Complete Noob

[saloreilly 0]

Ok so I want an outdoor CCTV system for my home but sadly due the recession here in Ireland times are tough so its a very small budget and also sadly due to the recession here the number of robberies is soaring.

 

So I'm looking online and obviously EBay, now I know many here will say that you need to spend money and buy from well known suppliers well known brands and if that was possible I would be happy.

 

Given that, how bad are systems like ebay id 200348227534 and id 290303615966

 

I work in I.T. so the technical side of the DVR should be fine, its really the camera's I need help with, it either seems €40 china on ebay or €200 dome camera on ebay or local CCTV dealer looking for €250 for day/night camera, which is fair enough if I knew the difference between his and what is in the links above?

 

I want decent night images at about 30ft?

 

Thanks,

 

Sal

[saloreilly 0]

40 views, no replies?

[Squiffy 0]

If on a very small budget then I'd opt for just a simple 4-channel standalone DVR. Models with networking are available for a reasonable price, some with camera packages.

 

But you can get good bargains on eBay, although personally I'd avoid China. In the UK for example, Lilin sell off old stock and are often worth a look:

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/LILIN-CCTV__W0QQ_armrsZ1

 

To avoid wasting money, ask on here for advice on particular models and camera requirements.

[saloreilly 0]

Excellent Squiffy thank you very much for the info. I suppose my first question is how do I know if a camera is any good or not. The ebay items I mentioned above have the "coke can" camera's as their called here, the link you sent shows PIH-0143P8, are these any different?

 

For any kind of good night video do I need to go for something like PIH-8028P and get external housing seperate for outdoor?

 

Thanks again

[Squiffy 0]

Many eBay items have the camera performance somewhat exaggerated, it's important to be able to see the full specification of them.

 

From the viewpoint of cost, I'd personally opt for 12V cameras, I converted a number of Lilin box cameras for this purpose (I simply removed the PSU board inside and made a 5V regulator board as they required 12V and 5V internally). I haven't bothered with housings, I simply use self-amalgamating tape around all the seals and connections which works extremely well in preventing any water ingress.

 

I'd avoid any cameras with integrated IR illuminators for external use, simply because it attracts spiders! See here for my example video I uploaded recently

 

If you need IR illumination you can buy separate devices which won't break the bank:

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15235

 

As for ascertaining whether a camera is any good, there are some basic specs to look for, line resolution (the higher the better), s/n ratio (the higher the better) and low lux performance (the lower the better, but be wary of false claims).

[saloreilly 0]

Spiders hey, never would have thought that, would the PIH-0143P8 be any good for night recording.

 

I'll go have a search and see if I can find somewhere in Ireland or UK to source a system and check out the specs and report back, many thanks again for the your kind help

[Soundy 1]

As for ascertaining whether a camera is any good, there are some basic specs to look for, line resolution (the higher the better), s/n ratio (the higher the better) and low lux performance (the lower the better, but be wary of false claims).

 

As seen in other threads, even some of these specs (and manufacturers' claims thereto) can be questionable at times. Ultimately, one of the best indicators is the old adage, "you get what you pay for". eBay and other online "discounts" and "sales" notwithstanding, a camera's price is usually a pretty fair indicator of its overall quality.

 

Thing is, most of these cheap online cameras are built around the same basic components from the same few manufacturers (a LOT of them use the same Sony CCDs, for example) and the biggest difference from one to the next will be the actual construction quality of the rest of the assembly - a cheap camera, for example, may not be as watertight/weathertight as a the pricier model that uses the same internals.

 

The point of all this is, don't expect miracles from a $30 camera - there are reasons that a professional/commercial camera may cost $300 despite appearing to have similar design.

[Squiffy 0]

I would think the PIH-0143P8 will probably be adequate for your requirements. I'm not sure how the "special OLPF" is implemented though - I suspect it's just an IR cut filter with less attenuation than normal. While this may resolve some issues that would reduce its IR sensitivity also.