Self made or all in one

D

dogo21

n3wb
Dec 4, 2014
10
0
Im redoing some areas of my house and wanted to install cameras inside and outside to keep an eye on things.
I have got some cat5e points to the places I want the cameras to go, I wanted to get some POE cameras.

Im a little confused if I should make a system myself (with a computer in the basement, Blue Iris and POE cameras) or if I should go and by a all in one system.

Im don't know a lot about these systems so to make one Im sure Im going to need other parts too, such as a POE injector and Im not sure how to configure everything.

It would be easier for me to get an all in one system as we have a baby and the less time I can spend tinkering and making things work the better. But I don't know if there are any viable systems out there that would be good for me.

All I really want from a system is -

Record video, store for a few days
Have the ability to save the video to an external drive to keep
Have remote viewing of the cameras from a computer and smart phone if we are away
Have the ability to handle 4-8 cameras

I found a kit that meets all the requirements (Zmodo ZP-KE1H04-S 4CH NVR + 4 HD 720P Day/Night Outdoor sPoE IP Camera Smartphone Scan QR Code Quick Remote Access) but what put me off was that the cameras are set, you cant change the cameras to different ones if you need to. So they look ok outside but inside they would look pretty terrible. This is because of what Zmodo told me was their sPOE which is simplified POE, their own way of doing it, so any other camera I replace wont work with their system.

I would really love to have the ability to change the cameras to more discreet looking ones. That's why I didn't get this kit.

Can anyone help with any recommendations or advise me on a set up for a self made system that wouldn't be so complicated.
 
Costco sells hikvision rebranded cameras and nvr all in one set thats pretty nice.
 
Is that the Swann make of cameras? and the Lorex kit - are we allowed to post links on here, I'm pretty new so don't know if that's generally acceptable.
 
yeah I think there labeled Swann, post all the links you want, as long as there relevant to the discussion.. this is an open forum, no censorship.

kits are good value, get rid of alot of the guess work and are easy to setup.. nothing wrong with going with the same camera everywhere.. but if you pick and choose cameras you can get one thats most appropriate for the location and squeeze every bit of performance out of your system as you can, some places you want a wide angle, others a narrow zoom.. maby a bullet here and a dome there.. but this takes alot more planing and research, time = money and most of us are short on both.

The costco kits come with a very good no questions asked warranty, which is a good investment if this is your first rodeo.. wont have to worry about simple mistakes costing you in the end.. (like not adequately waterproofing connections)
 
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Thanks. That helps.

This is the kit I saw the first time the Zomodo one http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16881523074 but I wasn't sure about the cameras, 2 will be outside which is fine, but the other 2 I wanted inside and I think they would look too out of place, and if these cant be changed then that's not great. They cost $120 per camera if they go faulty too which isn't great, as you cant use any others.

Do you think other systems such as this Costco one http://www.costco.ca/Swann™-8-chann...4-HD-1080p-Camera-Kits.product.100131877.html
or http://www.costco.com/Swann-8-Chann...nd-4-3MP-HD-IP-Cameras.product.100146086.html
are good?

They are pretty similar, the wording is slightly changed, and one is from the US Costco and the other the Canadian site.

Do you think they would look ok inside the house too? And do you think I could add other make cameras to them without any issues?
 
With these NVR's you cant really mix and match brands, you need to stick with the brand... however since the swann is a rebrand hik it should work with OEM hik cameras no problem.. so you could replace the bullets with a more discrete hikvision camera, like there mini dome or even pinhole sometime in the future and then relocate the bullets to outside when the time comes.

that kit looks really good if you can grab it locally.. the Zmodo looks very cheap, too cheap.
 
Agree with @nayr....get the swann kit...If you just want to do the tasks outlined, then a standalone nvr is the way to go...blue iris is WAY more flexible (and is what i use in many installation) but requires more upkeep as it runs on windows...
 
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I hope that the Swann one is the rebranded Hikivision, I couldn't find too much on that though.

Which kit did you mean to grab locally? the Swann's or the Zmodo?

And that's the thing it does look pretty cheap, but I bet there is a reason for that. The frame rate or something must be pretty bad. I read a review that someones cameras broke that's why I asked about the cost to replace one of them if I ever needed to.

And with Swann I cant get a clear picture what other POE cameras they have available right now, their website is a bit confusing.
 
The swann system you linked to is a rebranded hikvision..do not waste your time with the zmodo...
As nayr explained you should be able to hook up most hikvision ip cameras to the swann with no issues...
 
Oh nice, thanks for confirming.

