daveshoot

Funny, I check this forum at least once a day, and I don't have a single camera yet. It has helped immensely in planning (CAT5 going everywhere now as part of the irrigation project), and in what not to waste time on. Since I am a DIYer with some background in ancient Flintstone-era CCTV, this place has really helped bring me up to speed on network cams, wiring, NVRs, etc. I will say the industry's distribution is a confusing mess, which might be a good thing for the pros (?). With all the private labels, box houses, and Asia-direct names, it is very hard to know what you're getting, or how to choose what to get. And that has been a big part of the value of this forum, to me. If I was a pro charging for legal-grade industrial systems, and a customer saw a 4 channel IR system at Costco for 600 bucks, it would chap me that I now had to explain the difference in quality, price, experience, and professional installation techniques (we deal with that in our industry, too). On the other hand, it is not very easy for that customer to get that information or validate what he's told via the web, due to the brand proliferation and lack of objective reviews. As a DIYer, I guess I would really like a Pelco-Mobotix-Avigilon kind of setup, but I am not going to afford it. I don't want to throw my cash away, either. I want the best I can afford, and reading here has upped my budget some, because it has conditioned my expectations. That's what information does. So if anyone wishes to post quality information, I am all ears and eyes. BTW, as someone who works with Chinese contract manufacturing, I'll venture that you get out of China exactly what you put into China. If you throw some specs and CADs over the wall and expect top quality back, you are new at this. If you are shoulder to shoulder on expectations and technique throughout the setup and QA process, you will get what you need. Price and time are up to you. It's all coming from there anyway, so you tell me what labels to buy.

That looks great. There are few Sam's Clubs here, but the MIL has a membership up in LA area. Costco doesn't seem to have this bundle yet???

It is still relevant, as the OP described my situation almost exactly (except I haven't had the robbery yet). It always seems to come down to Mona Lisa's and Dahua! No point in fighting it. I have my gel-filled CAT5 run in the irrigation trenches now, the world's slowest DIY project... they aren't routed into the house yet but that will be next. Maybe by then the Costco selections will have expanded. I'm back to thinking about hybrid NVRs, since the 600 tvl cams seem to get more bang for the buck with better low light performance. Is this still true? I lean to IP for all things that communicate but the $$ and performance difference seemed hard to ignore. Meanwhile I need to bolt down that safe and look for a meaner dog. Ours looks somewhat formidable but has the temperament of a house cat.

ATT has a Sierra Wireless mobile wifi hotspot that I have been using (actually 4G capable) with fairly good results, but not for CCTV yet. It's how I am reading this site at the moment. I'm sure there are other similar products. This gives you your connection, and a wi-fi hotspot, all in one. You should then be able to use it with IP cams. This device is powered by USB and has an internal battery. If you had an NVR locally you could probably run it off that. Here it is, along with some hype: You still have a 5 Gb cap on any GPRS plan available, so the next hurdle is how to minimize your usage. The wi-fi side is "free" but the internet use goes up quickly with live video. I suppose the trick would be to use sensors of some kind to tip you when to connect for remote views.

If you have 3G, I guess you're saying you DO have internet access, but only via GPRS cell, right? (I have a similar situation). If so, the problem you'll face is the data cap that is part of those plans. "Unlimited" access never really was, and now they have more explicit 5 Gb (or 2 Gb) limits, which is really going to limit the amount of live video you can monitor. A workaround might be to monitor through stills. If you clear this up it will help the smarter guys suggest some alternatives.

Rats! That's all that's keeping me from ordering now. I really want the 8 ch. but it seems warehouse roulette determines which one you get. I wonder if Q-See can upgrade it for you after the fact? Or, could you return to Costco and try again?

But... he needs 6 cameras. Another vote for an 8 ch. at Costco!

