CCTV ideas

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OK,

So i am having an alarm fitted by ADT which i a very happy with and the service ths far has been great. I asked them how much a cctv system would cost fully installed, and for one camera, screen and control box thing, they were looking for £1500. I said no at the time as i dont really need this, but it would be nice to have.

Must Have

So, I want two dome cameras (must be domed and black or at a push white).
I want great detail and night abilities.
I want a minimum 15" screen to view should I wish
I want the recordings to be motion activated
I want to be able to record approx 10 days worth on the HDD

Nice to have,

Remotely view cameras from anywhere
Sound

Can anyone recommend a system to fit these requirements. budget is approx £500-£1000. I have looked at quite a lot of sites, but i wouldnt know a good camera from a bad one.
 
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lol
A good example of auntie Daisy trying to claw back some money from a loss leader.

For what you're asking, you can get a decent setup for circa £5-600
from CCTVDirect. They do some pretty decent value DVRs. Don't p*ss about, put a 1TB drive in and you won't be limiting yourself.
One thing you do NOT want is motion detection based on the images (assuming external cameras.)

As for domes, i can recommend their Twilight Pro jobbies. No need to go for IR,
The CAMTPD will give you good images day and night - unless you live down a coal mine.
 
Also consider IP cameras and using a computer to record/view. Removes the need for a dedicated recorder, but of course you'll need to have a computer running all the time.

Motion detection is very useful, makes reviewing weeks of activity a lot quicker task, but if you're using pan/tilt cameras then of course any movement will trigger an modect event. I'd rather buy twice as many static cameras for the same money. :)
 
Motion detect is poor if only the immediete area is set up, you need to set up a much larger area, even then it may miss the subject.
Decent static and as above a couple more is the way to go.

Also unless the computer is dedicated there are other issues, like mem, other programmes slowing things down ect.
 
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Guys, thanks for all your replys so far. very much appreicated.

Ok, i agree with the larger hdd, the bigger the better for me.

I get the sense from you all that motion activated is a no no.

I dont really want to run a pc all day long, and would rather have a stand alone recorder. Can you get one with inbuilt (IP??) so i can view them online. I take it it would just connect to router via a network cable.
 
Guys, thanks for all your replys so far. very much appreicated.

Ok, i agree with the larger hdd, the bigger the better for me.

I get the sense from you all that motion activated is a no no.

I dont really want to run a pc all day long, and would rather have a stand alone recorder. Can you get one with inbuilt (IP??) so i can view them online. I take it it would just connect to router via a network cable.
Yes, to your questions.
Have a looksie on the CCTVDirect webby, they've several to choose from.

Effective motion detection is best done with the correct detectors. Detecting motion on the recorded image is pointless for external cameras because things like flowers, trees etc all move in the wind, so fail to achieve usable results.
 
Motion detect is poor if only the immediete area is set up, you need to set up a much larger area, even then it may miss the subject.
Decent static and as above a couple more is the way to go.

Also unless the computer is dedicated there are other issues, like mem, other programmes slowing things down ect.

Why can't you do both record and modect from the same camera, or is that a limitation of the all-in-one boxes? I do that using zoneminder, but OP has said he doesn't want a computer running 24/7 and that's a fair point.

These all-in-one boxes, aren't many of them just computers anyway? How noisy are they to run? (Not rubbishing them, I can see the appeal of having it all setup and ready to go)

And the overhead on a computer, just recording cctv is tiny. Motion detection can be quite cpu intensive, but again I'm running modect on 20 cams at once on a single mid-spec pc so unless you're running your pc flat out it's unlikely to cause any drops.
 
any unit running Windows as it os is not that good, we have one site that at present is running a capture card and 16 cameras.

it took one of my guys three and a half hours to download about half an hour of footage for the police!!!

and it was all on motion detect!!!

client now has asked our company to upgrade the system to a DVR with 3 tb of memory (D1 recording at 25 IPS), thats the best way we have found,

and downloading is sooooooo easy, about 6 clicks and there it is on a USB stick or DVD, watermarked and viewable on any PC or laptop!!

i am not slating the capture card way, but Windows?!?!? never
virtually all DVRs run on Linux, more stable and a lot easier to use.

we have moved over to Videcon DVRs and they have proved to be a really good and easy unit for the client to use, LAN/DVD/USB and the ability to upgrade the hard drives without having to re load the OS.

