Ferrino

I'm currently looking to put together a residential IP camera based system which will record to a PC server I have running at home (running something like Blue Iris). I was wondering if it is possible to use USB cameras (i.e. webcams etc.) instead of dedicated IP cameras, considering the server will be up 24/7? What I prefer about USB cameras is the smaller size and the fact that they are cheaper and can offer high resolution. What I'm not so sure about is the limit of the cables their signal can be transmitted along. What is the state of the art of running a USB signal along CAT5 network cable? Is it do-able for runs of up to 100 feet? I appreciate that there are other limitations of USB cameras - such as night vision etc., but I'm interested to learn if a USB-camera based residential setup is achievable with CAT5. Thankyou very much!

My father-in-law is in need of a wireless camera which he can use to keep an eye on his elderly mother, who lives in a house about 200 metres / 600 ft. from the main building. There is an internet connection in the main building, but not in his mother's house. It is a rural area with nothing in between and a clear line of sight. They don't need any recording/monitoring functionality - just to be able to plug it into their TV set and watch a live feed occasionally, to save them walking there and back all the time. Does anyone have any recommendations for this distance, please? I am not familiar with radio-based cameras as I am using a wired CCTV setup at home. But I see a lot of videos of people flying radio-controlled helicopters with a camera and transmitter attached, and they must see some pretty hefty distances? Thankyou very much!

Thanks. What sort of range would I get from something like this? http://www.xheli.com/hemiwivica.html

Hi, I'm a bit overwhelmed with the selection of standalone DVRs available and was wondering if someone could please recommend a decent quality 4-channel DVR which can record all 4 channels at D1 resolution and at 7FPS (or maybe even 30FPS, depending on price)? Also, I need to be able to interact with the DVR over the network, with a Mac (running Snow Leopard), so something that is compatible with browsers other than Internet Explorer. I'm trying to avoid the cheapo Ebay DVRs, but at the same time I do have a budget and this is simply a residential setup. I'd like to get something under $200 if possible. Also, I would be getting a "no HDD" version and was wondering: do you really need to add "surveillance-grade" HDDs? I have a regular 1TB SATA HDD available (Western Digital) and would love to use that to save money. Thankyou!

I'm currently looking at this one, what do you think? Is Android 2.3 good enough for CCTV apps? Thanks! http://www.amazon.com/Coby-7-Inch-Android-Internet-Capacitive-Touchscreen/dp/B005C08UP0/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Thanks! I thought you could sideload Droid apps onto the new Playbook OS 2.0, but it seems not all apps work! I managed to cancel my order before it shipped. So do you have any recommendations for specific models of 7" tablets that run the Droid OS natively, without having to root etc?

Thanks. I decided to get something a bit better quality and went for the Blackberry Playbook 7" with 32Gb storage. It was $150 and there's a free return policy, so thought I'd give it a go.

Thanks - I'm aware of that solution, but the TV is positioned very awkwardly in a split-level home, such that I can't run any new cables without significant work. I'm hoping that the BNC output will look OK at 10-feet viewing distance I had another quick question: other than viewing the DVR live feed on the TV (through BNC output) and on the Macbook (through the software over the network) and on the iPhone (through an app), I'd love to also have a small, perhaps 7", tablet that I can take around the house to view the feeds on. I'm aware that there are some cheap Android-based tablets in this size and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? It would be purely for viewing the feeds through an Android app - I don't need bells and whistles with sophisticated touch technology etc. Ideally the camera app would be the only app, such that when I turn it on, it goes straight to the camera views. Thanks a lot!

Thanks for all your help! I went with a setup from Sean, who has been extremely helpful. I opted for the Dahua 8 ch DVR, which I will pair with a spare 1TB HDD. For cameras, I have initially just purchased 2 and will test those first and then expand: Above front door: Qvis EYE-N35-V2W-N Outdoor Eyeball Dome Security Camera 2.8-11mm 600 TVL Under garage eaves, overlooking driveway: 650 TVL Outdoor Night Vision Security Camera 3.6mm lens I also purchased siamese RG59 cabling, but with a possible passive-balun-over-CAT5e for some cameras where network cable is already in place. Regarding the use of BNC output to view the DVR on my TV instead of VGA, unfortunately I don't have a choice as the DVR will be positioned too far from the TV set and I only have a coax line available, so I'll be using an RF modulator. I think most of the viewing will be done through the Macbook though.

