Spec me a CCTV System

[WJA96]

I assume that BroadBand buyer is the retailer of choice..?

BBB will happily sell to you on Business to Business terms. They don’t sell surveillance cameras to the public - you have to sign up as a business account to access the pricing. They don’t actually check if you are a business, but you ditch almost all of your consumer rights when you state you are a business. Not really an issue, just something to be aware of.

 

[Vimes]

BBB will happily sell to you on Business to Business terms. They don’t sell surveillance cameras to the public - you have to sign up as a business account to access the pricing. They don’t actually check if you are a business, but you ditch almost all of your consumer rights when you state you are a business. Not really an issue, just something to be aware of.

Point taken, and it is a good point you make as well.
Have to weigh up Ali as well when the time is right to make a choice.

 

[SimonR]

BB is OK price wise but, I am generally seeing 20% savings on their prices buying through the trade. I tend to recommend Hikvision DS-7608NI-I2-8P as an 8 channel POE NVR. Pay the extra for the I over the K series as it has more bandwidth and a faster processor. For most domestic cameras I see little point in going to 8mp (4k) as in most cases it does little more than eat up bandwidth and storage and requires a greater processor overhead. H265+ has limitations and is not ideal for busy scenes where more than 30% of the image is constantly changing, again it puts a lot of overhead on the processor. Prosumer CCTV, for a decent install takes a bit of planning and knowledge of both the cameras and NVRs. I think that you are right asking the questions that you are asking. 2 of my cameras are 6 year old 1080p cameras and although they are showing their age a little, they give good duty for general surveillance, they dont fair to well at intrusion detection, especially compared to me AcuSense cameras, which have better AI (but far from perfect).

 

[Deep]

I installed my Dahua camera with my NVR, however I can't seem to get the PTZ settings working.

My camera has a light that I can't seem to disable. I'd like for it to come on when it senses motion.

It's the Dahua DH-IPC-HDW3549H-AS-PV

I've looked at guides online and they talk about initialisation of the camera but mine seemed to get added automatically.

 

[Vimes]

@SimonR Thanks. Iirc that NVR you bored is available at Ali. That would probably need to be the source. I did read that the I version, rather than the K, is also still very much supported firmware wise. Perhaps they both are, but, and you filled in the detail really well, the spec is that much better, in a meaningful way.

I am deliberating as I have to consider the actual risk and the difference a new NVR and cameras would bring over what I have already. It is the difference we would be paying for.

We have had two events over a couple of decades, first whilst we had Hikvision analogue CCTV, where the recorded material resulted in the scrotes capture and successful prosecution. The second not too long after moving to 1080p.
Since the HD versions of the cameras, with floodlights, are most visible, that in itself seems to have helped. Well at least we have had no more scrote visitors.

Thanks again.

 

[SimonR]

In all honesty the I version is still Hiks best selling prosumer NVR. If it were me and your cameras are still OK, the I would maybe start with a new NVR and decide if your cameras really need upgrading.

 

[WJA96]

I installed my Dahua camera with my NVR, however I can't seem to get the PTZ settings working.

To get the camera working with a PTZ, you need to have set at least one patrol waypoint on the PTZ camera. From the dropdown list, pick the PTZ you want to bring to bear, then pick the waypoint you want the PTZ to go to when the static camera detects motion. That should be it.

My camera has a light that I can't seem to disable. I'd like for it to come on when it senses motion.

It's the Dahua DH-IPC-HDW3549H-AS-PV

I've looked at guides online and they talk about initialisation of the camera but mine seemed to get added automatically.

That light is on all night. It's how the camera sees colour images at night. If you want to have Infra Red illumination then white light illumination on motion detection you need the DH-IPC-HDW3549HP-AS-PV-S3 which is about £25+VAT more than the DH-IPC-HDW3549H-AS-PV.

 

[fezster]

BB is OK price wise but, I am generally seeing 20% savings on their prices buying through the trade. I tend to recommend Hikvision DS-7608NI-I2-8P as an 8 channel POE NVR. Pay the extra for the I over the K series as it has more bandwidth and a faster processor. For most domestic cameras I see little point in going to 8mp (4k) as in most cases it does little more than eat up bandwidth and storage and requires a greater processor overhead. H265+ has limitations and is not ideal for busy scenes where more than 30% of the image is constantly changing, again it puts a lot of overhead on the processor. Prosumer CCTV, for a decent install takes a bit of planning and knowledge of both the cameras and NVRs. I think that you are right asking the questions that you are asking. 2 of my cameras are 6 year old 1080p cameras and although they are showing their age a little, they give good duty for general surveillance, they dont fair to well at intrusion detection, especially compared to me AcuSense cameras, which have better AI (but far from perfect).

I did ask this question a couple of years ago, but still unsure on the answer. I have the following:

7616-E2-NI
4 x ds-2232-i5 (hacked chinese/english firmware?)
4 x ds-2cd2332-i (hacked chinese/english firmware?)
1 x ds-2cd2542fwd-is mini dome camera

I'd like to add some ColorVu cameras, and considering upgrading to the DS-7616NI-I2-16p. However, will I have problems with the existing cameras (especially with the firmware potentially being hacked chinese/english)?

 

[Vimes]

I am not sure why you would have issues..? Four of my 1080p cameras are hacked Chinese / English language cameras. Two are not.
The all work fine with an International legit based NVR, albeit a vintage model.
Three of my four cameras, someone managed to hack them in a way which would allow normal English firmware upgrades. The fourth never got done in that way and must remain on its original firmware.

Unless later NVR's have some sort of detection going on with what gets plugged into them, perhaps your point of concern, all should be well. Maybe someone with more experience could help. I had noticed that many of the Hikvision cameras sold on Ali that I recently looked at are the International type. I recently bought two and upgraded them fine to the latest firmware.

