cctv_seeker

When, (or should I say if), I finally get this CCTV system installed, I will not be calling this company again to expand the CCTV system with additional cameras or for maintenance issues. I have contacted Panasonic for references of CCTV salesmen/installers in SW Ohio who are qualified to service Panasonic equipment. Panasonic was able to provide the phone numbers of two firms that sell AND install Panasonic CCTV equipment. I would expect any of these two professional firms will be able to provide a wiring diagram and label the cables for future reference. I would combine this documentation task with any upcoming request to add additional cameras or service this CCTV system.

Yes. I purchased the cameras, etc. after discussing with the CCTV company to determine what equipment required. The company sent a representative who only glanced at webpage displaying camera equipment, glanced at the camera mount locations, and asked which second floor room would be used to locate the DVR. No measurements were taken with a tape measure; no specific locations were identified for DVR placement. No information was provided to me as to additional fasteners, supplies, labels, sealants would be required. Two weeks before the installation date I emailed the company all operator/installation manuals as PDF files assuming I would be notified if any unexpected equipment/fasteners were needed. Two installers showed up on the date of installation. I changed the DVR installation to an adjacent room against the common interior wall between the original room that was quoted and the room that facilitated the Ethernet connection to a WIFI router. I also requested that they mount a Pelco security DVR enclosure on the wall. The DVR enclosure was prefabricated. I provided the fasteners for mounting the enclosure on the wall and had removed one of the shelves prior to installation date to ensure sufficient vertical clearance was available for DVR and multiplexer. The additional installation tasks they provided for the DVR enclosure were 1. Install shelf that would provide 8 inches of vertical clearance for the DVR and the multiplexer with 4 screws and 2. Hang the enclosure on wall studs using 3 screws. I was surprised that the two installers could not complete the installation after 7 hours. I paid the installation company $600 out of the original $870 quoted price and arranged a second installation date to complete the job. I was told over the phone that the final payment would be $270. On the second installation date, one installer shows up with a bill for $270 plus a bill to complete payment for first installation date and a bill for $990 to complete installation and charge for "3 hours of labor to mount Pelco enclosure, change in location in DVR, two 10 mile round trips to Radio Shack made on the first installation date to acquire RJ12 connectors and 2 power connectors. At this point, realizing that 1. This company was trying to recoup costs for bidding on a job they were not qualified to complete, 2. The cost of selecting a different company to complete the installation of this job would be high because no wiring labels were used and there were no connection or wiring diagrams, I negotiated a price of $770 to complete the CCTV installation on this second installation date. I was promised all installation tasks would be completed and I would be provided instruction on operation of DVR and cameras. After 7 hours, the CCTV installation was still not completed. The cameras were finally mounted outside but they were completely inoperable via the controller and no video was visible on the XVGA monitor. This time I did not provide any portion of $770 contracted price until the CCTV system was completely functional. The next weekend I worked on the BNC cable connections and data connector between the controller and multiplexer. After replacing the computer modem RJ-12 wire used between the controller and multiplexer with the data line provided by Panasonic and replacing the coax mini-T L connectors with straight BNC compression connectors, I was able to get controller and video working. Unfortunately the string of LEDs in the power supply still indicate a wiring problem exists in the heater/blower power lines, because several of the LEDs shut off within 30 secs of powering up the CCTV system. I contacted the installation company with the good and bad news, requesting another installation date before I would be willing to pay the final $770. I am still waiting for a third installation date. Since contacting the installation company, I have replaced connectors and cables used for the DVR so that the DVR can be placed in the cramped quarters of the Pelco enclosure - 2 of the coax connectors were replaced with right angle RG59 coax connectors from L-com.com, and the main monitor VGA cable was replaced with an S-video cable. When the temperature outside dropped below the 40 degree spec limits for the cameras I started to see intermittent ghosting patterns on the video (1-2 vertical color bands in each camera's real-time frame, a ghost of the 2nd camera's video capture frozen on the 1st camera's real-time video frame.) I have powered down the entire system until the third installation date can establish working heaters for both cameras.

