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Dedicated camera monitor Most all NVR's have an HDMI jack (and many a VGA jack) where you can plug in whatever spare monitor you want. Either an old 19" or a big 65". Then you can choose among a host of viewing options such as all 4 cameras at once or just 1 camera full screen. It'll stay on all day long if you want. You can also do it other ways such as within a browser window of a computer since you can connect to the NVR via LAN or WAN. 2 channels - 4 channels - more? Almost everybody I work with ends up adding cameras, and adding more cameras than they originally thought. So a 4-channel NVR will work for your first 2 cameras, then your 3rd and 4th camera that you're thinking of. But a year or two later...if you're like many people, you'll want another camera. Maybe a full-fledged mounted camera or some little simple "wifi" camera like the wee-little DS-2CD2432F-IW. So compare the 8 channel NVRs while your at it...many times it's not much more money to have the expansion available. While you were sleeping Broken in at night? Ouch! Yup, security in layers. * Light (nobody lurks in the light) - whether always on or motion activated * View from the street - cut back bushes, etc. so there's little place for somebody to hide while trying to break in * Noise - alarms, dogs do make noise which are one layer * Physical barrier - awesome locks, fence, thorny-bushes planted under the windows, etc. * Monitored alarm - monthly price, there's a delay, and they're not the be-all...so just a simple layer * Dog (again) - pet ownership is an ordeal...but a big dog does make a good layer * Your own person T-800 - on second thought, given the gun laws of the Netherlands, a Skynet-created-Terminator with a shotgun may not in the plans to be standing guard on your front porch "I'll be back"

+1 Go network cable. You'll be happy with it now, and several years from now too. When starting a new system, I'm doing IP cameras. And most always 3MP camera systems. And lately, more 4MP systems.

1) Weather & IP66 Being in Arizona, I'm not as familiar with which cameras would deal well with harsh cold -40C. +51...sure...the Hik's do fine. They also do great in the wet. Aliexpress-type buying (ebay and even some Amazon) issues: * the firmware may not be what you want (or even in the language you want) * you may not be able to update the firmware...usually not ever an issue, but a firmware update can be a fix to some IP camera woes 2) Pole They can be pricey. Shipping can kill the deal. But it's just a pole as long as it's strong and you can mount it up ok. I've used a lot of existing poles, even light poles. One company I was at recently, the pole had a small amount of current running through it...probably wasn't grounded from all the other crap the company had on it...hehe. 3) There are a few cheap IP cams out that say POE that aren't. But the DS-2CD3132-I does true POE. Power from several choices such as * the NVR itself if it has POE ports * a network switch with POE * or a POE injector then just run the CAT 5e or CAT6 out to the camera and plug it in. Back to weather though...the cam comes with a water-resistant cover for the network cable plug and this will mean you can't have a pre-made plug but instead thread the cover on, then make your own RJ-45 end. 4) Yes, it's software if you're going to use a PC as your NVR. It's easy to use. 4b) hard drives - as long as the hard drive doesn't die on you, you're good. There are drives out now marketed toward "surveillance" and I'm using a number of them myself. But I haven't found a noticeable difference yet. Maybe in a few more years I'll notice if they last longer. Seagate says theirs is 30% more reliable (were they skimping before?) Others claim speed (security camera data rates are well below the average hard drive's write-rates anyway) 4c) network switch and the PC and the cameras simply need to be on the same local network. Switches are our friends for when we have a lot of network devices spread out. A switch with POE simply adds power for the specific ports. 5) NVR Yes, an NVR will do pretty much everything the PC will do and my customers find it to be less work going forward. No Windows-fun or anything. Sure, if you're a DIY-hobby person, go PC...have fun with it. The customers I work with want to never have to worry about it so they can focus on their business...so I end up the NVR route most of the time. The NVR you showed connects to the network via CAT5/6...no prob. Hik (and others) make NVR's with built-in POE ports, so you can power the cameras directly from the NVR. So it'll depend on how you're running your cabling and if you're running all the camera cables back to the NVR or some other network layout. 6) 720P is 1 megapixel. So it depends on the goals of what you want to see. With lower resolution, you'll lose details in the image such as being able to read a license place or lettering on a person's shirt. Being able to identify faces is another popular goal. Simple text in this paragraph won't cut it, so hop on YouTube and check out comparisons between 1, 2, and 3+ megapixel systems. 6b) Costco - The return policy is not only good...it's great! On the down side, if the NVR goes out, does that mean that you have to take down the whole system, and then take it back to Costco just to replace the single NVR? 6c) Costco (or any retail stores)...I've replaced a number of retail-store systems. Even ones that say IP66 rated on them. They are designed for cost and they do seem to fail...which is good for business for me I suppose, but a headache for the original user. Like I said...we don't get much snow in Arizona, but I can say that +51C temperatures, the lower-end retail-store cameras don't do as well. 6d) When buying a package system, it'll typically include cable of standard lengths. This will mean your close cameras will have leftover cable and your far cameras won't have enough. So plan on buying some odds and ends of cables or learn to make your own (not hard) 7) Labor Don't underestimate the cost of your labor. Running cables, adjusting cameras, configuring customer's networks and routers...it takes time. Better to under-promise and over-deliver. 8.) Service Most of my customers become repeat customers. They all seem to want to expand later or a truck backed into a camera or somebody unplugged all their router stuff. So repeat service is very common. Sometimes a camera will die under my warranty or one my installers did something odd, so we're back out there as a free warranty service. Like any business, sort that out ahead of time. 9) Fake cameras Some look ok, others not so much. For some customers I've used an analog camera that I'm not going to be installing for people anymore as a fake camera...plugged it into power so the IR's would glow red. 10) Week of recording Most of my small business customers go with motion recording which gives two positives: * extends recording times out to a month or two in most cases (depending on the number of cameras, resolution, and the amount of motion) * Much easier to locate a video clip when compared to continuous 24/7 recording

