Which Cameras/Setup would go for with your home?

@GaryTX87

You've got a tight budget, and I know you want to get the most value out of it.

Remember cabling takes times, and thus it is best if you invest in better quality cables ( with solid copper wire ) - and most of us here would rather use cat6/5e as it is a better option for future considerations.

Sometimes there are affordable kits from LaView onsale - the LaView kits I looked at are hikvision OEM for their IP PoE kits, and while LaView's customer service leaves some more to be desired their kits are at least better than many other options out there.

I would look at Slickdeals and search on LaView, you may find some kits which work for you listed on sale there.

You can also look at the LaView website ( laviewsecurity.com iirc ) and note they will have a % off deal typically going on as well as periodic deals.

Naturally the longer time you give for a deal to come up on a decent kit, the better value you will find.

The most affordable kit I would buy so far has gone on sale from Newegg for ~$280 w/o a HDD. ( 4x cameras IP PoE ) Kits which cost less I would be cautious about purchasing them.

Also remember, you'll have some compromises with affordable kits.
 
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mat200 said:
@GaryTX87

You've got a tight budget, and I know you want to get the most value out of it.

Remember cabling takes times, and thus it is best if you invest in better quality cables ( with solid copper wire ) - and most of us here would rather use cat6/5e as it is a better option for future considerations.

Sometimes there are affordable kits from LaView onsale - the LaView kits I looked at are hikvision OEM for their IP PoE kits, and while LaView's customer service leaves some more to be desired their kits are at least better than many other options out there.

I would look at Slickdeals and search on LaView, you may find some kits which work for you listed on sale there.

You can also look at the LaView website ( laviewsecurity.com iirc ) and note they will have a % off deal typically going on as well as periodic deals.

Naturally the longer time you give for a deal to come up on a decent kit, the better value you will find.

The most affordable kit I would buy so far has gone on sale from Newegg for ~$280 w/o a HDD. ( 4x cameras IP PoE ) Kits which cost less I would be cautious about purchasing them.

Also remember, you'll have some compromises with affordable kits.
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Thanks @mat200. Yes If it was just me, I would research longer, but family has put a ton of pressure on me, along with a terrible situation with a neighbor (had to contact authorities recently because they were blasting well into the night again and again).

Just saw a laview kit for $499 on Newegg today on Sd.

Which kit did you see for $280? I have a tb hard 2.5 enclosure by wd laying around.

Thanks once again for everything.
 
GaryTX87 said:
Thanks @mat20. Yes If it was just me, I would research longer, but family has put a ton of pressure on me, along with a terrible situation with a neighbor (had to contact authorities recently because they were blasting well into the night again and again).

Just saw a laview kit for $499 on Newegg today on Sd.

Which kit did you see for $280? I have a tb hard 2.5 enclosure by wd laying around.

Thanks once again for everything.
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Hi Gary,

Search on SD - that $280 deal comes and goes, not currently listed as available. Read the notes in that $499 deal - one SD member posted legit if annoying ways to get some money back on it. iirc I also saw a DVR based kit from LaView listed on SD w/in your budget, most of us are not big fans of coax solutions as installing new coax cable is not preferred and IP PoE kits have some advantages that we prefer. That said, you can use Baluns and use cat6 cables on a coax system, this way in the future when you want to upgrade you have more options.

I don't know as much about DVR coax kits - there currently are 2 newer major standards now - one supported by Hikvision ( LaView's OEM ) and one by Dahua ( Lorex OEMs .. actually Lorex was recently purchased by Dahua ). ( HD-TVI vs HD-CVI )
 
@GaryTX87

FYI - this was just posted on SD

LaView LV-KNT982A42W4 8-Channel HD NVR PoE IP Security System with 2-Pack of 4MP (2688 x 1520) and 2-Pack of 2MP (1920 x 1080) Bullet Cameras for $279.99 + Free Ship @ Newegg
Starting at 12:00 AM PT on 05/09/18
 
Thanks @mat200 , is this the model:

LaView LV-KNT982A42W4 4MP Zoom HD 8 Channel NVR PoE IP Security System, with 2pcs 4MP (2688 x 1520) and 2pcs 2MP (1920 x 1080) Bullet Camera (No HDD Included, Sold Separately)(Upgraded Cam) - Newegg.com

My family went behind my yesterday, and bought this:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Swann-SW...5035&wl11=online&wl12=111876089&wl13=&veh=sem

But they are wondering if they should take it back now, and get the model you mentioned? Would it be a better quality? Or should I look at something like this:

LaView 5MP System
2K Super HD 4 Channel Security System with 4 Super HD 2K Outdoor Cameras, 130ft night vision

Thanks for all your help!
 
GaryTX87 said:
Thanks @mat200 , is this the model:

LaView LV-KNT982A42W4 4MP Zoom HD 8 Channel NVR PoE IP Security System, with 2pcs 4MP (2688 x 1520) and 2pcs 2MP (1920 x 1080) Bullet Camera (No HDD Included, Sold Separately)(Upgraded Cam) - Newegg.com

My family went behind my yesterday, and bought this:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Swann-SW...5035&wl11=online&wl12=111876089&wl13=&veh=sem

But they are wondering if they should take it back now, and get the model you mentioned? Would it be a better quality? Or should I look at something like this:

LaView 5MP System
2K Super HD 4 Channel Security System with 4 Super HD 2K Outdoor Cameras, 130ft night vision

Thanks for all your help!
Click to expand...

