Spec me a CCTV System

[RedMogg]

Reolink also work well with Surveillance Station on Synology and other NAS devices. I've installed a few for customers over the years, you can just set them up as ONVIF devices and they work fine. Usually set the software up to let the cameras do all the motion detection etc. I haven't used the AI versions or PTZ versions but usually for those you have to set them up using the Reolink protocol.

I have Reolink cameras setup to record movement on their internal 128gb micro sd-cards (which gives me instant notifications, easy to retrieve on my phone), then my 8 Channel Uniview NVR301-08X-P8 (8Tb Skyhawk drive) records a constant, hi-res feed.

Searching events on the camera is simple enough, then I can pull the full 4k footage off the NVR at a later point.

 

[RedMogg]

Reolink also work well with Surveillance Station on Synology and other NAS devices. I've installed a few for customers over the years, you can just set them up as ONVIF devices and they work fine. Usually set the software up to let the cameras do all the motion detection etc. I haven't used the AI versions or PTZ versions but usually for those you have to set them up using the Reolink protocol.

I have Reolink cameras setup to record movement on their internal 128gb micro sd-cards (which gives me instant notifications, easy to retrieve on my phone), then my 8 Channel Uniview NVR301-08X-P8 (8Tb Skyhawk drive) records a constant, hi-res feed.

Searching events on the camera is simple enough, then I can pull the full 4k footage off the NVR at a later point.

 

[DBT85]

Yeah, I've seen that alright, but the appeal of PoE is the single cable. Old house so it'll be easier for me to have a PoE switch in the attic with the cameras & doorbell connected to it if that works than having to use PoE injectors

For sure, the advantage with the injectors is that some stuff comes with them and that you don't need to upgrade anything you might already have. I've been running unifi injectors for their dumb 24v stuff but having now brought the poe camera up to 4, it made sense to just get a new switch with it all in. In the end I've gone for the omada 3 in 1 so it'll do poe switch, router and controller all in one, pair with 4 new APs to replace the Unifi stuff. Have had good use from other omada stuff at a different site so this should he good.

They way I've had it setup in my loft until now is just a short link from dumb switch to injector and then the full run out to the POE device. Cables are all long enough to go straight into the new switch.

At aome point I'll get frigate running on Home Assistant.

 

[spile]

Poe switch makes wiring so easy. As for a NAS, QVRPro is brilliant but then I only have two cameras and so it’s free for me.

 

[Biffa]

I have Reolink cameras setup to record movement on their internal 128gb micro sd-cards (which gives me instant notifications, easy to retrieve on my phone), then my 8 Channel Uniview NVR301-08X-P8 (8Tb Skyhawk drive) records a constant, hi-res feed.

Searching events on the camera is simple enough, then I can pull the full 4k footage off the NVR at a later point.

Yeah, my post wasn't a criticism of the existing reolink kit, just a FYI, some people have NAS devices with a couple of free licenses for SStation included. I'd only recently started using reolink for installs and was pleasantly surprised at their flexibility and compatability with various solutions.

 

[Biffa]

Poe switch makes wiring so easy. As for a NAS, QVRPro is brilliant but then I only have two cameras and so it’s free for me.

Agreed, just make sure you get one that can push enough power that the camera requires, especially PTZ cameras, they can need more power than fixed ones I've found.

 

[RedMogg]

Agreed, just make sure you get one that can push enough power that the camera requires, especially PTZ cameras, they can need more power than fixed ones I've found.

I bought the following POE switch when we moved to the new house:

"YuanLey 11 Port Gigabit PoE Switch, 8 PoE+ Port 1000Mbps, 2 Gigabit Uplink, 1 SFP Port, 120W 802.3af/at, Metal, Qos, Unmanaged Plug and Play AI Smart Detection Ethernet Switch"

It's been rock solid at running power to 4x Reolink cameras (inc a PTZ), 1x WiFi Access Point upstairs and connecting the Unify NVR, 2 more Gigabit switches for upstairs kit (3x gaming PCs, 2 Xboxes, 2 TVs) and downstairs media wall (TV, PS5, AV Receiver).

2 longest outdoor Cat5E runs are just over 70 metres each (Front 8MB Camera, 12MB Parking PTZ on external corner) and I've never experienced a power issue (touch wood).

 

[Marakith]

Good morning!

I've bitten the bullet and bought a Reolink system. I went for the 4k system in the end. I'm mostly using turret cameras. Thanks for the advice!

