securecomm

Hi everybody. One of my clients is looking to upgrade 7 locations to DVRs as well as install at a couple new locations. The existing locations all use CCTV cameras, however they want to use IP cameras at the new installations, all the while using the same DVR at all locations. We have a fairly experienced IT staff, so dealing with IP is not too big a concern for us. Some of the old locations may also get a couple new IP cameras to add to the existing CCTV cameras. The existing locations have anywhere from 4-10 cameras, and the new locations are likely to have the 4-10 IP cameras each. Price vs. Reliability is a concern. We don't necessarily want to buy the cheapest unit, nor the most expensive unit out there. How can I tell how many IP cameras a unit will accept? Is it based on the number of channels? Basically, what DVRs would you recommend for this application? Thanks in advance for your help! -Mark

Yes, we've looked at those. The camera isn't our real concern yet. We're focused on deciding on the DVR.

Pulling new cable would be too big of a disruption, and they want to use the existing network infrastructure. It would be extremely expensive to pull new cable, while use of the existing network is cheaper and easier.

Yes, most likely we will have some sites that will have both CCTV and IP cameras. We may have to convert the CCTV signal to IP on some of these before the DVR.