sichuan

England and the U.S. are no better than China when it comes to surveillance of citizens, whether that surveillance is audio or video.

"I actually never heard about D-WDR or Digital WDR." A little research goes a long way and your research was not complete. Digital WDR , or D-WDR, is a software based technology (software based technique) that optimizes image quality by adjusting the gamma value of an image to enhance dark areas. This technique leaves a lot to be desired. True WDR is a sensor-based technology (hardware based technique) that can capture several images with short and long exposures, then combining them into a single frame. True WDR will give you much better images with much better contrast of the light and dark areas of the images, but only if the WDR setting is appropriate. Setting the WDR level too low, such as 25db, may not produce a satisfying image, while setting the WDR level too high, such as 100db or 120db, may lead to washed out images. "fishy Asian cams" I believe the vast majority of security cameras are manufactured in Asia, most notably China. Most products are manufactured in Asian countries because that's where the cheapest labor can be exploited, thereby guaranteeing the highest profits. As far as "quality" is concerned these products are manufactured to the specifications of the companies that have them manufactured, regardless of which nation they are manufactured in. Don't blame the factory employees for the "cheapness" of the product. Put the blame where it belongs, which is squarely on the companies writing the specifications. As far as "fishy cams" is concerned, you get what you pay for. Do you want to pay very little for your security cameras? If so, you will get very little in the way of the product. Your list of "real WDR cams" is very short and doesn't include other high quality camera manufacturers, such as Sony and most notably Hikvision and Dahua. Hikvision and Dahua manufacture the majority of security cameras. Bosch Security & Communications System opened its largest manufacturing facility worldwide in Zhuhai, China in January 2008. Does this mean that Bosch security cameras are "fishy" and that they should be avoided? I don't think so. Please don't misunderstand my post. It's not really a criticism of your post but rather a correction of the information provided in your post.

