What do I need for my system (HikVision Camera?)

[wnix 0]

I think I'm going with Hikvision DS-2CD2032F-I 1/3" to start with, may get more, better cameras but this one looks like it produces good images. What do you guys think?

 

It's available at amazon for $108.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012AMB8RY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A1B1SO4PGSKWLC

Is that a good value?

 

My question is what else do I need to get up and running? Besides a big spool of cat 5e.

 

I believe I need a POE switch, and do I want a NVR? Or to route this system through a computer? What have you guys found to work best.

And then recommended specific switch etc for that specific camera? And software for HikVision? Viewing on iphone/android would be nice.

 

Thank you.

[wnix 0]

Oh, from what I can figure out. I need a POE switch, I don't know if it has to be a special type of POE switch. And then I need to decide whether to buy an NVR or use the PC and use a software solution. Could use some info and opinions.

 

And if I do go with PC how do I route from switch to PC.

[MaxIcon 0]

Note that this cam is probably a grey market Hik, based on the price. It will have hacked firmware that should run, but if you ever need to upgrade it, you'll probably run into problems. There are some pinned threads at the top of the forum about this. A western region coded cam will probably cost half again as much.

 

That's a good basic cam to start with, with great daytime images and decent low light images.

 

You'll either need a POE switch or a 12Vdc power supply, which can either be plugged into the cam directly or run over passive POE injector/extractor set. If you plan on getting more cams, the switch will make sense. Some inexpensive switches only support POE on some of the ports, like 4 POE ports on an 8 port switch. The TP-LINK TL-SF1008P is a popular starter switch with 4 POE ports.

 

Hik has free software for recording on a PC and viewing on a mobile device, or you can view and record manually from a web browser. Once the cam's on your network, you don't need to do anything special unless you need to forward a port for external viewing. Some NVRs take care of this for you.

 

NVRs are simpler and more reliable, but less flexible. PCs are more powerful and flexible, but use more power and need to be on all the time. You can download a trial version of Blue Iris or the free version of Milestone Xprotect Go to test how they work on a PC, or just use the Hik software.

[wnix 0]

Note that this cam is probably a grey market Hik, based on the price. It will have hacked firmware that should run, but if you ever need to upgrade it, you'll probably run into problems. There are some pinned threads at the top of the forum about this. A western region coded cam will probably cost half again as much.

 

That's a good basic cam to start with, with great daytime images and decent low light images.

 

You'll either need a POE switch or a 12Vdc power supply, which can either be plugged into the cam directly or run over passive POE injector/extractor set. If you plan on getting more cams, the switch will make sense. Some inexpensive switches only support POE on some of the ports, like 4 POE ports on an 8 port switch. The TP-LINK TL-SF1008P is a popular starter switch with 4 POE ports.

 

Hik has free software for recording on a PC and viewing on a mobile device, or you can view and record manually from a web browser. Once the cam's on your network, you don't need to do anything special unless you need to forward a port for external viewing. Some NVRs take care of this for you.

 

NVRs are simpler and more reliable, but less flexible. PCs are more powerful and flexible, but use more power and need to be on all the time. You can download a trial version of Blue Iris or the free version of Milestone Xprotect Go to test how they work on a PC, or just use the Hik software.

 

Thank you very much. I think I like the idea of running cameras to poe switch and into a NVR setup with a monitor and the ability to forward to mobile devices when they're not on the wifi. Max you say that particular camera would be a somewhat less than wise purchase? If I were to ask you for a recommendation for camera/poe switch/nvr system that's likely popularly bought together and work well together could you? I'd be looking for a camera that delivers what that one does or better. I'm looking for about $120-$220~ per camera. I'm looking for stuff that fits into that "value" zone giving great performance for a fair price. I'm unfamiliar with poe switch/nvr prices.

 

I think also some NVR's have POE switches built in, idk if that's a popular choice to save money or space.

Took a look at that "TP-LINK TL-SF1008P" it's a fine price for 4 cameras, which would be the minimum I'd want. I think it will suffice and if going with a non built in POE switch that will work for me. I assume there is no benefit to going with the gigabit version? "TP-LINK TL-SG1008P"

 

Thank you.

[MaxIcon 0]

That's a good camera and one of the best values, but the grey market versions are tricky to deal with firmware on. So, you can pay more for an official western region version, or get the inexpensive grey market version and either live with whatever firmware it ships with or research how to upgrade the firmware without bricking the cam.

 

Finding a vendor for the western region cams can be challenging, and one that I know of can't be posted on this forum. Many people don't bother with upgrades; I do them pretty rarely, and never upgrade my grey market Hiks because of the hassle.

 

I don't know about complete systems or NVRs, since I run a PC, but many people buy the Costco systems because of the good return policies. The Hik NVRs tend to be good, and it's best to use the same brand NVR and cams, but I don't have experience with any of them.

 

Two of the best cams to start with these days are the DS-2CD2032-I bullet cam, or the DS-2CD2332-I turret cam, which has somewhat stronger IR and a dome-like appearance, without the IR reflection problems that dome cams tend to have. Both have similar images, so it comes down to which style you like and the IR strength. The last 4 cams I've bought have been these models.

 

For the POE, some people prefer built-in POE on the NVR, some prefer separate switches. Commercial switches tend to be better designed and more reliable than the built-in POE, but there's not a lot of hard data on that, and separate switches add more clutter.

 

For up to 8 cams, 100Mb is generally ok if your bit rate is below 8 Mbps per cam. More than that, and you might want Gb.