New guy from Kansas City.

[Rocketman69]

Well, I guess I've already made a mistake by posting in another thread before posting an intro. As such, I made a suggestion that led another member to think I only registered to spam for a product, which was not the case.

Sooo…

My name is Gib. I live in KC, MO.....most of the time. I'm looking to install a camera system at my home, and I've got ZERO experience in this arena. Here's what I'm trying to accomplish:

1. A minimum of 8 exterior cameras to cover the perimeter of the house, possibly adding additional cameras inside the garage, inside the main entryway, and another in the basement utility room where all of the network/security/media/etc wiring is housed.
2. I want everything to be wired. While I love the ease of connecting to wi-fi, I don't want to deal with reliability issues.
   
3. P.O.E.....I already have to run a shitload of cable, so I'd rather it just be one Cat6 to each camera location without having to worry about additional power cables.
4. I want something that I can easily expand in the future. I have a shop at the back of my property that I would like perimeter coverage for, as well as at least one interior camera to keep an eye on my tools, tractor, etc.
5. Battery backup would be nice. We've only had one power outage in the last 3 years, but I would like the added confidence.

It seems like most of the folks here recommend the Dahua turret cams. I was hoping to get into this for a bit lower price tag, considering the number of cameras I need/want to buy, but I do understand that you get what you pay for. Does LOREX rebrand any of the Dahua turrets as their own at a lower price?

Am I better off using an NVR, or should I build a dedicated BlueIris PC to do my recording? If going that route, what kind of processor and mobo specs shoud I expect to need at a minimum? How easy is the software to configure for a camera noob?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer, and I look forward to learning a lot, and maybe someday actually being able to offer help of my own.

 

[mat200]

Well, I guess I've already made a mistake by posting in another thread before posting an intro. ..

My name is Gib. I live in KC, MO.....most of the time. I'm looking to install a camera system at my home, and I've got ZERO experience in this arena. Here's what I'm trying to accomplish:
..

It seems like most of the folks here recommend the Dahua turret cams. I was hoping to get into this for a bit lower price tag, considering the number of cameras I need/want to buy, but I do understand that you get what you pay for. Does LOREX rebrand any of the Dahua turrets as their own at a lower price?

Am I better off using an NVR, or should I build a dedicated BlueIris PC to do my recording? If going that route, what kind of processor and mobo specs shoud I expect to need at a minimum? How easy is the software to configure for a camera noob?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer, and I look forward to learning a lot, and maybe someday actually being able to offer help of my own.

Welcome @Rocketman69 Gib,

Do check out the cliff notes in the wiki as well as the Blue Iris notes there and of course the securing notes as they cover a lot of the questions you have.
IPCamTalk WiKi | IP Cam Talk

Also do look at the various Lorex threads here.

In terms of pricing and deals.. in general it is hard to find turrets in kit deals in the USA, and single unit pricing can be a significant sticker shock.

Thus many who are looking at lower cost setups often have to make some significant compromises. As most US consumers want wide FOV and over value MegaPixels over other performance factors the typical deal one will find are in kits which meet those buyers wishes. This means:

Wide FOV fixed lens bullet cameras seem to be the most typical compromise when buying a Kit in the USA from US based vendors. Often to keep the prices down the cameras in the kit maybe lower tier models.

If you know what to look for you can find some decent cameras in kits - just typically bullet cameras w/a fixed lens. ( and often about a 90 degree H FOV )

 

[looney2ns]

study the cliff notes.
Run two cables to each cam location, even if not needed currently.

Search is your friend, not being flippant, but the same questions have already been asked and answered multiple times this week.