So do you see any limitations with this one http://www.costco.ca/Swann™-8-chann...4-HD-1080p-Camera-Kits.product.100131877.html

I might as well buy the one from Canada as the $100 bucks extra is not a lot especially if things go wrong. I would have a lot more of an issue returning to the US.

I see in the specs that is sometimes refers to 25 fps and sometimes to 30 fps, do you think it will be choppy? The video of the car going past here seems a bit choppy

And then there is this where in the description the guy is complaining about the motion detection (not really an issue for me) but says about recording in 15 fps, which is weird.
 
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You generally dont need more than 10-15fps max..understand that the hikvisions (an many other cams) can only do 20fps in 3mp mode and 30fps in 2mp mode...you most likely dont need more than 10fps...You also need to understand the limitations of these cameras...they will not be perfect..but they are very good and several orders of magnitude above what was available several years ago at this price point..
 
Thanks. I have heard of people recording at 25 and 30 fps and that's the least choppy. I think I'm going to get this system. Seems like a good fit for me. Do you see any reasons or something I might have missed why I shouldnt? Your honest opinion would be great. It seems like a no fuss does the job system.
 
I have a 'home server' - so for me, piecing a system was the way to go.

My home server will back up all my computers, stream my movies through Plex, run some of my home automation devices to name a few. So when I was looking to make the jump from a couple of Foscams to a decent system - Blue Iris was the way to go. I don't have to have all my POE cables going back to one location which also helped with the install. Also, I can pick and choose the cameras I want.

Just some things to think about
 
Thanks for that. See I wanted to know about that too, the self made option. What I was thinking was getting a older computer set up in the basement with a screen and having a large hard drive in there for the storage and having some POE injectors or a switch which does the same thing and run the cameras to the computer, leaving it on all the time. What Im worried about though is the set up of all this, the software side and the physical hardware side. Im not too clued up about recent developments in POE and what I need to do to set it up. All my wiring for my POE goes to one point in the basement, so that helps. What do you think.

What would I need to get something like this up and running, hardware wise.

Also does Blue Iris have the functionality that I need?
Such as
Have the ability to save the video to an external drive to keep
Have remote viewing of the cameras from a computer and smart phone if we are away
Have the ability to handle 4-8 cameras
 
Blue iris can do everything you need and then some...however you will not be able to use an older computer...for your setup if you go 8 cameras you will need to get a modern (fourth generation haswell) i5 and preferably an i7...something like an i7-4770 ...you will need to use the direct to disk recording option...and you well see something like 25% cpu use with 8x3mp cameras...
You can use hikvisions ivms (no webserver though) on a much weaker system because it uses the cameras own motion detection..blue iris does its own, which can be very beneficial..
If you want simplicity stick with the standalone NVR.
 
Wow I see, so I would need a pretty powerful system. Would this be the same if I was getting only 4-6 cameras max? Im guessing this has to do with the amount of data coming in. Would your specifications still apply if all the cameras were on a motion detection and not all were recording at the same time?
 
To be clear, you only need that power if you are using blue iris because it does its own motion detection...ivms from hikvision (free), milestone, exacq standalone NVR's all use in camera motion (the camera does the motion detection) ...Other wise you are fine with an i3 or lower (always get the haswell fourth gen for power efficiency) For me, i prefer to use blue iris's motion detection because i can set up separate levels of detection for day vs night, alerts vs recording...
the amount of cameras is not the measure to use..its the amount of total megapixels (because it must process the motion detection)..if you are going to do 4-6 3mp cameras = 12-18mp the i5 (haswell) will suffice (you will have to run in direct to disk mode)...if you want more headroom go with the i7 haswell..these machines can be had from 300 (i5) to 500 via the dell outlet, lenovo outlet, ebay with full warranties. I am particularly referring to business class machines that are built better than the home class..
 
Yes, a powerful system is very important for Blue Iris, especially if you have your heart set on high frame rates at high resolution. For 4-6 cameras max today, you don't need quite as powerful of a system but if you ever intend to upgrade to 4K cameras or get more 2-3MP cameras, you will really want a powerful i7 over an i5.

i7-4790k and i7-5820k are the best values right now if buying new, otherwise i7-4770 is very good still and available in used/refurbished systems at a significant discount.

http://cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

Really anything above about 5000 points here is probably fine for 4-6 cameras.
 
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my concern about the 5820k is the max tdp is at 140w vs 88 for the 4790k....although only real world testing will show whether it consumes under load...
 
bp2008 said:
.......but if you ever intend to upgrade to 4K cameras or get more 2-3MP cameras.......
Click to expand...

To the OP: An important "if". What you think you want/need now will not be the same a few days or months from now.
 
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