Spec me a CCTV System

[Adam]

Funnily enough my Neighbour is very happy with the arrangement as it covers more of his gate than it does mine due to the angle of where it's mounted on my house! Ideally I would have mounted the camera on the side of his house and trailed a network cable back through my house for the best angle

I'm waiting for a final Synology license to arrive then I'll upload an image so you can see what I mean.

 

[mattyg]

That's ridiculous. I've had the police ask to check my cctv when the house across the road was burgled.

 

[Werewolf]

Funnily enough my Neighbour is very happy with the arrangement as it covers more of his gate than it does mine due to the angle of where it's mounted on my house! Ideally I would have mounted the camera on the side of his house and trailed a network cable back through my house for the best angle

I'm waiting for a final Synology license to arrive then I'll upload an image so you can see what I mean.

Our garage camera ends up covering the back entrance to 2 neighbours, and the access to the back of two more (shared drive).

All 4 ranged from not bothered to happy when I let them know about the area the camera was going to cover.
When I finally get the front camera up (it's been waiting nearly a year) it'll likely cover part of another neighbours front drive, they were more than happy about the idea as they'd had their cars broken into.

 

[Steampunk]

There are no DPA issues if you are a private individual on your own property (and signs are not needed). There may be privacy issues if you cover a neighbour's property. There are no problems covering a street, as there is no expectation of privacy on a public street.

 

[FNG]

There are no problems covering a street, as there is no expectation of privacy on a public street.

That is wrong. Not saying people would be bothered, but the statement is wrong.

I agree that covering neighbors land helps them and with agreement I can't believe there would ever be any issues, but it is quite clear that the right of waiver of the DPA for private individuals is removed in this case. Don't get me wrong, I would happily do it with the neighbors blessing, but if you were sticking to the letter of the law you would need to comply with the DPA in this case.

 

[Regy53]

is this little kit ok for a bit of home CCTV?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product..._act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A8I2FBDTA75AB

 

[itsallaboutyou]

Is anybody using a PC to manage their CCTV network. I'm currently using an 8 port NVR - all my cams are POE - and am just wondering about the alternatives.

I know there is a load of software out there - but I'm just wondering about specs of machines?

I'm thinking something shuttle sized?

Obviously the POE Nic cards are ridiculously expensive so would need a decent switch too.

Cheers.

 

[dmsims]

Blue Iris suggest the following for multiple camera so you might struggle with "shuttle sized"

Intel core i7 with QuickSync for hardware decoding
8GB or more RAM
Microsoft Windows 8.1 or 10, 64 bit
nVIDIA graphics adaptor for efficient screen display
7200+ RPM drives and/or SSD drive

 

[Psycho Sonny]

That's ridiculous. I've had the police ask to check my cctv when the house across the road was burgled.

since when did police officers know everything about the laws and regulations within the country?

 

[Steampunk]

That is wrong. Not saying people would be bothered, but the statement is wrong.

I agree that covering neighbors land helps them and with agreement I can't believe there would ever be any issues, but it is quite clear that the right of waiver of the DPA for private individuals is removed in this case. Don't get me wrong, I would happily do it with the neighbors blessing, but if you were sticking to the letter of the law you would need to comply with the DPA in this case.

When you think of how many private (not business) cameras you walk past every day, dash cams, camera phones, etc. you're suggesting all these are illegal because you walked down the street outside them? How could you cover your car parked on the street? How could you cover the front of your house if you have a small or non-existent front garden? How could you cover the side of your house if it looks towards a street? Or people coming to your door if you face a street?

From what I've read up, there's no problem using CCTV on your property if it also happens to cover a public street. Covering someone else private property (like their back garden or into their windows) can raise privacy issues, but no one expects or is granted privacy when in a public place ie on the street or public footpath. In fact those are the people you want to film if they are outside your property doing illegal things.

 

[dmsims]

From what I've read up, there's no problem using CCTV on your property if it also happens to cover a public street.

You've read this thread then ?

