Hi Neil,
Look Andy's email here, or PM him. I have that NVR and it works well enough. Also a lot of people really like a separate PoE switch and
Blue Iris on a windows PC here.
My notes from another site w/regards to wiring PoE:
Security Camera System Minimal Viable Product requirements:
- 1) It must be Reliable.
- 2) It must be able to capture good enough images to potentially ID suspects.
- 3) It must be useful for evidence. [ thus date and time stamps are critical ]
What does this mean in practical terms?
Wired systems with local storage will be the most reliable. While some maybe able to get wifi cameras to work well enough it requires a significant investment in building and maintaining a quality wifi network, which most people are unwilling to learn and spend the resources to do.
Quality cameras are required. 1080p+ The best way to determine if a camera is good is to test it and compare it to others. Megapixels is only one factor to look at, and does not in itself determine the quality of the image. That said, your search should avoid 720p and poorer spec'ed cameras, they tend to be the cheaper cameras and provide poorer results. Test both day time and night time.
Few consumer marketed cameras have date and time stamps. This is critical if you plan to use your video images for evidence.
Common mistakes:
- Too few cameras installed. Plan for at least 6-8 cameras. Have 2+ cameras covering the approach to and including the front door area.
- Cameras mounted too high. Mount cameras < 8 feet high to get a good angle for potential ID purposes.
- Poor quality, resolution, and wide angle cameras resulting in short ID distances.
- Over estimating the quality of motion detection and video snap shots and thus no recording full time ( 24/7 )
- Over estimating the reliability of wire free and wifi cameras, as well as cloud connectivity.
- Placing cameras indoors behind windows looking out. Window glass typically will reflect IR signals, thus rendering PIR motion detection and IR base night vision nearly useless.
- Installing dome cameras outdoors. Dome cameras have more glare and IR reflection issues as well as over the long term direct UV exposure will decay the plastic dome. Turret / Eye ball form factor cameras are often better options.
Think about using multiple products
No one system or product is able to do multiple functions well. A security camera system is only one useful tool. Also look at an alarm system, as well as other protective measures. Furthermore, it is OK to actually purchase multiple products to augment each other. For example,
doorbell camera / intercom technology is still rapidly developing - so perhaps purchasing a separate product and using that in conjunction with a good wired security camera system.
Installation recommendations and notes:
[*]
1) DIY - YES you can do this!
- Plenty of resources online to help guide you from videos on youtube, blogs, to forums. ipcamtalk.com for instance has a large number of us from Slickdealers doing DIY installs to save some cash.
- Depending on your building / house construction this can be an easy DIY job to a complex DIY job. One story houses with accessible attics will typically be easiest.
- Expect to run ONE cat5e/cat6 line from the NVR to EACH IP POE camera. If you need to "split" a line - it gets complex and more expensive as you are now looking at more equipment - cheaper to just run the cable for most of us.
- If you are going to a separate building, such as a detached garage - do seriously consider pulling your cat5e/cat6 line directly there if it is close enough ( 100M / 328 feet ). If that will be too hard an alternative which people like is using a powerline adapter with a POE power injector for each camera in the garage.
- Test your locations before pulling the cable to it. ( see notes previously )
- Bench test your cameras to be certain they work well before installing them.
- Recommend considering running any additional lines at this time - perhaps a couple to your media center. For each camera I ran 2 cables - so if I have have an issue I can try the other cable. Remember to cut the cable longer than you expect to use to make it easier to put the connectors on as well as give enough slack to move your location around a bit also if your cable is running outside cut it even longer to allow you to install a "drip loop" to help direct water away from the camera.
- Recommend the junction boxes / public fixture boxes listed in the notes. Even if you do not use EMT conduit they are very nice.
- Recommend the stretch silicone tape to help keep water out of the connection also. When wrapping it be certain you keep the RJ45 connection tight to the camera.
- Protect the cat5e/cat6 from direct UV exposure. You can paint the cable to match the walls. If you have sliding you can often push the cable under the sliding. Recommend 1/2" EMT for surface mounted cable runs, especially in locations which it would be easy for someone to reach and cut the cable. If you are in a location which has high humidity, you may want to consider a conduit more resistant to rust / oxidation.
- Do not over bend the cat5e/cat6 cable and do not pull to hard on it, as you can cause a break in it. HAVE SOMEONE help you do the cable pulls.
- Consider using 3/4"+ grey electrical PVC pipe for cable runs in the attic if you attic space makes it difficult to stand up in.
- Remember to limit the number of 90 degree turns if using conduit as it can get difficult to pull cable through.
- Recommend monoprice.com for Cat5e/cat6 cable, keystone jacks, RJ45 connectors, and tools for cable work. Watch for sales on the weekends from them.
- If you need to, cutting small sections of your indoor drywall from one stud to the next can be a very good way to gain access to your wall cavity to drill and bring wiring down to the proper location.
- HAVE FUN.
[*]
2) Hiring a contractor:
- Recommend looking for A. securty cameras and/or alarm system installers or B. Electricians - a good one should be able to do a very nice job. Expect the price to vary depending on the complexity of the job which will be mostly dependent on the construction and layout of your building / house. Expect the quotes to vary a bit, and expect the work to start early in the AM if it will be a hot day.
- According to Home Advisor the cost to install ( no hardware, just install ): National Average $1,448, Typical Range $747 - $2,149, High End $3,500.
https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/...ce-camera/
Camera location planning:
https://ipvm.com/calculator
Ref:
https://kintronics.com/calculatin...ip-camera/
What do you want to accomplish with a security camera system?
- Is the day time more of a threat? or night time? If night time look at the starlight models referenced here. If a combination get both starlights and consider good 4K cameras.
- See what happened?
- Potentially ID suspects?
- Help deter criminal activities?