This is starting to really sound like the ticket for my rural home application. I am running gel-filled CAT5e along with my irrigation trenches now, and have PVC conduit for the rougher areas. I think I can complete the run to the garage in conduit and have some left over to leave a stub for the well pump. I kinda buy as I go. I really think I will end up with an 8 channel system and I'm especially interested in a Costco option for that. A bundle that saves a nickel on some decent bullets or domes is so much the better, and there are too many online retailers with too many rebranding options to know what the heck I am buying online. Hope that doesn't offend anyone, but it seems like a real problem in this industry (again, from the DIY perspective only). Y'all have plugged Dahua enough to convince me for my DIY non-shipyard grungy neighbor and night predator purposes. I guess I would add local IR enhancement for darker areas of interest? And I really really want a PTZ someday. Or two. I wonder what Costco could do with a decent PTZ option? Maybe too involved for their business model.

I don't care for a banana, thank you, but I would be very interested in a Costco 8-ch. offering for my DIY project. I would like to start with 4 bullets and have room for some PTZ in the future. Let Costco know they can sell at least one package if they get these soon.

I expected to find a FAQ on this and I have been searching "IP vs. Analog" quite a bit... planning a system for my rural home, and wondering where the advantages of each are. I guess I think I like the IP megapixel route, because it sounds more modern with greater detail. Is low light performance one of the compromises versus analog? What else would I consider? I am really interested in CCTV both for security and hobby reasons (used to sell in the industry a very long time ago, and everything has changed). I know I want IR capability and I would like to play with PTZ at some point. I have 2.5 acres, house and garage in a corner of the property, so about .5 acre of actual concern, plus a barnyard about 250 feet away (in wire run). I am concerned about daytime break-ins when we are both gone, and perimeter surveillance when we're home at night. Coyotes and other predators are a secondary threat that I might like to check out in the night for corrective action. I wouldn't mind surveying some gopher holes during the day, since shooting them is my primary pastime, but that would just be gravy. Internet availability is terrible, and at home we use 4G cell cards (with 5Gb limits) for connection, so online monitoring is not a major goal at present. The property is at the corner of a private rural road and a highway, with a rolling gate near the house. It is very dark at night, although I can light the main entrance (gate is about 75 feet from the house). There are some interesting neighbors, one with a high volume of scruffy traffic at all hours. So generally, I want to know what is going on around the place. I would probably start with a DVR and a couple of fixed cameras (budget, maybe $1000 for these to start), adding as time and budget permit. I could see a case for 1-2 PTZs in addition to 4-6 fixed cams at completion (I admit I just want to play with PTZ and yes, it's an expensive toy, but it could pay off). I would want facial recognition ability at the gate area. Under the circumstances, are there performance reasons to consider analog beyond price? It seems like the cost of hybrid NVRs is high, and the ability to go all one or the other would free up more budget for cams and accessories. I think my longest wire run would be 250 feet. Currently installing irrigation, which gives me the opportunity to put in some wire ahead of time. Sounds like CAT5e is the way to go? Wireless is not very attractive and I can run under some sidewalks and the drive right now. If I plan ahead right, I can build as I go later on. Thanks for the education I have already received here. I have looked through Dahua and CNB and other common recommendations, but sometimes I just confuse myself... if I could put the IP versus analog thing away, I would start planning initial purchases and wiring.

I do read here for advice, and appreciate all who respond. That said, in 30+ years of selling, installing, and troubleshooting various technical products, I have always found the great majority of installation trouble calls related to cables and connectors. Dirty power and lightning account for many more. I have gotten pretty comfortable with IP communications and I believe it is best for me. To adapt the analog camera output, is it best to encode right at the camera, or back at the NVR? Is there a particular model of IP encoder you would recommend? I was back looking at the hybrids, but my intrinsic cheapness is a real obstacle here. I want to lock up the NVR and operate it remotely from a PC, btw. Without reliable online access, I would sure want to secure any evidence it was able to gather, and this would have to be done on the premises, for now.

Great, thanks for the time you did take! Extra wires- absolutely. Learned in previous projects. That, and always leave a pull wire even where you really think you have enough. I read some more outside the forum and got slightly smarter about IP... IP does not always equal megapixel, add low light and they are some pretty pennies. Still, something to shoot for. IP encoder, check. Gotta look those up next.