I have been considering a surveillance system for a few years, but didn't like the analog systems that were available then. Now, with IP cameras and NVRs with built-in POE switches, I feel ready to take the plunge. I'm located in Texas (USA), if that makes any difference. I am looking for pros/cons of various NVR brands or models, and cameras as well.
I work with computers for my day job, and I'm not scared of having to do network configurations (within reason) or set up SMTP for email alerts, etc..
I plan to use hardwired cameras instead of wireless. I would like to have the cameras on a network of their own, each connecting directly to the NVR's built-in POE switch, then have the NVR attached to my main network. I'm thinking that would separate the camera bandwidth from my regular network, minimizing network bottlenecks. Hopefully, I'd be able to connect to the NVR from my main network and configure the cameras on their private network.
I expect I'll end up with a 16 channel system at a minimum, although I will be staring with only 6 or 7 cameras, a mix of bullet and dome style (no PTZ yet). Most of the cameras would probably be set to 1080, but I might want to go up to 3 - 5 MP for some. How much bandwidth does a typical IP camera use, if it's set to 1080p? I assume that the camera does some compression before sending the signal across the ethernet cable, so it's probably not as much as 2MP * 30 fps, is it? Is it generally better to use the same brand as the NVR? Or is that not so important when using ONVIF cameras? Are there certain features or configuration options that I should look for in a camera?
For NVRs, I have seen several mentions of Hikvision, Dahua, Aver, and others. I'm pretty sure I want to stay away from Lorex and Swann, but beyond that, I'm rapidly getting to the point of information overload. I see some threads where Dahua support is spotty or nonexistent. Not sure about Hikvision support. It would be nice to be able to record audio on 2 - 3 of the cameras.
I've looked at the docs (installation/users guides) on some of manufacturers websites, and they seem to be pretty full featured. Are there certain features that are better supported by some mfrs than by others? For example, I saw some threads here from a couple of years back saying that one mfr had problems supporting fast forwarding through video higher than 1080, but that may have been fixed.
Sorry for the rambling post, but as I said at the top, I'm hitting information overload. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
