Need advice for monitoring ice cream shop

[TehSkull 0]

A long time friend of mine owns an ice cream store in town. He wants to replace his old DVR system (with 2 broken cameras) with something a bit more modern. Being the foolish teenager I am, accepted the job thinking "How hard could it be?" My original plan was to keep costs low by using wifi cameras. I still hope that this is possible, but as of yet, the quality seems far too low for his needs. This is judging from a piece of junk Foscam I picked up for about $75.

 

Before making any more foolish decisions, I decided to do my research which has lead me here.

 

The goal of the system I'm building is to have 4 to 6 cameras connect wirelessly to the main computer and record from there. One program I was looking at for that task was iSpy, but I'm certainly open to other programs of reasonable price. If wireless can't happen, then I can deal with wired IP cameras. Running ethernet isn't that bad. A non-IP camera system would be far beyond what I would feel comfortable working with, and I'm a little too invested right now to undo everything I've done so far.

 

I appreciate any and all assistance offered on this matter.

[buellwinkle 0]

Wired is the way to go because if you go WiFi, you need an A/C outlet at each camera location, you'll have to hide the wire and easy enough to unplug. So here's my recommendation which is totally outside the box. Get the ACTi E96, its' 5MP so plenty of resolution, put in the middle of the shop on the ceiling, assuming it's all open as most of these shops are. It will basically break down in 4 separate corrected images equaling about a 1MP each so from one camera you can cover the front door, the register, the eating areas. That would cost you about $260, if you want to help with a review I can get it for you cheaper as this is one of those cameras meant for retail and I can't review it effectively at home.

 

Then, for recording, most generic free or cheap solutions aren't all that good and some you don't even recoup your investment because of the time it takes to make them work. ACTi provides very good NVR software and it's light on CPU so you can use an old PC or buy a lower end PC, maybe for $299.

 

You'll also need a PoE injector, about $20-30 to power the camera. Stores are typically easy to wire as they have dropped ceilings.

 

Once that's working and deriving value, you can fill additional areas for additional security, like a camera for the back door, one close-up over the register and one close-up as people enter.

[Peter_ 2]

Or alternatively try the Axis M3007P/V (http://www.axis.com/products/cam_m3007p/index.htm) which is also 5mp and has the same 4 quadrant image as the acti mentioned. Then throw a 64GB SD card in the camera and have it record to itself without having the need for any dedicated PC. Axis makes a great piece of companion pc software (Axis Camera Companion) for viewing the cameras. Axis camera is a bit more expensive (they have great customer support/warranty's), but without the need for a dedicated PC it should come out about even with the ACTi route.

[buellwinkle 0]

I know some cameras can do in-camera recording to SD card but in a busy ice cream shop, always someone moving around, employees, customers, deliveries, at 5MP, you'll fill that SD card pretty quickly. I would be surprised if you got a full day but you can write to NAS storage.'

 

Another cool camera, probably about the same price as the E96 fisheye is the E97 wide angle. It's 10MP and has a very wide angle lens, about 101 degrees, so you can put it in the corner and get a very detail of the space. Get two in opposite corners and get two perspectives of the place. Should be out in about 2 weeks.

[TehSkull 0]

The E96 looks perfect for monitoring the main shopfront, since the router is in a central location and can attach securely to ceiling tile, judging from the video I just watched (which I'm realizing is actually made by you, buellwinkle. ). That just leaves two more cameras needed. One for each back room. My friend was very clear that he wanted a view of every exit, and there's an exit in each back room. One room is the entrance to the freezer, the other is the main office where money is kept. Both rooms are fairly dark. Which actually reminds me...

 

How well will the E96 work at night? Will I need an IR illuminator?

 

Thanks for the advice so far. I suppose I would want to keep all the cameras the same brand, so I can use that brand's software.

[buellwinkle 0]

The E96 is a day camera, so he would have to leave lights on at night. You would be surprised how much light a single LED bulb puts out. I use the Cree from Home Depot, costs about $12 and puts out 60W equivalent, better than most built in illuminators, you'll have color at night and in theory the light deters criminals. If he has can lights, I love the new Halo LED R30 floodlights. Sure, not practical in someone's home but in a business, no reason not to leave some lights on. There's several brands of fisheye cameras, none have illuminators built in.

 

If you want day/night with illuminators, indoors, looking at an exit, I would get 1MP camera like the ACTi D54 or a few bucks more for the D55 that is 3MP but not needed close to a door. Indoors at my house, I use 1MP cameras and never had an issue ID'ing someone day or night. Indoors the lights reflects off walls, is more effective than when placed outdoors.