Well-Read Noobie Questions on System Design/Implementation

[Xerobull 0]

Typical back-story: vandals breaking crap, punk kids, blah blah.

 

Professional back-story: network technician with tons of wire-pull experience, some A/V experience and tons of 'just make it work' experience. Hopefully I can get going and help the forums here in the future with my professional expertise.

 

I'm just going to kind of brainstorm this as I write.

 

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Here's my scenario:

 

I need a 16 Channel DVR setup that has all of the whistles and bells such as motion detection, streaming to the internet and iOS (iphone) and Android Clients, also I'd like for it to be network Plug-n-Play so my internet ready TVs can browse and view it. Of course, I want it to be inexpensive.

 

EDIT- I talked myself out of ZModo after reading some comments on these boards- they range from horrible all the way to mediocre. Now I'm eyeballing the Dahuas and or Qvis. Can someone recommend a lower end one that has the features I'm interested in? Here's one that caught my eye due to price: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dahua-DH-DVR1604LE-AS-16-Channel-Entry-level-1U-Standalone-DVR-/190589479946?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item2c6004ac0a#ht_1823wt_1133

 

EditEdit- Rory, I just found your site (http://bahamassecurity.com/). Awesome info on Dahuas.

 

Oh, and as a bonus, are there any 'hackable' 16-channel DVRs on the market? If I can get more out of it with software or hardware hacks, I'm all for it.

 

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Next part: distance & outdoor install. My house is on a 1-acre lot. I will need to run a few cables a few hundred feet. To that end, I'm reading that I should use Video/Power BALUN adapters with Cat5 cable. I like this since it will allow me to make the network cables to the length I need, and I have the cable and tools to do it.

 

Questions on this portion:

 

What would be the best way to ground the Cat5? A custom ground spike for each camera? If so, can someone point me to a good instruction on this?

 

Is it possible to use Cat6? Given it's extra shielding, I figure it would be better for a combo power/video possible audio line.

 

Anyone know where to get cheap BALUN adapters in the US? The cheapest I can find per pair is $8.75 on monoprice.com. I can get them from Hong Kong for $6 a pair (which I still think is steep), but I don't want to wait weeks for delivery.

 

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Lastly, the cameras. I realize from reading that night vision is kind of a pipe dream on the lower budget scale, and it's easier/cheaper to just light the area with security lights, which I'm going to do. I also realize that there's a sticky on this subject but some of the info is outdated at this point and I'd like up-to-date info if possible.

 

Here are some questions and a couple of cameras I'm looking at:

 

For my four inside cameras with audio, I was looking at this http://www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-Security-Infrared-Bracket-Surveillance/dp/B001IB0X8Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1324316219&sr=1-1 . The reviews are really good, with the cons being cheap plastic housing and some failing. I'm not concerned with the housing so much in a sealed, air-controlled environment. If it fails fairly soon I can send it back to Amazon and they ship free. I will be using these in low-light rooms at night (living room, kid's room, etc) Any insight into these? Also, will the audio stream in the browser/mobile client views?

 

For around my house, under the eves, and at the front and back doors, I was looking at these: http://www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-Vision-Security-Camera-Outdoor/dp/B001U8VL9K/ref=sr_1_3?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1324316425&sr=1-3 . I like that they have a decent amount of IR LEDS just in case I decide to use them elsewhere and are 'vandal proof'. Thoughts?

 

I may consider a few super-low-light areas, such as a creek that runs behind my house where the vandals did their mischief. I may mount cams/lights on poles or trees in that area, but if i decide to go IR illumination and ir-cam, can you recommend anything?

 

Lastly, I'd like to hide the front door cam so it's face-level for identification. It would also point at my mailbox, which has gotten some attention from the lovable kids in the 'hood, so being able to see faces at night about 30 feet away would be idea. The area in front of my house is fairly well lit, so IR illumination isn't huge in this case.

 

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Whew, well that's it for now. I'm sure I will come up with more later and post in this thread.

 

Again, I hope I can contribute once I get my CCTV chops and help out other noobs or even old-timers with network questions.

 

Thanks!

 

EDIT- Of course, noob mistake- i posted in the wrong forum. Can a mod please move this to the System Design forum? Thanks

[dahomes555 0]

Good luck on the project! Given your listed experience, I'm sure you'll figure it out no problem.

 

I didn't read the entire post word for word (kinda long) but here's some tips based on what I did read.

 

1) Dahua/QVIS DVR is a perfect fit for you. Their Zeus model DVR is very inexpensive, but still has all the features you asked for. Stepping up to the Apollo won't cost you a ton more, but it will give you a little higher quality video encoder.

 

2) Most exterior cameras you buy these days are going to have IR night vision on them, so I don't think it's really a "pipe dream" to hope for that. You'll honestly be hard pressed to find exterior cameras (bullet or dome) that DON'T have IR. You can get cheap bullet cameras with night vision for like $29. You'll want to spend a little bit more than that to get decent TVL and IR distance, but it shouldn't be unrealistic to find cameras in the $60-100 range that will do a fine job and fit your needs.

 

3) Cabling: First off, you don't really need to "ground" your Cat5. I've never heard of anyone doing that. As far as Cat5e vs Cat6 it doesn't really matter because the baluns don't actually use the "twisted pair" component of the cable in order to pass the video. You could run 22-2 cable honestly and it would transmit the video exactly the same. So, save your money and don't buy Cat6.

 

You can DEFINITELY buy baluns for cheaper than $8.75. If you search "bnc video balun" on amazon the first result you get will be 6 pair (12 baluns) for like $16.99. Just keep in mind that you tend to get what you pay for when you go really cheap, just like the Zmodo brand you referenced before.

 

Last thing I would recommend is to familiarize yourself with the laws associated with audio recording in your local area. Laws definitely protect the person you are trying to record more than they help you, so be careful any time you are wanting to record audio.

 

Feel free to PM me with any further questions.