POE camera question

[Nevakonaza]

Hey,

So my current CCTV box with a crappy camera monitoring outside the front garden/car has died,Im looking to replace it with ideally a 1080p or 2k camera setup thats POE.

Now my question is..can i just buy a POE camera,hook it up to a Switch and then have a cheap pc in the garage act as a server to store the media on/view?

Also what about remote viewing into this cheap pc is it as simple as connecting a wifi dongle and connecting to my network?

i cant connect the cheap pc in the garage to hard wire...too far from my main router/vm hub.

appreciate the response.

 

[Nevakonaza]

Thanks for the replies all

Can I ask why you think you require a server? Plenty of camera's save to sd card or to cloud.

Well,I've come across those ones with the SD card and im not keen on the idea of having to go up a ladder and pull the SD card out should i need the footage,Or do i really fancy taking out a subscription to some cloud service.
Especially when i have a ton of 1TB hard drives knocking about and also spare mobos etc.

My Hikvision stores months on an SD card.

Are you able to access the data on the SD card via wifi or something or have to pull the SD card out the camera?

 

[Nevakonaza]

Although many cameras can use SD cards for storage or cloud, I would never let any camera have internet access or access to anything else on my network. Plus as we've got many cameras inside and out the idea of cloud storage is a no go (even Ubiquiti had an issue this year where some people could see other peoples network/CCTV etc)

My Hikvision cameras each write between 1.5 and 2.5TB per month so for me a local server is the way to go on all fronts.

This is my concern,I mean its only recording the front drive/car but still.

Via a slightly janky but useable app and web portal/site/thing.

just got visions of log in issues,dodgy app etc haha,Although something to consider i guess if i want to go a simpler route of not having a make shift server etc on the run 24/7.
it would only be a low powered system and on in the garage anyway so wouldn't bother me.

 

[Nevakonaza]

Yes, as they're connected to your network then you can view any recordings from an app or just a Web browser using it's ip address.

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Nothing dodgy at all...

The RLC-520A model on their website looks like it would be ideal,as its more in my price range,But the issue is i dont have ethernet connection for it in the garage.

This is why i was looking for more of a standalone POE camera which i can connect to a POE switch and then directly into a cheap PC in the garage with no internet connection at all..i could just watch/store the data on that (if that makes sense).

 

[Nevakonaza]

Fine as long as you ok with only being able to access the recordings at home (within the lan). If you do need remote access then run Wireguard running on a compatible router or a Raspberry Pi.

Yeah pretty much,its only for if anything happens to the car on the drive..wouldn't stop them just proof.
Should mostly all POE cameras work like this or do you think some brands are locked down to only work with their specific NVR/DVR brand?

 

[Nevakonaza]

If your garage has power, which it must have, so a powerline would do it or a wifi extender. The camera needs a ip address so you'd need to configure your pc as a dhcp server if you went that route. As far as I'm concerned going out to your garage just to access recordings is as bad as going into a loft.
I think your are taking a route that is more 'fussy' and not one I'd choose atl.

Of course,Our garage is attached to the side of the house (door straight into it at the side of the house) and its more of a "Utility room" than a garage all done out with carpet,painted etc...so its not like i have to go outside of the house to access it.

The car sits in front of the garage which is why its an ideal place for the camera to be mounted upon.
Hmmm choices choices.