Simple house setup using POE cameras

[mikegerard 0]

Hi everyone-

 

I am trying to put together a simple system for the home. The goal is a basic system to keep an eye on the house and record any issues we may have down the road with vandals. My initial plan was to go with something from Swan (D1 system). Based on what I've seen on this forum I've decided that anything less than a 720p system is not worth the effort. I've also played with the Pelco camera tool to see how many cameras I need. The attached picture has 2 3.6mm cameras at the front door and walk out basement and 6mm cameras looking forward from the garage and through the backyard. I think this is adequate coverage for my needs.

 

 

Questions:

1) Should I go with a POE NVR? Something like

http://www.securitycameraking.com/16-channel-elite-mini-series-59062-prd1.html

or

http://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/nvr320432083216-p-190.html

2) For the cameras I was thinking something like two IPC-HFW2100 and two IPC-HDB3200. Are the cameras I'm looking at a good choice?

3) Should I be going even wider on the front and back cameras...perhaps 2.8mm?

4) Is POE the easiest choice for installation? I'm going to have to run wires out to each camera anyway so I don't see a huge advantage to Ethernet other than it's only one line and I can make the cords the exact length I need.

5) What else am I missing?

 

Thanks

Mike

[dahomes555 0]

PoE is the way to go whenever you're doing IP. I don't personally like the NVRs with built in PoE. The PoE is typically a router, not a switch. If it were a switch then I'd be totally in favor of it. But where it's a router, that can cause some network setup complications when you're trying to set up remote viewing. You're basically trying to get two routers to talk to each other. It's not impossible or incredibly difficult, but it can throw some wrinkles in the process if you aren't very familiar with networking.

 

As far as the cameras, look at something with a varifocal lens if you are concerned about the field of view. A varifocal lens lets you adjust (say, from 2.8-11mm). So on the areas you want super wide, you can go super wide. On areas you want to tighten up, you can do it.

[shockwave199 0]

PoE is the way to go whenever you're doing IP. I don't personally like the NVRs with built in PoE. The PoE is typically a router, not a switch. If it were a switch then I'd be totally in favor of it. But where it's a router, that can cause some network setup complications when you're trying to set up remote viewing. You're basically trying to get two routers to talk to each other. It's not impossible or incredibly difficult, but it can throw some wrinkles in the process if you aren't very familiar with networking.

What? NVR with POE is supposed to be easier than networking in separate cameras. All you do is hookup the nvr to your router and the usual steps to port forward, much like a dvr. What's the difficulty?

[dahomes555 0]

So long it is a PoE switch, not a router. With a PoE router built into the NVR you will have to add an extra step in port forwarding because you technically have two routers that need to forward. It's not that big a deal if you understand that principle but many DIY newbies could get frustrated by that step.

[shockwave199 0]

What's the extra step beyond normal port forwarding? Beyond generalizing, detail it because I could be facing this scenario in the near future.

[mikegerard 0]

In my case I'm planning to network the NVR to the web so that I can use the phone app.

 

But I dont really see me trying to setup the cameras to view within the rest of my network outside of the NVR web interface.

 

My guess is after the first week I will only glance at the recording incidents if something bad happens.

 

Mike

[shockwave199 0]

Well if you have an nvr and a router that both support upnp, you could try that and see if it helps makes the process less painful. It's supposed to do just that, but it can be hit and miss. It's worth a try first to see though.

[dahomes555 0]

What's the extra step beyond normal port forwarding? Beyond generalizing, detail it because I could be facing this scenario in the near future.

 

The router would have it's own firewall, so you'd need to port forward everything behind that firewall, then you'd need to port forward your main router. It's the understanding of Double NAT that just adds an extra step to the puzzle. Same principle as if you have DSL modem which your ISP gives you which is also a router, but you want to use your own router (dlink, netgear, etc.) To do port forwarding you have to have your DVR forwarded through the Dlink router, then you have to have your D-link router forwarded through the DSL modem/router. Same principle

[shockwave199 0]

Well this is the first I'm hearing about an NVR with built in POE being complicated to port forward. It sounds like you're talking about bridging a modem/router with a router. I guess I'll have to see if the dahua with 4 port POE built in adds a complication to simple port forwarding for the thing. I didn't think it would and there's good start up docs with it, so I'll see. Since you're the only person that referenced this by saying there's extra complication with built in POE, I'm gonna have to report back if that holds true.

[dahomes555 0]

Yeah, let me know what it you find out. I would think it would make it simpler as well, but I had just been told by my supplier that the above was true. I haven't tried one personally.

[blake 0]

That's the same thing i was told which is why i went with the plain NVR3204 instead of the NVR3204P