bozman 0 Posted November 5, 2015 Do non PC based systems with digital recorders offer greater security than PC based systems as in being susceptible to getting hacked or breached in other ways? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SunnyKim 2 Posted November 5, 2015 As long as both are hooked on the Network, the chances are the same, at least to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boogieman 1 Posted November 5, 2015 As long as both are hooked on the Network, the chances are the same, at least to me. That is NOT accurate. Most standalone NVR;s are NOT properly patched for vulnerabilities... takes months for them to be patched. Then at some point, the manufacturer stops updating firmware. Not to mention the cheap junk that never get updated because the supplier is long gone. VPN will resolve any problems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bozman 0 Posted November 5, 2015 (edited) So both are the same risk? What are the advantages of each then aside from security issues? Any compatibility issues between software VMS with particular camera brand? Power getting through PC for camera system? BTW any Cat5/6 will do for IP system or is there any particular type for Poe? Edited November 5, 2015 by Guest Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boogieman 1 Posted November 5, 2015 So both are the same risk? What are the advantages of each then aside from security issues? No they only have the same risks if you use VPN...if you simply port forward, a pc is much more secure because NVR's if they are ever updated are SLOW to get updated. There are tons of threads discussing the pros and cons. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrmymllr 0 Posted November 6, 2015 Non-PC based: You're stuck with what it is. If a firmware update is available that addresses security concerns, great. I doubt this happens often though. PC-based: You have much more control over it. If the VMS running on the host OS is commercial/non-open source, you're at their mercy, but I have a feeling these products will have a better chance of being secure. My reasoning is that many Linux/Windows based VMSs are developed by companies that are much more open and willing to fix security issues if reported. And if the VMS you have is that bad, the hardware isn't tied to the VMS; switch to a different VMS! This is especially easy if you're running a trial of the VMS. Also, the security of the host OS will perhaps be of less concern since these are constantly patched. I'm not an installer, just a hobbyist. But this is why I'll never buy another commercial DVR/NVR. Plus it's really cool to be able to use the host PC for other purposes while it's running the VMS. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
myiicu 0 Posted November 7, 2015 If you want a reliable and robust security system, keep the PC dedicated to the task given... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bozman 0 Posted November 9, 2015 If you want a reliable and robust security system, keep the PC dedicated to the task given... If I go the PC route what PC spec would you recommend to run a system with about 12 cameras? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boogieman 1 Posted November 9, 2015 If you want a reliable and robust security system, keep the PC dedicated to the task given... If I go the PC route what PC spec would you recommend to run a system with about 12 cameras? Varies by vms...first choose software then buy hardware to suit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
myiicu 0 Posted November 9, 2015 Boogieman is correct. Some VMS are CPU intensive, while others are CPU lite... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Samir 0 Posted November 9, 2015 I know this will be opposite of the consensus in this thread, but I have found that non-pc based systems, while they do have less security updates, have far better security because the underlying operating system isn't constantly under attack. YMMV, but we've replaced two PC based systems with non-pc at two different businesses. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrmymllr 0 Posted November 9, 2015 If you want a reliable and robust security system, keep the PC dedicated to the task given... Strictly speaking yes you can't go wrong with this advice. But I also use mine as a Samba and DLNA server, which uses almost no CPU and is mapped to a different drive. Works great and eliminates another computer/network device. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FranciscoNET 0 Posted November 13, 2015 Pro's of going the PC route: * Customizability * Brandability - You can change the boot screen to your own brand so on power on instead of displaying Windows' default bootscreen you get to display your own company's boot screen. * Can customize the DVR server software. Depending on the DVR server software you have decided to settle with, you may be able to customize all graphical images and company names with your own. For example, the one I used to use was Macro-Video with their D1 hardware encoding PCI/PCI-e DVR cards and they have a bunch of *.JPG's on the software's root directory you can open up with Photoshop/Gimp to customize and another jpg that displays a default company name that you can customize to your own company name. * You can login remotely via your own Remote Administrative Tool (subject to client approval of course) to help the client burn an evidence when something happens. Cons of going the PC route: * There is absolutely, and I mean ABSOLUTELY no PCI/PCI-e DVR card that can support the HD-TVI or HD-CVI standard which means that for traditional DVR sellers still going with the PC based route they are limited to D1 resolutions. * Setting up an NVR PC based is going to cost you an arm and a leg compared to what you can get with a standalone NVR. For example, the NVR can be CPU intensive requiring a good i5 as minimum and building such a system is going to cost you. A good VMS software will charge you at least $60 per IP camera, for a 4 CH setup thats going to be $240 just for VMS licensing! and thats just for the VMS, ONE software, you still have to pay for Windows license (Windows 7 OEM can optimistically be had for no less than $40 searching the right venues) and of course the cost of building the whole PC setup, in the other token, I see I can get a HiKVision 4 CH NVR with PoE for $97.99 with free shipping and that includes a whole funcional unit without the hard drive, no need to worry about software licensing or buying lots of parts, less than $100 I have a functional NVR that needs absolutely nothing else except for the hard drive. Pro's of Standalone DVR/NVR: * Its wayyy cheaper. Like mentioned in my PC con's example above, you can get a standalone HiKVision NVR for less than $100 with free shipping and that will get you everything you need for your NVR setup minus the hard drive. * It has way less power requirements than a PC and makes less noise than a PC. * Faster setup and turn around. No need to spend time installing an Operating System, Drivers, the DVR or VMS software. Everything is already dome and setup for you leaving you time to perform other work like setup remote access for customers, user names, opening a port on the router, setting CH recording frame rate, bitrate and image quality settings, etc.... * takes up less space than a PC and its easier to hide. Cons of Standalone DVR/NVR's: * You are stuck with whatever features the device came with * You can't customize is and rebrand it with your own brand name unless you buy an unbranded DVR/NVR. In my own experience I have been purchasing the unbranded KT&C HD-TVI DVR from my local CCTV wholesaler that doesn't display a brand on screen and doesn't have any brand sticker on the front plate allowing me to create my own company sticker and placing it there. But if you DVR is branded you can't say your DVR is a "John Doe DVR" to give you an example. * You actually have to travel onsite if a customer requires your assistance to "burn" an evidence and for most standalone DVR and NVR's like KT&C and other HiKVision based models they no longer come with a DVD burner which means that "burning" an evidence here means copying the videos over to a USB flash drive inserted onto the DVR itself or onto the customer's PC with the remote application software installed on the PC to download the video off the DVR (in the case of the customer having a computer configured to connect to DVR remotely, you can walk the customer to installing teamviewer (IF IF you have the commercial teamviewer license which costs upper $700's) as you wont be able to successfully walk a customer to installing TightVNC or other freeware RAT's (Remote Application Tool) and open up a port on their own routers and then give you their IP address and password for you to connect to and help them download the videos they want to save, it would be much better and time saving to just drive over to your customer place and physically help them with what they need. Personally speaking, I have been building PC based DVR's but when I discovered the HD-TVI standard and that there were no HD-TVI based DVR cards for PC's I finally made the decision to switch to HiKVision based DVR's and have been upgrading existing customers to the full 1080p HD standard per CH with existing cables - no need to remove cables and since a very top of the notch quality Full HD cameras that can see with 0.01 - 0.001 lux can be had for the same price as regular high end D1 cameras I can still remain competitive doing new HD-TVI installations as good Network Cameras that isn't buggy is still very pricey, going with cheap network IP cameras still comes with stability issues that can make you look really really bad Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