I thought I'd fit them under the top roof soffits, but realised I'd just be filming the tops of intruders heads, so I'm going to fit them about 10ft up.

Reason for buying it is that I'm having work done on the house - in about a 8 weeks we're going to have external wall insulation fitted and rendered. So I thought I could hide the Cat6 cables under the EWI boards and render. I've a few questions - perhaps someone has solved some or all of these?

1. I've read comments somewhere that the supplied network cables aren't very durable. Presumably I can use the supplied network cabling under the render?
2. How do people feed all the cabling through the wall to the NVR? Do you drill a number of small holes for each cable or one massive hole?
3. The turrets have a cable coming out the back, which has a female port for the cable. How would I tidy this up after the render has gone on? Do I need a junction box to hide the cable?
4. Is there any point in installing SD cards into the cameras?
5. I have the 4 cameras that came with the kit and I'm also using a RLC-820A plus one RLC-843A (intended to be tamper-resistant for inside our porch). I notice that the cameras supplied with the pack are the D800 V2, which look like the 820A. Are they as good, though?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Deibu]

Anyone here use the Tapo C425 or could recommend something else?

Only have a budget of £100-200 and looking for a singular camera for now I can add another too in the future possibly. It's for covering my rear garden which is roughly 6M X 20M

Not sure how long onboard storage would typically last for with SD cards but happy to delete footage often or rotate SD cards and store on my PC instead so no need for NAS at the moment (budget constraints).

 

[radderfire]

1. How do people feed all the cabling through the wall to the NVR? Do you drill a number of small holes for each cable or one massive hole?

This video may be of assistance:

 

[radderfire]

Anyone here use the Tapo C425 or could recommend something else?

Only have a budget of £100-200 and looking for a singular camera for now I can add another too in the future possibly. It's for covering my rear garden which is roughly 6M X 20M

Not sure how long onboard storage would typically last for with SD cards but happy to delete footage often or rotate SD cards and store on my PC instead so no need for NAS at the moment (budget constraints).

I would also consider the Reolink range, which has a good reputation here. For example:

Reolink Argus Eco WiFi Camera with up to 128GB microSD Card Storage £70.39

Argus Eco - 3MP Wireless Solar/Battery-Powered Security Camera | Reolink Official

Meet Argus Eco, a 100% wire-free security camera powered by a rechargeable battery/solar panel. It features 3MP super HD, person/vehicle detection, two-way audio, crisp night vision etc.

reolink.com

 

[Deibu]

I would also consider the Reolink range, which has a good reputation here. For example:

Reolink Argus Eco WiFi Camera with up to 128GB microSD Card Storage £70.39

Argus Eco - 3MP Wireless Solar/Battery-Powered Security Camera | Reolink Official

Meet Argus Eco, a 100% wire-free security camera powered by a rechargeable battery/solar panel. It features 3MP super HD, person/vehicle detection, two-way audio, crisp night vision etc.

reolink.com

Thank you

I've seen reolink mentioned often here but associated them with PVR / PoE setups at a glance.
Will read into them more and asses their options.

 

[Marakith]

This video may be of assistance:

Thanks very much - saw that video a while back and it's great for explaining how to install on the soffits, but not so good at explaining how to hide the cables on the side of a rendered house.

 

[radderfire]

Thanks very much - saw that video a while back and it's great for explaining how to install on the soffits, but not so good at explaining how to hide the cables on the side of a rendered house.

How are you proposing to conceal your cables? Are you proposing to physically cover them with the render (in which case the cables would have to be durable, or you could use trunking I guess)?

Or are you saying there will be a gap created by the EWI boards and you will run them through this gap?

Other possibilities:
- Drill through the wall and route the cables inside.
- Spray-paint the cables the colour of your wall.
- Use trunking that matches the colour of your wall (spray-paint it if necessary).

 

[RedMogg]

Good morning!

I've bitten the bullet and bought a Reolink system. I went for the 4k system in the end. I'm mostly using turret cameras. Thanks for the advice!

I thought I'd fit them under the top roof soffits, but realised I'd just be filming the tops of intruders heads, so I'm going to fit them about 10ft up.

Reason for buying it is that I'm having work done on the house - in about a 8 weeks we're going to have external wall insulation fitted and rendered. So I thought I could hide the Cat6 cables under the EWI boards and render. I've a few questions - perhaps someone has solved some or all of these?