 

[fezster]

Thanks, that gives me some confidence it should be fine then.

Any recommendations on the ColorVu alternatives for the ds-2cd2332-i (turret camera)? I was looking at the DS-2CD2347G1-L, but this is from 2 years ago, and I havent kept pace with what's current.

 

[WJA96]

I am not sure why you would have issues..? Four of my 1080p cameras are hacked Chinese / English language cameras. Two are not.
The all work fine with an International legit based NVR, albeit a vintage model.
Three of my four cameras, someone managed to hack them in a way which would allow normal English firmware upgrades. The fourth never got done in that way and must remain on its original firmware.

Unless later NVR's have some sort of detection going on with what gets plugged into them, perhaps your point of concern, all should be well. Maybe someone with more experience could help. I had noticed that many of the Hikvision cameras sold on Ali that I recently looked at are the International type. I recently bought two and upgraded them fine to the latest firmware.

The biggest issue might be that they won't automatically accept passwords from the NVR so you might need to manually enter the passwords but it shouldn't be a huge issue.

 

[Vimes]

Both of us are in a similar situation, previous to buying two new Hikvision cameras....

Hikvision DS 2CD2343G0 I POE IP Camera 4MP Built In Mic CCTV IPC SD Card Slot H.265+ IP67 2 Behavior Analyses Face Detect 30 IR|Surveillance Cameras| - AliExpress


I have not bought anything CCTV related for some considerable time. Even the above linked cameras aren't necessarily the most appropriate for everyone's needs. Perhaps @WJA96 or @SimonR would be the more informed people to advise you. Best wishes.

 

[Vimes]

The biggest issue might be that they won't automatically accept passwords from the NVR so you might need to manually enter the passwords but it shouldn't be a huge issue.

Ah, ok. I just used the SADP tool to register, sort out IP addresses and passwords etc.

 

[Deep]

To get the camera working with a PTZ, you need to have set at least one patrol waypoint on the PTZ camera. From the dropdown list, pick the PTZ you want to bring to bear, then pick the waypoint you want the PTZ to go to when the static camera detects motion. That should be it.



That light is on all night. It's how the camera sees colour images at night. If you want to have Infra Red illumination then white light illumination on motion detection you need the DH-IPC-HDW3549HP-AS-PV-S3 which is about £25+VAT more than the DH-IPC-HDW3549H-AS-PV.

Brilliant cheers. I find the NVR system quite un-intuitive unfortunately.
I want to get an alert when there is motion but haven't figured that bit out yet. I did however manage to set the alarm when there is motion, I didn't realise it'd actually play an audible noise! I need to figure out how to turn it on between specific hours (2am - 5am).

Few things to learn at the moment, but for all these aside the camera quality is very good.

 

[WJA96]

Brilliant cheers. I find the NVR system quite un-intuitive unfortunately.
I want to get an alert when there is motion but haven't figured that bit out yet. I did however manage to set the alarm when there is motion, I didn't realise it'd actually play an audible noise! I need to figure out how to turn it on between specific hours (2am - 5am).

Few things to learn at the moment, but for all these aside the camera quality is very good.

In the DMSS app locate the camera or NVR and then click on the settings icon (the little gear) then Notification, then enable, then IVS or SMD depending ion which you are using (I strongly recommend IVS) then Perimeter Protection and you'll get an alert when the alarm goes off.

To set the times the alarm is active, click on the Period "Setting" button and click ALL so it does it for every day then enter 02:00 and 05:00. That's it.

And you can record your own sound and upload it to the camera. I personally like a west-country accented "Get Orf myyyyyyy LAAAAAAAAAAAAND".

 

[fezster]

Both of us are in a similar situation, previous to buying two new Hikvision cameras....

Hikvision DS 2CD2343G0 I POE IP Camera 4MP Built In Mic CCTV IPC SD Card Slot H.265+ IP67 2 Behavior Analyses Face Detect 30 IR|Surveillance Cameras| - AliExpress


I have not bought anything CCTV related for some considerable time. Even the above linked cameras aren't necessarily the most appropriate for everyone's needs. Perhaps @WJA96 or @SimonR would be the more informed people to advise you. Best wishes.

@WJA96 Thoughts on the DS-2CD2347G1-L?

 

[Vimes]

@WJA96 Thoughts on the DS-2CD2347G1-L?

FYI I ordered both of them individually, no hit at Customs. Each one arrived within ten days and both have updated to the latest firmware.

 

[WJA96]

@WJA96 Thoughts on the DS-2CD2347G1-L?

I think if you really want that camera then it's a decent enough camera. Obviously, the one you actually want is the DS-2CD2347G1-LU.

 

[fezster]

I think if you really want that camera then it's a decent enough camera. Obviously, the one you actually want is the DS-2CD2347G1-LU.

Yes, LU - thank you.

FYI I ordered both of them individually, no hit at Customs. Each one arrived within ten days and both have updated to the latest firmware.

Is this the same one you ordered @Vimes ? The link you sent earlier didnt seem to be ColorVu.

 

[Vimes]

Yes, LU - thank you.



Is this the same one you ordered @Vimes ? The link you sent earlier didnt seem to be ColorVu.

No it is NOT the ColrVU model. I have a rough plan, could change tho......

The two cameras bought were needed as replacements for two cameras. That caused me, for the first time in several years, to take a look at what was around and whether what is would make a meaningful upgrade to what I have.
Possibly a new NVR might be considered at one point and then the two recently bought cameras (those linked) will move to the rear of the property and maybe colorVU (or something else) could go to the front.

I have just noted the ColorVu at Amazon.

Let us know if you buy anything, along with your thoughts.

Another reason I linked you to that camera is that the seller, a friend of mine used them also, seems to be decent enough and prompt with what they sell.