ENEO (videor) these are also a very good DVR,

Oh and they are near on silent running as well, they are designed to run continuously, unlike a PC!

but really its up to you what you want to use.

there is also a company called A Data, there units seem to be good, but as yet i have not played with one yet, but i will!!

Oasis
 
Why can't you do both record and modect from the same camera, or is that a limitation of the all-in-one boxes? I do that using zoneminder, but OP has said he doesn't want a computer running 24/7 and that's a fair point.
Generally one or the other, my point was if you set up the detection just around an object say, by the time it records the "image" could have moved off. Get it now?


These all-in-one boxes, aren't many of them just computers anyway? How noisy are they to run? (Not rubbishing them, I can see the appeal of having it all setup and ready to go)
Some are very noisy, new solid state obviously silent, also a DVR should be locked away, so unauthourised cannot use it.

And the overhead on a computer, just recording cctv is tiny. Motion detection can be quite cpu intensive, but again I'm running modect on 20 cams at once on a single mid-spec pc so unless you're running your pc flat out it's unlikely to cause any drops.
With other programmes running it can be an issue, also could be turned off.







Any decent CCTV system will have dedicated recording.
 
Motion detect is poor if only the immediete area is set up, you need to set up a much larger area, even then it may miss the subject.
Decent static and as above a couple more is the way to go.

Also unless the computer is dedicated there are other issues, like mem, other programmes slowing things down ect.

Why can't you do both record and modect from the same camera, or is that a limitation of the all-in-one boxes? I do that using zoneminder, but OP has said he doesn't want a computer running 24/7 and that's a fair point.

These all-in-one boxes, aren't many of them just computers anyway? How noisy are they to run? (Not rubbishing them, I can see the appeal of having it all setup and ready to go)

And the overhead on a computer, just recording cctv is tiny. Motion detection can be quite cpu intensive, but again I'm running modect on 20 cams at once on a single mid-spec pc so unless you're running your pc flat out it's unlikely to cause any drops.
Already explained re the motion detection based on the image.
Dedicated Redwalls/opels etc detect people/bodies. So genuine activity.
Image based relies on scenery change within the image. So trees, shrubs, bushes, flags, washing etc, even a light going on/off, all are subject to natural movement.

Net result - you end up with too many false positives.
Better ot set for continuos record and just useimage based motion detect for alarm generation.

As for windows based systems.
Intellex and Honeywell Fusion anyone?
For those that don't know. Both are high end dedicated DVRs based on WinXP, however, they are not PC computers.
 
got 2 honeywell DVRs in the store area, wont boot past the honeywell logo!!!!

expensive as well!!

then you have LJD
got one of those on the bench as well, no codes!!!!
gives me something to play with, and its a good teaching toll for young trainees!!!
we also have a BX2!! Boy what a beast of a DVR.

i still prefer Linux based DVR`s (its just my preference)

Oasis
 
yeh DM here too, got a ds2 for the house. kinda liked vista a little :oops:
 
Vista, hmmm remember their first multiplexers. Not too shabby then.

Did a lot with Dynamic DVR`s early stuff suffered with PSU issues, simple upgrade sorted that. Still not too sure about the recording method (EZ), having to watch the whole event ( may have changed now, need to check).
 
Vista, hmmm remember their first multiplexers. Not too shabby then.

Was that them with the sloped front end iirc?? jeez remember early dm mux :confused: now that was kin ugly lol

Use vista vandal mini domes, an i think they're the dogs nutts!

Never played with Dynamic stuff, seem to recall dm having probs with the fan cooled psu for the ds, mines is still going strong
 

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