1. I've read comments somewhere that the supplied network cables aren't very durable. Presumably I can use the supplied network cabling under the render?

I ordered individual cameras which only came with 20cm Cat6 cables (enough to plug in next to the poe switch/Poe NVR for setup/test). An all-in-one box may have longer, but I doubt they'll be outdoor rated.

I bought a 305m reel of full copper core, outdoor rated Cat6 for about £120 (but this was 4 years ago, so prices may well be higher). Avoid CCA if you have any long runs (50m+).
Cat5e is perfectly sufficient and cheaper (about £80 for 305m full copper core, outdoor rated stuff, from what I can see), but I wanted the future-proofing for higher resolution cameras and gigabit internet when it finally arrives.

1. How do people feed all the cabling through the wall to the NVR? Do you drill a number of small holes for each cable or one massive hole?

I bought a 3 pack of 1m long 12mm, 16mm & 24mm SDS+ bits from Amazon (£33) and used my Dad's old Hilti.
When I first got the house, I only needed 3x Cat6 cables run outside (one to switch upstairs, 2 for front/rear external cameras), which fed snugly through the 16mm hole (duck taped together around a bit of paracord). When the drill bit broke through to the outside, I left it in the hole, detached it from the drill, then taped paracord to the tip as I pulled the bit back through the wall.

When I needed more outside cables, I drilled another hole next to the first (12mm as pilot, then the 24mm), doing the same paracord trick. This allowed me enough room to feed a piece of 22mm round plastic conduit through, which just about squeezed 5 more cables in.
I squeezed some silicon sealant in the holes and covered the outside with a brown BT cable entry cover (from Amazon) and a similar white one for inside.

1. The turrets have a cable coming out the back, which has a female port for the cable. How would I tidy this up after the render has gone on? Do I need a junction box to hide the cable?

The cameras come with a weather resistant screw-in gromit that you feed over the end of the cable, before terminating it. You then connect the male to female, and twist the tight grommet up to meet the female end and seal it. I don't recommend trusting them though, as I've had to replace two cameras that got moisture inside (Reolink's warranty/aftersales support was excellent and replaced both cameras without a quibble).

I bought a pack of 5 round weatherproof junction boxes (65mm x 35mm) which are small enough to attach with a single screw, but have just enough room to sit the male/female connection, reset & power pigtail in, before snapping the cover on.

1. Is there any point in installing SD cards into the cameras?

I did - 256Gb for the PTZ camera overlooking my parking spot (gives me 6 days-ish) and 128Gb (3½ days-ish) in the others. The Reolink app can be set to record constantly in up to 5m chunks, or activate on motion alert (can adjust trigger sensitivity, human/animal/vehicle).

The onboard SD cards mean I view footage remotely, almost instantly in medium resolution, take snapshots/small snippets of footage on my phone if needed.
I can then search the full 4k footage on my NVR that's set to constantly record the 24/7 feed, when I get home. 8Tb Skyhawk drive gives me a little over 3½ weeks of 24/7 footage.

1. I have the 4 cameras that came with the kit and I'm also using a RLC-820A plus one RLC-843A (intended to be tamper-resistant for inside our porch). I notice that the cameras supplied with the pack are the D800 V2, which look like the 820A. Are they as good, though?

I have 2x RLC820A Front & Rear, 1x RLC811A covering the other half of my garden and the RLC-823A covering the external corner of my end of terrace house. Highly recommend all three - just check the angles you want to capture as they differ.

I didn't buy the Reolink NVR as I built the system bit-by-bit as funds allowed - I now have a Uniview NVR501-08B-P8, in conjunction with a Yuanley 11port POE switch. Brilliant bit of kit with some excellent AI searching features that pairs well with the reolink cameras.
I didn't need all 8 ports, but 4 external cameras, 1 doorbell and an internal camera (my study/den) are set to record 24/7, with room for two more in future, if needed...

Thanks in advance!

No worries.

 

[radderfire]

The other reason to also put an SD card in is it's harder to get to, and would be a backup if you were unlucky enough to have your NVR stolen.

 

[Marakith]

I ordered individual cameras which only came with 20cm Cat6 cables (enough to plug in next to the poe switch/Poe NVR for setup/test). An all-in-one box may have longer, but I doubt they'll be outdoor rated.

