Wrinkster22 0 Posted March 14, 2015 I am looking to install some sort of camera's for monitoring around my home. I have been reading a bit online but some overwhelmed with the all the options available. I live in a >3000 square foot home that is around 60-70 years old so I would like to rule wireless out I think. (Wireless in old homes has always been mixed to me). What I would want is monitoring around the home with live video feed on an iPhone/iPad. I am planning on mounting an iPad to permanently be a smart home hub (for those who are interested controlling the nest, airplay speakers, etc). I am not sure really what kind of system I want, also I am not looking at spending a terrible amount of money. It will be quite difficult to run wires. Something I was thinking of doing is just mounting various cameras along the east side of the house to watch the driveway/garage/gate/front area. The cables would likely run in plastic conduit. (The home faces north) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SyconsciousAu 0 Posted March 15, 2015 also I am not looking at spending a terrible amount of money. What sort of budget were you thinking? It will be quite difficult to run wires. Good advance planning will help a lot here. Decide where you want to put the NVR and the cameras and come up with a plan. Also consider heat. I had to move my NVR from it's original position because it would get too hot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryn0909 0 Posted March 15, 2015 im just like you wrinkster, a few years ago, i did myfirst own home security system as well. i had lots of questions and nobody to answer them for me. lol so i kinda did the same thing, ask in msg boards. first and foremost would be how many cameras are you going to have? that number will give you a good idea as to how many channels you'll need in a dvr unit. if you are going to install 4 cameras, DONT buy a 4 channel dvr unit, buy AT LEAST an 8 channel unit. trust me, you will be glad you did. if a channel on the unit goes bad or more likely, you will eventually install more cameras in the future. so give urself some wiggle room. if you have internet access at home, which im sure you prolly do, then i'd suggest getting a standalone or embedded unit, as opposed to a pc based unit. standalone dvr units are well worth their $$, and they can range in price. I scored mine off of craigslist for $250. its a 16 channel linux embedded unit. has built in ethernet port and a serial (rs232) port for debugging and the rs485 for PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) cameras. this unit is considered a "Pentaplex" becuz of the multiple and simultaneous operations it can perform. its got a built in web server for remote viewing and a RTSP (real time streaming protocol) service for connecting via IOS or ANDROID. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SyconsciousAu 0 Posted March 16, 2015 as opposed to a pc based unit. For ease of plug and play I can see why you would say go stand alone PVR but I went PC based as I couldn't get what I wanted in terms of capability, redundancy and expandability in a Stand alone unit. Need a bit more PC know how though if you intend to DIY. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryn0909 0 Posted March 16, 2015 thats true, however its nice to have a pc available for doing whatever. if the dvr system goes down or has issues, at least u still got a pc available to help you fix the problem. as opposed to having an issue with a dvr card, then u gotta shut the pc down, or reboot or whatever it takes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SyconsciousAu 0 Posted March 16, 2015 thats true, however its nice to have a pc available for doing whatever. if the dvr system goes down or has issues, at least u still got a pc available to help you fix the problem. as opposed to having an issue with a dvr card, then u gotta shut the pc down, or reboot or whatever it takes. I have a PC Based NVR which doesn't have a DVR card. Strictly IP cameras. Mine is also a dedicated box. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
