TheHulk 0 Posted January 6, 2015 Hi All, I have been browsing for weeks reading up on some older threads but I am just as confused and torn as ever and would appreciate some advice. I have no existing camera system and am in need of an 8 camera system for the exterior of my home. I was recently the victim of some vandalism and would like to be able to catch them in the act in the future (with good facial recognition) as well as the cameras acting as a possible deterrent. I did a lot of research and had decided on choosing an IP camera system. However, I have talked to 3 different installers with good yelp reviews in my area and they ALL advised against IP cameras and recommended "HD" cameras instead. They said there are a lot of problems with the IP systems and the HD cameras are more reliable. It seems the consensus on these forums is that IP is the preferred way to go. Why would the installers say otherwise? I am technically inclined but want a good quality, RELIABLE system that requires minimal maintenance. I am having a lot of trouble finding an SDI or TVI system with any kind of reviews. My gut says to go with IP but I also value the opinions of the professionals who deal with them every day. I have had my eyes on the following two IP based systems but would appreciate any advice you can give. I have seen differing opinions here on Swann devices and have not found any opinions on LaView (other than on Amazon). I have been looking for a month and am losing faith. The LaView has been out of stock for weeks but there are a few currently available but the Swann is on sale. Or if you prefer SDI or TVI, is there anything you would recommend under $2k? 16 channel 8 camera option- LaView http://www.amazon.com/LaView-LV-KN988P86A4-T2-Premium-Channel-Security/dp/B00KXB496M/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1418850604&sr=1-2&keywords=8+channel+nvr+poe 16 channel 8 camera Swann http://www.costco.com/.product.100144938.html Thank you in advance for any advice you can give. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boogieman 1 Posted January 6, 2015 Get the costco system, you can return it anytime if you dont like it... Installers who say that are having problems with ip systems are either not using reliable systems or dont have the requisite knowledge to properly install ip and therefore disparage it... You will be severely limiting your ability to modify your system in the future if you go with any of the analog hd systems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted January 6, 2015 The problem with these OEM big box store type setups is the OEM eventually stops supporting it. For me it was Q-See at Costco, they stopped supporting firmware updates and no longer worked when I upgraded to Windows 8.1. I can get firmware updates from the manufacturer, Dahua but would not load on Dahua made Q-See cameras. The upside is these sellers offer a good return policy but there's catch. If you want to return it, it's all or nothing, so be prepared to take down everything to return it. So why IP vs. analog HD. For one, IP is limitless, you can buy 4K cameras, 29MP cameras if you wanted, where analog HD is limited to 1080P at the moment. Next is flexibility, once locked into a vendor's HD analog solution and there's a few, you are stuck buying from vendors that are in that camp. Sort of like the Beta VHS wars of years gone by. With IP cameras you power and connect the camera with one cheap Ethernet cable, with analog you need siamese coax, expensive and harder to work with. The other issue for me at least is DVR vs. NVR and NVR software. I have a lot of choices with NVR software from free to enterprise grade running on commodity hardware. If a DVR breaks, I have to go get a new one, it may be different and require retraining. With NVR software, the hardware is independent. As for ease of deployment, most NVR/Camera solutions from the same manufacturer are for the most part plug and play. Not matter what you have to setup each camera no matter what, you have to setup remote access for the DVR, so not sure the level of effort is any higher for IP over analog. Sure, there's more parameters you can setup on the IP cameras, but you don't have to. If you have no experience with these cameras, I suggest you get a brand with support, at a minimum ACTi or Axis. At least you'll have someone to call when it doesn't work the way you expect. The Hikvision and Dahua are the best bang for the buck and what's included in the OEM packages but support is dependent on the reseller or OEM which is not as good as having manufacturer support, so a trade off between price and level of support. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheHulk 0 Posted January 7, 2015 Thanks for the responses. I ended up purchasing the Swann unit from Costco since their return policy is very good. If somebody recommends something better, I can return it as well. I will also tinker with it before installing the cameras to see what I am getting myself into. Does anyone have experience with this particular unit? How loud is the NVR? Would it be any louder than a typical 4 drive NAS, for instance? Also, one installer I spoke with said IP cameras can bog down your network by using a lot of bandwidth. After I thought about it, it didn't make sense to me. The way I see it, it shouldn't affect my internal network because the cameras communicate directly with the NVR and the cameras should only affect my external network when streaming remotely (which any system would do), right? What am I missing? A lot of iPad and Xbox usage occurs at my home so I wouldn't want to interfere with my internet connection. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SunnyKim 2 Posted January 8, 2015 Under 2K and Home Application, you can safely go for conventional analog cameras or HD-Analog (HD-CVI or TVI or AHD) and its standalone DVRs. These HD-Analog system can be working fine, less than 100 meter, and analog cameras are OK, up to 200 meters. As long as you provide enough Lighting and setting up the camera position more carefully, you would get what you like to achieve. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freightrain 0 Posted January 7, 2016 Hello Everyone, what I would like to know is what system do you have that can clearly see a car's license plate at night? I've tried many systems, IP based systems from Costco such as the Lorex Brand, several different SDI/TVI systems with 1080p cameras, several different license plate camera from Amazon (which the sellers claim can see license plate) but they all have failed to see the license plate clearly. The problem I'm having is the license plate is just a rectangular glow and this is having adjusted HLC, BLC, etc. Anyone successful in capturing License Plate? Thank you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
51cent 8 Posted January 7, 2016 Try this thread. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=49216 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattaggie 0 Posted January 11, 2016 If you have no existing system or wiring in place, I don't understand why anyone would not pick IP. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
