Which cameras would you recommend?

[palmeroj 0]

Hello everyone,

 

Just moved into a house that was pre-wired for 4 external video cameras. The cameras were never installed. The wires are what (I believe) are referred to "siamese" wire consisting of a central coax with two copper wires co-joined with the coax. Obviously, the two copper wires (red and black) are for power, while the coax is to transmit the signal. The wires for all four cameras terminate at a panel inside a closet under the stairs.

 

I also have a PC in this closet that acts as a file server for other personal computers in the house.

 

I would like to install some decent, outdoor cameras but not sure what is compatible with this type of wire. I am not looking for something very expensive, but would like cameras that have good resolution and decent low light capture. I also would like to use the PC as a DVR and be able to access the cameras from work (through the internet).

 

I came across the Samsung SDE-3003 system (see attachment) at my local Costco but the cameras have a RJ45 (Ethernet cable) type connection.

 

So, my questions are:

 

1. Is there some type of adapter for the SDE-3003 cameras that will allow me to use the existing wiring?

2. What would be a good camera/DVR card recommendation?

 

Your assistance is much appreciated.

John.

[jxk716 0]

You'll want to stay away from those cameras(systems); they are made with parts that do not produce solid images especially at night. I use CNB VBM 24 VFs and have no complaints at all...they need little light which is not a problem for me. What is your lighting situation outside where you want to the cameras to point?

 

Here are the cameras: http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22339

 

You will need a twist on BNC video connector or compresion type like this:

 

Twist on:

 

...and a tool like this to compress the connector onto the video wire (make sure the wire is RG-59 and you get the corresponding connector:

 

You will also need a 4 channel 12 DV or 24 VAC power source for the cameras. Each one of the copper wires (not the video) on your siamese goes into a port on the green power connector and gets clamped down with a small screw. You can also use wall transformers, strip the ends and tie them onto your power run. Polarity does not matter on those cameras.

 

 

I have no experience with DVR capture cards. Besides you really should have a dedicated system for camera footage. I have a Dahua 1TB 4 channel basic stand alone DVR that has everything I need including remote viewing.

 

Here are a couple of nights shots from the CNBs - these were take over the LAN, on playback and using snipping tool to create a snap shot of the playback.