CCTV System Questions, Suggestions and Potential Compatability with Alarm

[gingerangles]

Hi Folks, looking for some guidance and suggestions if poss please... done a bit of scanning on here but generally threads look to be a little old or not quite what I'm after... any help much appreciated

I'm looking to install a 4 ish CCTV system... happy to wire everything so not looking for anything wireless. I would like something with decent images from the cameras so the footage is actually some use lol Recommendations on this would be gratefully received in line with the below.

I'd like to know... are there 2 types of system mainly? An IP/network based system and a DVR/traditional type system? Or have I not got that right?

With an IP system do the cameras all simply plug into a network connection? Are they all PoE or powered locally? Does a storage drive also do the same or is any recording done on say your PC?

How about a DVR type system - all the cameras connect to this centrally right... I assume these can then be connected to a network? For the same functionality as an IP system?

What are the pros and cons of differing setups?

Finally there is a functionality on my alarm - Galaxy touchcenter - to add cameras... I'd love to hear from anyone who has experience of using / setting up this, what it can do, which systems are compatible with it and if its actually worth it?

If I've missed a thread somewhere which gives a basic run through of the types of CCTV systems, apologies and I'd be grateful if you'd share the link to it.

Thanks in advance for any comments!

 

[secureiam]

cameras need to be fit for the purpose required.

its difficult to say what is suitable for you as no idea what they are needed for or what area they will cover.

 

[Sally2000]

Not meaning to be rude, but you'd learn a great deal from searching the previous threads, as many of us have done. Your questions have been asked and answered many times.
Just put "CCTV" in the search box.

 

[gingerangles]

cameras need to be fit for the purpose required.

its difficult to say what is suitable for you as no idea what they are needed for or what area they will cover.

Apologies I could have elaborated on that lol... I plan to locate them on the outside of my house covering the entrance, backdoor and garage doors with the intention that they will capture footage of anyone coming and going. Cameras therefore of decent quality so footage is good both day and night but they don't need to be anything top of the range as I don't think I'm doing anything extreme with them. Would ideally be able to view them from an app and obviously need some sort of storage for footage... would ideally like to avoid any monthly recurring charges though for cloud stuff or app access, etc.

 

[gingerangles]

Not meaning to be rude, but you'd learn a great deal from searching the previous threads, as many of us have done. Your questions have been asked and answered many times.
Just put "CCTV" in the search box.

That is a bit rude... and implies I just posted without doing a search for what I was after
I did have a hunt round but generally what I found was more generic advice on systems where as I was trying to understand some more fundamental functionality but also the threads were quite old and I imagine this tech moves quite quickly? The newest post that comes up on the CCTV search is from Feb 2019!

 

[secureiam]

wrt cameras

resolution is irrelevant on its own, its just the number of dots(pixels) that make up the image.

The distance from the camera affects the scene width, further away from the camera the wider the scene for a given camera at the furthest point away the camera can see, wider scene less pixel density.

You have to look at where you want to put your cameras, decide what you want the camera to see (area covered) and decide what do you want to be able to do with what is in that scene.

The wider the area you need to cover, you may need to look at more than 1 camera to achieve the correct pixel density to identify someone in that area.

If I had two ginnels, 1m wide but 1 at 10M long and one at 20M long.
I need the same pixel density to identify the person at the end of the ginnels.
The same camera/lens combination wouldn't give the same pixel density at 20M away as it would at 10M away. So I would need a different camera/lens combo.

If these ginnels were well lit or poorly lit I would have to decide on what I want the camera to be able to do and whether I wanted 24/7 colour or day colour and night black and white.
I might have to compromise and in the 10M one have a full colour option, but at the 20M one have it go black and white, or look introducing additional lighting.

Wouldn't be the first time a customer has asked for a quote and I have lost it to a cheaper quote, but the system purchased wasn't capable of achieving the customers immediate or potential future needs.

 

[gingerangles]

Thanks Secureiam.
So selecting right cameras is crucial... I get that. I'm more interested to know what system options there are... have I got it correct in terms of the different options... DVR or ip?

 

[secureiam]

It is very unlikely that you live in a property where all the cameras your selecting are identical, but its not impossible.

There is no point going analogue cameras if you want 8MP cameras and a recorded frame rate of more than 8fps(as analogue cameras don't currently do that), the police were recommending a minimum of 12fps.

Analytically wise, IP cameras have it built in and the NVR is capable usually, analogue do it via the DVR. Accusense for example are supposed to be better at stopping false triggers with the analytical features, They work in low light conditions.

Every manufacturer pretty much has there version of the same thing, but the quality is not always the same, lots of stories and reviews about various brands out there. There are different levels of the same basic function. Each installer has there favoured brands.

So for example, I wouldn't do, Swann, Yale or Qvis, would do Dahua or Hikvison (but not there budget diy brands), AXIS aren't bad but very pricey in comparison.

If the analytics are built in the camera or DVR/NVR they don't tend to be as good as a dedicated packages, which run on pcs and have a fair bit of processing power.

You want me to go through all the different options?
It is better to work out what you need and find the best fit for what you need.

They want a decent system of on a budget of £150, for x number of cameras and a DVR/NVR should not expect great things. Cheap cameras are £30+ VAT each DVR £75 and 1 TB hard drive £50. That doesn't get you much at the bottom end.

But you can spend hundreds or thousands just on one camera, they just aren't designed for the same league.

So again decide what you want and how much you want to spend, have some wiggle room.

PTZ is more expensive motorised varifocal, which is more expnesive than varifocal, whichis more expensive than fixed lens.

You have to decide what you need it to do and how much your willing to spend and get the best value.

 

[gingerangles]

Thanks again secureiam!

Well I definately want cameras that are of some use lol... so if I understand what you're saying that'll be min 8mp min 12fps and ip based? I understand with more detailed planning that better cameras may be better in certain positions.

I like the idea of using a PC... didn't realise that this could be an option on say domestic installations. What is required for this... is it simply a software thing?

I know what you're saying about having a budget but I've always attacked stuff from the specification perspective... is it daft to go a couple of cameras at a time? What parameters do I need to come to a conclusion on model&make? I know what areas want covering, I know where I think the cameras should be located and I want reliable footage day&night with ability to set activations if possible.

 

[secureiam]

I always start off with full frame rates, but this will eat into your storage space.

If you were to have an 8MP camera, live view you want notice anything, playback you will see significant differences.

ie analogue 8fps (7fps on some dahua products) so wouldn't meet the minimum12fps, IP you can have 20fps, give you an idea 24fps was the norm for VHS.

wrt to PC:-

as standard you can use internet explorer to view most DVR's or NVR's online.
If you want CCTV analytics of a highest performance then you often need a dedicated PC's often highly specified to do the processing, there are lots of solutions out there and usually not very cheap.

If that is an option, I would look at adding it later, and seeing how you get on with the built in functionality (just check that the possible future solution is supported).

 

[gingerangles]

So if it is a possibility to look at a dedicated pc in the future would it make sense to go separate poe switch and nvr? I'm thinking that way the nvr would effectively be replaced with a pc down the line? Software on PCs is something that hadn't really occured to me... are there any you would recommend looking in to?

 

[gingerangles]

Any chance of some camera suggestions to cover this scenario? The idea being to cover the garage doors...
Possible side of house or garage sofit?