cctv advice

[kirkgas]

my company is moving to a new bigger training centre, we need 2 external cameras for security and 10 internal for security and monitoring assessments, any advice on what make/models to either consider or steer clear of, what about holding/play back etc
thanks

 

[breezer]

get a dvr (digital video recorder)

i have seen multi channel dvr's (over 4 channels) but i wonder, if it has say 20 channels and say a 250gb HDD would it not be better to have say
5 smaller DVRs each with their own 250gb HDD

that way if you are watching one you can still record on the others, and if one goes down the others are still working

 

[APE]

any advice on what make/models to either consider or steer clear of, what about holding/play back etc
thanks

Alot of it depends on location and application etc.. Do your external cameras require Infra-red lamps (i.e. night time veiwing)? Do they need to be vandal proof? Are your internal cameras veiwing genral areas etc..?
As for a DVR, you will be looking at a 16 channel unit, the HDD size will all depend on how long you want it to record for and what sort of quality recording you want.

I am from the CCTV industry and use a company called Videcon on a regular basis. The are very helpful and have good kit at good prices (I sound like a rep don't I!!!). Their number is 01924 528000.

 

[RF Lighting]

What is your budget?

The more you spend the better quality kit you will get.

The better the cameras / DVR, then the better quality recording you will get. Some of the cheap kits are really no good for watching the playback.

You could buy a speed dome camera which can do the job of 5 or 10 cameras with the addition of a few PIRs and maybe a keyboard too

There are plenty of DVRs on the market which can be connected to t'internet so you can view live or playback footage from your system where ever you are. It will let you pan / tilt / zoom any speed domes too.
Handy if for example you get an alarm activation when you are not on site.

I spent £650 per external camera for my system at home.

 

[kirkgas]

thanks very much for the help

 

[breezer]

£650 RF Lighting?

that must be camera, lens, housing and IR lights?

dome cameras are more of a novelty. i soon learnt that when i was working for a cctv co.

dont get me wrong they were "really wicked" specially if you put it on zoom and rotate at the same time (ones we installed were 360 degree rotation)

but soon leant although they can do things like tours (go to a set place, zoom in zoom out)

they cant see everything, eg, if its looking to the left it cant be looking to the right, so you have 2 fixed cameras one left one right

 

[disinfo]

I agree with breezer's comment about pan / tilt domes. From experience you need a human to be monitoring them 24/7 to be truly effective.

I'm currently setting up a 14 camera static CCTV system at work, the cameras are all 480TVL which is a fairly decent resolution.

Its all a matter of how much you want to pay.

I went for a 16ch DVR which is capable of recording all 16 cameras in real time, lower end ones tend to give lower frame rates with the more camera's that you add. The DVR is also networkable and will allow multiple viewers to be connected at the same time.

To cut dows costs you can run CAT5/6 cable and use baluns rather than coax.

Matt

 

[RF Lighting]

£650 RF Lighting?

that must be camera, lens, housing and IR lights?

Ihave a speed dome on the front doing a four point tour across the front of the whole property, with a dwell time of 1 sec for each position, so you really miss very little.

I also have a speed dome on the back corner which follows you down the drive, round the corner and upto the door. That is done with PIRs and an alarm input module calling a preset for each passive. That has a 0.4 sec. delay for each PIR pulse, so has that pretty well covered. It returns to its normal preset after 20 secs of no movement.

I also have a few fixed mini flush 70mm domes which are relly good. They are nice and discreet, and ideal for porches and stuff. The picture quality is really good considering the size of them, although these cameras do not switch to B&W at night, and can't see the IR illuminators either.

I'd agree with the comment about baluns. I have always been a bit suspicious of them, but got a set free with a camera, and gave them a whirl. The picture quality is just as good as RG59.

 

[APE]

There is no issue with baluns. All a balun does is balance an unbalanced video signal so it can be sent over twisted pair.

As for speed domes, unless being monitored leave alone, they are not as effective as a few statics in their place, 480TVL is plenty.

The DVR also doesn't need to be real time unless you are recording in a casino for example. The average person walks at 1 FPS and real time is 25 FPS. Therefore if you get a 16 channel DVR with 100FPS capability and set all 16 channels at 6 FPS, this will be more than adequate for most applications. There are several DVR's capable of this, a 1.5 TB machine at that sort of rate would easy give you a months recording.[/quote]

 

[cctv]

The sipmliest thing is to use DVR.

But if you need more function use PC with DVR software.

 

[breezer]

The sipmliest thing is to use DVR.

I think its safe to say we established that on the first reply

Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 06:11

get a dvr (digital video recorder)

But if you need more function use PC with DVR software.

waste of time, suppose the pc crashes, and how much space are you going to alocate?

DVR wins in this case hands down