I need some assistance with cameras and angles of view. I've spent weeks researching different issues such as frame rates, resolutions, megapixels, data flow rates and angles of view and I'm still not competent enough to arrive at certain conclusions. I'll be using an 18 port/18 channel IP POE NVR. I'll be connecting each camera to an individual port on the NVR with Cat6a cable. The NVR and all the IP POE cameras will be Hikvision USA products. Here's where I'm at now: I've designed it as a 13 camera system, using 11 turrets and two bullets but I'm certain I can lower that to nine or ten cameras if I select the proper cameras with the proper fields of view. North Side Of House Photo 03: You will notice that the part of the house to the right of the front entry door extends out four feet. North Side Of House Photo 04: The front yard is 115 feet wide and 60 feet to the street. Currently, I have configured three turrets and one bullet to cover the entire yard, the front windows and the front entry door. Two of the turrets, model DS-2CD2332-I-2.8MM 3MP (86 degree angle of view) would be mounted on the soffits angled straight ahead in such a way that I can view the entire front yard using these two turrets. The third turret, model DS-2CD2332-I-12MM 3MP (20.6 degree angle of view) would be mounted above the front entry door for identification of anyone at the door or approaching the door. You will notice the large Oak tree in North Side Of House Photo 04. My intent was to remove the lower branches and install a bullet camera, model DS-2CD2232-I5-6MM 3MP (25 ft. wide view) on this tree to cover all five of the windows. The front entry door cannot be seen from the tree. North Side Of House Photo 03: http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv175/Sichuan1350/Hikvision%20IP%20POE%20Security%20System/North%20Side%20Of%20House%20Photo%2003%20Entry%20Door.jpg North Side Of House Photo 04: http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv175/Sichuan1350/Hikvision%20IP%20POE%20Security%20System/North%20Side%20Of%20House%20Photo%2004.jpg What I'm asking is: Instead of using the configuration I've just mentioned can I mount a turret on the left corner soffit, angled toward the street sign/stop sign in such a way that I can cover the two bedroom windows on the left side of the house, the entry door and the right side of the front yard, and then mount a turret on the right corner soffit, angled toward the left side of the front yard, in such a way that I can cover the three living room windows on the right side of the house and the left side of the front yard? I assume that I would use the two DS-2CD2332-I-2.8MM 3MP turrets(86 degree angle of view). This would reduce the number of cameras I need from four to two, eliminating the turret over the entry door and the bullet on the tree. South Side Of House Photo 01: This is the back yard. It ends at the yellow gas line stake. The yard is 125 feet long and 115 feet wide. I want camera coverage for the entire yard. Currently, I have configured two DS-2CD2332-I-2.8MM 3MP (86 degree angle of view) turrets to be mounted on the soffits in such a way as to cover the entire back yard. I think these two turrets will cover it, although I may need three of them. I don't know. I had originally wanted to mount a bullet on one of the trees shown in this photo, the tree facing the garage windows, but I've eliminated that one. South Side Of House Photo 02: This is a closeup photo of the back of the house. The two evergreen trees have been removed. I want to cover the garage man door, the patio sliding doors and the two windows. I'm going to use a turret, model DS-2CD2332-I-2.8MM 3MP (86 degree angle of view), for this coverage. I can mount it on the soffit above the tall evergreen tree or I can mount it on the soffit above the tree with the weeping branches. I think it would be better to mount it above the tree with the weeping branches. Will this give me a wide enough angle of view to capture the man door, the patio sliding doors and the two windows? South Side Of House Photo 01: http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv175/Sichuan1350/Hikvision%20IP%20POE%20Security%20System/South%20Side%20Of%20House%20Photo%2001.jpg South Side Of House Photo 02: http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv175/Sichuan1350/Hikvision%20IP%20POE%20Security%20System/South%20Side%20%20Of%20House%20Photo%2002.jpg West Side Of House Photo 02: The west side of the house is 50 feet long and it's 35 feet from the side of the house to the street. The two evergreen trees on the sides of the driveway have been removed. I have configured two turret cameras to cover the driveway, the window and the side yard, both turrets being model DS-2CD2332-I-4MM 3MP (70 degree angle of view), the two turrets located on the soffit at each corner facing the opposite corners, the one on the northwest corner facing southwest and the one on the southwest corner facing northwest. I could replace these 4MM turrets with 2.8MM turrets if you think they would give me better angles of view. Are the 4MM turrets sufficient or do you think I should switch them for 2.8MM turrets? West Side Of House Photo 02: http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv175/Sichuan1350/Hikvision%20IP%20POE%20Security%20System/West%20Side%20Of%20House%20Photo%2002.jpg East Side Of House Photos 01 and 02: I have configured two turret cameras to cover this side of my property, model DS-2CD2332-I-4MM 3MP (70 degree angle of view). They will be mounted on the soffit corners facing the opposite direction, the northeast corner camera facing southeast and the southeast camera facing northeast. I don't care if the field of view covers part of the neighbor's property. I think I'll leave this as is because I don't think I can get good coverage using only one camera. In addition, I can cover parts of the front and back yards that may be missed by the the turrets covering my front and back yards. East Side Of House Photo 01: http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv175/Sichuan1350/Hikvision%20IP%20POE%20Security%20System/East%20Side%20Of%20House%20Photo%2001.jpg East Side Of House Photo 02: http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv175/Sichuan1350/Hikvision%20IP%20POE%20Security%20System/East%20Side%20Of%20House%20Photo%2002.jpg South Side Dining Room Photos 01 and 02: These photos were taken with a cell phone so they're not indicative of what a turret camera will show. Photo number two was taken from the upper corner shown in photo number one. I've configured a model DS-2CD2332-I-4MM 3MP (70 degree angle of view) for this coverage. It will cover the kitchen, part of the south side dining room, part of the west side dining room and some of the front entry door. This coverage will allow me to see anyone coming in through the garage entry door into the kitchen, the front entry door and possibly the patio sliding door entry. These are the only three entries into the house. I think if I switch to a model DS-2CD2332-I-2.8MM 3MP (86 degree angle of view) and locate it on the wall or ceiling above the hutch it will give me more coverage of the patio sliding door. South Side Dining Room Photo 01: http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv175/Sichuan1350/Hikvision%20IP%20POE%20Security%20System/South%20Side%20Dining%20Room%20Photo%2001.jpg South Side Dining Room Photo 02: http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv175/Sichuan1350/Hikvision%20IP%20POE%20Security%20System/South%20Side%20Dining%20Room%20Photo%2002.jpg I'm using turrets instead of domes because they provide a better and more uniform IR light and I eliminate dome reflection from the sun and inside lights. I'll be using the model DS-9616NI-ST-4TB IP POE NVR because it produces a 1080p display for all the cameras. I'm looking for any suggestions that would either validate my conclusions or improve my choice of cameras and their locations. Thank you in advance for your time and any assistance provided.