Nice NVR and the camera gives a really good image. They should be playing nicely together. Hardware-wise...real nice setup. One caveat is not about the hardware itself, but rather who you buy it from. You're probably familiar with this, but I'll post it anyway for those that may Google into this thread later. The seller in this case may not be someone that fully supports the product. Sometimes electronic devices simply fail (or even DOA). An eBay seller may not be a licensed Hikvision vendor, so you may not be able to go directly to Hikvision for firmware updates. This isn't just for Hikvision...it's not even just for security cameras. Something such as radar detectors...it's the same deal if you buy an Escort MAX on eBay. But...check with the return policy, use the PayPal thingie to be able to return it if you need to and it should be as good as most buying experiences out there.

Nice diagram that shows good coverage with the cameras. Where (and how) you run cable will be a big part of the project. Lots of topics, so I'll break them down where I can. 1) Week's recording of activity If you go with recording only motion activity, you'll get two benefits: * you get 1-2 months of recording on your hard drive for say...a 2TB drive. 4TB drive will give you more. This depends on how many cameras, how high of resolution, and how much motion. * whenever you want to go back and find a video clip, it's much easier to find a motion even than combing through a constant 24/7 recording. Sidenote - Motion of the street: Since your cameras are pointing outward, there is a setting on most DVR/NVR systems to block out sections of the screen so that it doesn't trigger a motion-recording event from cars passing by on the street. 2) Video clear enough to read number plates & see faces The higher the resolution and nighttime performance, the better it is to see those details. For the part about number plates, now you're talking 3MP or 4MP cameras. They do make a very nice image though! 3) Decent DVR/NVR For IP systems, I find fewer hassles of compatibility when I use the same brand. Plus if I need to contact tech support, contacting 1 company gets the problem resolved. When there's 2 brands, both companies can often blame each other and the problem's still not resolved. Brand A/B mixing does work...for the most part (with the ONVIF protocol)...but when I'm starting from scratch on a system, it's just easier to eliminate any Brand A/B difficulties and buy all 1 brand. NVR Sidenote Even though 3 channels right now, most everybody gets the idea later to expand. A 4ch NVR gives you 1 extra slot. But compare the 8ch NVRs which in many cases aren't much more money for future expansion. Hikvision & Dahua They aren't the only game in town. But both of these brands work very well, give very good quality, and are a real good cost. So much so, that there's a lot of brands out there that are rebranded Hikvision/Dahua systems. Which isn't bad....some of them simply rebrand it, mark up the price, and then give a pretty good warranty/customer service. Dome/Bullet Both types can be had for most types of image quality...until you really go up in price for more specialized needs (lens, etc). Domes can be made to be more vandal resistant. Bullets are faster to install/align (probably why there's more of those at Costco, etc.) My residential customers * get whatever they think looks good. * more often use mini-bullets like the Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I except right next to walkways where I use more domes. My business customers * get whatever they think looks scariest to the would-be-criminal. * typically go with high-mounted large bullets outside (or inside large/warehouse buildings) like the Hikvision DS-2CD2232-I5, and vandal-resistant domes inside or down low where people might be able to reach. * professional offices often get cameras that fit their decor inside such as turret cameras such as the Hikvision DS-2CD2332-I are popular right now. Searching this site on dome vs bullet and you'll get a lot of good information...plus a lot of lively discussion as there's a lot of room for opinion on the subject. Horizontal number Look at the total spec to figure out what the image quality will (mostly) be like. Lately, using the horizontal number in the marketing title on the product is simply a way to draw customers in to buying a sub-DVD quality image by using a bigger number. For example: D1 = crappy video 960H = widescreen crappy video

