System Upgrade Advice

[Ernie Douglas 0]

Hi folks,  I am hoping that I am posting this in the right section.

As per my intro in the Introductions area, I have a CCTV system that I need advice on how to alter/upgrade.  I think the system was installed circa 15 years ago.

The existing system has two cameras, one outside and one inside an outbuilding.  These link to a "Concept Pro" DVR via Cat5e cables and the CCTV also links to an alarm system so that, for example, when a particular door is opened the indoor camera pans toward that door.

The main things I want to alter are:

1.  I would like to be able to view the cameras remotely on a laptop, tablet or phone.  I understand that its possible to do this with the current DVR but its not simple.  Therefore what DVR would be the best upgrade to buy to achieve this more easily?

2.  I would like to add at least one more camera and would like one with reasonable night vision.  The existing ones don't have great quality in poor light.  This new camera will need to be able to zoom, pan and tilt.

I would get a professional installer to link everything up, not least because of the link to the intruder alarm, although the basic hardware install such as mounting the additional camera and pulling new cable in (Cat5?) I will do myself.

I have attached pictures of the existing cameras and the DVR.

Any help or advice would be most appreciated.

Thanks

Ernie

 

[tomcctv 190]

Hi. Nice post …been a long time since I delt with concept pro I used to use all the time 

dvr is a old concept your first pic of ptz is a sunkwang (manufacturer of concept) and was fitted a long time after dvr was installed as it’s a lot younger and your other ptz is a 12inch VCL ….. both very good cameras and work for ever

The good news is modern dvr units don’t get connected to alarm systems anymore as the alarm side is built in to new recorders …. This will allow you to use the existing cables to add extra cameras

i would also look at either a 4 or 8 camera system depending on size of your property 

what part of uk are you 

 

 

[Ernie Douglas 0]

Hi, thanks for the reply.  

I had to google "ptz" as I have very little knowledge about CCTV.

I am in Yorkshire.  I would like to add at least one more ptz in the next few months and eventually maybe another one so a 4 or 8 camera system would be good.  The current, Concept System, is 4 cameras although only two channels are in use.  I may need to put in a new cable because last year one camera stopped working and it was diagnosed as a damaged pair on a CAT5  but it went onto a spare pair in the same cable ok.  The cables are in ducts so I could pull a new armoured cable in if required.  

So what recommendations are there for a new ptz that can see in the dark?  Also, what is the recommendation for a new "system".  

There are numerous sensors around the property, not just on doors but movement sensors also, that tell the cameras what to do and I would need to keep that functionality.  As I said, currently it all seems to be connected to the intruder alarm so I guess the two will need to be untangled if the new system has the functionality built in.  The door sensors currently tells the camera what to do and also triggers the alarm and this dual functionality would also need to be kept.

Thanks,

Ernie

[tomcctv 190]

Hi. I would recommend not going ptz on all cameras…. There is a high risk of missing footage

i would look at keeping your existing ptz cameras and adding static cameras around the areas …. So I would look at a 8 way dvr 

 

what is your budget…. What part of Yorkshire are you in  ?

[Ernie Douglas 0]

Hi,

I am in East Yorkshire.

The current two cameras cover 90% of what I need regarding security.  However, I would like one more pzt inside a building so that I can keep an eye on some animals, therefore that pzt would not be for security purposes but for monitoring purposes..  There is a location that a static camera might be of use to provide additional security although that camera can wait as I have some other jobs to do first.

As far as budget goes, I have no idea.  I have a budget to cover a few things including, possibly, cctv upgrades but at the moment its a shared budget so it depends on my options on everything including cctv.  I know that this statement is not that helpful but from past experience on other projects I know that when I tell someone my budget they usually tailor their costs to use it all up.  I have no idea if the upgrades will be £500 or £5,000 which is why I am making enquiries here.  I know I will have to pay a professional to set things up which is fair enough but I dont have a clue on the hardware costs. 

Ernie

[tomcctv 190]

3 hours ago, Ernie Douglas said:

I know that when I tell someone my budget they usually tailor their costs to use it all up.  I have no idea if the upgrades will be £500 or £5,000 which is why I am making enquiries here.  I know I will have to pay a professional to set things up which is fair enough but I dont have a clue on the hardware costs. 

