ceshomru

Ok I have decided to make it a PC system so that I can upgrade more freely. I know it will probably be more expensive, but my question is; Is it alright to buy a Dell pc then add on a dvr card, or is it better to build the PC myself, I build PC's all the time so I know I can have more control over what I put it in there, but I just want to make it easy and get a prebuilt system. So will Dell be able to handle the work?

Yeah, I figured as much, if it were up to me I would have a $2500 budget. I think if I could find a DVR for a decent price then I could some how convince them to put a little extra in for the cameras.

Okay, my family has a daycare and we just bought a new house to put it in. So we want to put in a CCTV system, we pretty much know what we want, but we don’t know what brand and what quality to get. We need two outdoor cameras (day and night) that work on motion. And we need two indoor cameras, we prefer hidden, that can record on a schedule. We are 89% sure we want a standalone because of the ease of use, and reliability of communication and compatibility. We need to be able to record for about a month or more and then have it start to overlap. At least 200 gigs is what we think is necessary. Our budget is $1500, we will do all the labor ourselves so that does not have to be computed. My question is, what brand do I look for, and what quality of camera do I choose (we would like to distinguish faces and such). Please let me know if I left out any important information. I am not new to technology and computer application, but am new to video surveillance. So any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for the great device, I have a clear view now of the order of things and exactly how each of the dvices must interact with each other. One last question, the hard drive in a DVR can I access that with a PC and transfer the files easily? Thanks again.

Okay haha thats pretty simple, are there any variations upon that? Like filters or what have you? Well to add to my request I have been reading a lot of remarks regarding the benefits of having a stand alone system. And so that brings me to a question that I am very interested in having answered because it might mean the exact course of action that I would like to pursue. What I wanted to know was whether or not it is possible for there to be a DVR system that happens to have a PC available for storage and viewing of files but is not dependent on the PC for longevity. What I mean is that the initial recording and video capture is on the normal DVR system, but what I want to add is a PC that can access that same DATA and with one of those nifty interfaces display the video and actually add to the maximum storage of the DVR.

Hi, First I would like to say that this site is a godsend. I have been looking into CCTV systems for the last couple days and only here have I been able to actually learn something. I do have one request that I hope is not too far fetched. What I would like to know is if there is some link or download of a schematic where I can visually see the layout for a home based system. Preferably a PC based system, but I would definitely want to see how stand alone systems work as well. To be honest I have never done something like this before, and I am in charge of finding the best system for outdoor surveillance for my father in law, so I am sure you can understand my apprehension. I am computer savvy so I don't think I will have trouble with PC hardware and software, but my main problem is when I see the photos of products I do not know where on the chain from computer to camera or A to B they belong. I learn very quickly when I can see what I am supposed to do rather than try to piece it together from multiple sources. Even a description of a system that can improvise a visual image would be great, something cut and dry like "starting from the camera we have A. power supply that should be connected to... and B. Coax cable which should lead to... and so on. I know that this a little different from "what is the best camera i can use, or dvr for such and such system?" but I figure that if I just follow some of the links that you graciously provide I will find decent products at the end of the line. I know its a lot to ask from someone who has never contributed, but I know I will contribute all that I learn after my first experience. I appreciate any notice that you observe with my request and greatly indebted to all that provide their help. Thank you.