They did have some gear - the fiberglass push rods, tape, long drill bits, compression BNC connectors and compression connector tool. They did not have a saw to cut an opening in the drywall to pull the CCTV cables through the interior wall. Nor did they have cover plates to cover the hole in the drywall they made with a knife and drill. They also did not have the drywall compound to fix the hole they accidentally created in the ceiling. Since the two installers had worked from 10:30AM - 7:30PM, I felt it was fair to pay them a portion of the contracted price. They had run the cables through the attic to the location where the cameras should be mounted, installed the Pelco CCTV security box (alas with only three screws because they lacked a stud finder), and completed most of the CCTV connections inside. They did promise to repair the accidental damage to the drywall and ceiling. I expect they should complete the drywall/ceiling repair and the remaining CCTV installation tasks for the balance of the quoted price - $270. But I do not feel I should be penalized by incurring a $125 trip charge because they did not complete the installation in the single trip they had quoted. For them to claim the installation could not be completed because I did not provide all the installation connectors is unbelievable! I had sent all installation instructions more than a week before the installation date. If they had reviewed the instructions and found items which they did not have, they could of called me. I would have acquired the parts they needed if the "professional" CCTV installers had given me this information. With the amount of time that was spent reviewing the instruction manuals the day of installation, it was apparent the installers scarcely but glanced at the manuals I had sent. I had checked several of the references of the CCTV installation company rep who provided the original quote. When I found out on the day of installation that different people were being sent to complete the installation, I placed a 2nd phone call to obtain the last names of the crew that was being sent. I should have cancelled the installation when I received a phone call from the company scheduler berating me for requesting the last names of the crew! I explained I only requested their full names for a background check and was told that the job scheduler was trying to "protect" the safety of their crews! Hind sight is always 20/20. I just hope I can finally complete this CCTV installation after which I will contact Panasonic to obtain the contact info of an approved Panasonic CCTV service center.

Panasonic did provide one power connector with each of the WV-CS954 cameras, but they did not provide a second power connector to connect the sparate power input for the H&B and camera that are in the POD7CWN camera housing. ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/Panasonic/cctv/SpecSheets/POD7CN_POD7CWN.pdf I was able to order 2 Molex power connectors from Panasonic the next day. They arrived the following day without the female pin inserts. I now am waiting for delivering of the Molex 18-22 Gauge Pins .093" from PartsExpress.com. Since the installer did not have RJ-12 connectors I had to place another order with CablesToGo to obtain these connectors.

The CCTV installer is charging $870 for the installation. On the original quote was a list of equipment I was responsible for acquiring. I asked if this list of equipment were the only things I needed for a complete CCTV installation and was told that the installation charge would cover labor, cables and anything not on the list. After confirming the list of items I needed to acquire was complete, I purchased all the equipment listed. To assist the installer with a quick installation I found all the operators/installation manuals in PDF form and emailed them the head of the CCTV company over a week before the installation. I assumed whoever was performing the installation would take the opportunity to study the installation instructions to get acquainted with any proprietary wiring or installation techniques required for Panasonic cameras. When the two installers began working, it became clear to me they had not installed many CCTV systems with the assistance they required in terms of basic tools I had to provide and interpretation of the installation instructions. I couldn't believe they did not have a step ladder for accessing the attic, socket wrenches, stud finder, small screw driver for working with the alarm connectors, lag screws, did not have or heard of BNC L connectors, did not have RJ-12 connectors or Molex 4 pin power interconnects. It took several attemps for them to drill through an interior wall top plate after drilling a hole at a 45 degree incline that created a 1 inch hole that went through the ceiling plaster and drywall. After seven hours the only tasks they completed was pulling 8 lines from the room that will house the DVR through the attic which now hang exposed to the elements from the two south facing corners of the 2nd floor soffit. For two hours after sunset, they connected 4 BNC lines to the Speco 4TN300 DVR, 2 BNC lines to the Panasonic WJ-MP204C multiplexor, alarm input and output lines to the DVR and the power lines for the Panasonic WV-CS954 cameras. The 2 Panasonic WV-CS954 cameras with their POD7CWN camera outdoor housings, a WV-CU360C controller, APC 1500watt UPS and the Samsung monitor still remain in boxes. When I contacted the CCTV installers' home office to inform them the job would not be completed in the single day I was quoted, I was told that because I did not provide 2 Molex power connectors for the camera housing heater/blowers, 2 RJ-12 connectors for data lines I would be charged an addition $125 trip charge to complete this CCTV installation on a future date.

I had purchased some nuts and bolts for installing several Panasonic WV-CS954 cameras outdoor on the 2nd floor soffit. When the CCTV "professional" installers arrived, they were reluctant to install camera mounts with bolts because of the difficulty of reaching the bolts from the attic. Instead they recommended lag screws. Are lag screws commonly used for outdoor mounts? My cameras still have not been mounted because the one day installation job that was orignally quoted has now become a two day job because of trips to hardware stores to acquire lag screws and RJ12 connectors which the "professional" installers did not have, providing the professional installers with the appropriate socket wrenches, small screwdrivers and stud finder, and assisting the professional installers with the interpretation of manuals (Note: All installation/operators manuals for all equipment had already been emailed to CCTV installers over 1 week before the installation date.) Should I insist on bolts for the outdoor camera mounts because they are the standard fasteners used in top quality installations of outdoor cameras?

