DannyT 0 Posted July 7, 2011 Hi all, I'm in desperate need to get some CCTV set up at my office as we have a consistent issue with vandalism and lead theft from the roof . I know what I would ideally like but it seems no one locally can fulfil what I'm after. Security specialists don't seem to be at all clued up on the web/IP side of things, electricians are good for supply and fit but no idea of configuration and IT companies are guessing at best with regards to the best hardware requirements. So I figured I'd pop on here and see if I can't figure what's best for myself with the help of you amazing experts (what is it they say about flattery ) My ideal set up would be: 1 or 2 durable, external cameras (deterrent being the main objective) 1 or 2 internal cameras with good quality picture (identifying the a-holes if they did get in) Ability to record to a remote server Ability to monitor a stream remotely (I can set this up myself if I can get hold of a video stream) From the networking and server side of things we're fairly sorted with a decent web connection, several fixed IPs and plenty of server capacity available but with regards to hardware and setup I'm completely clueless so any advice you guys can offer I'd be extremely grateful. Thanks for reading! Dan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted July 7, 2011 Do you have a rough budget in mind? Are you looking for covert cameras for the interior? There are a number of IP cameras that can record to existing server storage, if you want to go that way... or if there's a "spare" computer around, you could set up an NVR using something like Exacq or Milestone or a number of other packages. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DannyT 0 Posted July 7, 2011 Thanks for the swift response soundy. Rough budget, probably £1000 - £1500. Obviously if I can get something suitable for less then that suits. Don't need interior to be covert, our office is in an old converted listed building and is pretty open-plan with high ceilings so there's not much 'covertness' available. Plenty of existing storage and spare machines available, does one approach offer anything the other doesn't? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted July 7, 2011 Well, you'll probably find that cameras that can write direct to the NAS will cost a bit more than cameras that don't, but building a separate NVR will offset that price difference through software licensing - ie. four write-to-NAS cameras might cost $500 each, while four that can't might run $400 each, but you may pay $100/camera license on the NVR software... so either way, you end up at $2000 total. Just rough figures for illustration, mind you - actual prices range widely, and there are some free NVR packages out there, although they tend to not be as well-featured or easy-to-setup-and-use as the commercial bundles. Using an NVR setup may simplify video management and playback, as you're only connecting to a single server... although some cameras that have on-board storage and can write to NAS also provide a VMS that will let you manage multiple cameras in one interface...ultimately, I suppose, it's more a matter of personal taste. No idea what the pricing would be, but something you might want to look at are VideoIQ cameras - on-board storage and built-in video analytics so you can configure very fine-tuned and accurate motion-triggered recording and alarms (you could set it up to send an email or SMS if someone is detected lurking around after-hours, for example), as well as (I believe) the ability to record to network storage. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted July 7, 2011 My ideal set up would be:1 or 2 durable, external cameras (deterrent being the main objective) 1 or 2 internal cameras with good quality picture (identifying the a-holes if they did get in) hi. for just a little less than your budget take alook at the aver EH1004 nano. use two 1.3mp cameras for inside and two huviron P700IRD/M845AI cameras for external. the reason why i say the huviron is it has alarm outputs on the camera which you could use metal alarm strips placed over your lead. you can also record off site with the nano server software Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DannyT 0 Posted July 8, 2011 Thanks tomcctv, looks like a decent setup (through my inexperienced eye). Do you know of anywhere I can get an idea of cost and that can supply to the UK? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
