CCTV System

[Grosey]

Hi, I'm looking for recommendations for a CCTV system. Started out looking at the Nest Cam external for pure simplicity, then looking on amazon and screwfix saw a multitude of options and now I'm confused. 

 

I need the system more for viewing awkward parts parts of the house where I can't see from any windows, i.e. The main approach to my house I cant actually look out on to see whose coming, sounds daft but is what it is. I live in a suburban Cornish town and crime prevention is slightly lower down on the agenda. I need something that can be accessed quick ideally via a nice slick phone app so if I hear a car pull up I can see who it is. POE, Night vision,remote access are also required, would be great if I could view the cameras on my TV as well, either via cable or via browser to a webpage. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

Neil

[jamiehamy]

I've got a Reolink PTZ cam on site and going to expand with more later on. Apps great,  functionality,  controls etc and good. 

 

They are on PoE ,  very easy to setup too. 

 

The other day we were working in the house and an alert came through - two seconds later there was a knock on the door. 

 

I think Hikvision is another brand to consider.  

 

 

[dogman]

I have a Hikvision that is a hybrid system. It will work with either POE ip cameras or the older analogue cameras. Takes two 4Tb hard drives for recording but can also use off site storage. Works with Apple and android for remote viewing and does all the alarms etc.

You can mix and match the recorder with other cameras as long as they to a certain standard.

 

[Temp]

I have 5 Hikvision POE network cameras on a Synology NAS and hub that provides the POE. Works well.

 

Issues to think about:

 

If you want to view video from the cameras while away from home you may need to have a reasonably good broadband connection (good upload speeds). However some cameras/systems can support two video streams at different resolution. That allows you to record the hi-definition on the server and watch the low-def on your phone from the beach.

 

Spiders are an issue. They are attracted by the IR LEDs in the camera. Their webs cause IR light to bounce back into the camera spoiling the good night vision the cameras have. Make sure you can easily clean the area around the cameras. So called spider repellants don't last long if at all. Another option would be to have separate IR LED illuminators and turn off those in the camera?

 

It can be difficult to set up motion detection to trigger recording. I have issues with sunlight and moving shadows due to wind/trees and the bloody spiders webs. I get 100's of recordings a day but if I turn down the sensitivity it fails to detect a person. I've tried loads of things and have come to the conclusion that motion detection in the camera or the server is not the best approach. The best solution would be to use a camera with a separate Alarm input and connect it to a good quality PIR sensor. This would give you far fewer false alarm recordings. Unfortunately my cams don't have an alarm input or I'd switch to using it. Meanwhile if we got robbed while on a two week holiday I would probably have to wade through a few thousand recordings if I can't narrow it down.

 

I got some cameras from China at a bargain price. They arrived with Chinese firmware but rather than send them back I able to flash them with latest English firmware. If you order from abroad check what you are getting.

 

Some camera recording programs require browser plug-ins not supported by MS Edge.

 

Edited April 8, 2017 by Temp

[dogman]

Just to add to the excellent info above.  Do not use dome cameras with built in IR they get horrendous glare reflecting back onto lens.  Even top of range cameras can suffer  this. I have several  stand alone IR illuminators to avoid the issue of spiders. These work well as you can ensure they point where needed 

[jamiehamy]

1 hour ago, Temp said:

 

It can be difficult to set up motion detection to trigger recording. I have issues with sunlight and moving shadows due to wind/trees and the bloody spiders webs. I get 100's of recordings a day but if I turn down the sensitivity it fails to detect a person. I've tried loads of things and have come to the conclusion that motion detection in the camera or the server is not the best approach. The best solution would be to use a camera with a separate Alarm input and connect it to a good quality PIR sensor. This would give you far fewer false alarm recordings. Unfortunately my cams don't have an alarm input or I'd switch to using it. Meanwhile if we got robbed while on a two week holiday I would probably have to wade through a few thousand recordings if I can't narrow it down.

 

 

I've struggled with this but my problem is rain - in particular, at night when I can't get it to tune out the rain using the sensitivity settings. 

 

We still have 3 other webcams that record the stills ever minute which are very handy for searching back. I bought one of these guys for the initial PTZ cam we had and it did the job for sure, but interesting that overall it is no better than the two tiny IR lights on the Reolink.

 

I was looking at it the other day not sure what to do with it - might have ended up in the bin if I hadn't just checked there how much it cost! If anyone here wants it, it's yours for a donation to charity.

 

 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50m-Infrared-IR-Illuminator-LED-Security-Floodlight-Lamp-for-Night-Vision-CCTV-/252270556706?hash=item3abc7f3622:g:tOwAAOSw9GhYhjxz

[Jeremy Harris]

I had exactly the same problem with motion detection, everything from rain to spiders building webs across the camera would set record going.  In the end I binned it, and built a doppler radar motion alarm, that triggers the system to record when it detects motion (doppler radar because it's far less susceptible to false alarms than passive infra red).  The snag is that my system is a one-off, that uses a radio link to trigger the alarm recording.