It goes to the goals of the homeowner or the business person. For watching movies in high definition or maybe sporting events, sure, we want a 1080P signal on a 1080P display. We watch it live, we eat our food, we enjoy the show. We do this for hours and hours. But for security cameras, the goals are different. The goal is to find out what's happening. Very (very) few of my customers sit around watching their cameras live all the time...they're busy (and they're not casinos, nuclear power plants, or NASA). They typically glance at it for a moment. Most of them check out the live video feed on their smartphone for a quick-check anyway. Especially the residential customers. For this goal, a 1080P (which is about 2MP) or even a 720P monitor (about 1MP) monitor works great. The underlying video is 3MP or 4MP. Whenever the person needs to review the video to meet their goal of finding out what's going on, they'll simply zoom in the screen whenever they need to and get the detail in the picture fine. We've been doing the same thing with our iPhone/smartphone cameras for years. It doesn't seem crazy to me. And for my business and residential customers, they love capability of the higher resolution. For a place that already has coax installed ...the high-def analogs aren't a bad stop-gap...for a few years. Very very view of my residential customers go this route, they typically switch to higher IP. But for a new install? No way ...it's a huge waste of time and money to run coax all over the place. Plus for the hobbyist/DIYer...I haven't met anybody that enjoys the pulling-wire part of it...hehe. So yeah...for new installs...definitely go CAT5e or 6 network cable!

Email connectivity settings The term to Google is "SMTP settings" for your ISP or email provider. There are several options that may need to be done for your particular SMTP settings, but contact your internet service provider to doublecheck those. Basically your Camera system (cam itself, dvr, or nvr) will be your "email client" and then you'd look up the email SMTP settings of whatever ISP connects your internet connection to set up the "from" email part. As for sending the email to...that's where you use your Gmail address. Seeing on your smartphone Two ways depending on your Swann DVR/NVR * Plug and Play (P2P), usually this is very few steps. Sometimes even scanning a 2D code off the screen from the app. * Port-forwarding - this means looking up which port #'s your DVR/NVR uses and then on your network router, placing port-forwarding exceptions for those ports. Then from the smartphone app, navigate to your IP address (this topic is much bigger, so search this site on dedicated port-forwarding topics) Motion or Continuous A few companies I've worked with require to have an uninterrupted recording. But very few. Most all of them that I've worked with opt for a motion recording which gives two benefits: * Extends hard drive space much further * It's much (much) easier to locate the video clip for a specific incident Motion & Alerts On many DVR/NVR's you can have it email you when it sees motion. This varies in practice as a single person walking through the room can generate 10-20 emails to you within a few seconds. I'd prefer to see the firmware build in a little delay before hammering off the next sub-second motion email...but play with it on your system if that's what you're thinking.

