Budget CCTV £600ish IP or analouge, DVR or PC?

[thompo]

Hi guys,

Rennovating an old bungalow and we were broken into losing some borrowed expensive demolition/construction equipment!

Now looking to invest in some sort of CCTV system (alarm being comissioned today) as i know they will be back as the project progresses and things start going in.

My budget is limited to about £600 - I would like 4 cameras (detached bungalow with road access both front and rear) to start with, remote viewing and decent resolution so that i can use the footage if we do catch them.

I have old PC thats doing nothing at the min, AMD 6400+, 4GB DDR2, 512mb GFX (PCI-E) some 250Gb IDE drives, would this be ok to add a DVR card, some cameras and some software to run it? or would i be better off with a standalone DVR

Is an IP solution as straight forward as running all the cameras to a switch, connect to PC and have it record? Although i think cameras are significantly more expensive

So far this is what im considering "best buy" for my budget (uk sourced but maybe questionable quality)

16Ch Full D1 realtime (25fps/ch@D1) DVR - £185 - Ebay
4x Vandal proof IR domes 2.8-12mm 700tvl sony Effio CCD - £200
Cables/power - £50 ? - use cat5 + Baluns? Cameras are composite out - DVR is BNC?
2TB HDD for DVR AV-GP WD20EURS - £80
2x IR flood lights - £80

Thanks for any info

Neil

 

[measureitonce]

IP stuff is pricey (SOOOooooo behind the times!!!)

I've been playing with a £200avtech unit, with a 500gb hard drive added. It does just about everything, but i've quickly found its limitations, particularly now its running its max 8cameras. playback/search is slow/freezes regularly, record rate is poor across 8 cameras. Only CIF res for remote viewing.

If your only having 4cameras, why do you need a 16ch dvr?

(25fps/ch@D1) - is that the record rate, or the realtime rate? You will be more interested in the record rate and remote viewing rate. Most of the stuff I've seen on ebay is crap.

Don't buy it from ebay. Speak to the likes of CCTV direct (and others) and take their advice and SUPPORT!

Camera wise I've been VERY impressed with ultra low light cameras (even a cloudy night in the middle of nowhere looks like a dull afternoon on the cameras). where as the IR cameras I've seem and played with aren't nearly as good. The ones I've got are about £150ea retail.

Don't forget security of the DVR, and or offsite backup/ftp transfer of the recordings. Otherwise they get a nice new DVR with recordings of themselves as well as your site tools, and your worse off once again!

For remote viewing you need a half decent internet connection. Might get away with a good 3g signal (watch the bandwidth limits), but ideally a broadband connection. You will need to configure a dynamic DNS name or have a fixed IP.

Roll of shotgun, multiway psu, BNC ends, tools etc £150 tops - simpler than faffing with cat5, baluns etc.

 

[thompo]

Thats great thanks, hadnt considered low light cameras, will have a look at them

This is the DVR i was looking at
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181008118229

Seems to support D1 for both play back and encoding however i have noticed that is says "Video Standard PAL 620lines" does this mean a 700line camera is wasted? or is that just the PAL format?

Ive spec'd the 16ch so i have scope for expansion (have a couple of outbuildings + a few vunerable spots to cover down the line) plus for what i can find the this Full D1 16ch is cheaper than any Full D1 8ch ive seen. Which makes me suspicious lol.

Will have to figure out where the cameras are going and how much cable i will need.

Thanks

 

[alumni]

Thats great thanks, hadnt considered low light cameras, will have a look at them

This is the DVR i was looking at
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181008118229

Seems to support D1 for both play back and encoding however i have noticed that is says "Video Standard PAL 620lines" does this mean a 700line camera is wasted? or is that just the PAL format?

Ive spec'd the 16ch so i have scope for expansion (have a couple of outbuildings + a few vunerable spots to cover down the line) plus for what i can find the this Full D1 16ch is cheaper than any Full D1 8ch ive seen. Which makes me suspicious lol.

Will have to figure out where the cameras are going and how much cable i will need.

Thanks

In theory, yes 700 line cams are wasted. However, it does no harm. Much better to be high than low.

Regarding the DVR. Why persist with fleabay?
The tech specs may seem good but actual quality is a different matter.

Far safer to go with a product from a reputable, and known supplier.
No one who fits kit for a living will touch fleabay so won't be able to comment on it.

I'm currently swapping some units out that technically, on paper, seem fine. The reality is somewhat different though.
Customers are amazed at the difference in quality of the new kit even though it's just our standard unit.

 

[measureitonce]

I've spent alot of time researching DVR's in recent weeks, and the only conclusion i've come to is its a MINEFIELD! As are the camera's.

Avoid ebay, you have little or no come back. end of.

Now whilst there is a benefit (as per my original post) to speaking to reputable resellers and taking their advice, they are all salesmen at the end of the day, and are out to sell their products. THere are hundreds of options to choose from, spec sheet can read very similar (or be worded very cleverly) and prices vary dramatically!

I'm quite interested in the viola (also seen it called nurtech) range as they seem priced above the budget stuff and specs read well, and I have seen a couple of "pro" installs that use them.

I'm also looking at a samsung unit (but struggling to get an opinion/review/better value options) that cost £800+, compared to a viola at £450, compared to an avtech at £300, compared to your example at £200.....

I'm currently swapping some units out that technically, on paper, seem fine. The reality is somewhat different though.
Customers are amazed at the difference in quality of the new kit even though it's just our standard unit.

I've asked a few times in a few places now about DVR outside of the low budget market, and it all goes quiet. Dare we ask what your standard unit is, or is it a trade only secret?

 

[measureitonce]

oh, and by the way, DVR cards, run by much the same rules as the stand alone units. Cheap ones are just that, good ones are not available for £100, so the cost and hassle end up more than a stand alone DVR, in my humble opinion.

 

[alumni]

I'm currently swapping some units out that technically, on paper, seem fine. The reality is somewhat different though.
Customers are amazed at the difference in quality of the new kit even though it's just our standard unit.

I've asked a few times in a few places now about DVR outside of the low budget market, and it all goes quiet. Dare we ask what your standard unit is, or is it a trade only secret?

As it happens, yes, it is something of a secret. Commercial reason only though.
It's not especially fancy just good at its job. Comparable products elsewhere though.
I like the units at cctvdirect. They have a range to suit both budget and requirements. Always helpful too. Besides that, they're close by so easy to pop in.

 

[thompo]

Just posting the one that i had found see if it was any use

Any other 4ch+ DVRs around the £200 mark worth considering?

Unfortunately the budget is pretty tight around, having to replace the plant and extra security was unforseen! lol.

Any off the shelf complete kits worth a look?

Cheers Neil

 

[EightyTwo]

Btw, PAL 620 lines refers to horizontal lines whereas a 700 line camera refers to vertical lines of resolution. Very confusing, I know. The vertical lines thing was originally for the old videcon tube cameras. In these days of CCD and digital cameras, I don't understand why they don't just quote pixels...