- Keep an eye on your car parked in your drive way? in the street?
- Potentially ID cars which suspects maybe using?
- Watch of other activities, wild animals, your dogs, your cats, birds,..
- While you are thinking about these issues, you will need to look at potential camera installation locations and measure the distance to the potential suspect and determine if you are within the ID distance. You may need a camera with a better "zoom".
How many cameras do I need?
That's a difficult question to give a good answer to as it varies depending on the quality of the camera and what you are attempting to accomplish. I have seen 32 cameras in just one pharmacy, so you should not be shy about installing more cameras than you initially imagined.
For a modest house expect decent coverage with 6-8 good cameras. For better coverage and / or larger houses / buildings plan on getting a system which can support up to 16+ cameras.
Recommended Locations for outside cameras:
( For modest sized houses cameras can cover multiple areas - example one of the front of the house cameras can cover parking area, expect to use 6-8 cameras for a modest size home. )
2x for front of house
1-2x covering car parking area if outside
1-2x covering front entrance
2x covering side of house ( one on each side )
2x covering back of house
1-2x covering each entrance
1-2x covering sidewalk / street in an attempt to ID vehicles ( you may need a better "zoom" for this camera )
Recommended - optional
- locations for indoor cameras: ( If wiring a new house add cat5e/cat6 connections even if you decide not to include cameras )
1x camera per each entrance
1x camera in the garage
1x cameras hidden facing out from the TV/media center area at face level
Addition DIY installation notes:
1) Bench test all security camera systems before installing to determine if you are happy with their performance. Test both day light conditions as well as night time / low light conditions.
2) test the view in the locations you plan to place the cameras before running your wiring, you may need to adjust the location a bit. A gopro on a stick, or your cell phone on a selfie stick can be useful here. You can also run temporary wiring to the location and use the phone app and view the cameras in realtime to adjust the view. Remember to take account of the FOV ( 88 degrees for these cameras ) of the cameras you plan to install - it will be different than your cell phone or gopro camera.
To obtain better night time images try to minimize the view of surfaces which will bounce the IR light back to the camera and negatively affect the night time exposure. ( reduce the view of walls, roof over hangs, fascia, soffits, .. )
3) If you plan to use the cameras to potentially ID suspects, place the camera(s) lower than 8ft covering potential entry ways. Also remember the spec for IDing purposes is 100+ppf. Thus wide FOV cameras have shorter ID distances. A 4K camera will have 2x the distance to ID compared to a like 2MP / 1080P camera ( given both captures same quality of pixels ).
4) keep the wiring bundle protected from the elements by either pushing it back into the wall / attic area or use a junction box ( for this model please see the reference above ) I used silicone tape such as the following to help keep the water out of the connections
https://www.harborfreight.com/1-i...61414.html
5) recommend getting a 1000ft bulk cat5e/cat6 cable from monoprice ( watch them for sales during weekends, get solid copper ) and the appropriate tools to crimp RJ45 ends to the cables - this will allow you to drill smaller holes during your installation. ( otherwise you will need 3/4"+ holes ) [
DO NOT buy CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum) wire - it is a fire hazard ]
6) Have a friend help you with the wiring pulls
Bench Testing, What do I need to do?:
You want to test to be certain that everything is working from the kit.
Connect the NVR and cameras up and power up all devices, view at night and day time, see if focus is OK, IR lights work, colors good during daytime. Test each port of the NVR. You can then also play with possible locations and positioning of your cameras before finalizing your wiring. You may also want to test the configuration and settings of the NVR at this time.
Test the LNR6826K kit ( NVR: LNR6100 / LNR6108, 6x 4K PoE cameras LNB8005 ) on screen display ( OSD ) live view, try both a computer monitor and 4K TV if you have one. There have been reports of lag on live viewing w/screens attached to the NVR, so you will want to determine if that is acceptable or if you should be purchasing a higher model kit, or more powerful NVR, or using a i5/i7 PC running Blue Iris. Reports that live viewing directly from the cameras work well. Remember, the value of the cameras alone is significant and thus you will still have a deal if you decide to use these cameras with another recording / display system.
New Construction additional notes:
- Before the drywall goes up is the most affordable time to add wiring. Pull wires to all locations you may use - better to over do it now than under do it.
- Pull N+1+ cat5e/cat6 wires to each location, N=the number you plan to use, pull at least one extra line.
- Remember to add wiring for alarms, extra electrical sockets to support your security cameras, media center, data center ( that's where your switch, NVR, NAS will be ), as well as the front entrance, wifi access points and routers, voice control units like Echo Dot, speaker/audio wiring,..
- Pull electrical and several cat5e/cat6 lines to your front gate area. ( 2 sets of underground conduit is best - one for electrical the other data/cat5e/cat6 )
- Plan for the option to install video intercom / video doorbell by the front door and gate. ( example of such a product http://www1.dahuasecurity.com/pro...-7391.html ) Plan for future upgrades as this tech is changing quickly.
- Have the electricians install METAL boxes - I have seen too many subcontractors and later tenants break plastic gang boxes.
- Inspect the job site regularly - even daily, Inspect for straightness and squares, many subcontractors measure only once...
- Consider hiring an independent inspector to help you.
- "Wireless connections are for devices that run on batteries. Everything that can be wired should be. Save yourself and others from years of connectivity problems and run network cables to your office, bedrooms, media center, and locations where you want to install wifi access points. Unless you like slow speeds and intermittent connections." - from another forum
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. )
- I like using the 568-B standard: http://www.incentre.net/wp-conten...le568b.gif
- Here's what looks like a good write up on crimping the ends: https://www.warehousecables.com/l...-cable.php
Ref:
Fancy tools for wiring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cNC4AN_us4
Drywall holes fixing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXhDlDBzXjY