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I'm going to go with this NVR from LTS: http://www.ltsecurityinc.com/platinum-network-video-recorder-nvr-ltn8932-p16.html

Thanks, Tom. I spent a long time researching Dahua IP POE cameras before, along with Hikvision and many other brands. I finally narrowed the decision down to Dahua and Hikvision and then finally chose Hikvision. I think they're both comparable in price, quality and performance.

Thanks, Tom. You're absolutely correct. I listed the wrong NVR. This is the one I had chosen first but I then learned that it will display in full resolution for only 8 cameras. http://overseas.hikvision.com/us/Products_accessries_10649_i8679.html#prettyPhoto I'm still looking for a 16 channel, 16 port IP POE or IP POE+ NVR, H264 or better with a gigabit Ethernet port, one that will handle cameras up to 4 megapixels each, one that will run all the videos at full resolution and will automatically discover all the cameras. I suppose it's called a Plug N Play NVR. I'm going to run all the cameras in real time 24 hours a day so I'm looking for at least 4 SATA connections that will handle up to 24TB of storage. 24TB may not be enough storage. I may need up to 8 SATA connections that will handle up to 48TB of storage. I go to China quite frequently for weeks or months at a time and I'd like to be able to store the videos in the event the police need to view them if there's a breaking and entering. The NVR will be connected to an UPS. I'd like to be able to find an NVR that automatically powers itself on after a power outage if the duration of the outage exceeds the capacity of the UPS but I don't think I'll find one. It's not that important because my neighbor watches my home whenever I'm in China and he has a key to the house. If, while in China, I notice that the system is not running I can always have him go over and turn it back on. I'll be using Hikvision cameras and a Hikvision NVR made for the U.S. market but instead of dealing with a Hikvision USA authorized seller I'll get Hikvision rebranded cameras and a Hikvision rebranded NVR from LT Security Inc. I think the rebranded cameras I'll get from LTS are the exact same cameras I would get from a Hikvision USA authorized seller. It's not the gray market equipment made for the Chinese market that has been hacked for the U.S. market that you see on Amazon, Ebay and elsewhere. I'm almost certain LT Security has the NVR I want but I'll have to wait until Monday to contact them. The support I get from LTS is very good. I haven't even ordered the cameras and NVR yet and I've received excellent support from them regarding any questions I've had. I imagine the LTS support is every bit as good as the support I would have received from a Hikvision USA seller. I couldn't be more satisfied with LTS. I do want to ask you one question. The cameras I'll be using are all 2.8MM except for two of them, which will be 4MM. They will all be turrets with the exception of 2 or 3 bullets. Since this is a home security system and I'll be displaying the video streams on a Samsung 24 inch LED 1080p monitor do you think I have anything to gain, as far as video clarity is concerned, by going from 3MP cameras to 4MP cameras? Of course, with my limited knowledge of IP POE systems, chances are good that I may be barking up the wrong tree and the difference between 3MP and 4MP megapixel cameras could have no effect on the clarity of the video display. Thanks again, Tom, for your time and your assistance. I appreciate it very much.