Hi Gary,

I would return the Walmart one ASAP. Unless you got it at a crazy discounted price - the price is WAY too high for what you're getting imho ( it is a coax analog bnc kit DVR w/4x 3MP cameras and 1TB HDD for $450!!!! Ouch - that is ... a rip off... )

The $280 kit is a IP PoE kit, the others coax / DVR kits. It is a decent entry level IP PoE kit. That is the one I would get on your budget as you still need cable, a HDD, and maybe a couple of tools if you do not already have them to pull the cable ( see the notes iirc for tools, or search the forum for a list of suggested tools )

I really dislike the idea of new cabling with coax when cat6/5e is imho the way to go with new cable installs.

UPDATE: Please pass this to your family from me: "You got ripped off with that Walmart buy"
( basically they bought a cheap Chevy for the price of a Corvette - sort of, you get the idea )
 
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I appreciate the advice. Going to return these asap to sams, and get these. As for the other tools needed, I found a security 1tb just to get started for $60 at frys by wd.

As for other tools, what other things would I need? Cat 5e cables?
 
GaryTX87 said:
I appreciate the advice. Going to return these asap to sams, and get these. As for the other tools needed, I found a security 1tb just to get started for $60 at frys by wd.

As for other tools, what other things would I need? Cat 5e cables?
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Hi Gary,

1 TB HDD for $60 .. that's a bit pricey, should be able to get a 2TB HDD WD purple for about that price.

Check the forum here for recommended tools, as well as the wiki.

I also have some tool notes in the wiki of this SD thread.
Lorex / Dahua OEM 6x 4K / 8MP security camera system w/ 8 port POE IP NVR 2TB HDD kit at Costco B&M YMMV for $799.99
 
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Thanks, just ordered them and returned the swanns. Right after I order them, I read that the night vision isn't really that good? Did I make a good decision with my budget or was there an alternative I should've went for? My reasoning was to use the two 4mp in the front, and the 2 2mp on the side of the house/my small backyard?
 
GaryTX87 said:
Thanks, just ordered them and returned the swanns. Right after I order them, I read that the night vision isn't really that good? Did I make a good decision with my budget or was there an alternative I should've went for? My reasoning was to use the two 4mp in the front, and the 2 2mp on the side of the house/my small backyard?
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Hi Gary,

You did fine.

If you need to you can always pickup a better Hikvision OEM camera which has better night vision to add to the kit when you have more funds available.

Plan to eventually get a total of 6-8 cameras, so when doing the cabling work bring extra cables to the spots you may want cameras at in the future.

Remember, the cabling and locations you pick is the most important part of the setup - you can always easily replace the NVR and cameras in the future when you have more funds available.

Also remember to use dielectric grease / gel on the connectors. ( see my notes # 54 Looking for some advice and direction! )
 
GaryTX87 said:
Is it this one:

LaView 5MP System

Or is this one a better system (as far as cameras/quality):

LaView LV-KNT982A42W4 4MP Zoom HD 8 Channel NVR PoE IP Security System, with 2pcs 4MP (2688 x 1520) and 2pcs 2MP (1920 x 1080) Bullet Camera (No HDD Included, Sold Separately)(Upgraded Cam) – NeweggFlash.com
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Hi Gary,

Don't worry too much at this point, you've got a decent functional kit coming in - and if you start to look at
"what else"
"what is a better deal"
"what about this option"
"can I find more MP"
"save some money"
"buy better cameras"
"Better NVR"

YOU WILL GET a big headache and just lose time to setup something which works. ( in fact the $280 LaView kit has hit the front page on SD as a deal a few times, so you should be confident you got a good price on that )

Remember perfect is the enemy of success and you're on a tight budget and need to have something up ASAP.

Could you have gotten something proven better? Yes - however it is currently out of your budget constraints.

Just accept that and focus now on doing a good job with the cabling and camera placement.

Remember you can always upgrade the setup in the future if you've used good cable and found good locations for the cameras.
 
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Thanks for the advice @mat200 what I really meant is between the laview 5mp above and the one $280 above, which setup would be better? Would the 5mp kit be better because of the 5mp cameras, or would the Poe kit be better because it's poe, even though it's 2mp cameras, would it be better less better than the 5mp choice?

Just was asking incase I needed to cancel my order and make the switch to the 5mp one?
 
GaryTX87 said:
Thanks for the advice @mat200 what I really meant is between the laview 5mp above and the one $280 above, which setup would be better? Would the 5mp kit be better because of the 5mp cameras, or would the Poe kit be better because it's poe, even though it's 2mp cameras, would it be better less better than the 5mp choice?

Just was asking incase I needed to cancel my order and make the switch to the 5mp one?
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Hi Gary,

Without doing or finding a direct comparison of the kits and camera video captures it is hard to tell which is the better value for you.

Personally I prefer IP PoE kits vs analog DVRs. The kit you ordered at $280 is the lowest priced decent IP PoE kit I know of right now. Thus you've scored on that budget / deal point for a IP PoE kit.

How well do the cameras in the $280 LaView NVR compare to the 5MP LaView DVR kit?

5MP cameras are fairly new, so there's not yet a lot of reviews out on them. The one or 2 I have seen so far, have not been that impressive.

Mega Pixels is only one data point, and should not be used to compare kits without considering other factors. A 2MP camera can out perform a 4, 5, 6, or 8MP camera at night.

How much time is it worth it to figure that out?

Would you buy both and bench test them against each other? That would be a great way to find out. Can you afford the time and money to do that?

Note, it can be fun to do comparisons - so if you have time I would definitely encourage you to and post your results here.
 
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Good information, I'm also ordering the $280 LaView kit are Hikvision OEM I hope.
What is remote application recommended to manage this setup for Android?

I currently use TinyCam Pro to control the Foscam 720p setup I'm replacing.

Thanks...
 
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Just got the notification the order is being shipped. So know I'm going to order a 1tb wd purple (showing $50 on amazon). Thanks for all the advice @mat200
 
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