Xeris 0 Posted January 21, 2015 I am near to completion of my custom-build PC, and stumbled upon the topic of CCTV. I bought two infrared cameras years ago, then forgot about them. I have heard that there is way to work them into a PC so that an expensive DVR is not needed. What sort of modifications do I need to make to my build to incorporate these two cameras. Not looking for anything fancy or way expensive, and I'll mention that I know nothing about CCTV, so try to simplify it. Thanks for any help! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ssnapier 0 Posted January 22, 2015 Well are these analog cameras or IP cameras? If they are analog, you will need a capture card and the hardware to go with it. If they are IP, you just need a VMS that can handle your brand of camera and then a switch to get everything all together network wise. Probably a POE switch, but again it depends on what cameras you have. Pictures of your cameras could help us to help you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Xeris 0 Posted January 22, 2015 Well are these analog cameras or IP cameras? If they are analog, you will need a capture card and the hardware to go with it. If they are IP, you just need a VMS that can handle your brand of camera and then a switch to get everything all together network wise. Probably a POE switch, but again it depends on what cameras you have. Pictures of your cameras could help us to help you. These were cheap (under $50 each). Both are dome outdoor cameras, wired, and I was told they would require an expensive time-lapse VCR, so I think all that means they are analog. What do I need to look for by way of "capture card and the hardware"? I don't want to deal with the time-lapse VCR...if I cannot get them to work cheaply (I think the VCR was around $400), I will pass on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Digiscan 0 Posted January 23, 2015 $50 years ago probably makes them near worthless now, but maybe you can play around. Be warned if you do you're very likely to get bitten by the bug and start buying some modern cameras. What do the connectors on the cameras look like? If they are modern IP cameras (which they likely are not), they'll have an RJ45 jack, aka a typical network ethernet port. You're right, though, that otherwise you need no special equipment for modern IP cameras other than a switch that has POE ports (not terribly expensive) to get power to the cameras. Otherwise, software alone on the PC can interact with the cameras. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Xeris 0 Posted January 30, 2015 $50 years ago probably makes them near worthless now, but maybe you can play around. Be warned if you do you're very likely to get bitten by the bug and start buying some modern cameras. What do the connectors on the cameras look like? If they are modern IP cameras (which they likely are not), they'll have an RJ45 jack, aka a typical network ethernet port. You're right, though, that otherwise you need no special equipment for modern IP cameras other than a switch that has POE ports (not terribly expensive) to get power to the cameras. Otherwise, software alone on the PC can interact with the cameras. No RJ45 jacks, so we can assume they are not modern IP cameras. Exactly what do I need to get them up and running cheaply? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
