Old Telecom guy here... Care to help me choose gear?

[Slugger]

Hey guys - been lurking here for awhile and made a few posts. Decided I should come here and properly introduce myself:

I'm a 40-something year old Real Estate agent. But I have an Industrial Engineering undergrad degree and I'm a self-proclaimed gadget geek. Coming out of school I was an enterprise Telecom/Wif specialist from 2000-2013. For years, I worked with Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse and their IT department. I was actually a certified WiFi administrator back in 2004. So that's my background.

We recently renovated an old 1927 home and took out all the plaster walls. So I had the opportunity to run Cat6 throughout. I did this all myself pulling a few all-nighters! I put in 2 runs at various exterior corners of the house where I thought I might want a camera (but wish I had found this site first...)

For now, I've got an I7 windows machine I only use as a Plex server so my plan is to simply add Blue Iris to it. And after a bit of reading here I've just about settled on starting with a few IPC-T5442TM-AS cams to get going (unless the varifocal versions come out soon).

My current network consists of several computers, TVs, streaming boxes, IoT devices, smart home tech and a couple Linksys Velop nodes serving Wifi and acting as a router. Right now I just have a few dumb switches connected piecemeal running a completely flat, dumb network. I've had several cameras in the past but currently we only have a Ring Pro doorbell. I've had Wyze, Arlo Pro and 2010 era Foscam units in the past.

I've been wanting a "Real" home network for awhile. I plan to setup 6-12 cameras within the next 1-2 years so now seems like the time to plan my future network as well. All the gear will be in my basement in a 42u Dell server rack I found for cheap. I'm currently trying to decide between a cheap, used enterprise grade 48 port PoE switch or something Pro-consumer oriented like the Ubiquity 48-500 PoE. At the moment, I'm not sure if I will have several VLANs and inter-VLAN routing but I'd like to leave that option open in the future.

I would go the full Ubiquity network route but that's ~$1,000 that I really don't have for this project. If I do that I may only start with one camera lol... And of course my wife won't understand why I would spend $1k on something she will never see or "use" so I'm thinking starting with more cameras might get me more leeway for expansion (I put in some smart curtains and she absolutely loves those) I am planning many other smart home additions in the coming years but we really need a few cameras soon...

Please feel free to provide input on network gear and/or cameras. Or any other advice for my planning... I'm all ears!

 

[Holbs]

Had to move a couple computers at Lowes this week after running some new Cat6
Others will chime in who have more knowledge than me as everything I have learned is just simple OJT at home/DIY so lot's of holes in my line of thinking.
I am a cabling technician by day so I have the luxury of material, tools, know-how to install Cat6 through out my house (I'm at...36 or 38 cables so far). Less WiFi use, the better.
I have no children, no wife so I do not have to worry about "important" others may think or allow.
You have a i7 Windows machine for Plex. What generation? I went from a i7-4770 to a i5-9600 running 15 cameras 24/7 continuous recording. A HUGE difference going from 4th gen to 9th gen.
It is usually recommended to have a dedicated platform for Blue Iris solo than to be shared.
To make things streamlined, I decided to go all in on Dahua camera's. Fantastic reviews, affordable.
Cisco switch vs Ubiquiti. I guess all depends on what you are comfortable with in configuring. I have low skills when it comes to command prompt style programming so GUI from Ubiquiti Unifi works for me. Plus, no yearly license fees or maintenance crap with Ubiquiti. I have read there are downfalls with Ubiquiti (they do not have the support staff like Cisco, but who does?) but they are minor issues that do not affect me in a home use environment.
I opted to go Ubiquiti only because I snagged a new 48 port managed POE switch (retail of $800+) for a measly $100 at a local auction. That started me out on going all in on Ubiquiti equipment. Bought at UDM router (didn't need the pro) and a couple AP's.
Anyone who has a managed system will always have VLAN's. I currently have 4. Could see having 6 or more at some point.

In summary..my advice:
1.) purchase Dahua cameras here from Andy (20+ different camera's to choose from, research what you need)
2.) put Blue Iris on it's own platform
3.) hardwire cameras where you can (sometimes, it's just not possible).
4.) go all in for Ubiquiti (different router models, research what you need)....also, keep an eye on local auctions. Especially if you have a local auction house that specializes in Amazon returns. They seem to be everywhere.
5.) lay all thoughts, ideas, opinions, do's/don't, want's/need's on paper. When I started out with Blue Iris / IP camera's...I also knew that one day I would get into home automation (Home Assistant) and also a home security system (DSC with network interface). I have all 3 nearly talking to each other. Skynet got nothing on me
6.) maybe think of getting a Synology NAS for that cool factor and plex server duties.

