Spec me a CCTV System

b0rn2sk8 · 9 Dec 2019 at 21:22

Decent 'cloud' (e.g. Nest, Ring etc.) cameras are cheaper to set up because you don't need local storage to record back to but typically have ongoing subscription costs.

Camera's built around local storage are more expensive due to the extra hardware needed but don't have ongoing running costs.

That's your choice.

Martini1991 · 9 Dec 2019 at 21:23

Psycho Sonny said:
buy cheap and buy twice.

if you want a cheap setup just get 5 yi cameras and stick them in every window with an SD card in each. total cost £150 and it does everything through wifi too.

I don't need 5 cameras.

Pretty sure one will cover what we actually require, if that set up proves sufficient I'd then get a second for the back.

The problem would be doing cabling for the one at the back to the NVR for example. It'd be nigh on impossible for us to have it in anyway I'd be comfortable with.

agw_01 · 9 Dec 2019 at 21:24

£160 could get you a 2 camera Hikvision setup, a 4 channel NVR and 2TB hard disk. You may need to factor in a PoE switch or some 12v power supplies into the price though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HiWatch-Hikvision-THC-B120-Outdoor-Bullet/dp/B074YNLGMW

https://connectec.uk/security/cctv/...ch-nvr-104-a-network-video-recorder-4-channel

Yes it's very low end Hikvision gear but I bet it'd match the Hive, if not better it for the same money.

Martini1991 · 9 Dec 2019 at 21:29

b0rn2sk8 said:
Decent 'cloud' (e.g. Nest, Ring etc.) cameras are cheaper to set up because you don't need local storage to record back to but typically have ongoing subscription costs.

Camera's built around local storage are more expensive due to the extra hardware needed but don't have ongoing running costs.

That's your choice.

I'd have thought they'd have an SD card slot or something though, rather than needing a full back end.

Martini1991 · 9 Dec 2019 at 22:50

It turns out that I can get a Hive Outdoor camera half price due to being British Gas (Well, my girlfriends Dad has a code) so it suddenly becomes 80 quid, I'm tempted to take a punt at that.

Sparx · 10 Dec 2019 at 00:04

Martini1991 said:
I'm not exactly made of money lol.

The Hive outdoor camera seemed great for what it is.

It's easy to plug up and it "just works" for ~£160.
Although it lacks any local/LAN storage and only seems to upload to cloud, so if we were to set it to 24/7 record it'd be absolutely smashing my upload?

I just want something as simple as that but local storage that can be accessed over WAN.

If you can drill a wire e.g. Ethernet and get a PoE adapter, I can recommend the Reolink PoE cameras. I have 2 I installed a few months ago and the quality is fantastic.

I have them connected to my server recording locally. But you can just pop an SD card in and they record straight to that (no NVR needed). The app works great and you can playback through the app if you have the SD card in too.

I was very surprised for the price

They do have a wireless equivalent but I haven’t used it so can’t comment.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C75C47B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TbU7Db11ZPRVG

JRJ · 10 Dec 2019 at 22:18

Sparx said:
If you can drill a wire e.g. Ethernet and get a PoE adapter, I can recommend the Reolink PoE cameras. I have 2 I installed a few months ago and the quality is fantastic.

I have them connected to my server recording locally. But you can just pop an SD card in and they record straight to that (no NVR needed). The app works great and you can playback through the app if you have the SD card in too.

I was very surprised for the price They do have a wireless equivalent but I haven’t used it so can’t comment.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C75C47B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_TbU7Db11ZPRVG

Sparx just out of curiosity did you fit these yourself? did you drill the cable hole and mount the camera directly over it so no cables are visible, all the pictures I see of the 410 have the cable exiting the side of the mount.

Dodger · 11 Dec 2019 at 16:17

So my Ring Spotlight cameras that I ordered a few weeks ago were delivered yesterday. I have decided to use the ring cameras for the time being until Hikvision release a black model of their ColorVu cameras.

I wanted to get everyone's opinion about where I should install the Ring Spotlight camera to cover the front door. I have a porch, with patio doors, so could either install the camera on the left of door, above the door etc. Ring also recommends installing the camera 3 meters high?

Any assistance is appreciated, thanks in advance.

Felix · 11 Dec 2019 at 16:23

Are Hikvision allowing sales of their kit direct to the public again?

Dodger · 11 Dec 2019 at 16:25

Felix said:
Are Hikvision allowing sales of their kit direct to the public again?

There are quite a few websites still selling Hikvision to the public...

Sparx · 11 Dec 2019 at 17:39

JRJ said:
Sparx just out of curiosity did you fit these yourself? did you drill the cable hole and mount the camera directly over it so no cables are visible, all the pictures I see of the 410 have the cable exiting the side of the mount.

