Spec me a CCTV System

There have been a spate of burglaries in our local area and the GF has got a bit frightened so I'm looking into some cctv more as a deterrent than anything.

What would I need to spend to get some decent cameras with local storage and the ability to monitor remotely? I think I need 3 and would be looking for something as unobtrusive as possible.
 
garak112 said:
There have been a spate of burglaries in our local area and the GF has got a bit frightened so I'm looking into some cctv more as a deterrent than anything.
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There's been a spate of break ins at my parent's neighbours' house, which is obviously quite concerning. They don't want a full on 24/7 CCTV recorded dealy, but they do want something to at least be able to check remotely via phone/app (so basically an IP camera) but this has lead me down a rabbit hole which is far far deeper than I anticipated. Essentially, the main requirements are:

-Remotely check in via Android phone
-About £150 or under, all in
-One off purchase (no cloud or subscription based services)

Of course there are loads of cheap IP cameras, but my main concern is security. I hear quite a lot of horror stories about IP cameras connected to the internet being easy to hack into, and also cheap Chinese cameras sending undisclosed data to Chinese servers which scares me even more.

Other option would be connect it to some sort of PC, but running a PC 24/7 isn't something that they seem keen to do, not to mention it probably won't fit in the budget. Something that records to microSD and can auto-overwrite would probably suffice (if there's a way to "lock" a clip remotely via the app so it isn't overwritten, like you can with some dashcams, that would be a huge bonus).

Can anyone recommend any suggestions?
 
Well I went for a cheap chinese IP option and picture quality was satisfactory but software and security concerns were debatable so it's going back. (also fps was low too)

Option 2 a more expensive Reolink RLC410 ... I wanted to test their entry level product before committing to their more expensive line and thus far I'm impressed.

- Excellent build quality
- 30 FPS on NTSC
- Sound is ok
- Picture is good (night IR to be tested)
- Has wifi and sd card options but I went with the bog standard vanilla version

I have it paired with the nvidia shield running tinyCam as the NVR

If security is of concern, VLAN it off disable outbound traffic, uPNP etc and point the camera to internal services only. Use the NVR remotely if you want a live stream
 
I picked up 3 new 4K Hikvision NVR's this week. 4/8/16 CH versions. All UK models at a great price. I'm interested in seeing how my cams look on a 4K tv.
 
I went for 2 Hikvision domes (Hikvision DS-2CD2142FWD-I ) and a Hikvision bullet.

Going to connect them up with a netgear poe switch and my nas is on DVR duties. So far form testing inside it's a surprisingly good solution
 
Does anyone have any guides/pics/tips for fitting a POE IP camera outdoors? Specifically how the cables have been fitted at the camera end; waterproofing, grommits, holes into wall/soffits etc

I'm looking at something like this IP camera and fitting a POE injector at the switch end.

Not really looked into this yet, just mulling it over at the moment.
 
If that camera you linked is going onto a wall, you will need the matching junction box to put the cable connection into. If it was going under a sofit, you won't need it as the cables will be hidden inside the sofit.

TBH, stick with Hikvision or Dahua. Also you are better of buying a Poe switch than an injector.
 
Scream;30497401 said:
If that camera you linked is going onto a wall, you will need the matching junction box to put the cable connection into. If it was going under a sofit, you won't need it as the cables will be hidden inside the sofit.

TBH, stick with Hikvision or Dahua. Also you are better of buying a Poe switch than an injector.
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Thanks. I have a 24 port gigabit switch I plan to use for the rest of the house, but it doesn't have POE.

Would a camera need gigabit? Again, not looking to buy anything yet, this is down the line, but would something like this poe switch do the job?

For the cables, would it be a case of drilling through the wall, feeding the cable through and sealing with silicone/similar and the join from camera to ethernet being inside something like this junction box? if that makes sense? as thaere would be a short bit of cat5e poking outside, would it need to be external grade cable?
 
Full HD video @ 30fps is around 5Mbps so even a 10Mbps connection will suffice.

The Hikvision cameras can take a local 12v supply which is handy.

I'm sure that switch will be fine but I'd probably go with a TP-Link/D-Link/Netgear PoE switch over an unbranded jobbie.
 
Depends how many cameras you want to power. Also when choosing a switch, you need to remember the total output in watts that switch can power. If a 4 port switch has a total output of 36w then your total cameras output can't go over the 36w.

I used 6 of THESE last week. Nice and compact over the Netgear models I was using.

You can use enclosures but using matching enclosures that match the camera is neater. Bullet cameras need the matching junction box.
 
As far as I know, Dahua Starlight cameras aren't available in the U.K. yet. Also, unlike Hikvision, Dahua cameras can only be purchased if you register as a trade account with certain wholesalers.

Unless someone can point me in the direction to purchasing uk Dahua's without the need to be a trader.

Wholesalers in China are having serious stock problems with Starlight cameras so getting them shipped from there is a mission in itself.
 
The cameras aren't 4K but the NVR can ouput at 4K.

My cams are 4MP so you need 7MP cams for 4K. On a tv/monitor, you need a 4K tv to get the potential out of a camera greater than 2MP.

Has anyone purchased cams from Aliexpress? Just wondering what charges are applied when it enters customs here in the uk?
 
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