From post #1119

"What if my camera captures footage of individuals beyond the boundaries of my property?

You must consider whether it is necessary for your camera to operate beyond the boundary of your property.

If your camera covers, even partially, any areas beyond the boundaries of your property, such as neighbouring gardens or the street, then it will no longer be exempt from the Data Protection Act (DPA) under the domestic purposes exemption. This does not mean that you are breaching the DPA but it does mean that you might need to take some steps to comply with it."

 

[Psycho Sonny]

When you think of how many private (not business) cameras you walk past every day, dash cams, camera phones, etc. you're suggesting all these are illegal because you walked down the street outside them? How could you cover your car parked on the street? How could you cover the front of your house if you have a small or non-existent front garden? How could you cover the side of your house if it looks towards a street? Or people coming to your door if you face a street?

From what I've read up, there's no problem using CCTV on your property if it also happens to cover a public street. Covering someone else private property (like their back garden or into their windows) can raise privacy issues, but no one expects or is granted privacy when in a public place ie on the street or public footpath. In fact those are the people you want to film if they are outside your property doing illegal things.

this is where the distinction comes into place.

business's require a license to do so. government agencies are exempt. individuals don't need a license so long as it's being used to protect their personal property however they aren't allowed to invade on others privacy either by looking into neighbouring properties. it is a fine line and i imagine quite a few cross it unknowingly or on purpose.

 

[imran999]

Business requires a licence? What licence would that be?

 

[imran999]

Thinking of doing some testing with one of these hikvision or dahua cameras....
Whats a decent spec 4mp dome camera to buy?

Cheapest uk place to buy?
How does that compare with aliexpress?

How often are people updating firmwares on cameras? Once you have it set up and running stable, is there any reason to be upgrading the firmware?

Just wondering if i am able to get away with the getting a grey import if the cost is much cheaper then uk price.

 

[Naan_H]

Thinking of doing some testing with one of these hikvision or dahua cameras....
Whats a decent spec 4mp dome camera to buy?

Cheapest uk place to buy?
How does that compare with aliexpress?

How often are people updating firmwares on cameras? Once you have it set up and running stable, is there any reason to be upgrading the firmware?

Just wondering if i am able to get away with the getting a grey import if the cost is much cheaper then uk price.

Will you be installing it yourself? My installer had a UK supplier and saved me hundreds as he payed the trade price and not the silly prices you would have to pay if getting all by yourself

 

[immy]

just wanting to play around with one just now before committing to a larger order for cameras.

looking at either a dedicated nvr or a blue iris pc setup.

 

[LFletcher]

Hi,
I am in the process of renovating my house and as an afterthought thought it would be wise to install ip cameras.
I've run cat6 cable to the locations shown below;



Although not ideal positioning, hopefully it should be able to cover the majority of the house perimeter.

From the picture above the house, the front 4 cameras would be facing towards to road and the back 2 towards the rear garden.

My current thinking is to purchase Hikvision DS-2CD2342WD-I turrent cameras for each location marked on the diagrams (6 cameras in total).

From my initial research I was planning to use 4mm focal length on all but the camera mounted in the porch area.
I had seen 2.8mm recommended for the porch area, but looking at comparisons shots it seems to make more sense to use a 6mm lense - as the rest of the front of the house should hopefully be covered by the other 3 cameras, and by using the 6mm I should hopefully be able to get a good look at anyone who approached the front door.

Does anyone see any issues with the above or can recommend better alternative options?

With regards to mounting, is there any reason to use a junction box or wall mount as opposed to just mounting directly on the exterior of the house?

I've attached some additional location pictures.









Thanks for your help

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Business requires a licence? What licence would that be?

https://www.gov.uk/public-space-surveillance-cctv-licence

 

[dmsims]

@LFltecher

that seems like a LOT of cameras

Have you drawn out the positions, FOV and pixel density?

 

[Psycho Sonny]

I'm guessing 4 cameras at the front of a house would also raise a lot of complaints. Unless it's a castle your protecting.

2 should be enough one on either side pointing across each other