Simkill

Ah ok, that sounds ideal. I honestly had no idea, the descriptions aren't at all descriptive on amazon, it doesn't say anything about that. I think I'm going to have to google a bit more like you said. Maybe when I'm less tired! I do appreciate your help, thank you. Edit: having read more questions and answers from manufacturers on Amazon, the ones I'm reading are saying they do have to be directly connected to the NVR and not just run off a PoE switch. Something to do with requiring a higher voltage than normal. Maybe you can link me up to a model that doesn't require direct connection for comparison?

I've seen systems that come with say, 4 cameras, and each camera has it's own connection on the back of the main unit (camera 1/2/3/4). Not sure how this would work without a direct connection to each port, or am I just looking at the wrong type of product?

Hi all. I know a lot about computers, but not a lot about cameras! So I'm looking for some help. I'm looking for PoE outdoor day and night cameras (at least 720p, 1080p preferred), one must have a night time IR range of 20 meters or more, the other 10 meters is fine, but if the better is not too expensive I'll get 2 the same. They also need the ability to record to a NAS drive over a standard network. I have looked at complete NVR systems but would need 100m shielded cat5e to go with it which makes it too expensive really as each camera requires a direct connection into the main unit, so I'd like to utilise the network I already have and record to a NAS, preferably raspberry pie with USB drive, which I can set up a standard samba share on, but I can get something else if necessary. Any advice at all would be a great help as I feel a bit lost. Descriptions are not very descriptive! They don't say what the cameras will record to.