I bought a 305m reel of full copper core, outdoor rated Cat6 for about £120 (but this was 4 years ago, so prices may well be higher). Avoid CCA if you have any long runs (50m+).
Cat5e is perfectly sufficient and cheaper (about £80 for 305m full copper core, outdoor rated stuff, from what I can see), but I wanted the future-proofing for higher resolution cameras and gigabit internet when it finally arrives.


I bought a 3 pack of 1m long 12mm, 16mm & 24mm SDS+ bits from Amazon (£33) and used my Dad's old Hilti.
When I first got the house, I only needed 3x Cat6 cables run outside (one to switch upstairs, 2 for front/rear external cameras), which fed snugly through the 16mm hole (duck taped together around a bit of paracord). When the drill bit broke through to the outside, I left it in the hole, detached it from the drill, then taped paracord to the tip as I pulled the bit back through the wall.

When I needed more outside cables, I drilled another hole next to the first (12mm as pilot, then the 24mm), doing the same paracord trick. This allowed me enough room to feed a piece of 22mm round plastic conduit through, which just about squeezed 5 more cables in.
I squeezed some silicon sealant in the holes and covered the outside with a brown BT cable entry cover (from Amazon) and a similar white one for inside.


The cameras come with a weather resistant screw-in gromit that you feed over the end of the cable, before terminating it. You then connect the male to female, and twist the tight grommet up to meet the female end and seal it. I don't recommend trusting them though, as I've had to replace two cameras that got moisture inside (Reolink's warranty/aftersales support was excellent and replaced both cameras without a quibble).

I bought a pack of 5 round weatherproof junction boxes (65mm x 35mm) which are small enough to attach with a single screw, but have just enough room to sit the male/female connection, reset & power pigtail in, before snapping the cover on.


I did - 256Gb for the PTZ camera overlooking my parking spot (gives me 6 days-ish) and 128Gb (3½ days-ish) in the others. The Reolink app can be set to record constantly in up to 5m chunks, or activate on motion alert (can adjust trigger sensitivity, human/animal/vehicle).

The onboard SD cards mean I view footage remotely, almost instantly in medium resolution, take snapshots/small snippets of footage on my phone if needed.
I can then search the full 4k footage on my NVR that's set to constantly record the 24/7 feed, when I get home. 8Tb Skyhawk drive gives me a little over 3½ weeks of 24/7 footage.



I have 2x RLC820A Front & Rear, 1x RLC811A covering the other half of my garden and the RLC-823A covering the external corner of my end of terrace house. Highly recommend all three - just check the angles you want to capture as they differ.

I didn't buy the Reolink NVR as I built the system bit-by-bit as funds allowed - I now have a Uniview NVR501-08B-P8, in conjunction with a Yuanley 11port POE switch. Brilliant bit of kit with some excellent AI searching features that pairs well with the reolink cameras.
I didn't need all 8 ports, but 4 external cameras, 1 doorbell and an internal camera (my study/den) are set to record 24/7, with room for two more in future, if needed...


No worries.

Super helpful! Thanks!

Which junction boxes did you go for in the end? At that size I suppose you have bullet cams?

 

[RedMogg]

Super helpful! Thanks!

Which junction boxes did you go for in the end? At that size I suppose you have bullet cams?

I bought these:




They're IP44 rated and just small enough to tuck the ethernet connections inside (including the "weatherproof" grommet and reset/DC power pigtail). They screw in next to where the cameras are fitted - if you want junction boxes to actually mount the cameras on, you'll be paying a lot more.

I have two bullets (Front and Garden L), one turret (Garden R) and the RLC-823A PTZ on the external corner above my parking space (covers about 270° which allows me to be pretty nosey, if I ever feel the need).

 

[Marakith]

I bought these:




They're IP44 rated and just small enough to tuck the ethernet connections inside (including the "weatherproof" grommet and reset/DC power pigtail). They screw in next to where the cameras are fitted - if you want junction boxes to actually mount the cameras on, you'll be paying a lot more.

I have two bullets (Front and Garden L), one turret (Garden R) and the RLC-823A PTZ on the external corner above my parking space (covers about 270° which allows me to be pretty nosey, if I ever feel the need).

Ah right on! That makes sense. Ideally I'll go for a junction box that I can mount the camera onto. I've found these that look promising:

Again - thanks for all your advice - really appreciate it.

 

[Biffa]

I just got the Reolink junction box that matched the cameras I was installing.Think it was the B10. £28.00 but they were for a customer.

Didn't want to risk the bloody things not screwing in tight.