Which DVR solution for CCTV?

[coopersim]

I currently have three Foscam IP cam's installed, they are a bit of a nuisance to be fair, they miss any legitimate movement, and I end up with hundreds of emails of the sun coming out, and then clouding over again, also there's no time/date stamp on, so it couldn't be used as evidence for the Police.

I'm looking for a DVR that I can use with a couple of decent Sony CCD cameras, but there's hundreds to choose from and I'm struggling to come to a decision!

Ultimately, I want a dvr with the following:

Audio capability
Up to 8 connectors to future proof
The ability to select part of the recorded area for motion
Decent on board software that is dependable
Power failure recovery so it continues to record after a failure
Internet access
iPhone access with a decent app

I'm happy to buy all the bits separately as I already have a HDD in mind (1tb)

I'd be grateful of any help, and if someone could point me in the direction where I can find screen shots or YouTube of the recommended DVR as well

Thanks

 

[alumni]

Everyone posting will have different suggestions.
To be fair, the subject has been done to death on here. Have a search, plenty of advice posted.

As for motion detection.
Pointless for external areas if using the cameras. You need proper motion detectors - Redwalls, GJDs etc.

Regarding the recording after/during power failure. I assume you are referring to a UPS?
Which one depends on what kit you have, what you intend running through it, duration etc - no one answer.

 

[xdave]

What is your budget?

I have a QNAP VioStor VS4008 connected to my IP cameras (7 Axis M3114-R and a P3344-VE) and it works really well and has been running 24/7 for about a year without issue. It is connected to a small desktop UPS which also powers the POE switch that the cameras are connected to so everything operates for a few hours in a power outage. The lot cost around £6k to install, but the VioStor can be used with just one HDD and others added later so if you use your existing cameras you could do it for £1,300.

I chose the VS4008 because I only needed eight cameras, and equipped it with 12TB of storage (4x3TB drives). It handles both audio and video recording, PTZ and scenes if the cameras support it, scheduled and alarm recording. It will configure the motion detection events on the cameras for you, which you can then use to adjust sensitivity and filter out light/shadow-triggers, adjust trigger zones, etc. That is managed via the cameras after the initial setup. The VioStor has a UI written in Java so it may work on your iPhone, if not then you can use any video app to view the actual files. It has apps for live monitoring and playback of scheduled or alarm recordings with the usual frame-level controls. It also has a comprehensive configuration UI that will automatically configure most IP cameras - but check the supported list before comitting.

 

[coopersim]

Wow! Thanks for the reply, sounds like a great system, unfortunately way out of my budget. I was looking at the following:

2 x Sony based CCD cameras (700 TVL)
1 x DVR - not sure which, this is my main problem
1 x LCD monitor
1 x 1tb HDD
2 x Powerlines to get LAN to location of DVR
1 x small UPS sub £100 type

I was ideally looking to spend around £300 max on this and really wanted to know what kind of budget DVR would do, and what the software is like?