 

[looney2ns]

Hey guys - been lurking here for awhile and made a few posts. Decided I should come here and properly introduce myself:

I'm a 40-something year old Real Estate agent. But I have an Industrial Engineering undergrad degree and I'm a self-proclaimed gadget geek. Coming out of school I was an enterprise Telecom/Wif specialist from 2000-2013. For years, I worked with Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse and their IT department. I was actually a certified WiFi administrator back in 2004. So that's my background.

We recently renovated an old 1927 home and took out all the plaster walls. So I had the opportunity to run Cat6 throughout. I did this all myself pulling a few all-nighters! I put in 2 runs at various exterior corners of the house where I thought I might want a camera (but wish I had found this site first...)

For now, I've got an I7 windows machine I only use as a Plex server so my plan is to simply add Blue Iris to it. And after a bit of reading here I've just about settled on starting with a few IPC-T5442TM-AS cams to get going (unless the varifocal versions come out soon).

My current network consists of several computers, TVs, streaming boxes, IoT devices, smart home tech and a couple Linksys Velop nodes serving Wifi and acting as a router. Right now I just have a few dumb switches connected piecemeal running a completely flat, dumb network. I've had several cameras in the past but currently we only have a Ring Pro doorbell. I've had Wyze, Arlo Pro and 2010 era Foscam units in the past.

I've been wanting a "Real" home network for awhile. I plan to setup 6-12 cameras within the next 1-2 years so now seems like the time to plan my future network as well. All the gear will be in my basement in a 42u Dell server rack I found for cheap. I'm currently trying to decide between a cheap, used enterprise grade 48 port PoE switch or something Pro-consumer oriented like the Ubiquity 48-500 PoE. At the moment, I'm not sure if I will have several VLANs and inter-VLAN routing but I'd like to leave that option open in the future.

I would go the full Ubiquity network route but that's ~$1,000 that I really don't have for this project. If I do that I may only start with one camera lol... And of course my wife won't understand why I would spend $1k on something she will never see or "use" so I'm thinking starting with more cameras might get me more leeway for expansion (I put in some smart curtains and she absolutely loves those) I am planning many other smart home additions in the coming years but we really need a few cameras soon...

Please feel free to provide input on network gear and/or cameras. Or any other advice for my planning... I'm all ears!

Study this Cliff Notes and Wiki if you haven't yet.

 

[Slugger]

Had to move a couple computers at Lowes this week after running some new Cat6
Others will chime in who have more knowledge than me as everything I have learned is just simple OJT at home/DIY so lot's of holes in my line of thinking.
I am a cabling technician by day so I have the luxury of material, tools, know-how to install Cat6 through out my house (I'm at...36 or 38 cables so far). Less WiFi use, the better.
I have no children, no wife so I do not have to worry about "important" others may think or allow.
You have a i7 Windows machine for Plex. What generation? I went from a i7-4770 to a i5-9600 running 15 cameras 24/7 continuous recording. A HUGE difference going from 4th gen to 9th gen.
It is usually recommended to have a dedicated platform for Blue Iris solo than to be shared.
To make things streamlined, I decided to go all in on Dahua camera's. Fantastic reviews, affordable.
Cisco switch vs Ubiquiti. I guess all depends on what you are comfortable with in configuring. I have low skills when it comes to command prompt style programming so GUI from Ubiquiti Unifi works for me. Plus, no yearly license fees or maintenance crap with Ubiquiti. I have read there are downfalls with Ubiquiti (they do not have the support staff like Cisco, but who does?) but they are minor issues that do not affect me in a home use environment.
I opted to go Ubiquiti only because I snagged a new 48 port managed POE switch (retail of $800+) for a measly $100 at a local auction. That started me out on going all in on Ubiquiti equipment. Bought at UDM router (didn't need the pro) and a couple AP's.
Anyone who has a managed system will always have VLAN's. I currently have 4. Could see having 6 or more at some point.