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I was initially going to go with a low end analog 720p HD security system but after reading several threads I've decided to instead go with a mid-price digital IP system using 12 to 16 cameras and a 16 port NVR. The cameras will not have sound capability. I expect to have a few thousand dollars invested by the time I'm done with the installation of the system. I've searched for hours online and I can't find answers to what I need to know. Do outdoor IP cameras use a single LAN cable for both power and video, with no other cables necessary? Do all outdoor IP cameras have a female connecting port? Is the connecting port a part of the camera itself or is there a cable that extends out of the camera and the camera mount for the connection? Will I need only male connectors at both ends of the cables connecting the cameras to the NVR? I'm going to be purchasing a 1000 ft. spool of Cat6a shielded cable, the shielded RJ45 connectors, a tool for attaching the connectors to the cables and a device to check the continuity of the cables once I attach the connectors. Thank you for your time and any assistance provided.

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Avigilon Impressive website. Does Avigilon market products to individuals with only a home gigabit network? From what I see on the website Avigilon products are way out of my league, financially speaking.

I'm going to use some CAD software to design my system. I want to be certain that I get the proper number of cameras, which will probably be less than I had initially thought, the proper types of cameras, the proper lenses in the cameras to cover the fields of view I'll be dealing with and to ascertain the proper angles of the cameras. I'll then have to determine the types of sensors and megapixels used in the various cameras I'll be looking for. I don't want too little and I don't want too much as far as the sensors and megapixels are concerned. I want good resolution. I'm looking for good video clarity. It's too cold in northeast Ohio at this time of year to be doing much of anything outside so I'm researching a few other things. One of them involves the NVRs. I think I'll go with either a Hikvision or a Dahua system. Does anyone know what kind of software Hikvision and Dahua NVRs use? Is it proprietary software? If so, can third party software be used instead with their NVRs and work fully with their systems? Are Hikvision and Dahua NVRs and cameras ONVIF compliant? Is there really any great need for them to be ONVIF compliant? What I'm looking for is software that is easy to use and provides a very good interface. I'll have no need to control any of the cameras, other than turning them on and off, as none of them will be motorized. I may use a varifocal lens on a few of the cameras but they will be manually adjusted. I won't be using any PTZ cameras. Can anyone recommend some good CCTV software? Thank you again for your time and any assistance provided.

Thank you again for your time and assistance, Securame. I really do appreciate it. I'll probably go with either Hikvision or Dahua IP POE cameras, since either company will probably be less expensive than FLIR. I'll have to spend some time outside taking measurements, determining how I want to cover each area of the house and yard, which will determine whether I need a bullet or a dome for each area, which cameras will need to be varifocal, the field of view I need, the lens size I need for each camera, the megapixels of each camera, etc, etc, etc. That will be the hardest part. I'll then spend some time looking at their NVRs and cameras, determining which cameras and NVR I'll need. I'll want domes and bullets for outside and probably four domes for inside. I want all the cameras, both inside and outside, to have night vision so I have to be certain I select the proper dome cameras so that the IR lights don't give me light reflection problems at night. I'm new at this so it will take me a few weeks to design my system. I realize that a qualified company representative or installer could determine these things in short order but I want to do this myself. I'm retired, have a lot of time on my hands and I'll learn a lot in the process.

"You will not see any discernible difference in video quality with h.265. Dont let the manufactures mumbo jumbo fool you. Bandwidth is a non issue, just use a gigabit network, you will never saturate it for your install." I certainly understand what you're saying about the bandwidth associated with a home network but I've seen several examples of the difference in video clarity and H.265 is without a doubt better. I'm already using a gigabit network.

