Cctv recommendation

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i would like to install a cctv system with at least 4 cameras.

Im not to clued up with cctv

Would like iphone connection.

Anyone got anny recommendations.

Thanks
 
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People will rubbish them but a Swann kit from Maplins is what I have at home and at work. Easy to fit and set up and not too expensive (@£350-£450) although others will probably say you need a professional kit, professional installation etc.
 
People will rubbish them but a Swann kit from Maplins is what I have at home and at work. Easy to fit and set up and not too expensive (@£350-£450) although others will probably say you need a professional kit, professional installation etc.


Thanks
 
I have installed 3 Hikvision systems recently and I think they represent excellent value for money, they also have a good reputation in the industry.
Sadly they are now aiming their “Hikvision” brand at the professional installer only and are going down the route of only selling to trade customers through licensed distributors.
They have recently launched a range aimed at the DIY market called Hi-Watch, I have not used them yet but at first glance seem to be a lower price, lower specification and maybe lower quality, and are too new to judge reliability etc.
 
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Hikvison or Samsung all day long....leave the new hiwatch where it is....thx Matt
 

I don’t know what E999’s thoughts or reasons are, but it could be along the lines of what I posted above.

They are cheaper than the Hikvision branded products, the specifications are generally lower and because they are made to a lower price and new to the market quality, performance and reliability are unknown.
 
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HIKVISION is available online to anyone via various online sellers, the professionals buy from authorised distributors as do those retailers that are not authorised as distributors.

Be sure that when you do buy online its genuine UK equipment rather than the grey Chinese imports.

Tech support only available to pro installers.

The Hi Watch are lower spec and cheaper, but you can buy HIK at several sources, depending on the kit you require it may be possible to but from the likes of me cheaper than online.
 
I would go for an IP camera system with POE. That will make installation a lot cleaner as you only need to run one Cat5 cable to each camera which covers data and power.

Avoid cheapo brand deals. They look good on the surface and may even get good customer reviews but what matters is clarity of picture when you really need to see footage. A few months down the line the camera may start playing up.

Also check specification of how wide the camera angle is. You can end up installing one and then find it only shows part of your drive. You can actually change the lenses but that's a faff you probably don't want to get into.

I've just bought a Reolink camera. So far so good. Other brands that get consistently good ratings are Hikvision and Dahua. Don't know much about Swann but they have been around for a long time. I suspect they get their stuff made by other manufacturers.
 
field of view isn't how you should look at it.

its what you want the camera to do that's important.

1. see someone? field of view is essential
2. identify someone? quality of what you can see is important, ie face at a resolution of 250 minimum pixels per meter camera too high up and the angle of the camera is too much then you are going to get tops of heads. lower down you have to be aware that access to the camera is easier.

Had a sparky talk to one of my clients this week just gone advising them the cameras were installed too low down and could be tampered with, the height he wanted to put them at would have been useless for ID, the customer is aware of that. when the cameras were placed and at the demo they were placed as high as they could be due to obstructions but still able to give good clear facial recognition and cover as larger area as possible, hence why the cameras are antivandal, but they could be sprayed over but they would have to be close and by at least 6ft tall with a reach of a few feet plus spray distance on many and two of the cameras are a little lower due to obstructions, making them lower down but due to the obstructions the intruder would have to be close to spray the lens.

That said they would have been picked up at different locations by one or more other cameras by the time they reached one to spray it as coverage is set up that way, unless they have a spray can on a really long pole.

What the customer has noticed is that some people, ie some of the window cleaners try and hide there face when they visit the property, makes you wonder what they have to hide?
 

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