Spec me a CCTV System

One thing I'd say is if you do get a 4K kit like the below, then the images do look a lot nicer, so your CCTV could be used to show nice images of say your garden on your computer ... it would become more of a hobby than just security!

reolink.com

RLK8-800D4 - 8MP 4K Security Camera System with PoE NVR | Reolink Official

With 4 cameras and a 2TB HDD 8-channel NVR for 24/7 video & audio recording, RLK8-800D4 is a security camera kit ideal for office and property surveillance.
reolink.com reolink.com
 
Anyone here using Eufy with their wifi hub thingy?

Could do with updating my CCTV and dont want all the hastle of running meters of cables again, so this seems like a good alternative, self contained wifi system that isnt going to intrude on my existing network either.
 
I need another Hik camera to monitor traffic going past my house here in the countryside preferably able to read plate numbers if possible. Currently using colorvu cams this past 4 years. Traffic goes past very quickly and they come up very blurred and all I can manage is getting the colour of the vehicle. Just looking for something I can position correctly dedicated to recording the vehicles maybe something with ANPR ability. Any suggestions?
 
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Scream said:
I need another Hik camera to monitor traffic going past my house here in the countryside preferably able to read plate numbers if possible. Currently using colorvu cams this past 4 years. Traffic goes past very quickly and they come up very blurred and all I can manage is getting the colour of the vehicle. Just looking for something I can position correctly dedicated to recording the vehicles maybe something with ANPR ability. Any suggestions?
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You need a LPR camera (HikVision call them ANPR cams). They're not cheap mind!
 
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Scream said:
I need another Hik camera to monitor traffic going past my house here in the countryside preferably able to read plate numbers if possible. Currently using colorvu cams this past 4 years. Traffic goes past very quickly and they come up very blurred and all I can manage is getting the colour of the vehicle. Just looking for something I can position correctly dedicated to recording the vehicles maybe something with ANPR ability. Any suggestions?
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What position is the cam in relative to the road at the moment? Is the blurring being caused by poor position, i.e. not being able to see up the road enough?
 
Camera is around 20ft from the road looking straight at it neither looking up or down the road to avoid getting blinded by its lights.

Can these ANPR cams cope with moving vehicles travelling quite quick?
 
Scream said:
Camera is around 20ft from the road looking straight at it neither looking up or down the road to avoid getting blinded by its lights.

Can these ANPR cams cope with moving vehicles travelling quite quick?
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Cameras for ANPR need good size sensors (more light for a given exposure time), narrower field of view (larger clearer image for a given distance) and a shorter exposure time to reduce motion blur at the cost of brightness. IR is also needed for night time use unless the area is well lit and without a shorter exposure time will cause white out.

The Hikvision ColorVu I bought to test defaulted to 1/12 second as opposed to their usual 1/25 time for exposure time which makes motion very blurry. They did this to increase brightness and I would’nt even run their normal IR cameras at 1/25 second at night its that slow.

I don't use a specific ANPR camera but get good results with a reasonable Hikvision camera, 6mm lens and the exposure time is optimised 24x7 for the best results, and during the day is often 1/4000 mark or faster. Some cameras can automatically optimise exposure time but I control the exposure of all my external cameras based on an ambient light sensor which then triggers updates to the applicable cameras. It's also important to note that many cameras claim certain ranges of exposure time or other settings but in practice they may not meet those specs, and also lenses vary massively in quality.
 
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radderfire said:
One thing I'd say is if you do get a 4K kit like the below, then the images do look a lot nicer, so your CCTV could be used to show nice images of say your garden on your computer ... it would become more of a hobby than just security!

reolink.com

RLK8-800D4 - 8MP 4K Security Camera System with PoE NVR | Reolink Official

With 4 cameras and a 2TB HDD 8-channel NVR for 24/7 video & audio recording, RLK8-800D4 is a security camera kit ideal for office and property surveillance.
reolink.com reolink.com
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Our builder is installing ethernet ports in the bedrooms and was asking how the cameras will be installed. Looking at the specs they seem to be hard-wired cable with ethernet port.

Trying to minimise installing ethernet cables around the outside of the house walls.

EDIT: ok trying to decide between these two, is the optical worth it? also the front of the house, the cars are right up to the it so will be dome cameras work better?

 
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radderfire said:
One thing I'd say is if you do get a 4K kit like the below, then the images do look a lot nicer, so your CCTV could be used to show nice images of say your garden on your computer ... it would become more of a hobby than just security!
Click to expand...

I note from the specs on that kit that the 4K cameras have a 1/2.49" sensor. While not the worst (usually 1/3") for a 4K resolutuon I would be looking at 1/2" at the minimum.

This won't make a difference during the day but will for night time use, but then the price of the kit does reflect that and I don't use Reolink so not sure if their lower res cameras have smaller sensors so would be similar at night anyway.
 
Seeking some help/advice on a project I`ve been roped into by a friend :-(.

He wants CCTV coverage of his steading (several large agricultural sheds & domestic home), he knows how many cameras he wants and positioning etc, my skills are networking and a rudimentary knowledge of cameras and NVRs, I would be grateful if someone with knowledge could suggest some kit that is top quality (basically to help me avoid buying wrong kit) and "cant go wrong with" sort of advice. I wouldnt say money is no object but he wants to pay for the best kit he can get, within reason etc, his property/steading will have mega value stored in it and as such he wants to spend the money to give him some comfort, night time performance is important as is the latest AI vehicle/human detection and associated NVR functionality.

He wants 8 cameras and significant storage.Would rather overspec than underspec.May need one camera to be wireless.

Apologies if this is vague but any input would be appreciated.
 
Reolink tends to get recommended here, so I would start by taking a look at their offerings. There's a list of manufacturer websites on this security cameras page which should also help your research.

You'll have to decide what resolution you want and there's more on that on the page I gave. 4K will provide much greater clarity so is the best if you want to be able to read car number plates.
 
radderfire said:
Reolink tends to get recommended here, so I would start by taking a look at their offerings. There's a list of manufacturer websites on this security cameras page which should also help your research.

You'll have to decide what resolution you want and there's more on that on the page I gave. 4K will provide much greater clarity so is the best if you want to be able to read car number plates.
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From my initial appraisal I was favouring Dahua or Hikvision , would I be correct in saying they seem to be somewhat better than Reolink?
 
newbiejim said:
From my initial appraisal I was favouring Dahua or Hikvision , would I be correct in saying they seem to be somewhat better than Reolink?
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I think where Reolink scores well is with its app and usability. Reolink is a Hong Kong company, whereas Dahua and Hikvision are Chinese, and whilst their cameras can provide high quality images, the usability may not be as good as Reolink.
 
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radderfire said:
I think where Reolink scores well is with its app and usability. Reolink is a Hong Kong company, whereas Dahua and Hikvision are Chinese, and whilst their cameras can provide high quality images, the usability may not be as good as Reolink.
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Any thoughts on NVRs? These ones with AI logic to quickly scrub through to events of interest seem attractive.
 
newbiejim said:
From my initial appraisal I was favouring Dahua or Hikvision , would I be correct in saying they seem to be somewhat better than Reolink?
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Hikvision and Dahua are the biggest players worldwide. Reolink is a more budget option as their specs show but it all depends on what you want. There are other higher end brands as well.

I choose cameras based on their capability and pair them with whatever software or NVR best suits the particular install but for many the ease of Ring, Eufy, Reolink etc is the deciding factor. On camera forums Reolink are often despised because of the limited camera setting options and firmware limitations but many of their users don’t even realise these issues and compared to the extreme budget cameras they have bought before they are better so they are happy.
 
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