Security Camera System: Which Flavor is Best?

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
03/27/2018 at 12:46 • Filed to: None

3MP, 720p? Wiring these will be relatively convenient.

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DISCUSSION (13)

HammerheadFistpunch > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/27/2018 at 12:56

something with good low LUX performance. The rest is a matter of how you intend to record the footage.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/27/2018 at 12:59

Not sure what flavor, but I’d assume they all taste like plastic and maybe bits of metal

Matsayz > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/27/2018 at 13:04

Stay away from the crap on Amazon or Costco. Those advertise 1080p but don’t actually record at full resolution to the hard drive. When our car was broken into a few weeks back I started researching and found the place below, a bit more expensive but worth every dollar.

https://www.security-camera-warehouse.com/

I end up with their 4 camera system recording at actual 4MP. These guys explain everything and have great customer service. Very happy customer. Also, the cameras are PoE so you just run one cable for power and video, super easy

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Matsayz
03/27/2018 at 13:20

Thanks for the tip, but these systems are outside my pay grade.

diplodicus > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/27/2018 at 14:07

Lorex is a bit cheaper. https://www.lorextechnology.com/hd-ip-security-camera-system/2k-resolution-4-channel-4-camera-home-security-system/HDIP84W-1-p

That link you posted does not include a HDD for the DVR.

notsomethingstructural > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/27/2018 at 14:20

it’s been a long, long time since i specified CCTV installations, but i used to help spec out ones that were 2000+ cameras. you will be happier with a crappy camera from a good manufacturer than you will be with a good camera from a crappy manufacturer. if you’re pulling cable for them, do the absolute best you can find for futureproofing. you can get old-ish pelco BNC cameras that step to ethernet and a BNC DVR for not all that much. won’t have all the bells and whistles, but that’s closer to what the pros would use rather than something from a no-name manufacturer where your options will be extremely limited to “what’s shown in the sales deck photos.”

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > notsomethingstructural
03/27/2018 at 14:30

It’ll 20 feet or less between the outdoor cameras and the DVR because the DVR is going to be in the garage. I’d like to find something pro grade but superseded. All that jargon you just typed, and thank you , is lost on me.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > notsomethingstructural
03/27/2018 at 14:34

http://r.ebay.com/EXl3zC

What do you think of this one?

notsomethingstructural > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/27/2018 at 14:51

Ah, right, let me help... CCTV = closed circuit TV. Pulling cable = in the sense like you get to put one cable in before you sheetrock and never see it again. If it’s exposed just use whatever’s cheap. Pelco = manufacturer. BNC = bayonet nut connector - basically a quick connect for coax that’s mainly used for CCTV. Coax is MUCH cheaper than decent ethernet.

If these are outdoor, the Pelcos will hurt. Pro grade weather enclosures are brutally expensive. After a quick googling, it looks like there’s still some BU4-series out there, which are maybe $100 a crack. It’s fully analog and more of an “entry level” offering, but it’s still a commercial grade camera that would probably get used at lower risk sites like office parks and stuff all the way up to like 5-10 years ago. I bet there’s still a ton of office parks that use them because they don’t want to change to ethernet. So, not bad, is what I’m saying.

notsomethingstructural > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/27/2018 at 14:56

FLIR/Lorex will definitely be an improvement on most Amazon stuff, but I would be careful getting something from anyone labelled just “4 cameras.” Lorex sells them from a 165* field of view to 25*. That’s quite a swing to just open the box and be surprised. And I think they’re weather ready but hard to say without a part number.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > notsomethingstructural
03/27/2018 at 15:18

Okay. Thank you for taking the time for both of those. I’m in that situation where I need to get something going, I’m pretty tech savvy, but I also don’t want Mount Everest for a learning curve.

notsomethingstructural > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
03/27/2018 at 15:33

No problem. Like we say in construction, you can have something good, fast/easy, or cheap. Pick 2. I’m fairly confident that a commercial system (even if analog) will outperform a bundle, but it’s definitely a pain in the nuts because they’re usually sold in components. If you have a CCTV supplier near you who does retail, it might be worth a call. The guys at the counter can’t spec out a massive system, but they might be able to tell you what you need for a 4 camera (???). The question at that point will be if they even sell the older stuff still. They have demos out a lot of the time too if they’re a retail seller. You might show up and be thrilled with a 420p system. Who knows.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > notsomethingstructural
03/27/2018 at 15:40

I’ve asked the eBay seller for the model number on the cameras. That was good advice.