Whats the obsession with h.265? Storage is cheap. I don't have an obsession with it. It's just that H.265 has significant advantages over H.264, two of them being lower bandwidth consumption and higher video quality. I don't particularly care about storage. I'll add as much storage as I need. I've had a lot of vandalism problems lately and a recent breaking and entering, which is why I'm going to install a security camera system. I'll be using 16 cameras. The reason I say that I wish there were more H.265 devices available is simply because the more a product floods the market the cheaper it will be. Cutthroat competition is a wonder thing for consumers. I anticipate putting around four thousand dollars into the system as a start, for the NVR and first eight cameras. I don't throw money away but I have the money to spend for quality products. I don't want the absolute best products but neither do I want cheap, less than ideal products. I look for products somewhere between mid-priced and expensive. Here's the thing and I'll be honest with you, ak357. I'm a retired construction worker, a cement mason/tile setter/plasterer. That's all I am. Nothing more and nothing less. I know nothing about the tech industry. I know nothing about electronic devices except how to use and enjoy them. I've never installed a security system. But I'm also a reader; always have been and always will be. I always do a lot of research before I buy or do anything and I learn a lot from it. At times I misinterpret the information I read or fail to learn/understand certain aspects of it. I make mistakes and need to be corrected by people such as Securame and others. I take their recommendations seriously. That's why I'm here. I prefer to do a job one time, not having to go back and correct mistakes or reconfigure something to gain the advantages I missed by doing it incorrectly the first time. It may be weeks or months before I finally install my security camera system. I won't install it until I'm certain that I haven't overlooked anything. Technology is advancing at a speed never before seen and I like to somewhat future proof the products I buy to the best extent I can with the money I have. At times I depend on help from others, such as forum members, to correct my mistakes and avoid making mistakes in the first place. Again, that's why I'm here at CCTV Forums. I have nothing but respect and admiration for all those who are willing to sacrifice their time away from their family members to provide me with that assistance and knowledge.

Thanks, ak357. I appreciate the information. The cameras I've looked at from Hikvision, Dahua and FLIR all seem to be nice, quality cameras. I'm trying to build my own system with the cameras I need instead of going to Amazon for packaged systems, which don't offer the cameras and NVR that I want. I wish there were more H265 IP camera offerings available.

ak357, being on the right track and being correct are two different matters entirely. Does Hikvision make the NVRs and IP cameras for FLIR? I assume that you're somewhere in Vancouver, British Columbia. My wife has a first cousin in Vancouver.

Who do you think build NVR for Flir ? Well, ak357, after I read your comment, I decided to do a little research online. I couldn't find a direct answer as to who makes FLIR's cameras, but I did come across some information. Let me take a wild guess. Hikvision, the world’s leading supplier of video surveillance products and solutions, makes FLIR NVRs and cameras. That would be my guess. Am I correct? I noticed that a certain model Hikvision NVR looks very similar to one of FLIR's NVRs. If Hikvision does in fact supply NVRs and IP cameras to FLIR I would be a fool to buy FLIR branded products when I can get the exact same products from Hikvision for far less money.

