Hi all, I just found this forum in my search for some decent cameras,
and it seems like this is the perfect place to find some info on what
I need.
I'm designing an 8 camera system for a loading dock (4 cameras) and a
manufacturing floor (4 cameras). The loading dock has 4 doors, upon
which 4 cameras will be focusing. The manufacturing floor is large,
and split into two rooms. There will be three cameras in the main
production area, and one supervising an auxillary area. All the
cameras need to be at least IP66 rated, as incoming shipments are
washed down in the loading dock, and consumables are produced in the
manufacturing areas. Thus, no breakable glass lenses or easily
shattered plastic can be used. If possible, I would prefer all the
cameras to be wireless IP cameras. PoE is an option if necessary, but
the entire facility has 802.11b/g/n WLAN throughout. None of the
cameras will be working in low-light conditions, and none will need
audio support (although either feature is fine; I just don't
need them).
Anyway, for the loading dock, all I require are 4 fixed cameras. These
will be monitoring workers/shipments for insurance and return
purposes. They don't need to have any fancy features, although a high
resolution and zoom would both be pluses. These will be mounted 20-25
feet from the docks, on the ceiling. For the manufacturing areas,
quality PTZ cameras are needed. We need to be able to see any problems
that arise on the floor. We'll probably be using dome cameras for this
area, since they will be positioned directly over food. A good zoom,
resolution, and output are necessary. These will be anywhere from 20
feet to 40 feet from their monitored production applicances.
As for recording/monitoring systems, we are going with a software NVR
solution going on a powerful server with a good amount of storage
(3.4Ghz 4-core processor; 2Tb of storage). The software must support
at least 8 cameras of course, although 16 is an ideal minimum, just in
case we need to add a couple more. Also, we need the entire interface
to be accessible from the internet (and please, not with just Internet
Explorer).
I realize that the options for these types of cameras in wireless are
limited, but I believe that there are definitely some fixed cameras
available. For the PTZs, so far it seems like PoE is the preferred
network method... I did find some nice cameras in the PZ series
(specfically, PZ71X2 and PZ81X1) from Vivotek (see them here: http://vivotek.com/products/network_cameras.php), along with some IP66
domes (WB-82WT-US and WB-82WS-US; they're here: http://vivotek.com/products/accessories.php) to fit them. However, I'm not sure of their reputation in the industry. Is Vivotek reliable...? The fixed cameras would probably be easier to cable, and they do have some nice fixed ones on their site - and their NVR software is functional and free. However, I am definitely open to other ideas. We're looking to spend anywhere from $4-7k on this. Thanks in advance!