Outdoor Sealed enough from the elements, preferably IP66 rating Seeing details on the recording IP Cams are the future and provide high definition. Analog (even if it says "960H") simply doesn't give the details in the video. High-definition analog (TVI, SDI, AHD, others..you can't mix these technologies together at this time) do give a pretty picture (not as high-def as IP), but these are meant as stop-gap technologies for those that have coax cable already installed to make their upgrade less expensive. I wouldn't go with one of these on a fresh install. DVR/NVR or PC you can run it on a PC with good CPU horsepower. Though for a less work system, a dedicated NVR-device will do everything and is a setup-and-near-forget deal. If you like to tinker with tech, sure, the PC. But for most people, the dedicated NVR-device is the way to go. Wireless = uh....yeah. Wired systems are way more reliable. Wireless systems get radio interference or simply just drop the connection. For our smartphones that never leave our hands, we're on them all day long so we know when we're offline and tap that once every three days to reconnect. But for a security camera system, few people are watching their status all day long. Some systems have an alert to email/text you if a camera goes offline, but it's still not 100%. Running the wire is a chore and half, no doubt. But it's the best technology we have for a system that we don't want to have to babysit. Pay now, or pay for it while you use it. Motion On current NVR's, the motion setting is somewhat adjustable. But if a moth flies too close to the camera, it'll trigger a motion event. But even with that, most of the businesses and customers I work with go with motion recording...extends hard drive storage dramatically and makes it way easier to find an event rather than looking through 24/7 recording. Brands, etc. On this site, there's plenty of recommendations for Hikvision and also Dahua. They give good quality, built pretty robust, and are a good dollar value. The full kits at Costco and such would work fine for many residential applications. Though it's a standard kit. So you close cameras will have too much cable and your far cameras won't have enough. But they work out of the box and give a pretty picture. In some cases though, the weather-resistance/reliability isn't up to par. Brand A/B mixing With some of the near-common protocols such as ONVIF, it's doable to mix brands on IP cameras...but for simply less hassle, if you can stick with a single brand, I find it cuts down any compatibility issues dramatically and also makes for a 1-stop shop for tech support (rather than 2 different companies blaming each other as to why it doesn't work).

For many businesses I work with, they opt for the DVR/NVR to record only when motion is detected. This gives a couple of benefits: * Extends hard drive before looping...for the analog system you linked, it could be months before looping * It's much (much) easier to go back and find a specific video clip of an incident However, some business models do need a 24/7 constant recording, but for most of the situations for business or residential, the motion recording option fits the bill.

...and... Did Yogi Berra write this or something? ...it's sooo popular that nobody else is making it. If only Toshiba had tried that market logic with HD-DVD.

First, I want to make sure I understand. You're looking at buying a 4 channel system with 4 cameras included. It appears that system maxes out at 4 cameras with no room to upgrade. Which is fine if that's what you want, but then the idea of buying more cameras means disconnecting one of the existing 4 cameras. But if you think you may need to go to 5+ cameras, then you'd need to purchase a system with 8 channels (or 16 or whatever) for future expansion. Brand-mixing Possible with IP...yes Brand mixing compatible......either mostly or not at all In the IP world, there is a "standard" (ok, it's for-profit companies trying to create a common language so they can make ca$h...but it also makes life a little easier for us...a little...it's not perfect). It's called ONVIF and there's a couple versions of it. ONVIF has a short list of functions that are supposed to work between two ONVIF devices of any brand. But there's always newer/cooler functions coming out that aren't within the ONVIF specification so if you want the outside-the-ONVIF-spec function...I say to stay with the same brand. Also, I've seen a few cases in which two ONVIF devices of different brands didn't do the listed ONVIF function. Calling support from each company results in them blaming each other. So if I can (such as a brand new install), I simply avoid multi-branding and go with a single brand. For the system you linked, I don't see anything suggesting that this system is ONVIF compliant or that it would work with other system.

As mentioned, having a single NVR and just run a network cable from the switch on the other side of the building over to where the NVR lives, and voila! For cost-effectiveness, I know of several businesses that do run 2+ NVR's as in their case they do not have the need to have the videos housed on a single box. If there's a broken window on the East side of their property, pull the video from that NVR...and so on. Not as technologically simple/elegant, but the end result of getting the right recording works for their goals. Plus they simply have two options on their smartphone to log into either NVR at a time. Looking at the provided link...I'm not on board with the Axis bandwagon. I like them fine, but there are other solutions out there that appear to be just as robust and give as good (or better) performance...for quite a bit less money. Plus, upping the video to 2MP-3MP is going to meet your goals of seeing the detail of what's happening on a recording (it really does look great compared to the analog systems). For recording, if the business needs to record 24/7, then so be it and load up the hard drives. For a large number of businesses I work with, they do motion recording and only record when there's something happening on camera. Two benefits: * fewer hard drives (saving $$$) * much easier to locate a video clip of an incident that took place (much, much easier)

ah, I was just thinking of drilling for the mount which is like an inch. But drilling to make a hole to get the cable through, it's more work, no doubt. I'd probably do the flat cable through the window on a personal system too. Drilling through that much brick (etc) takes: * long masonry bit (probably $15-ish) * several batteries on your cordless drill (or an extension cord) * patience * a little more patience * sweat * couple of cool drinks * a hammer drill helps a lot doing this while on a tall ladder sucks as when you drill you're basically trying to push your ladder over. Flat cable With the 1's and 0's transmitting through the cable, the 1's go better through the flat cable, but not those fatter 0's that don't fit so well. ok...couldn't resist...back to reality now...hehe I've done flat cables even for computer odds and ends under 30' and they work well. But there's 2 types of flat: * Twisted Pair - 4 pairs of twisted cables * Flat 8 - 8 straight little cables, no twisting going on. The twisted-pair part is what gives you reliable distance on the connection. But I believe the Amazon link is for 4-pairs. In any case, if you have a short 30-foot run, no problem. But if you're running 180 feet or something...I'd consider adding a switch to get off the flat cable soon and do the majority of the long length with a regular cable.

Sounds like both the old and new cameras are analog systems, so yeah, I'd certainly go with the existing cable. The only issue would be if the existing cable got damaged over the years from weather or whatever. You could also run a simple test of each cable with your new cameras and do a look-see, but in most cases, no problem. The cables are compatible.

Drilling into brick, etc. isn't hard, just use the right type of bit such as a masonry bit. For mounting, the little plastic expansion anchors work fine as the camera isn't heavy at all. If you really want to mount it solid, go with a masonry mount. There's some that are set up just like the plastic ones, but you: 1) drill the hole in the brick 2) tap in a soft-metal anchor 3) put the screw into the anchor Your local Home Depot/Lowes (or online with Amazon) have the anchors in stock. You can drill into your window frame, but I avoid it as I want the window frame to hold the window..especially the vinyl/plastic types..but that's just me. As for water, the silicone will do fine for that.

The HDMI cable will handling viewing the monitor in another room, but not controlling the NVR. So depending on what your end goals are. View only For a regular HDMI cable, typically around 50-ish feet is the max. For an HDMI splitter, one that has a built in amplifier is what I would think given the room-to-room (floor-to-floor) distances. View & Interact Whether you want to change to one camera on a whim full screen or do whatever... Laptop/PC A laptop/PC on your local area network will view the NVR feed great with fantastic resolution. Amazon Fire TV Stick I haven't tried this one yet, but several on this forum have, so search through. The little USB-dongle Fire TV Stick plugs into your big flat screen TV's extra HDMI port. The Fire TV Stick is Android-based, so you can download an app for it that can remotely view/interact with your DVR right from your big screen TV.

Looks like a couple of questions if I'm seeing it right... Cellular Hotspot So not have a DSL (or cable) internet service at the business and use a cellular connection at the business. I've done this for remote camera installations (construction sites, etc.) that don't have internet and yes, it is feasible (set one up this morning), but typically much more expensive. Hardware - not hard * Router that takes a USB inbound connection * Verizon USB cell dongle * Plug your DVR network cable into the router * Configure router as normal (or the plug-n-play/P2P) Cost: Data-data-data Even with your video settings dumbed way down (for the substream if that Swann DVR has a substream option), each and every time you connect to it for a quick-look-see, it eats up the data big time. Even logging on and logging off as fast as possible can eat up 10MB of data on your cell data plan. Lingering on the live video feed can use your data plan really fast. Downloading a video of something that happened is another data-hog. it's just simply pricey. Compared to having a $50-80 DSL (or cable) on site, even at the slower DSL speeds is usually much cheaper for many people. DVR Even today's el-cheapo DVR's (and today's Swann's) have: * remote internet connection/control through a browser * remote smartphone access If your Swann doesn't have either of these, the el-cheapo Amazon analog DVR's can be as little as $50-80 without a hard drive and may not be a bad mini-upgrade. Static IP: A static IP is a nicety so you can simply access using the same IP address every time. Another option is to use a dynamic dns (google for "DDNS"). Some DVR's have a DDNS setting in them where they will update the cloud-DDNS with the DVR's latest IP address. So you would simply navigate to: misterbones.cool-ddns-service.com (or whatever you sign up with) and it would get you to the right IP address each time. If you're a couple of states away...either static IP address or a DDNS setup is a way to keep connected without having to show up to get the latest IP address change from the ISP. And Verizon (at least in my state) does do static IP addresses for the USB cellular dongles for an extra fee.

Sounds like an awesome setup! For those playing along on the home-game and may have googled in... ...a dedicated DVR/NVR will do all of the things stated except for 1: * The PC fulfills the user's desire in liking to use a PC (which is pretty close to the reason I use the motor oil I use in my car...along with a host of other things) $1000-1200 systems are quite average for click-and-buy systems. Of course if you have found some-cool-smokin'-refurb-on-FatWallet system, then all the better. Good cpu, good gpu (if displaying lotsa live streams), extra memory, 7200hdd (or ssd). $500 for an i7-4790 is excellent considering they go for $900-1100 new (the cpu alone is $310).

Port forwarding simply pushes off security for that port to your DVR/NVR and the person from the outside can try their hand at it. There's a lot: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_TCP_and_UDP_port_numbers For residential, many ISP's block outbound port 80, and some DVR/NVR's have port 80 as the default. So changing it to whatever you'll remember (and doesn't conflict with your browser's port 443, your email's port 110 or 25 or 587, etc.)

Conduit protects the wiring...mostly from the elements. Hiding wiring helps keep baddens from cutting it (and if your camera can cover the area where the cable is...hehe). There's metal conduit, of course. it's also doable to simply use PVC (or other plasticky types) of piping that is often used for putting in a lawn sprinkler system and fit them together, even with the purple-glue stuff. Another thing to Google is "liquid condiut" to find the soft-flexible conduit hoses to use in irregular shapped spots. heh...it is possible to spend nearly as much on conduit than a low-end Zmodo system 80% humidity is not typically an issue (though 100% will bring about corrosion in the tiny internal parts until failure). Also in a humid environment, some areas such as close to a window where there's a different of temperature outside the window can make for condensation for things near the window and you don't want that. If you're looking at depending on a DVR for business, then taking the extra step to have a dehumidifier or A/C unit in that area to keep it drier is prudent. Did a medium size business that does charter buses...these giant garages and buildings and it gets hot in there and slightly on the humid side for a few months out of the year. But the DVR (and router and switches) is in a dedicated little room in the corner of one of the big buildings..the room is sealed off well with a 24/7 running small A/C unit...it feels nice in that room!

I'm not aware of a way to add channels to the DVR. Doing the splitter thing doesn't change that. The firmware (operating system) is also set up to match the 4 channels of the hardware. For connecting to your PC...I'm not following what you want to connect to your PC. * Connect the DVR to your PC? (DVR's in recent years connect pretty easily over the network through a browser window...and recently to smartphone apps...pretty easily too. But older DVR's that don't have that capability...well...new DVR for some of them). * Connect your spare cameras to your PC? (Turning your PC into a DVR...but it means PC on all the time using more wattage than a DVR does and having DVR-type-software installed..and a video-capture-card).

Searching Amazon fpr 'tvi test monitor' shows what looks like the same one that LTS has...Amazon prices it at $400. And Aliexpress (read up on them before wading in) has one with the same look for $160. I haven't tried it, been wanting to get one though. I have an SDI tester, but thinking of just going with just TVI for my non-IP businesses... ...then again, I bought an HD-DVD player and a bunch of HD-DVD movies 8 years ago.

For many of the mid-range (well..the cheaper ones too), the DVR's and NVR's have very similar capabilities. Some of the DVR/NVR operating systems pretty much look identical and simply have differences that they use analog-BNC plugs in the back or they connect to IP cameras (either RJ45 plugs in the back for each camera, or 1 RJ45 to connect to the router). The ONVIF "standard" does help if you have Brand A camera with Brand B NVR. But it's not perfect. (True, ONVIF is corporations getting together to try to create some "standard"...not unlike USB, BluRay, and many others). It's an ongoing discussion and there's differing opinions. In my own experience, if you're starting from scratch on an IP system, getting: Brand A Cams Brand A NVR ...pretty much eliminates some of the "it should have worked but won't" when dealing with Brand A/Brand B, even with ONVIF. (and calling two different tech support lines that blame the other brand). Not that Brand A/B mixes mean completely broken systems...but that one little feature you go to set up just won't do it's little cool thing you wanted...so when I can, I stay Brand A/A. ----- That system from Costco linked above is a pretty good deal.

I'm a PC nut, I've built them, blown them up, have had up to 11 of them running at once in the house back in the day...email servers, dedicated NAS (on BSD), dedicated FTP server, dedicated router, dedicated media-DVR-PC, security-camera-PC, even an Atari 800 was semi-connected to the network (no...ya can't play multi-PC Asteroids, but on-screen 4-player Asteroids...even the kids thought it was fun. Now down to...um...4 PC's...not including the RasPi's, NAS's, tablets, smartphones, etc. But figure an i7 for a sweet $1000+ PC, or simply get a Hikvision 16 channel NVR for $380 with 8 POE built in and put in one or two 4TB drives. The PC's CPU is made to be a jack of all trades, but NVR-duties is very focused. As such, the NVR hardware can be a whole lot cheaper and still cover all your cameras in 3MP resolution. * 11 cams * 3 MP * 15 fps * H.264 codec * Video quality on medium setting * That's about 45-55 Mbps bandwidth (depending on the calculator used) * High quality setting would set you to around 65-85 Mbps * The Hikvision NVR (say the DS-7616NI-E2/8P) will handle a good 100 Mbps For hard drive capacity, two 4TB drives will get you about 6 days of 24/7 recording. If you go with motion-only recording that extends that to perhaps 1-2 months depending on how much motion there is. It's very rare that a business I work with does anything but motion-recording. Or go with the $500 DS-7716NI-E4/16P with 16 POE ports and fit in four 4TB drives for 12 days of 24/7 recording or multi-months of motion recording...with 11 high-def 3MP cams. For me, it makes performance and economic sense to simply get a dedicated DVR for the size system you're looking at.

If they're on the same local area network, then the NVR can see the cameras and connect up to them fine. If you were running new cables, POE is handy. But if: Building A: NVR Building B: Camera 1 Building C: Camera 2 It'll work...again...if set up to be on the same local area network. Just as if your PC was printing to a network printer on the network. However... With that said... WiFi is not the reliable choice. Wireless devices get knocked off all the time. Sure, there's the home-residential "wifi cameras" that work. But a small WiFi hiccup and the camera is offline. Unless you check it often, you won't know for quite some time. If your DVR has a "video loss" alarm, then it could email you when a camera loses connection. But when I do cameras for businesses, we wire-wire-wire. Why? Because the business doesn't want to have to even think about cameras. They want to focus on business and forget about the cameras until needed.