Thank you very much for the education, Securame. "Do your TV service, broadband telephone, or blu-ray players use/need shielded network?" I checked them all and the answer is "no". "Now here is a typical Hikvision camera, look at the RJ45 connector. Notice that it is all plastic, it doesn't give a damn about your cable being shielded or not, it won't use the shielding." And in all probability any cameras and NVR I purchase will have all plastic connectors. I now understand why you say shielded cables will offer no advantages to me. I am humbled. I just wish my neighbor would have explained this to me or that I could have deduced this fact during all my online research of cameras, NVRs, cables, connectors, etc, etc, etc but then again, I'm just a retired cement mason/plasterer, not an installer or data tech person. I apologize for my ignorance and my stubbornness. I appreciate very much the time and effort you put into assisting me. I say that with all sincerity. I will purchase a 500 ft. spool of standard Cat6a cable. Although I told mattaggie that I didn't trust myself to properly attach the RJ45 connectors both you and he have given me the encouragement I need to do the connections myself. I'm almost certain that I'll make mistakes initially but that's the way we learn. Can you recommend a high quality brand of Cat6a cable, high quality compression connectors, a high quality compression tool, perhaps the ratcheting type and a high quality device to check miswired RJ45 connectors and continuity? Since you are using the Hikvision camera as an educational illustration I would like to ask you something. I always spend considerable time researching items and/or issues before I seek help from others because I don't think it's fair to expect others to do my work for me. Sometimes, as with the shielded cables, I arrive at the wrong conclusions and need to be educated by knowledgeable people such as yourself. After having spent days researching reviews and manufacturers' websites concerning IP cameras I decided to concentrate my further research on three brands of IP cameras, those brands being FLIR, Dahua and Lorex. However, I have also seen a lot of praise for Hikvision IP cameras. I ignored the Hikvision cameras, regardless of the praise and their lower cost, because of all the reviews I read stating that instructions and GUIs were sometimes in Chinese, that customer and technical support for Hikvision was hard to access and that it was often difficult to locate the IP addresses of the cameras. I also read that Hikvision has a huge chuck of the market and that most users of Hikvision IP cameras consider them to be of high quality and high functionality. Could you please let me know what you think of Hikvision IP cameras and give me your recommendation on which brand of cameras I should go with, Hikvision or otherwise? All my cameras will require IR, both inside and outside the house. I would appreciate it very much. As of this time and at this stage of the game I have chosen the FLIR POE NVR located in the link below to go with the FLIR POE cameras I will purchase, if I indeed decide to go with FLIR. I chose this series (the model number being Flir DNR516P6 16Ch Full HD NVR with 16 PoE Ports, 6TB) because of the number of ports, as I don't want to do any new 110 volt wiring in the attic to provide power outlets for any switches, which would enable me to reduce the number of cable runs, because of the self-discovery of the camera addresses and because of the amount of drive space, as I will use the storage continuously instead of motion activated only. It's an expensive NVR but it has a lot of attributes that I'm looking for. Have you ever used or worked with FLIR systems? If so, what do you think of them? I've read that Hikvision makes POE cameras that are ONVIF compliant so if your camera recommendation is Hikvision and there are ONVIF NVRs out there with automatic camera address discovery and good third party software that will work with the Hikvision cameras I'll certainly put Hikvision at the top of my list. I'll put a lot of weight on the recommendations you make. I still have a lot of research to do before I determine what I need concerning camera megapixels/resolution, field of view, varifocal/fixed lens, so on and so forth but those are issues for another time and another thread. Thank you again for your time and any assistance provided. http://www.flir.com/security/display/?id=68369

It is not that hard to use the RJ45 connectors. It is way better to have the cables the exact length you want them, than to have the spare cable just laying around. And also it is easier to pull cable without the connectors, than with the connectors already in place. You do not need shielded cable/connectors, it will make the job more difficult without any added benefits. Thank you for your assistance, Securame. I appreciate it very much. I've always been a DIYer and I demand excellence from both myself and others I hire for work that I feel I'm not qualified to do and quite frankly, after reading several articles from Belden and other Cat6a manufacturers and installers about crimping Cat6a cable connectors I simply don't trust myself. My next door neighbor is a retired electrical engineer and he tells me that I shouldn't have a problem with the Cat6a cables being subject to interference as long as the Cat6a cables run perpendicular to any existing electrical wires in my attic and walls and not parallel and next to them but I like the added protection of shielded Cat6a cables and they're not that much more expensive than unshielded cables. You'll have to excuse my ignorance but why will shielded cables be more difficult to install? Last year I ran several hundred feet of shielded Cat6a cables in my basement to three bedrooms and my living room to service broadband TV service, broadband telephone service and Blu-ray players and I didn't experience any problems. I certainly have trust in your knowledge and experience and I sincerely appreciate your assistance but I can, at times, be ignorant, stubborn and bullheaded. At least that's what my wife tells me all the time. Thank you again. It's people like you and others that I depend on at times. I don't know what I'd do without people who are willing to sacrifice their time to help others in need. By the way, I apologize for my above empty post. I made a mistake with your quote and had to delete everything from my reply and start over again. I tried to alter your reply and use only part of it but I apparently don't know how the "Quote" works. I couldn't find a way to delete my entire incorrect reply.

sichuan wrote: Sorry. I made a mistake while compiling this reply and had to delete it. My reply is below.

Thanks again for all your help, mattaggie. I really do appreciate the time you have taken to assist me. I depend on people like you and the others for advice. Using preassembled cables won't be an issue for me because I have easy access to the soffits and peaks on my roof through the attic. I'm not worried about the size of the holes I'll need to drill because the cameras will cover the holes on the soffits and peaks and I'll run the cables down an inside wall and through a double gang wall plate. I'll probably go ahead and buy a good cable tester just to make sure that the cables are good to go before and after running them.