Hi the reason why I ask your budget is members spend a lot of time helping other only to find they want 4 cam system with a budget of £200 including fitting

ok you quote a good budget … infact too high

i would start with replacing your dvr first and I recommend a 8 way dvr and one of the best on the market at the moment is a 5 in 1 which means it will run any camera available and that is around £275 it runs on SuperLive plus app so you have full control over your mobile for viewing anywhere 

ptz cameras are around £320 but has good night vision and a zoom range of 1/2 mile day and night

static cameras 5mp colour day and night high def start from £55

as far as professional to setup once your shown once you will do rest yourself

[Ernie Douglas 0]

11 hours ago, tomcctv said:

Hi the reason why I ask your budget is members spend a lot of time helping other only to find they want 4 cam system with a budget of £200 including fitting

Lol, whilst I was not sure of the cost, I am not deluded that the system can be upgraded for nothing.  

I did ponder upgrading the dvr first.  You mention one, is it possible to let me know the make and model as I would be keen to buy one and get it installed.

As for additional cameras, do they need CAT5, CAT6 or other cabling?  I assume the power is via the same cable as the comms?  If I am pulling new cables in for one new camera then I will probably install additional cables for future use for possible other cameras at the same time.

The static cameras seem to be less than I expected so I may well install a couple of those too.

Ernie.

[Ernie Douglas 0]

I did a bit of googling and struggled to find a 5 in 1 dvr for £275, most google results were much less.  The closest I got was £250 for a 4K 12 channel one by SPRO.  That was a bare unit so would need a HDD adding which then puts the cost up by several hundred £.  So is the £275 suggestion inc HDD or exc HDD?

Also, I dont think my existing cameras are 4K so do I need 4K or 1080P.    Are new cameras 4K or is 1080P more than enough.  Also do I need a HDD or should I look for a SSD?  Surely SSD is more reliable?

Sorry for all the questions but I am on a steep learning curve.  

Ernie

[tomcctv 190]

Hi it’s ok to answer questions ….. it helps you save money as you learn

With you having analog cameras (your ptzs) 5 in 1 gives you all formats 

analog ——tvi——cvi—-ahd——and iP 

going 4K is a little overkill all it does is use up your hard drive space 

your dvr at the moment is max 960 tvl a new dvr at 5mp is all you need  

I will pm you a dvr 

also while your searching for a dvr don’t look at hikvision or dahua in the uk they won’t have a long life span

 

[Ernie Douglas 0]

Hi folks, so due to other things taking priority I have only just got round to upgrading my DVR.  It arrived yesterday and swapped the units over today.   The interface seems simple enough to use and I have downloaded the full manual rather than just the Quick Start Guide that came in the box.

I swapped the various cables from one system to the other methodically so that I didnt get anything mixed up.  

Previously the system took signals from the alarm system and told the cameras to go to various pre-set positions depending on which PIR was triggered.  I have a problem with the joystick controller and the GUI.  As well as the on screen controls I also have a joystick control.  It seems to be a generic unit as the identical unit seems to be available under various brandings.  I cant find a manual for it anywhere online so I have played about with it and have worked a few things out including how to make it do is save presets although I am not certain if those presets are stored in the joystick unit or the DVR?  The joystick is a 15-au50es unit.

The second issue is that the on-screen controls that to do the same pan, tilt and zoom features of the cameras dont work.  No matter what I do I cannot pan, tilt or zoom using the mouse.  

Finally I have read the DVR manual and noted how to set "presets" but if I save presets using the joystick controller then this does nothing when a PIR is triggered and obviously I cant change pre-sets using the mouse controls because the mouse controls dont work so maybe these two issues are related?

There are two pairs of cables connected to the RS485 terminals.  One pair goes to the joystick controller.  The other pair goes off down the CAT5e that comes up in an alarm panel circa 50m away.  I have not touched the other end of this cable.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Edit.  I have no pre-sets in the DVR but if I move a camera using the joystick and leave it there then after a minute or so the camera goes back to its preset "default" position before I changed the DVR.  So I guess that the current presets are stored in the joystick.  Does that mean the joystick is overriding the DVR GUI controls?  How do I chage it so I can use both the joystick AND the GUI?  Also, how do I get the presets to be the one I need to save in the DVR and not in the joystick controller?

Edit 2.  If I unplug the joystick from the system the GUI still wont work.  Maybe the cables into the unit are not terminated very well?  I note from the picture below that one of the clamps is in further than the other.  Is there a better way to terminate two pairs into these RS485 terminals?  At the moment my pairs are twisted together before being inserted.

I have uploaded pics of the joystick, the GUI controls (that I cant get to work) and the RS485 terminals if that is any help.

Thanks,

Ernie