Can I please ask which bells and whistles from the Apollo you'd like on your Econo/Zeus? The Econo is still good for viewing from a 3G smartphone app, right? I had a couple of other questions: - Is it OK to lock a DVR inside a cabinet, given some vents or perhaps a small fan? I'd like to conceal it but appreciate the heat it could generate while working away 24/7. - What's the best solution to neat cable management with all these RG59, power, CAT5 cables flying around? Our alarm system was installed with some wiring staples and that looked really good. Anyone recommend a wiring tacker/staple-gun? I'm a little OCD when it comes to aesthetics! - I'd like to pipe the BNC output of the DVR onto the coax line which feeds my television set from an OTA antenna. I have a RF modulator which accepts a RCA input which it throws onto some arbitrary channel on the coax line. Is it as simple as running a BCA-to-RCA adapter and sending the video signal to the modulator?

Thankyou! The Dahua 4/8 looks perfect! Question: can I do everything via the MacOS client that I can do if I was controlling the DVR directly with the mouse? The DVR is going to be tucked away remotely, so I want to be able to control everything from my Mac. What is the best way to get power and video from the DVR/transformer to the cameras? I read that the cables that are bundled with all-in-one systems often lead to miserable video quality, so I'm wondering if there is some better quality "siamese" cable for power+video, or if sending power+video over CAT5 is a good way to go (I have plenty of CAT5e cable available)? I haven't selected any cameras yet, but is there a rule of thumb on what kind of quality camera would work well for recording at D1 resolution? e.g. how many TVL? I like the "dome" style cameras as I think they look a bit cleaner on the outside of the house. Thankyou!

Thanks, that's a bit out of my price range, so maybe I could just stick to D1 @ 7fps. Any suggestions for that, please?

What is the best way to run ethernet cable from the interior to the exterior of a stucco-surfaced home, please (wooden studs with metal lath)? Do you just drill a hole and pass some sort of PVC conduit through it, weatherproofing any gaps with some sort of caulk? Also, how do you anchor junction-boxes etc. to stucco securely? Is the PVC conduit seen in Home Depot good enough? Any advice would be welcome! My main concern is messing up the hole and allow ingress of water...

Hi, I'm new to CCTV and am about to install a set of 4 analog Swann Pro-580 cameras (http://www.swann.com.au/s/products/view/?product=1169). My home has a wooden frame covered with stucco and I had a couple of questions I hoped you could help me with: 1. What's the best way to drill through the stucco from the outside? Is it basically a masonry drill bit, followed by a wood drill bit for the underlying sheet of wood? Are there are other layers of material to be aware of? On the inside I just have drywall. 2. The cameras have BNC and power connectors on their leads, which would obviously need to pass through the hole in the wall and require a hole of approx. 5/8" diameter for the BNC connector to pass through comfortably. I'd like to keep the hole much smaller than that, so would it be possible to chop the connectors off and crimp new ones on after feeding it through the wall? The diameter of the wire coming out of the camera is much smaller than RG-6 cable, so I'm not sure if a crimping tool would work on that small a cable (the ones I've seen appear to work with standard coax size cabling). This is the type of video/power cable that came supplied with the cameras: Many thanks for any suggestions!

Thanks for all your help! if anyone is interested in doing the same, I understand that carbide hole cutters are really good for stucco drilling and might try to get some.

Thanks - as a newbie, I was unaware you could link the UTP wires to the balun without an RJ45 connector. In such examples, how do you connect the UTP pairs you are using for power to the power connector on the back of the camera? Do you just chop off the power connector and splice the wires together with a ring terminal or butt terminal?

Thanks. Can anyone please recommend a balun to use with CAT5e (for video + power)? There seem to be so many out there! Also - how do you feel about running regular CAT5e cable on an outdoor wall without conduit? AT&T certainly didn't deem it a problem when they ran a new wire to bring U-verse into our home! I understand that moisture and UV will be an issue, but I am working on the basis that CAT5e is cheap to replace every few years? This is a residential installation by the way.

Thanks again. I'm going to leave the BNC connector on the camera alone. Regarding the pictured cabling that came with the cameras, I'm not sure whether to get some better quality siamese cable or switch to CAT5e with baluns. I'm already starting to wire our network with CAT5e, so that would seem to make sense. Does CAt5e w/baluns offer good picture quality compared to high quality siamese cabling? Also, how do people typically package the balun on an outdoor camera (assuming it cannot be contained on the inside of the house)?

Thanks for the advice. It's a shame the connectors on the camera end cannot be easily removed and replaced, as I'm a bit nervous about making such a large hole in the exterior wall. What's the best way to ensure a waterproof seal of the space around the cables? General caulk?