Thank you very much, mattaggie. I appreciate your prompt reply. I'm going to go with a sixteen port POE NVR and IP66 POE cameras. I want to be able to use a 24 inch HD 1080p monitor with the NVR. Most of my outdoor cameras will be dome, some of them varifocal, and probably three to four bullets. The bullets may or may not have to be varifocal. None of them will be motorized and I will not be using any PTZ or thermal cameras. I want IR capabilities on all the cameras, including the inside domes. I imagine I'll end up installing three POE indoor domes. I'll have to provide a layout of the outside of my home and the land surrounding it when I seek information about the best cameras. I'm still researching frame rates, megapixels, lenses and so forth. I'll want to be able to view the land and also the entrance doors, garage door and windows. I've been doing a lot of research on cameras and I think I'll go with FLIR, Dahua or Lorex, which seem to be good cameras. I'll probably build a system instead of buying a packaged system. Do you have any recommendations on which of these three camera brands would be better or do you have recommendations of your own? I'm willing to put three to four thousand dollars into the system. After doing more research concerning the attachment of the RJ45 connectors I've decided to buy manufactured lengths of Cat6a cables because I don't believe that I'm capable of accurately attaching the connectors at each end and it will also eliminate any need for me to purchase a connector tool and LAN testing device. I had initially decided to go with shielded cable and connectors but after a lot of reading I've determined that it may not be necessary and in fact may create problems. Thank you again for your time and assistance.

Thank you, jeromephone, for your input. I thought long and hard last night about your comment, spent several hours online last night and today doing some research on IP security camera systems and I have come to the conclusion that I'm going to go with a digital wired IP camera system. I'll return the analog 720p system today. It's still in the original box it came in. I haven't even opened it. I'll now have no need for the Siamese RG59 cable, the compression connectors or a coax compression tool. That will save me around $700 that I can put into the IP system. I'll go with the Belden Cat6a-10GX Shielded Cable for the IP system. It's a superior cable and believe it or not a 1000 ft. spool will cost me about the same as 1000 ft. of the Belden shielded Siamese RG59 cable. I'll need only a single shielded Cat6a cable in the attic because last year I ran a few hundred feet of the Cable Matters shielded Cat6a cable through my basement. It seems to be excellent cable. I use three 75 ft. cables for my broadband TV service, broadband telephone service and a Blu-ray player, all in the living room. I realize that I could have just run the one cable and hooked it up to a 4 port Gigabit switch but I chose to run individual cables from an 8 port Gigabit switch I have hooked up to my wireless residential gateway because as you've mentioned, I may be using equipment in the future that requires separate networks. Technology advances so quickly. I also ran the same Cat6a cable through the basement to three bedrooms, although they're not yet in use for anything. I'm all set with the UPS backups as I use an APC Back-UPS Pro 500 Lithium Ion UPS for my desktop and peripherals, which I'll also use for the security system NVR and monitor, and a Belkin Residential Gateway Battery Backup I use for my wireless residential gateway. I've decided that I will indeed hire a licensed electrician and install a new ground for my electrical service. I'm also going to have the electrician run a new cable from the power company's service line and upgrade the circuit breaker box at the same time. It will be money well spent as the current setup is 45 years old. I'll spend a few days researching all the camera systems and types of cameras I want and then start a new thread seeking advice from those in the know. I'll be looking for outdoor bullets and domes and indoor domes. I'll also do a little research on NVRs and their compatibility with the cameras in the event I want to build a system instead of buying a bundled system. I think building a system is the way to go. I'll be looking for something in the mid-price range for the cameras and NVR. I don't want cheap but I also don't want extremely expensive. Whichever NVR I choose will have to have good software with the ability to access it from a smartphone, and both the NVR and cameras I choose will have to have good customer support and technical support. I learned a long time ago that a product is no better than the support behind it. Again, I thank you for your time and assistance. I appreciate it very much. Your post was the push I needed to realize just how much better a digital IP camera system is.