Getting started questions

[Thanny 0]

I'm looking to replace a few Logitech 700e IP cameras (no longer made, high failure rate, can't even get a replacement on the latest failure due to no stock), and have settled on IP cameras with an NVR as the best solution. I'm specifically leaning towards 3MP @20fps cameras, which is more than double my current linear resolution and 5fps faster.

 

I'm looking for an NVR that is completely controllable over the network. There will be no monitor plugged in, save perhaps for an initial setup, if absolutely necessary.

 

After bouncing around different retailers, I've seen a lot of standalone NVR's that include an integrated PoE switch and handle up to four SATA drives. Most seem to be rebranded Dahua units. While the specs look decent enough, one thing that has me concerned is the mentions I keep seeing of Dahua web interfaces being highly dependent upon ActiveX, which is something I'd very much like to avoid.

 

After a quick glance at QNAP units (which I discovered by reading the sticky thread), I see a disturbing reference to IE in the web interface description, which suggests ActiveX again. For units which don't include PoE ports and are substantially more expensive.

 

Can anyone give a rundown on what type of remote (i.e. over the LAN) admin interfaces the various brands actually have?

 

Also, something I can't seem to discover elsewhere is whether or not the units with built-in PoE LAN ports are bridging the networks or not. That is, would a camera plugged into the PoE LAN port be visible to the network connected via the unit's standard LAN port, so I can configure my DHCP server to give a fixed address to each camera and communicate with them directly?

 

I'm also open to the idea of building my own NVR, and any insights on what's required to do that (beyond basic PC hardware) are welcome.

[MaxIcon 0]

I can't help with the standalone NVR questions, but if you want to build a PC based NVR, 2 popular programs are Blue Iris and Milestone Xprotect.

 

BI is inexpensive, but requires a good bit of CPU horsepower. Xprotect is free with some limitations or per-cam licenses with fewer limitations, and requires less CPU if you view the cams on a client PC and not the NVR.