -- but when I go to that tab to set up and it says
"The wireless router currently uses a private WAN IP address. This router may be in the multiple-NAT environment and DDNS service cannot work in this environment"

Any suggestions? I pointed the DMZ from my FIOS router to the new ASUS router IP.
 
looney2ns said:
What is saying you have to setup DDNS?
Click to expand...
When setting up the asus (router.asus.com), I click on VPN on the left hand side and then OpenVPN. Then there are two tabs (VPN server and VPN client). I am on VPN Server. Then yellow text pops up saying "The wireless router currently uses a private WAN IP address. This router may be in the multiple-NAT environment and DDNS service cannot work in this environment" I can click on "enable OpenVPN server" though then it asks for VPN details, and then username password can be added?
 
Hey mdm,...total novice here as well -- even my 1st post! (you are actually light years ahead of me with knowledge based on your terminology!!)
Anyway didn't mean to jack your thread, but I am from PA too , just wondered what area you are from? Philly suburbs here.

It's really nice to see the help offered here as I have a million questions myself and some are probably more newbie related than yours!
Either way good luck but sounds like your'e getting down pretty quickly.
 
CJ555 said:
Hey mdm,...total novice here as well -- even my 1st post! (you are actually light years ahead of me with knowledge based on your terminology!!)
Anyway didn't mean to jack your thread, but I am from PA too , just wondered what area you are from? Philly suburbs here.

It's really nice to see the help offered here as I have a million questions myself and some are probably more newbie related than yours!
Either way good luck but sounds like your'e getting down pretty quickly.
Click to expand...

Welcome CJ555,

Checkout the following notes and enjoy the fire hose of security camera knowledge ;)

It's easy to get swamped with information here, so I wanted to share some notes with you

Please check out @giomania 's notes:
Dahua Starlight Varifocal Turret (IPC-HDW5231R-Z)

I have also made notes which are a summary of a lot of the reading I've been doing here,:
Looking for some advice and direction!

Have fun joining us here.
 
CJ555 said:
Hey mdm,...total novice here as well -- even my 1st post! (you are actually light years ahead of me with knowledge based on your terminology!!)
Anyway didn't mean to jack your thread, but I am from PA too , just wondered what area you are from? Philly suburbs here.

It's really nice to see the help offered here as I have a million questions myself and some are probably more newbie related than yours!
Either way good luck but sounds like your'e getting down pretty quickly.
Click to expand...
Thanks...you are giving me too much credit. I spent about a month lurking here trying to see what I was getting into, but got tons of help from this forum. My challenge now is to try to get a VPN working with Verizon FIOS. Yep, I am in Philly. Hopefully I will actually get a cam up this weekend. I will keep posting my progress...good luck to you!
 
Thanks for the links mat200. I will definitely check them out.

mdm, yeah please keep updating your progress. I have Comcast Xfinity so not sure what issues I'll run into when I finally buy my system (thinking of going with Nelly's just based on the support.), but I am definitely interested in seeing how your system came together.
 
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