First NVR System (Deciding on NVR)

[gibrangibran 0]

Greetings all -

 

First type poster, been lurking for about two weeks. I am getting close to the installation date and I feel more confused then ever, I need a little help.

 

These are my initial requirements:

 

- Location = Indiana, USA

- Business = Restaurant with two floors

- Minimum of 9 Cameras initially - Thinking of 16 channels NVR

- Recording time = 1 week minimum 2 weeks would be great.

- Motion detection is a must

- POE onboard is not needed, using Cisco 3750X POE switch.

- Budget - Flexible with a cap.

 

It seems the two players that surface a lot are Hikvision and Dahua, but I can't tell which I should go with considering no prior experience on my part. I did some research on the Hikvision 9016, but I can't seem to find many sellers online!

 

I also contemplated building my own systems with a Dell server and xProtect Essentials, my concern is I am not going to be local to support the guys at all time. But going with a reliable server and commercial software should allow me to manage the support with no issues remotely. But is it worth it?

 

How can you help me guys?

 

Thanks,

 

Gibran

[Don Stephens 0]

I don't think you can go wrong with Hikvision or Dahua. Whichever you decide on is a good choice and they're in the same ballpark for cost and quality.

 

Personally, I've found that Dahua seems to have a larger presence with e-commerce stores while Hikvision seems to be predominantly sold by sites like Amazon, eBay, and Alibaba. You can usually make the argument that, as a result, Hikvision products can be found for cheaper, but at a higher risk based on who you're getting it from. I've heard the argument made that people will then have a hard time getting support for their Hikvision products, but with all the third party and free help available (such as this forum), I don't find any truth to that.

 

Whether or not to go with a standalone or PC based NVR is a matter of opinion; even more so with a system of this size. Just like choosing between brands, I don't think you can go wrong either way. It will probably just come down to how much leg work you're actually willing to put in.

 

Do you already have, or do you know which cameras you'll be working with? If we had that information, it might be easier for people to make specific recommendations.

[gibrangibran 0]

Hello Don -

 

I have not decided on cams, but not looking for anything fancy. Perhaps the same brand of the NVR with 1Mb or 2Mb support.

 

What's your thought?

 

Thanks for the feedback.

[Don Stephens 0]

With pricing the way it is right now, I would be looking at 2 or 3 megapixel cameras, and I tend to lean more towards 3. You really have a good range of options with either manufacturer, but to keep things as stress free as possible, just fully commit to one or the other for all products.

 

Depending on where you land with camera choice will help you select the right NVR as far as specs are concerned. You're going to have to find an NVR with an "incoming bandwidth" that will support all of your cameras and what you're trying to do with them.

 

Honestly, you may find that choosing cameras first will make life easier on selecting the NVR.

[shockwave199 0]

Put the gear out of mind for a moment.

 

You haven't defined what you'll be monitoring, at least not to us yet. If you take it one logical step at a time, it minimizes your confusion. So first, you must define exactly what you want to monitor. Will it be dining areas? How many? Lobby, how many? Kitchens, back hallways, registers, back entrances, bar, interior, exterior, etc. Define exactly how much you need to monitor with a full system in place, and then pair it down to what you absolutely must have to start, and see what the camera count comes to. That will help to tell you the biggest system you'll need, and also what you must start with if you're doing the project in stages. And for every area you identify, understand what it is you need to see in that area and how detailed that view must be. It may be that some views don't need the detail that others demand. That will also dictate how many cameras you need, which can be more than the average person figures. For instance, a dinning room may be fully covered with one camera. You'll see a fine overview. But you'll see decreased detail the further you get from that camera. If more detail is needed, you'll need more cameras dividing the views into smaller sections, if you want that much detail. You can get superior detail with the smallest number of cameras if you utilize all your choke points in the building- choke points being entrances/exits, stairs/elevators. The points where everyone must go by or through to get around your place. As long as those choke points are covered with high detail in mind, most everything else in the place can be more overview- except registers. But the idea in a nutshell is to make a list of every spot you want to see and how much detail you require for each spot. That will narrow you down to reality.

 

As far as gear, the easiest system to get in place and working is a dedicated NVR. Aside from how many channels it will need to support, you really need to get one that supports a minimum of four 4tb hard drives for a total of 16tb- at minimum. Best case the NVR could support eight drives for 32tb. For higher camera counts and the wish to have a few weeks of archived footage- perhaps four weeks- you'll need hard drive capacity. That must be figured into the system. And then there's the cameras. These days it makes the most sense to get 3mp cameras, especially if you're talking dahua. Price wise and quality wise, their 3mp cameras will be more economical. I prefer dahua, but to each their own.

