Typical lifespan of components and cameras?

D

davej

Getting the hang of it
Apr 25, 2014
282
69
Okay, so I am FINALLY assembling a BI system. What can I expect to be replacing most often? What is the typical reliability of a system? Outdoor cameras exposed to hot summer sun and cold winter nights -- do they last? BI running 24/7/365 keeps going? Thanks.
 
I live in NJ so we get a pretty broad temperature range during any given year, 100F+ to -10F or so. I have had cameras running for over five years with no problems. A PC running BI 24/7/365 will probably last longer than becoming outdated by advances in technology. Hard disks are probably the biggest potential failure point due to the constant writing of video to them, but even there they last a really long time. SSD drives do have a finite life based on write operations with more expensive ones advertising longer life. I wouldn't worry about any of the system failing though, more likely physical damage to a camera or power surge to the PC or network gear. As with anything electronic, failures can and do happen on a random basis for no apparent reason, but that's more of an exception than a rule.
 
The most unreliable part for me has been Windows (10) crashing when it takes an update from the mother ship. This happens every few months on one or more of my BI systems. Sometimes, rebooting fixes things. Sometimes, I must do clean re-install of the OS and start over. I suppose one could disable automatic updates and only 'catch up' once in a while when you can afford to take the time/risk to do so. I know that's not a very glowing endorsement, but that's been my experience over the last 3 years. I could be doing something wrong, but I dunno what that might be...
 
pozzello said:
The most unreliable part for me has been Windows (10) crashing when it takes an update from the mother ship. This happens every few months on one or more of my BI systems. Sometimes, rebooting fixes things. Sometimes, I must do clean re-install of the OS and start over. I suppose one could disable automatic updates and only 'catch up' once in a while when you can afford to take the time/risk to do so. I know that's not a very glowing endorsement, but that's been my experience over the last 3 years. I could be doing something wrong, but I dunno what that might be...
Click to expand...
Yes you are doing something wrong... None of this happens on any of the 20 plus systems I have...
 
I've had 8 Dahua cameras outside for 2 years, in temps -20 to 100+ with no failures. Some of them are the "junk" chinese versions, they are all painted dark colors, and several are in full sun most of the day. None are ptz, so I wouldn't want to extend my experience to them. If only the firmware was as reliable as the hardware! I did have a problem with one of the chinese varifocals: The inside of the glass in front of the lens became hazy, fixed by disassembly and cleaning.
 
This coming January it will be 3 years since I had my first 8 cameras installed along with my Hikvision NVR. No failures yet. To be fair I have since upgraded the cameras to starlight and low light versions.
 
Buy quality equipment, and you will get quality time out of it.
Put everything on a good UPS Backup. The pc, the poe switch etc.

I've not had any issue's with Windows 10 on my system runing BI in almost 2yrs of running, 24/7/365. See signature for details.
Heat kills, be sure they have good ventilation and keep the dirt cleaned out.

In my previous business, I had 4 dell computers that ran 24/7 for six years without issue.
Each one on a good Backup UPS.
Only time they went down was for a cleaning of the dirt out of them perioidcally and prolonged power outages.
 
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Domes exposed outdoors to UV have degraded - otherwise most cameras seem to last fairly long if properly protected from water ingress
 
Domes exposed outdoors to UV have degraded - otherwise most cameras seem to last fairly long if properly protected from water ingress
 
When I first started almost 3 years ago I bought 3 cheap amazon "Hosafe" brand poe cameras. They all lasted exactly a little over a year before they took a crap. Since then I have used Dahua cameras and I have some going 3 years strong. Out of about 50 dahua cameras in different locations I have not had to replace a single one yet and like I said most going on 3 years now.

As for computers I have not had to replace a single computer or hardware component and they all run 24/7 (my system runs at a constant 75% load and has been for 3 years strong). All my computers I buy are from ebay and are "refurbished" Most my customers only want 4-8 cameras so I use HP Compaq i5-3570 with 4-8gb ram.
Example computer: https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Compaq-...W5bVcH2:sc:USPSPriority!32137!US!-1:rk:1:pf:0


I install a brand new Western Digital Purple drives. These drives are made for surveillance systems and have a 3 year warranty.

For the switch I have been using:
https://www.amazon.com/BV-Tech-Giga...240&sr=8-5&keywords=4+port+poe+switch+gigabit
and
https://www.amazon.com/Amcrest-Hous...r0&keywords=amcrest+4+port+poe+switch+gigabit

I actually like the amcrest because its smaller. Make sure to get a gigabit switch!


To summarize the ONLY thing I have had to replace so far in all my systems I've installed is the 3 crappy hosafe cameras. Everything else is going strong
 
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