allprolab 0 Posted August 19, 2008 Hi... Looking for a basic but reliable system. I don't need anything to fancy just as long as it does the trick. I want to set up three cameras outside and one inside. The three outside ones I want to have night vision on but I don't need for them to make out too much detail. Just as long as I can see if something is going on/see a person. Two of the outside cameras would be faced at doors and the other would be pointed towards my yard, which is fairly large. I don't expect to get the whole yard in view though. The inside camera can be whatever. It's just to monitor my dogs. Would like it to be a standalone dvr that has remote viewing. My budget is around $500. Can this be done? Any thought or inputs would be greatly appreciated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scorpion 0 Posted August 21, 2008 You cannot get anything for $500.00. For that budget get one varifocal 3mm - 12 mm vandal proof, water proof camera such as this one: http://avssys.net/?s=product&sub=camera&cat=outdoor&p=vnd49ir Wire this back to a VCR and get 8 hour tapes. If you want to do 24 hour recording then you will need 3 tapes a day. I suggest one tape a day for one week, or in the case of 24 hour recording then you will need 24 tapes. This way if you need to go back 3 days to check on something then you have that capability. Later you can add a 4 channel DVR, and build your system up over time. Be very careful of those "all in one systems in a box" that you may find at Wally World, or Samantha's Club, or cost to go. What you want to avoid is the camera system where they have phone jacks or din plugs. All of the cameras will plug in to the main monitor which has the power supply built inside. Do not get me wrong. If this is all of the money that you have, and you decide to buy an all in one then do so. I am only trying to future proof your system. What happens is that the monitor may go out some day. Most TV repaiir shops will not work on them for some odd reason. (they are afraid of the unkown product). In most cases it is cheaper to buy a new all in one system then it would cost to have it repaired. Now what do you do with the old cameras? They do not have BNC, or RCA connectors, and you cannot buy a DVR to upgrade. You can cut the connectors off, but that is a pain unless you are an electronics buff, and if you were an electronics buff you would have already avoided buying in all in one system to begin with. If you find an all in one system that uses separate power leads, and it uses BNC, or RCA connectors then go for that one!! It might be entry level, but at least you can hook the cameras up to something else in the future! What to avoid on the internet. The cheaper it is the less tech support you will receive. There are people who buy in Taiwan in bulk. They sell these units to the public at the same price that us dealers buy from our distributors. We have the experience to judge whether a product is good, or bad, or we can base it on experience out in the field. Do you really want to buy a product from someone who has never installed CCTV equipment? Would you buy a Ford from a salesperson when you see them driving a Toyota?? Makes you think! These on line sales website sell so cheap that they always have customers. You are just the meat in the grinder. Next customer please. They do not have tech support. This saves them a lot of money, and you alot of money. For the "techy guru" this may be good for them as they can tinker with it to fix it, or they can figure things out for themselves. If you are not a techy guru then avoid these sites as you have become your own "dealer", and now you have to provide your own "tech support". It is better to pay more, and have someone "hold you by the hand when you have questions. Check out the guys here on the forum. There are a few who are cost effective. I recommend that you buy from someone in your own country, and in your own town. This will make it easier when things go bad down the road. What do you think? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allprolab 0 Posted August 21, 2008 I hear what you're saying. I am not an expert on electronics but I do know a thing or two. (have a respectable home theater). I called and talked to my step dad about his systems at each of his stores. Turns out he has an extra DVR he's going to send me. So now I am in the market for some decent cameras. By saving on the DVR I want to put all of my budget into some decent cameras, which should get me better cameras then I would by buying a complete system. Not sure what model or brand it is but he bought it at sams club. I know he has hooked up different cameras to it so I'm sure I can find some good ones that will work for it. I'd be more then happy to buy from someone on here if they could help me decide what cameras will suit me best. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rebco 0 Posted September 11, 2008 I hear what you're saying. I am not an expert on electronics but I do know a thing or two. (have a respectable home theater). Can you tell me what a home theater has to do with a surveilance system..???? Please i need to know... One thing you must know you can buy the best cameras on the world and put it into a cheap dvr it still won't get you a quality picture.. Get some good cameras but get a good dvr down the road.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