 

Just keep in mind that the thoughts like "I don't need anything fancy" or "I just want to be able to see" is all well and good until something critical happens and you have nothing usable to look back on to help solve the issue. It doesn't have to be fancy or even a fortune. But you do need to understand how many locations you absolutely must monitor and how detailed you need each one. That's a good way to get good results from even a modest system.

[gibrangibran 0]

With pricing the way it is right now, I would be looking at 2 or 3 megapixel cameras, and I tend to lean more towards 3. You really have a good range of options with either manufacturer, but to keep things as stress free as possible, just fully commit to one or the other for all products.

 

Depending on where you land with camera choice will help you select the right NVR as far as specs are concerned. You're going to have to find an NVR with an "incoming bandwidth" that will support all of your cameras and what you're trying to do with them.

 

Honestly, you may find that choosing cameras first will make life easier on selecting the NVR.

 

 

I am thinking about this model HDW4300S, I am not sure if there are any newer models with the same MP features.

 

The plan is to record while the business is open and switch to motion only during closed hours. And based on the site survey I count 9 CAMs needed, potentially 10.

 

Thanks.

[gibrangibran 0]

Put the gear out of mind for a moment.

 

You haven't defined what you'll be monitoring, at least not to us yet. If you take it one logical step at a time, it minimizes your confusion. So first, you must define exactly what you want to monitor. Will it be dining areas? How many? Lobby, how many? Kitchens, back hallways, registers, back entrances, bar, interior, exterior, etc. Define exactly how much you need to monitor with a full system in place, and then pair it down to what you absolutely must have to start, and see what the camera count comes to. That will help to tell you the biggest system you'll need, and also what you must start with if you're doing the project in stages. And for every area you identify, understand what it is you need to see in that area and how detailed that view must be. It may be that some views don't need the detail that others demand. That will also dictate how many cameras you need, which can be more than the average person figures. For instance, a dinning room may be fully covered with one camera. You'll see a fine overview. But you'll see decreased detail the further you get from that camera. If more detail is needed, you'll need more cameras dividing the views into smaller sections, if you want that much detail. You can get superior detail with the smallest number of cameras if you utilize all your choke points in the building- choke points being entrances/exits, stairs/elevators. The points where everyone must go by or through to get around your place. As long as those choke points are covered with high detail in mind, most everything else in the place can be more overview- except registers. But the idea in a nutshell is to make a list of every spot you want to see and how much detail you require for each spot. That will narrow you down to reality.

 

As far as gear, the easiest system to get in place and working is a dedicated NVR. Aside from how many channels it will need to support, you really need to get one that supports a minimum of four 4tb hard drives for a total of 16tb- at minimum. Best case the NVR could support eight drives for 32tb. For higher camera counts and the wish to have a few weeks of archived footage- perhaps four weeks- you'll need hard drive capacity. That must be figured into the system. And then there's the cameras. These days it makes the most sense to get 3mp cameras, especially if you're talking dahua. Price wise and quality wise, their 3mp cameras will be more economical. I prefer dahua, but to each their own.

 

Just keep in mind that the thoughts like "I don't need anything fancy" or "I just want to be able to see" is all well and good until something critical happens and you have nothing usable to look back on to help solve the issue. It doesn't have to be fancy or even a fortune. But you do need to understand how many locations you absolutely must monitor and how detailed you need each one. That's a good way to get good results from even a modest system.

 

 

I like your approach and makes total sense to pull requirements first and decide on the equipment, very logical

 

I will need total of 9 CAMs covering these areas:

 

- 2 X Two back doors

- 2 X Two front doors

- 2 X Cash Registers/Bar area, these mounted on both ends of the bars.

- 1 X Dinning area upstairs

- 1 X Covering private office door upstairs and adjacent hallway

- 1 X Another hallway upstairs.

 

The idea is to record during business hours and shift to motion off hours. Upstairs CAMs are used for keep eye on things during business hours since most staff is downstairs.

 

 

What's the thought on using built in POE vs on the switch? I like the idea of continuous recording if the main switch providing POE is down, conversely I am not liking the POE switch right on the NVR.

 

Thanks for the help.