If I use the PTZ camera solution instead of the Mobotix 3M pixel camera solution, one proposed configuration within my budget includes the Speco DVR-4TN/160 DVR, a Panasonic WV-CS-954 Camera for the front of the house, and a Speco HT-INTB8 bullet camera for the rear. Will there be any incompatibility issues from the use of the Panasonic camera with the Speco DVR?

Thank you Scorpion for all the good advice. If the CCTV cameras are as reliable as home security systems (My previous system ran reliably for 10 years without a service call other than to replace the battery once), I would not expect to need to call the installer to service the system for repairs. Nevertheless, your advice regarding obtaining a written contract outlining warranty and responsibilities of the installer are steps I will be including. One of the reasons why I am leaning toward a CCTV installer other than ADT was the reduced risk of an installer obtaining knowledge of both the home security system and CCTV system. The reason I chose installation under the 2nd floor soffit was to avoid placing expensive cameras within reach of 12Lb sledgehammer. With my home situated on 6 acres with the closest public road access being 300' away, I was expecting a video record could be obtained that would not be simply a shot of the intruder's bald spot. I expect burglars will not be parking their vehicles 300' feet away if they intend to walk away with 80lb television, so a PTZ camera should detect and record the approach of an intruder before recording their bald spot. To supplement this initial installation of CCTV system, I was planning on adding (later within 12 mos) hidden wireless indoor video surveillance with the goal of obtaining that critical "face" shot. After a quick review of PTZ cameras offered from one online vendor, I found the Panasonic WV-CS954 PTZ camera with specs that include auto-tracking for under $1700. Does this PTZ camera have a reputation for reliable operation and high quality video?

Thanks griffonsystems for your recommendation of Mobotix based CCTV security system. If 2 PTZ cameras with unattended autotracking is not within my budget, could a solution be found using one autotracking PTZ camera to monitor the front of the home and a non-autotracking PTZ camera for the back? There is at least one online retailer - 123securityproducts that sells multiple "PTZ" cameras with prices ranging from $500 to $1500. (I have seen some models from Speco and Samsung.) What is the lowest price for a PTZ camera with autotracking? I did forget to mention in my original post that the $4500 budget was just for equipment; installation costs are not included in this budget.

Can I get some recommendations for a CCTV security system under $4500. After enduring a home burglary, I replaced my previous 10 year old security system which was not monitored with a completely new home security system monitored by ADT. To avoid being the weekly victim of another burglar enjoying a 13 minute free shopping spree courtesy of the local police department response time, I would like to install a CCTV system that may encourage the police to pursue an investigation and even attempt to obtain fingerprints. I have been discouraged by CCTV choices presented by the top three national home security systems - either high priced or insufficient coverage. So now I am considering purchasing the hardware from online retailers and contacting a local home security installer who would be willing to install third party equipment. I will attempt to provide a description of what I believe are important factors for recommending a CCTV system. The home I would like to secure is a two story colonial with no basement covering 50' X 30' with the long axis oriented along the north/south axis. The front of the house faces East. The two door garage is situated on the the NE corner with a driveway extending 300 feet to the nearest public road. The road frontage is 250 feet. I would like the first PTZ camera to have motion sensor activated auto-tracking and install this camera on the second floor suffit at the SE corner of the house. I would like this camera to detect motion within a radius of 150 feet at anytime during the day or night. Four motion sensor lights detecting motion within 30 feet of garage or front entrance door and a single motion sensor pole mounted yard light located 30 feet in front of the front door beside the driveway will provide some assistance in obtaining a visual record of facial features of any potential burglars. I would like a second PTZ camera to be installed on the second floor suffit on the SW corner of the house. I would like this camera to detect any motion within a 150 foot radius but to primarily focus on activity around the back patio door. Additional assistance in securing the back porch is provided by a motion sensor light and the fence enclosing a 40' by 20' concrete porch. The back yard extends over 20 acres before encountering the next public road. I hope it is possible to build a CCTV system that satisfies these requirements using PTZ cameras for less than $4500. If not, what is the minimum number of fixed position cameras that will increase the probability of obtaining a visual record that will encourage the police department to take a more active role in pursuing an investigation of future burglaries? I am looking for recommendations for cameras as well as DVRs.

Greetings veterens of CCTV. After enduring my first home burglary in the 30 years I have lived in the same town, I hope the veterens of CCTV on this forum will be able to provide me sound advice regarding an appropriate home surveillance system. Which forum should I post a description of the home, environment and home security requirements to obtain recommendations for DVR and PTZ cameras?