New Home and suggestions

[mnjeepmale]

Recently bought a home and my next project will be to get cameras installed to cover the entire house.

I have some experience with camera systems like EagleEye & EZWatch NVR. I also helped install a Backstreet Surveillance system at a friend's house several years back.

What I'm thinking is to have a POE camera system, 30 days of storage, and the ability to access the cameras from my phone without a monthly fee. Good day and night time vision. I installed a Unifi network at the house and have no issue running cat6 cables.

Any advice on where to start?

 

[sebastiantombs]

Have a look in the Wiki, in the blue bar at the top of the page. Read the material in there, then come back here with questions. No one can design a system for you without having basic information that you will need to develop after reading that material.

 

[mat200]

Recently bought a home and my next project will be to get cameras installed to cover the entire house.

I have some experience with camera systems like EagleEye & EZWatch NVR. I also helped install a Backstreet Surveillance system at a friend's house several years back.

What I'm thinking is to have a POE camera system, 30 days of storage, and the ability to access the cameras from my phone without a monthly fee. Good day and night time vision. I installed a Unifi network at the house and have no issue running cat6 cables.

Any advice on where to start?

Hi @mnjeepmale

Cliff Notes in the wiki have some good general sections which are good to start with .. don't worry too much about the camera models listed there, as there are newer models out now.

 

[mnjeepmale]

I'll start with the wiki section and start looking over that. A lot of information about Blue Iris. Never used that before. Since I'm still in the winter months I'm looking to decide which NVR to go with first. Wether Blue Iris or a rack mount. Thanks and I'll look into the wiki pages.

 

[mat200]

I'll start with the wiki section and start looking over that. A lot of information about Blue Iris. Never used that before. Since I'm still in the winter months I'm looking to decide which NVR to go with first. Wether Blue Iris or a rack mount. Thanks and I'll look into the wiki pages.

Hi @mnjeepmale

imho the placement and positions of the cameras and the associated cabling are most critical as once you have the cabling runs done you can always change out NVRs / VMSes and cameras.

Feel free to post a picture / diagram of your house once you've done your first attempts to decide on placements to get some feedback from the members.

 

[mnjeepmale]

Hi @mnjeepmale

imho the placement and positions of the cameras and the associated cabling are most critical as once you have the cabling runs done you can always change out NVRs / VMSes and cameras.

Feel free to post a picture / diagram of your house once you've done your first attempts to decide on placements to get some feedback from the members.

Yeah makes sense. I'll have to draw a diagram and post it. I already have an idea of where to put the cameras. One on each corner of the house to cover all areas. Just not sure how i'll be able to run cat6 cable in the attic to one side of the house since I have vaulted ceilings in the living room and kitchen.

 

[mat200]

Yeah makes sense. I'll have to draw a diagram and post it. I already have an idea of where to put the cameras. One on each corner of the house to cover all areas. Just not sure how i'll be able to run cat6 cable in the attic to one side of the house since I have vaulted ceilings in the living room and kitchen.

one option is conduit outside ..

 

[The Automation Guy]

Yeah makes sense. I'll have to draw a diagram and post it. I already have an idea of where to put the cameras. One on each corner of the house to cover all areas. Just not sure how i'll be able to run cat6 cable in the attic to one side of the house since I have vaulted ceilings in the living room and kitchen.

If you have attic access to either side of the vaulted ceiling, you can usually run cables pretty easily. What you need is a fiberglass pushrod. They are threaded poles about 1/4" in diameter and about 3' long. You can thread as many as needed together to be able to push (or pull) a wire through the vaulted section. There probably isn't room to get a person through that section, but there should definitely be room to get a wire through that section.

PS - please read the wiki closely before making any decisions. 4 cameras on the corners of your house are just about worthless when it comes to security footage. You will be able to tell that someone is in your yard, but those cameras will never provide enough detail to positively identify a stranger if needed. You need to decide what parts of you yard you want to cover more effectively - like maybe your driveway and entrance doors. This will require more/different cameras than just 4 in the corners of you house.

 

[sebastiantombs]

In terms of the number of cameras, I've found that if you're house is a box you need eight cameras, two on each side looking back toward each other, just to provide true, full, coverage. Each projection or recess adds more cameras. This may sound like overkill or setting things up like it's a high value target, but it's reality if you want an effective system that will provide not only full coverage, but coverage that can actually identify who did what. To the basic number of eight, add another two at the main entry, one for ID one for package drop area, and, depending on the garage/driveway, another one, two or three.

 

[SouthernYankee]

my system

1) the front door needs three cameras, one doorbell camera pointing out, one pointing at the package drop area, one pointing back to the front door.
2) the garage entrance Needs two cameras pointing out mounted no higher than the top of the garage door. Each side of the door.
3) the inside of the garage need two cameras one point at the garage door and one point at the house entrance
4) each entrance to the house must be covered by a camera.
5) each camera must be covered by another camera, If i can destroy a camera it must be covered, recorded by another camera.
6) in my house all public areas inside are covered, kitchen, living room, dining room, halls, game room, den
7) all outside doors are covered by a camera inside, pointing out.
8) I currently do not have any license plate reader cameras, but it is on the todo list.

Test do not guess
Get one good high quality variable focus camera Use it to test each camera location, have a "bad guy wearing a hoodie" walk by at night with no lights on. Will the Video be used to help the cops id them, will it stand up in court, if not you have wasted your money and time. Use a 5 gallon bucket of rocks and a 2x4 to mount the camera at the desired height and position.