In summary..my advice:
1.) purchase Dahua cameras here from Andy (20+ different camera's to choose from, research what you need)
2.) put Blue Iris on it's own platform
3.) hardwire cameras where you can (sometimes, it's just not possible).
4.) go all in for Ubiquiti (different router models, research what you need).
5.) lay all thoughts, ideas, opinions, do's/don't, want's/need's on paper. When I started out with Blue Iris / IP camera's...I also knew that one day I would get into home automation (Home Assistant) and also a home security system (DSC with network interface). I have all 3 nearly talking to each other. Skynet got nothing on me

That's funny you ran cable at Lowe's! I used to pal around with the guys that pulled all the new cables building new stores. They travelled around and were a different breed. Nice guys though...

I like your 1-7 and I may do it all.

2) My computer is a i7-4790K with 16GBb RAM. I hope that's good enough because I probably won't replace it. And I don't really use Plex much anymore. Just an occasional movie when I can't find a non-buffering stream on my fireTV apps. I actually haven't even had the PC on in several months... But its about to be!

4) If I could get the Ubiquity 48 port PoE for $100 the decision would be made already!!! Man what a steal! Jealous here

Have you seen this video? This guy does some pretty good stuff and has good instructions. I don't think he has the best cameras (he needs to join here) but he talks about how to setup blue iris and home assistant to talk:



You might also get some ideas from this series. (may want to jump to video 2 or 3 in the series):



He has tons of videos that are pretty informative. With all his content I really wonder how much he makes doing his channel. I am subscribed to it along with 101,000 others!

 

[Slugger]

Study this Cliff Notes and Wiki if you haven't yet.

I've read most of it. But I will read it all again. Thanks for the advice and helping

 

[Holbs]

Hmm...no PC for months. Are you that Tiger Dude in jail?
Yea...I've seen most of their videos. There are a couple other big named/invested home automation guys on youtube.

 

[Slugger]

Hmm...no PC for months. Are you that Tiger Dude in jail?
Yea...I've seen most of their videos. There are a couple other big named/invested home automation guys on youtube.

Haha... yea I decided to be Joe Exotic. I really don't have much need for a PC anymore but I'm glad I still have it for this BI project. That will be a perfectly useful way to send it to the grave lol! I'm writing this on my MacBook which has taken the place of my windows machines I used to use exclusively...

 

[Holbs]

Depending on what camera you choose (8mp, 4mp, 2mp, etc), your i7 4th gen should do just fine. Can always upgrade, if needed, later on.
Not using Plex much any longer. Why is that? I'll not be using it for movies or such. Mostly...songs/playlists, pictures, video clips.

 

[Slugger]

Depending on what camera you choose (8mp, 4mp, 2mp, etc), your i7 4th gen should do just fine. Can always upgrade, if needed, later on.

OK that's good to know. I still like having the windows machine. This is a perfect example why.... If I need to I might upgrade the processor and RAM only if that's possible... But the windows machine is no longer my daily driver. After reading what I wrote above it sounded kinda snotty lol. I went to a Mac mostly because my family is an iPhone family so I have an iPhone. Having the Mac allows a lot of functionality to be natively synced with my phone. I'm not really an apple fanboy lol. They have their strengths and weaknesses. And they cost too damn much. I really just want to have everything on one platform... But Windows doesn't have a phone OS worth using. And Google doesn't have full function computers really. So I've climbed aboard the apple train. It's been fine. But costs too much...

Not using Plex much any longer. Why is that? I'll not be using it for movies or such. Mostly...songs/playlists, pictures, video clips.

Yea I never really used Plex for much other than watching downloaded movies and shows. And ever since I got a fireTV with all the hacked streaming apps it's just too much work to plan and download to my PC so I can watch on Plex... If you have a slick easy way to download on demand and use Plex please let me know. I do love their interface. But everything is out there on demand for free if you use the right fireTV apps. I like CinemaHD... But occasionally it does buffer since it's on demand. I just upgraded my internet to 1,000 Mbps and once I get my switch all TVs will be on an ethernet cable so I hope that helps. I also pay for RealDebrid. That seems to really help. If you have suggestions for watching shows and movies let me know. I have a lifetime sub to Plex!

All my music is on my Macbook. And it's synced to Apple Music. We subscribe to Apple Music as a family so I honestly never download or buy any music anymore. Maybe a CD of a band I see live simply to support them...

All my photos just sync to google photos. I never really do much with them anymore except occasionally sharing an album with family or friends.

Be it good or bad, most of my life is in the cloud now. It just offers so much convenience I can't help it lol. But the only thing I pay for is Apple Music. And it's $15/mo split between 3 people...