shazam109

OK - I am a newbie in the security camera field, not the computer field, but this looks like it is pretty involved. Thanks to those who take the time to answer my questions........ I have an apartment building, 3 floors and I need to put in security cameras. My budget (I will run the wires, etc) is roughly 4 grand. I have a windows XP box with a couple of terabyte drives as well. So, I basically need 7 cameras for the site. I need 1 outside camera (doesn't have to be vandal proof) but the inside ones need to be dome cameras, or at the least 4 need to be, I could put 2 way up on the wall to reduce my costs. I have done some research and could go with either POE cameras or plug ins, but because 1 of the floors is fairly dark (basement) I need some cameras that can respond to that. The floors are 80 feet long - I am thinking on putting camera's on either end. I am putting them in not because me have major crime issues (knock on wood), but just so we can keep track of comings and goings, and get a little more detailed if we think we have a problem. What I need is an idea of spec's for: a: the dome cameras b: the outside camera POE - good idea or should I file it? I want to run eyespyfx so my onsite manager can access the camera's in real time, and will have a big bandwidth IP connection to make sure that we can access them. Thanks for your help - This site is great.........

Thanks gentlemen for the posts. Definitely gives me something to work with. As for the cable runs - down hallways where the conduit tucks up into the corner of the hallway run - just tuck it up in there and badda-boom. Also, have an electrician buddy with access to conduit and cable at wholesale prices. I'll leave pulls in each conduit so I can add if required. Have made tons of network cables before so that is OK. Gotta drill through two stick floors but again, the electrician buddy is coming in handy - Total longest run is maybe 170 feet, maybe. The primary video recorder will still be the computer (running whatever software) but the eyespyfx is just for an immediate look kind of thing, not as a conduit for viewing old streams etc. I'll use some other software platform for the video viewing, etc. (And, do it so I can do it remotely as well). So my plan is to run 7 POE camera's with 7 different cables back to the POE router, which connects to the server, with twin 1 to 1.5 terabyte drives, running windows xp - 4gig RAM on motherboard, 64g SSD for OS. Running Shaw Extreme superfast interet connection for good throughput. I should be OK. Thanks for the hints on the cameras, any other suggestions would be appreciated, and AGAIN, don't get me wrong on the professional thing - my day job is as a pharmacist, so I totally get that, but with the high cost of health care, I can't begrudge people educating themselves sometimes about alternatives with respect to the way overpriced medications that the drug companies flog. I'm just in the same boat, roles reversed this time........ regards

Sorry - re: prices - no VMS, no server - that's done by me..... Anyways, DON'T want to be berated by people in the industry, just want a little help because everyone does it differently. And there is room for everyone - just want a little advice on camera's etc and I'll take it from there - If I f*** it up, I'm a big boy and I'll take my medicine.

Thanks for the replies so far - I'll try to give a little more informations etc. As an aside, just got TWO quotes from the professionals - one for $13,800, one for $12,500. Sooooo......, you can see that as a small business operator where I might have some incentive to do some of this stuff myself. I have no problems with people making margin - I am in business myself, I just question the AMOUNT of margin - the reason why I am here........ Anyways, without a site visit - a little more info - 2 cameras are strictly for the doors - they will be mounted in the stairwell going downstairs, looking out at the doors - so they focus 25 feet out, and that's it. In this place I think most cameras will do OK, we just want to see if people are using the intercom, or phones, or trying to sneak in without keys etc. The others are mounted at each end of the hallways, looking toward each other. Because of the orientation of the building, and the windows at either end, one may have more light coming in, but the other will be directly opposite, so hopefully bright light will not be too much of an issue. We are not concerned so much with being able to ID from far away, because those people will eventually be walking closer to one camera or another. We are more concerned with patterns - ie if there are loud noises at night, and then we can see someone going into a particular suite, etc. Or if there is too much traffic from a suite (drug dealing) etc The outside one is to watch the garbage cans, and to get a view of the opposing apartment buildings - because our bins get a LOT of traffic, and the other apartments don't have proper bins, - so I want some indication of traffic from the other buildings - not to individually ID people, but to point out to the city that there are problems with the other buildings, and to have some video to back it up. Again, MANY thanks to the people who take the time to read this, and to post helpful hints etc - just trying to live, drive and survive like everyone else......