tghd 0 Posted December 28, 2015 I have a situation at a local apartment complex where they need four cameras. There is no practical way to connect them to a DVR/server and there is no WiFi. Each camera is in a different part in the complex several hundred feet away from each other so a cheap DVR solution for them is out of the question as well. Anyone have experience or recommendations with cheaper dahua/hikvision type cameras with a good local storage/record option that can do motion on the camera and be by itself? Cameras are indoor, do not need to be super high resolution (1 to 3 MP tops), and will most likely be somewhat close (<20'). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeromephone 6 Posted December 29, 2015 There are several cameras that can record to a on board sd card. however how are you going to access this data? If you can plug all the cameras into a common POE switch you could plug your laptop in and get the video as needed. Storage on the camera will be somewhat limited but you should get several days if you use motion detection and the largest capacity sd card the camera will handle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tghd 0 Posted December 29, 2015 I cannot connect them wirelessly or with wires other than to do an initial set up if need be. There is no wireless network in the complex and it would be too complex and costly to implement: several buildings, lots of thick brick walls, cameras are needed in basements, large distances, there are no Ethernet cables connecting the complex, etc. It would be a pain to use SD cards, but it is the only viable option I can think of. They want to capture some occasional theft of people stealing clothes from others in the laundry room, so they don't want too spend much. Also, due to the nature of the issue they should be able to know around when they occurred and where. I have never used local record/storage, so I was curious of others experiences with it especially in regards to cheaper brands; I am just helping them out as a favor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SunnyKim 2 Posted December 30, 2015 In addtion to IP cameras, you may look for mobile black box cameras, a sort of, recording to SD Cards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeromephone 6 Posted January 2, 2016 You may have to setup a portable system using a laptop to access each camera I don't know if that would be a direct connect to a POE switch from the laptop or somehow get your connection to the laptop. Unless some money is spent this will be a real pain to have any benefit at all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
