Rehan

Hi guys, I've been reading the forum for a while and finally getting ready to pull the trigger on a IP camera + recording setup. Need to install 8 cameras to the exterior of a building and have already ran the ethernet cable to each desired installation spot. I am thinking of purchasing 8 of the Dahua IPC-HFW4300S 3MP cameras from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H2VSTG2). Is there something better than this in the same price range? I will also be purchasing a PoE switch to handle all the cameras. My main question is about the hardware to use for handling the recording of the camera streams. I have a Tripp Lite 6U rack (http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-SRW6U-Enclosure-Cabinet/dp/B003K1NFY4) which has currently 3U of free space in it. I would like to have an NVR that runs BlueIris (or any better alternative?) on it and is able to be rack mounted into my box. Ideally it would be a regular PC versus a proprietary NVR so that it would provide more flexibility and upgrade options in the future. What is the best way to go with something that could be rack-mounted and can easily handle 8 HD quality streams from these cameras? Alternatively, could I use something like an Intel NUC (http://www.amazon.com/Intel-BOXD54250WYKH1-Core-i5-4250U-Graphics/dp/B00HZDLNWO/) with an i5 Processor and connected to a 4 TB external drive? If you have any other suggestions about the rest of my setup, I would appreciate your input, thank you!

Soundy you make some good points. The only worry I have is about how reliable the network based system would be outside of the home. I see that the Mobotix video-intercom still doesn't have a proper iPhone or iPad app, about 2.5 years after they promised one. It is a bit misleading since their promotional material shows an iPhone and iPad being used to manage incoming calls from visitors. The house definitely still has a POTS system but I too have been thinking about going VOIP in the near future. The only reason I haven't yet is because I'm not sure if the latency of my internet connection would be low enough to handle VOIP reliably and not sure if I could ditch the phone line completely due to having to fax from home and having the alarm system tied into the POTS.

Thanks for the continuous information guys! I definitely would like the ability to open/close the gate via a telephone handset inside the house or from a remote location via a phone call.

Soundy, After reading through that link you sent me and looking at a few others, I'm wondering which route you would take. Would you use one of these all-in-one video call+intercom boxes or would you stick with a more traditional voice call only intercom but have a separate camera mounted there near the intercom station? I'm wondering if the intercom boxes that have camera functionality would result in a cheaper, lower quality camera as compared to if I just did my own camera setup in addition to the regular intercom box. Also, as you had mentioned, that way I could choose cameras that all record to one location (my Synology NAS or somewhere else). I'm sure the videocom setups probably look much nicer and feel more integrated, but in your opinion is it worth the tradeoff in terms of image quality and software/recording flexibility? Or is there really not much of a tradeoff and I've gotten it all wrong (which is always very likely in my case)? Thanks again.

Thank you so much for explaining that!

Thanks for the great info! You are right on the money when you say the POTS to Fiber converters are expensive! Wow, looked up some and it seems they're all in the $800-$1400 range. That is a little cost-prohibitive, to say the least. Is there an alternative? Can the gate intercom be routed via Cat5e at the gate to a switch, then that switch feed a cat5e into the ethernet-to-fiber converter, and then go back to Cat5e at the house end and go to the phone box? Thanks so much for putting your time and effort into this -- it really is appreciated.

Thank you for responding! This doesn't seem like a bad idea. I am completely new to the fiber optic game and have been reading online for a couple of hours trying to figure out the difference between different types of cable and connectors. Would me having something like two of these: http://www.amazon.com/Gigabit-Ethernet-Fiber-Media-Converter/dp/B004FUUY52/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2J1IL4U6AH0XA&coliid=I3I1KJCBAO0Z1 with one on each end be what I'd want to do? What else would I need to terminate fiber optic cable and do I need 50/125 or 62.5/125? Any camera suggestions? Thank you!

