Budget System Advice

S

sloppydogdrool

n3wb
Oct 16, 2019
8
2
Florida
I need a cheap camera system for my restaurant that I can install easily and will be flexible. My current system is mostly cat5 with 12 year old cameras connected to a synology device. The Cameras have local power at the cameras so NO POE. There are a couple wireless cameras. The resolution is only something like 420 or 480 and the frame rate is bad because it is no where near smooth. It would be nice to have enough resolution to tell the difference between two similar staff members. The system I have is over 12 years old and buggy and flaky works off and on. I don't necessarily even need DVR. I just need to see from my office or remotely that my customers are being taken care of and my staff is not overwhelmed. I need this on a budget. Running new wiring is NOT easy. No hidden access so anything running needs to be creatively hidden and the with all the angles and such it is really difficult. So I want to use the existing cat5 and wireless on some cameras. I have heavy wifi coverage. My internet is OK but not super so cloud service is not a good option either.

I planned to use:
Blue Iris
For a server, HP Proliant ML350 G6 Dual 3.06GHz Hex Core Xeon (X5675) processors, 96GB RAM, dual 1TB 10K SAS drives, Windows 10 or server 2012.
Cameras 12 - 16 cameras. Looking at these models.
Amcrest IP8M-2493EW
Amcrest IP3M-941B
Amcrest IP4M-1051B
Amcrest 2PACK-IP4M-1051B
Foscam R2C
Foscam R4S

Am I on the right track? Is the server powerful enough? Any advice is appreciated.
 
Do not use a xeon processor . That thing is a room heater, I do not believe BI will even use the second CPU. Those CPU do not support hard wase acceleration and there is no GPU. All you need is bi is no more that 16 GB memory. Most small systems use 8 GB. You will need at least a 8 TB WD purple disk drive or more depending on your recording History requirements.

I stick with two camera manufacturers Dahua and Hikvision. Most other cameras use these manufactures, with less software. Do not use Foscam.

Use Dahua starlight cameras or Hikvision darkfighter cameras if you need good low light cameras. If the cameras are inside and have a lot of light you can look at 8MP or 4K cameras.


Cameras to look at
IPC-HDW2231R-ZS Review-Dahua IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS Starlight Camera-Varifocal
IPC-HDW5231-ZE Review-Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE
IPC-HFW4239T-ASE IPC-HFW4239T-ASE
IPC-T5442TM-AS Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+)
IPCT-HDW5431RE-I Review - IP Cam Talk 4 MP IR Fixed Turret Network Camera
DS-2CD2325FWD-I
IPC-T5442TM-AS Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ - 4MP starlight+

Other dahua 4MP starlight Dahua 4MP Starlight Lineup
 
IMO you need to get this done by a professional.
There are more pros than cons for getting this setup done in the correct manner.It does not have to cost a fortune.
If the new system lasts another 12 years its not going to cost you much more than $1-2 per day.
There are a few guys on IPCT, in your area, that could do this for you.
 
SouthernYankee, is there a particular processor you would recommend? I don't necessarily need recording. In 12 years I've never used it. Only thing we use the cameras for are making sure the staff is working in the appropriate areas. Keeping an eye on traffic and operations in the facility.

What is the problem with the cheap cameras? I'm trying to put this together on a budget. Is it possible or am I just wasting my time and should stick with what I have?
 
sloppydogdrool said:
For a server, HP Proliant ML350 G6 Dual 3.06GHz Hex Core Xeon (X5675) processors, 96GB RAM, dual 1TB 10K SAS drives, Windows 10 or server 2012.
Click to expand...
Don't forget to take a look at the IPCT Wiki.

IP Cam Talk Cliff Notes

Information in this section was contributed by [URL='https://ipcamtalk.com/members/mat200.29441/'][COLOR=#0000b3]@matt200[/COLOR][/URL] and [URL='https://ipcamtalk.com/members/giomania.36271/'][COLOR=#0000b3]@giomania [/COLOR][/URL] [/LIST] Any dedicated manufacturer NVR should match...
ipcamtalk.com ipcamtalk.com

Choosing Hardware for Blue Iris

Buy refurbished. Don't build or buy new. The most cost-effective Blue Iris computers are refurbished business-class systems such as "HP EliteDesk" and "Dell OptiPlex". You can usually get a good deal by searching [URL='http://www.ebay.com/']Ebay[/URL] for specific CPU model numbers, and...
ipcamtalk.com ipcamtalk.com
 
If you are not doing motion detection or any recording, just viewing. Then any mid range CPU . If going inexpensive look at an i5-4570 on Ebay at lease 8GB memory, remember this recommendation is based on view only 12 to 16 1080P cameras.

The cheap cameras will work for view only in good light. I recommend turret cameras. I do not like dome cameras as they get dirty and reflect light. Bullet cameras I guess are ok for inside, i have one mounted in the garage,they are not recommended for outside as they collect bugs and dirt. No pan tilt cameras, In real life they are useless, who is going to seat there and move them around, I would go wil more fixed mount cameras.

If using wifi cameras only use a seperate wifi network SID and channel. It is easy to overload a wifi network with the cameras. The wifi on some cameras at 2.4 or 5 GHZ is not very good. I use no wifi, but I have a security point of view.

For me I would be recording the front door, cash register (unless i am the only person using it) and delivery door, which means a fasted CPU and disk drive, but then again I am paranoid.

Choosing Hardware for Blue Iris

Buy refurbished. Don't build or buy new. The most cost-effective Blue Iris computers are refurbished business-class systems such as "HP EliteDesk" and "Dell OptiPlex". You can usually get a good deal by searching [URL='http://www.ebay.com/']Ebay[/URL] for specific CPU model numbers, and...
ipcamtalk.com ipcamtalk.com
 
  • Like
Reactions: sloppydogdrool
Thank you SoutherYankee. That information really helps. Also thank you Pinko for the links.

I am mostly hardwired for network and power but a few cameras have to be wireless. I set out to spend $50 per camera but I woudn't mind spending $70 to get 4MP cameras. The increased resolution would work out nice in some areas like the outdoor seating. Register really is not a big concern and there are other ways to manage that.

In so far as a server I was thinking of something like this after reading some of the links provided by Pinko........
HP Z240, i7 6700 3.4GHz, 1TB SSD, 16GB DDR4, Windows 10 Pro, onboard video and whatever size surveillance drive I pick.

Would this be crisp enough to handle 12 - 16 of 4mp cameras?
 
@EMPIRETECANDY is going to restock and introduce some cheaper models (good quality of course) for the price range you're aiming for. You should message Andy to check the status

sloppydogdrool said:
Thank you SoutherYankee. That information really helps. Also thank you Pinko for the links.

I am mostly hardwired for network and power but a few cameras have to be wireless. I set out to spend $50 per camera but I woudn't mind spending $70 to get 4MP cameras. The increased resolution would work out nice in some areas like the outdoor seating. Register really is not a big concern and there are other ways to manage that.

In so far as a server I was thinking of something like this after reading some of the links provided by Pinko........
HP Z240, i7 6700 3.4GHz, 1TB SSD, 16GB DDR4, Windows 10 Pro, onboard video and whatever size surveillance drive I pick.

Would this be crisp enough to handle 12 - 16 of 4mp cameras?
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom