sven86

Hello. I'm planning to set up a 4-8 camera CCTV system at my parent's retirement home in Jamaica. At least 4 cameras will be outside, and the rest will be inside. I have never done this before so this is very new to me. I have a spare computer, it's an AMD quad core, and I would like to use ZoneMinder on it, is it a good software? Will it run fine on an Ubuntu guest virtual machine with 2GB of available memory? As for the outdoor cameras, what should I get? IP cameras or analog? Any camera model/brand suggestions? How much should I spend on a good camera? Is wireless IP cameras good enough? Also, keep in mind that this is Jamaica, and it's very wet and very hot. The area is full of night bugs, especially moths, so I heard that it's better to get an IR illuminator than to use a camera's own IR? Also, is there any other way to reduce insect interference? Sorry for asking so many questions, but I want to make sure that I got this done right, since my parents will be living in another country where access is limited.

are you going to have access to that pc when you are away? if not dont use it...use a standalone NVR... There are lots of threads discussing various options...go with IP, 1080 minimum...look at dahua or hikvision. best bang for your buck...are you going to purchase the cams in the US? Yes, I will have access to it remotely, via x2go or some other remote desktop software. I will buy the cameras here in the states. Why 1080 the minimum? Isn't the type of lens and how well it sees in the night more important? Also, what about having an IR illuminator?