SickNick

I am putting together a system for a large Residential building and I am going to end up with about 46 cameras. It is looking like a full IP camera system with a 48 port PoE switch powering it. I am a bit stuck on whether I should go with one of these: http://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/nvr60006000d6000dr-3.html or if I should go the server route and build one or pick up something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Dell-PowerEdge-Quad-Core-2-66GHz-Gigabit/dp/B008PVD6MK/ref=sr_1_13?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1363468584&sr=1-13 I can customize a video storage server and get more processing power out of it, but I also have to have a Windows OS running on it which has a high license cost, and then pick a a video server software to use and pay a license for that etc. I do like the idea of running a dedicated NVR, it can handle recording and playing back up to 64 cameras at 720p which is great. What do you guys think?

When they say 36 camera synced playback at D1, Is it just the playback that has to be displayed at D1 or does the recording have to be D1?

The 6 monitors would be fine for live viewing. The problem is if you want to look at all cameras on a certain date range you would have to go to each DVR and fill out that date range. When you are skipping around and trying to find something that you don't know the time to, it gets very annoying doing that every time.

Why would anyone use a PC alongside?! That is what I was thinking lol I am assuming he is talking about the case of using 6 NVRs stacked you would use PSS to see everything on one screen.

I understand, and I want to do 40-50 cameras @720P. Either way, 32 Channels at 1080p is in the top end of NVRs, that is A LOT of data.

why not just change brand of NVR..... then you have much better options on which IP cameras you want to use. and not have to use a PC alongside like you do with the dahua Any other NVR I have seen for recording at this many channels goes for about $10k on other brands.

I've been thinking of the idea to go with the multiple NVR3208 setup, but I am thinking it is going to be a pain to review video. That's why I keep reverting to the NVR6000. Even if I use PSS to manage all NVR video I can only play back 4 cameras at a time, which is a nightmare if you are trying to find something on video. I definitely would hate to goto each NVR and browse them individually either when I need to find something.

You're right, sorry wasn't thinking straight. Would it make sense to get a server and run Avigilon VMS? I am not sure about licensing that for all my cameras.

Would it be possible to record to a NAS server and playback/monitor on a workstation running PSS or DSS? I am also contemplating on going with something like Avigilon but I have no idea how much licensing would be for 40+ cameras.

This is not a bad idea, ultimately I need to see how much I can get the NVR6000 from my supplier. Prices will vary depending on the size of the order as well. If you have a server though, why would you have multiple smaller NVRs and store the video on the server? The server would eliminate the Standalone NVR as you can use surveillance software and camera management software and record the surveillance footage on the video storage server. This brings me to the classic argument of Standalone NVR vs PC Based NVR on a scale of 46 cameras.

Going back to my main question, I think I'm leaning towards an NVR rather than a server. Any server I buy I'd probably have to add a video card. I feel like the more I add the more stability issues will I might have. Any experiences?

It looks like all cameras will be under 100m runs. I have to verify this but if a few are over 100m I can always use PoE injectors. All floors have a small telecom closet so I can use to place them there.

Something slipped you... Do you need recording&decoding/display or just recording?! Lol I am planning on recording and displaying also. It is not important for me to go with a full 1080p set up, 720p will be OK for the implementation. The Dahua can handle 64 cameras at 720p at 30fps, I will be only utilizing 46 cameras. With 46 cameras at 720p @30fps, I am looking at about 6Mb/s per IP camera. 46x6Mb/s = 276Mb/s of data on the network switch. A gigabit switch should handle this at ease. I can even get a 10Gb/s switch if I really need to. Also, thank you guys for your replies, I appreciate your input on this.

After having a nightmare experience with Unitek DVRs and the software that connects to them I started looking around for new DVRs. I am currently using two 16 channel Uniteks which tend to be very buggy even when using the DVR directly. Also, the software for them is incredibly slow and buggy and can't get anything done even when set up locally on the LAN, forget remotely. I am basically looking to set up about 28 channels so I will probably need a 32 channel DVR or get two 16 channel DVRs. I would probably prefer the single 32 channel. So far I am thinking of maybe going with a 32 Channel Dahua, or MAYBE 2x 16 Channel Swann 4000 Series DVR. The only reason I am looking at the Swann is because it is well priced, I am not concerned with buying Swann cameras, I am only buying their DVR, and the software looks very well put together. I have never used either the Dahua or the Swann, and I just wanted to see how people find their reliability, and functionality, especially with local and remote backup capabilities.