I used a cheap junction box from B&Q on the wall first, then mounted the camera onto it. Works perfectly.

The cables together are quite thick, so you’d need a rather large hole, or just use a junction box and let the cables sit inside it like I have, no cables visible.

Kill_Phil · 13 Dec 2019 at 11:15

If I was to pick up the colorvu 4mp camera would a 1tb drive be enough? Wouldn't need months of footage, just more like 2 weeks at a time ideally

maschio · 13 Dec 2019 at 20:00

Kill_Phil said:
If I was to pick up the colorvu 4mp camera would a 1tb drive be enough? Wouldn't need months of footage, just more like 2 weeks at a time ideally

A typical 30 min recording is 3.3GB on the 4mp colorvu. If you have it set to motion control the file sizes will be much smaller.

Kill_Phil · 13 Dec 2019 at 20:06

maschio said:
A typical 30 min recording is 3.3GB on the 4mp colorvu. If you have it set to motion control the file sizes will be much smaller.

Thanks

probably best looking at a 2tb disk then to give me 10+ days, although if the motion detection is good that would do me fine

Kill_Phil · 19 Dec 2019 at 19:51

Held off pulling the trigger on a colorvu setup in the end as the cost of Christmas started adding up!

Is is worth looking at a cheaper wireless option such as the blink xt2? Appreciate quality between the two will be vast but would just be happy for the motion detection alert and the deterrent factor.

Still leaning towards the colorvu but the price and ease of setup is appealing. Anyone recommend a wireless camera?

Dodger · 20 Dec 2019 at 08:34

I am still tempted by the ColorVu...I keep going back and forwards between Hikvision and Ring Cameras. I think I have again settled on the ColorVu cameras. From a wireless perspective, I believe there’s lots to choose from (Nest, Arlo, Ring) etc...

Kill_Phil said:
Held off pulling the trigger on a colorvu setup in the end as the cost of Christmas started adding up!

Is is worth looking at a cheaper wireless option such as the blink xt2? Appreciate quality between the two will be vast but would just be happy for the motion detection alert and the deterrent factor.

Still leaning towards the colorvu but the price and ease of setup is appealing. Anyone recommend a wireless camera?

b0rn2sk8 · 20 Dec 2019 at 09:48

Blink are ‘ok’ and very flexible because they are completely wireless but you need to understand how they measure their battery life. For starts they use very expensive lithium non rechargeable batteries to get the maximum capacity.

The two year claim is based upon an average use per day of 8 seconds of Live View, 60 seconds of motion-activated recording and 6 seconds of two-way audio.

Or

Standard use is defined as 8,000 five-second events per year (or 40,000 total seconds of video recording, to include Live View usage).

You also have to use the standard setting of 5 second clips to get this, it’s really not a lot in the grand scheme of things. The video quality also isn’t as good as a nest/ring or a dedicated setup.

The Nests and Rings of this word are more expensive and have a subscription attached but have better quality and recording options. Cost of these are pretty high when you look at the total cost of ownership.

A locally recording setup will likely have the highest upfront but will have the lowest total cost of ownership and the highest quality but are more difficult to set up. You can also better match the camera to the location it’s being placed in.

Bald-Eagle22 · 25 Dec 2019 at 21:10

5 camera setup with Blink XT2 here

Have 2 running of a solar panel charger and the other three are cabled into the garage, Zero issues after a months use and set on high quality video for all 5 cameras . We’ll see how the battery use wears up into the New Years for the Solars .

£400 all in in a happy bunny so far .

Kill_Phil · 27 Dec 2019 at 06:44

@Psycho Sonny now swaying towards a hikvision bullet darkfighter cam. Really only after a single camera setup to cover the rear.

The hikvision cameras seem to come with an in built-sd slot. I'm guessing this is a backup and can't use without an nvr?

Psycho Sonny · 27 Dec 2019 at 13:39

Kill_Phil said:
@Psycho Sonny now swaying towards a hikvision bullet darkfighter cam. Really only after a single camera setup to cover the rear.

The hikvision cameras seem to come with an in built-sd slot. I'm guessing this is a backup and can't use without an nvr?

i use dahua system. so i'm not sure i think the hikvision colorvu are the best cameras.

if you are only using a single camera. i would be tempted to just use a cheap smart cam. NVR and POE and cabling is a lot of hassle for 1 camera. the NVR would be wasted on a single cam.

why not get a ring security light camera? it probably has subscription costs though. if i was going to the effort of buying an NVR I would get at least 4 cameras. 2 front and 2 back.