scottl31

Hi, My boss has asked me to get some info and it's taking forever (he pays me by the hour). My research on this subject has been dizzying and overwhelming. There is just too much stuff out there to be able to sift through and make any kind of educated choice. So I found this place and thought I'd ask here. We would like to set up cameras around the office so that when motion is detected, it will call his iPhone and allow him to see and speak back and forth with the "intruder", or from his home computer. He wants to see who is coming and going and when, among those who have access codes to the monitored security system, as well as if a burglar comes through a 3rd floor window. We would like wireless cameras that have an ethernet port with POE so we could use them anywhere in the office depending on how close a switch or power etc. is. Continuous live viewing over the iPhone/computer would also be desirable for this or if he ever wanted to check in on the office to make sure we all aren't goofing off. The thing that makes this a bit of a pain (and out of my tech knowledge) is that he also wants to have an outdoor camera pointed at the parking lot which is across the street and 1-2 doors down, maybe 150-200 feet away from the nearest corner of our building. He wants to be able to monitor without needing to pay a 3rd party service. We have static IP's, web servers etc. so I think a DNS service wouldn't be needed. Anybody know if there are any off the shelf systems that do this, or any custom assemblages you can recommend? As for cost, I'm not sure he'd want to spend $500 per camera, but not go too cheap either. I'd very much appreciate any help on this. Just reading here for an hour has my head about to explode. Thanks very much, Scott

Hi Guys, I'm back. Well, after all that research, my boss decided to go not quite as expensive as I was looking into. He just wants a few cameras to do mostly live monitoring of a few areas of the office during the business day. Like being able to see who is ringing the door buzzer in the hallway from his desk, etc. We have a regular monitored (no cameras) security system for closed hours. So I have something new for you to praise or tear apart. I gave him all the best cameras you guys talked about, but he looked further and he likes these: Vivotek FD8151V Vivotek FD8166 (I guess not available yet) Thanks a lot! Scott

Hi, I was sent from another of the forums here. I'm trying to learn this from zero because my boss wants me to figure out a good system to install in our office that will notify him of an event on his iPhone and then be able to have a 2-way conversation with the "intruder". Any recommendations as to cameras, systems, PC or NVR, etc. would be welcome. Anyway, I was wondering if you guys even consider using wifi cameras at all, or do you just always go wired for reliability? Thanks, Scott

buellwinkle, where are your reviews that you mention in the previous post? Thanks, Scott

This sounds great, but how do I go about finding these? I've spent a couple weeks on this and my boss is wondering when he's going to get some info. I'm really stuck.

Thanks, and I'll add this to my info. I'm still overwhelmed as to what to get. There's too much info and my boss starting to wonder when he if going to get something from me after all the time I've been looking into this.

Thanks a lot Kawboy and shockwave. I've been over at the IP/Mega forum. Actually think I'm slowly learning a few things. The amount of choices is just stifling. I'm wondering if a good plan of attack is to pay attention to what gets talked about favorably over there and then maybe make a choice from those brands which makes the most sense for us cost-wise to start?

Great. Just what I need.. more confusion. Are you saying that a so called IP camera does not record to a DVR? If it records to a NVR, I assume that means "Network Video Recorder", is that correct? Is it essentially the same thing? So when I am struggling to come up with a solution for my boss, how can I tell the difference between analog and digital systems or components? Shockwave was saying above that most of you guys don't recommend analog. My boss would like to stay the most current, so how can I tell the difference between analog and digital so I can avoid the analog, if that's the best option? Thanks, Scott

I'll add that to my list to check out. Thanks!

Hey Shockwave, What is the IP forum and what will I learn differently there than here? I thought all the systems were digital. How can I tell which ones are analog? Shows how much I know. I wish it were just as simple as you telling me what to buy, or you can't go wrong with this, this, or this camera (or DVR, software etc.) Thanks!

that's a polite way of saying "they're toys". +1 for dahua as a lower-cost option... the trick is finding a suitable reseller outside of china, as dahua require resellers to re-brand their equipment... so it will almost always have a different name on it. where are you located? Do you have to buy a thousand of them or something to get the Dahua?

OK, I ran shockwave's post past my boss and he still has confidence that I can handle this (don't ask me why). I worked some magic on few projects over the last 20 years, but that doesn't mean I can do it with this. I feel like I know my own limitations and I told him that I felt that starting at zero knowledge (I'm good on networking) and trying to learn as I go may not be the best way to spend his time/money, especially if something is not working and I need to tweak settings for weeks. I need the work and could have not mentioned that, but I have bit of a conscience. Anyway, he suggested I try and find out what the best software to run these systems is and work backward from there to find the best (or really good) cameras/DVRs etc. If this doesn't sound too crazy, then maybe some of you can set me on at least a starting path on this. His ultimate goal (don't laugh) is once it's set up and running, to show it to our customers and offer them the same system installed in their offices. If I could make this happen for him, it could mean a lot more work for me, which I desperately need. That Dahua thing sounded good to him. He'd love to rebrand the cameras with his company name. Do you have agree to buy a thousand of them or something in order to get them? I appreciate all your patience with me, and I hope I can continue to get some help here. Thanks a lot, Scott

One down. NEXT! "one down" - meaning good or bad?

Ha! I will! Thanks a lot! Scott

Much as I hate to admit it, this is the best advice I got on this thread so far. I'll show him this post. Job security isn't on the line. He laid me off two years ago and I only get "as needed" sporadic work. He pays me less than any installer would charge. If I recommend a pro and he goes for it, then I ace myself out of a bunch of work that I really need. It's a double edged sword for me here. If I do it and make the right choices, then I'm a hero like I have been many times over the last 20 years working at this company. But if I end up spending a lot of time and money and have some things from your above list happen, he won't stop having me come in when I'm needed, but he won't be thrilled with all he spent for poor results. I have actually contacted an installer and he said they use a brand called "Zmodo." Is this OK, or crap? Thanks for your input.

Those brands are what you might consider for residential applications, not saying they wont work for you, but they are less of a commercial solution. What do you plan on using to record and manage your cameras an NVR (hw or sw) or a VMS system. Look into Aviglon, Exacq, Milestone and see what cameras they support and the brands you see supported among all solutions are the ones you want to look into. Then again brands like Axis, Acti etc have software solutions that will do all you asked for and more for no additional costs. The only flaw with that is you will be stuck with that brands cameras. If most of your cams are indoor and there will be good lighting available then your will have unlimited options to choose from. Some people on here really like the Q-See brand, particularly the ones made by a company called Dahua because of their good picture on an inexpensive camera. This brand may be less likely to be fully supported by the better software solutions. Thanks for the answer. Great stuff. I don't know what I plan on using to record and manage the cameras. I assumed I would get whatever the best offering was from whatever company I got the cameras from.

Some of the systems/companies I've come across here and elsewhere which seem to have some/most of the features we want are: Lorex Swann X10 Q-See D-Link DropCam Can anyone say if any of these are any good, or which one(s) to definitely avoid? If there is another one I should look into that I have not listed, that would be helpful also Any experience with any of these, good or bad would be very appreciated. Thanks, Scott

Wait until you buy a bunch of stuff and try to put the system together and make everything work correctly with good results. Not saying you cant do it but you may have A LOT more research ahead of you before you get a firm grasp of how to do this. Why not have someone provide you with an estimate that meets your needs and see if you think you can replicate the quote. I'm not worried about how to put stuff together and make it work, and I am the network admin here as well. What I'm hoping to find out is what combo of equipment will do what we want and what to also avoid. Thanks, Scott