New member looking for some insight

[Skatophilia]

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone is doing well. I am looking at getting some cameras for my home.
I have uploaded a sketch of what I am looking for. I was hoping I could get some insight on what would be the best cameras to install.

Some facts:
Budget: $2k or less for everything (all accessories, computer to run blue iris on, cameras, etc)

Cameras: probably 6 or 7. They are marked with an X on my house with arrows showing which way they would be looking. in the back left corner I did not include one looking out to the road as we are hoping to plant multiple trees there.

I am hoping to run CAT5 throughout and doing PoE. I don't wan't wireless.

I don't think I would need the cameras to be spectacular for night vision? since there are 3 street lights around the house that give off decent light, as well as the lights on our home. If someone has an opinion on that I would be more than happy to hear it of course.

the X5 camera would be in the garage.

I live in Canada so the weather would be going down to around -35/-40C in the winter for some periods of the time.

A question I have:

I would want to lock down the cameras so they aren't trying to reach the outside world. Now I know I would be creating a VLAN for this. However, if this is the case does that mean that I wouldn't be able to remotely access the cameras to see what's happening at my place or is there away around that?

If there is anything else anyone can think of please let me know.

Thanks for everyones inputs and suggestions.

Take Care

 

[wittaj]

See this thread on the importance of focal length to cover the area you want to IDENTIFY and get the right camera for the job. The proper MP/sensor combo and focal length are two important factors.

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection

At the urging of several folks here, I created a thread to show the importance of focal length and how focal length can be more important than megapixels (MP). I mentioned some of this in the post regarding The Hookup’s latest video demonstrating different cameras, including one sold from a...

ipcamtalk.com

These sensors are tiny and you will want the right MP/sensor combo or the camera will be blind at night.

These cameras run hot, so the cold will not be an issue. Many people here are from colder climates.

Get a second ethernet card for your BI computer and that is how you keep the cameras off the internet. For roughly $20 you add the 2nd NIC and run all the cameras to that NIC and then the internet goes to the other NIC. Or you can pay more for a managed switch to VLAN, but the dual NIC system is by far the easiest and cheapest.

Then you use a free VPN like OpenVPN to review cameras remotely. Do not use a paid VPN as that is meant to hide your IP and will be useless.

VPN Primer for Noobs

The internet is a force of nature; no video surveillance system made was designed to be exposed to those forces.. NEVER FORWARD PORTS to your NVR or Cameras, doing such things not only exposes you to severe security problems, but everyone else on the internet too.. Hackers dont want your video...

ipcamtalk.com

How to Secure Your Network (Don't Get Hacked!)

Many camera networks are unsecure, even those installed by professionals. This guide gives basic instruction in how to secure a camera network from the most common types of attacks. Perhaps the most important rule of securing a computer network is to not forward ports to unsecure services...

ipcamtalk.com

Consider reaching out to @EMPIRETECANDY a trusted vendor here to get your cameras. He has an Amazon presence as well.

 

[samplenhold]

I would want to lock down the cameras so they aren't trying to reach the outside world. Now I know I would be creating a VLAN for this. However, if this is the case does that mean that I wouldn't be able to remotely access the cameras to see what's happening at my place or is there away around that?

Since you stated that you would be using BI, there is no reason to be able to access the cams directly from the internet. Use a VLAN or as @wittaj stated, use a second NIC in the BI computer to isolate the cams from the rest of your home LAN and the internet. If you want to see what is happening to your house, then you use a VPN to log in to your BI PC and see the cams in BI. Either way, you could still access the cams in a web browser from the internet by opening that browser on the BI computer over the VPN.

It would be hard to give you specifics for each location. I recommend getting one good varifocal cam, like the Dahua T5442T-ZE and mount it on a test rig as described in the WIKI. Move that around to your locations to get an idea of what a cam will show in each location. Since it is a varifocal, you may be able to use that cam to pick a fixed focal cam and save some money. You should be able to see what a 2.8, 3.6, or a 6mm fixed lens cam will show. This will also give you some experience with cams and help you understand what they can and cannot do. No need to buy everything at one time. Allow your growing experience to help you adjust your plan as needed.

Here is what I use as a test rig.

 

[Graate]

Hello! I'm from Chicago and I am also looking for cameras for the home at an affordable price.



Grate, worktime more

 

[sebastiantombs]

"Affordable price" is kind of like asking how long is a piece of rope. To borrow a phrase "it all depends on what your definition of affordable is".

 

[samplenhold]

Hello! I'm from Chicago and I am also looking for cameras for the home at an affordable price.



Grate, worktime more

See the WIKI. Also, if you have specific questions, start your own thread.

 

[Skatophilia]

Thank you to everyone who commented! I will take a look and see what I find out! Appreciate the links to the threads.