Hi everyone,
I've lurked on the forum off and on the last couple years. I'm an IT guy from Arlington, TX (down the street from the Cowboy Stadium). I currently have a half installed Samsung dome analog camera in place on a Samsung NVR. I've been researching off and on for the last couple years about what I want to do to replace it and do things better all around the house. I recently did major roof and eave/soffit work on the house and in the process, added a crap ton of boxes around the house with CAT6 and a few AC runs. I bought a Costco kit last year (LNB8005-c cams) to test/eval but I know there are better ways. (It's all still in the box except a single cam and the NVR.) Problem is, it's rather difficult to find a comprehensive amount of advice on a good solution, cam choice, etc. ipcamtalk is about as good as I've found.
Basically, I want to slowly set up around 8-10 IP cams around the house (eventually) starting with 3-4 in front. Maybe a LPR cam. I already have dedicated CAT6 wire run everywhere and I have several decent D-Link managed POE switches to power them in about 3 different areas. So, this means a dedicated/powered network just for the cams set on a dedicated network segment and second NIC in a dedicated PC (that will run BI).
I'm looking for the best IP cams for the money without going overboard. I'm not cheap, I'll spend what is needed, I just don't want to waste money. I don't think I need 8K, 16K, 64K, 128K or 256K cams or
PTZ that has a built-in taser. (/Sarcasm) In other words, I'm more interested in a high quality purposed image (maybe/prob just 2K) with the best sensor that requires a reasonable amount of storage space
rather than having something with outstanding resolution that I can't really put to use and just burns CPU, bandwidth, space, power, etc. So, a mature and solid solution, not the bleeding edge resolution
just for resolution's sake. (If a "4K" cam is the best cam for a particular spot, fine.) IE: I saw a discussion where the hfw-1831e was better than the 4831 that seemed to go along with my way of thinking.
I think I am sold on the BlueIris app and I buy and configure refurb enterprise PCs all the time. Likely a solid solution for NVR. And since I want to use BlueIris or any decent standard NVR app, I can't
really use the Lorex Costco cams as I am reading they are dedicated to the NVR they come with and won't talk to BlueIris without trying to hack the firmware.
I prefer dome and turret style for better security, appearance, etc but bullet will work in some locations if that's the best option. Cameras by driveway/front door I would prefer to be more secure since they are easier to see and reach. Also, do you guys have a decent/simple design app you use to lay out the camera coverage design? Something like Google Sketchup perhaps that works well for you to document/visualize the layouts for discussion, etc.
In summary, I'm looking for informed thoughts on...
1. Best ways/sources to buy cams
2. Best way to share needs in the forum (and where) to get informed opinions without wasting a lot of everyone's time.
- Design tools to share layouts, etc.
- Are pictures of area desired/preferred?
3. Advice on specific cam choices based on locations, desires, etc. This would obviously be new threads, etc.
This is a longer intro post than I wanted but now you know me and what I need. I'm tech savvy and solid on everything surrounding the cams (install, networking, IT, most spec terms, etc). I've read/skimmed the Cliff Notes and Guide Threads. I'm looking for detailed specifics/advice regarding cam/nvr selection and config. There are simply too many cams out there to pick the best ones, even if looking at only one or two brands. Experience is key for that. Oh, and if they make a PTZ with a built-in taser, let me know! LOL
Thanks!
Rusty
I've lurked on the forum off and on the last couple years. I'm an IT guy from Arlington, TX (down the street from the Cowboy Stadium). I currently have a half installed Samsung dome analog camera in place on a Samsung NVR. I've been researching off and on for the last couple years about what I want to do to replace it and do things better all around the house. I recently did major roof and eave/soffit work on the house and in the process, added a crap ton of boxes around the house with CAT6 and a few AC runs. I bought a Costco kit last year (LNB8005-c cams) to test/eval but I know there are better ways. (It's all still in the box except a single cam and the NVR.) Problem is, it's rather difficult to find a comprehensive amount of advice on a good solution, cam choice, etc. ipcamtalk is about as good as I've found.
Basically, I want to slowly set up around 8-10 IP cams around the house (eventually) starting with 3-4 in front. Maybe a LPR cam. I already have dedicated CAT6 wire run everywhere and I have several decent D-Link managed POE switches to power them in about 3 different areas. So, this means a dedicated/powered network just for the cams set on a dedicated network segment and second NIC in a dedicated PC (that will run BI).
I'm looking for the best IP cams for the money without going overboard. I'm not cheap, I'll spend what is needed, I just don't want to waste money. I don't think I need 8K, 16K, 64K, 128K or 256K cams or
PTZ that has a built-in taser. (/Sarcasm) In other words, I'm more interested in a high quality purposed image (maybe/prob just 2K) with the best sensor that requires a reasonable amount of storage space
rather than having something with outstanding resolution that I can't really put to use and just burns CPU, bandwidth, space, power, etc. So, a mature and solid solution, not the bleeding edge resolution
just for resolution's sake. (If a "4K" cam is the best cam for a particular spot, fine.) IE: I saw a discussion where the hfw-1831e was better than the 4831 that seemed to go along with my way of thinking.
I think I am sold on the BlueIris app and I buy and configure refurb enterprise PCs all the time. Likely a solid solution for NVR. And since I want to use BlueIris or any decent standard NVR app, I can't
really use the Lorex Costco cams as I am reading they are dedicated to the NVR they come with and won't talk to BlueIris without trying to hack the firmware.
I prefer dome and turret style for better security, appearance, etc but bullet will work in some locations if that's the best option. Cameras by driveway/front door I would prefer to be more secure since they are easier to see and reach. Also, do you guys have a decent/simple design app you use to lay out the camera coverage design? Something like Google Sketchup perhaps that works well for you to document/visualize the layouts for discussion, etc.
In summary, I'm looking for informed thoughts on...
1. Best ways/sources to buy cams
2. Best way to share needs in the forum (and where) to get informed opinions without wasting a lot of everyone's time.
- Design tools to share layouts, etc.
- Are pictures of area desired/preferred?
3. Advice on specific cam choices based on locations, desires, etc. This would obviously be new threads, etc.
This is a longer intro post than I wanted but now you know me and what I need. I'm tech savvy and solid on everything surrounding the cams (install, networking, IT, most spec terms, etc). I've read/skimmed the Cliff Notes and Guide Threads. I'm looking for detailed specifics/advice regarding cam/nvr selection and config. There are simply too many cams out there to pick the best ones, even if looking at only one or two brands. Experience is key for that. Oh, and if they make a PTZ with a built-in taser, let me know! LOL
Thanks!
Rusty