Ideally, you're going to need two cameras for that - one down low, probably on or beside a gate post, to see the plates... the other - I'm assuming there will be a keypad or card swipe along with an intercom station - by the intercom to see in the driver's window when he rolls it down. A high-enough-resolution plate camera with a wide enough field of view would cover the windshield, but you'll never be guaranteed a clear facial shot that way, with reflections off the glass being affected by so many environmental factors. Yes, I think you are right, I would need two cameras. For the placement of the camera that would be used to capture the person's face -- do you think it would be too easy for a driver to avoid if I placed it on the side (where the keypad/intercom) would go? Great point about the reflections through the windshield -- I had not thought of that. I'm just wondering where you would put it -- would you take the risk of having some reflections in exchange for being able to have it pointed directly in the line of travel that the person in the vehicle would be taking if they were driving up to the gate, or would you put it on the side and hope the person actually looks at it? If you are indeed putting in an intercom/keypad panel, I'd look at something IP-based with its own built-in camera... like this: There are numerous manufacturers of such things - the tricky part will be finding one that works with your Synology, should you decide to use that... I have a DiskStation DS-412+. The Surveillance Station feature, I find, is surprisingly well-featured for what it is. I haven't used it enough to determine its "bugginess" but it would probably do for your purposes. Be sure you've upgraded to the latest DSM! *Ethernet* (not PoE) is limited to 100m/330' over UTP, so you'll definitely have to use some sort of extender - there are plenty of them out there that will let you run ethernet well over 1000m on a single twisted pair or coax. There are some that will run PoE power over that as well, but I think you'd be better off to power the switch locally. I'm assuming you'll have line power (120VAC) at the gate location to operate the gate and any lighting, so my suggestion would be to place the PoE switch there - you can use that to connect your camera(s), access control and intercom (if you go with an IP-enabled intercom) and then run a single link back to the house. You might even look at ethernet-over-powerline adapters; others here have had some good success with them. Keep in mind that high and low voltage SHOULD NOT be run in the same conduit (and in most parts of the world, is not allowed to by electrical code), so if everything at the gate is IP-based, using powerline adapters would remove the need for a separate conduit. Awesome insight and advice -- THANK YOU! I am thinking of maybe even trying to do fiber optic for this distance and then converting it back to ethernet locally at the gate, and using a small switch to connect the two cameras + intercom system into it (if this is even possible with intercom systems). I have had terrible luck in the past with Powerline adapters and am a little wary of even trying to use them for a 1000' run, but if you think that might be an option I should explore also, I will def put it on the list. The main thing I'd like to do is not make my data pipe back to the house be the limiting factor in the future as newer camera technology and streaming options arrive. In and around my price ($850 or so per camera), would you have any specific ones that you would recommend? Don't worry about Synology NAS compatibility btw -- I am more than happy to just use software that comes with some of the camera makers on a spare PC lying around, or even on my PC sitting in my home office. Thanks so much again.

Hi guys, I've been reading this forum for a little while (just out of curiosity) and am now in the process of setting up an automatic security gate at our home. I would like to have some sort of IP camera(s) near the gate to be able to view any person or vehicle. Ideally it would be nice to be able to see the driver and also somehow be able to get a clear image of the license plate numbers. The big question mark for me is which camera(s) you guys would suggest for this. I would need them to work day/night and be pretty resilient to the elements. Also, I'd like to get as good of an image as possible and ideally wouldn't want to spend more than around $850 or so per camera. I already own a Synology 1512+ NAS but am unsure as to whether or not I should use its built-in surveillance station app or go with something else. I have heard that it is pretty buggy. Another issue however is that the distance to where the gate will be is approximately 1000 feet from the house. I have a pretty long driveway and the security gate will be placed closer to the end of that driveway. What would the professionals here recommend for making PoE work over such a long distance? Would I need some sort of repeater? Would a buried Cat5e even be able to handle that distance? I don't have a PoE switch yet but will be purchasing that also depending on what you guys suggest. Thank you so much for reading!