Newbie assistance

[pcolajim]

Although I am fairly technology oriented, I am not familiar with surveillance cameras and setups.
This is what I want to do--I want to install one outdoor camera and record to a dedicated, stand alone desktop computer. (Later, this year or next, I may want to add a second outdoor camera. But for the time being just one. ) Of course, I want the camera to be motion activated and to operate 24/7. I can hard wire the camera with ethernet and power cables as necessary, that will not be a problem. I want Internet access to the camera (phone, remote computer) and/or any recordings. I plan to install a motion sensor flood light above the camera on the assumption that both light and camera will activate roughly at the same time. I have been researching, but unfortunately what I am finding is confusing. My questions are: is my plan feasible, what hardware and software do I need, and how do I connect it all up? Installation and running wire/cable are not a problem. Thank you in advance for any input or advice.

 

[aristobrat]

Some things to consider:

If you're not familiar with PoE, it's possible to run power over ethernet cables, so you'll probably only need to wire an ethernet cable to the camera.

Motion detection on cameras (even the pro-grade Dahua/Hik models that folks here use the most) isn't 100% accurate, so the best practice is to record 24/7 and let the camera note on the recording where the motion events are. A lot of folks here (including myself) have learned this lesson the hard way. It really sucks when something bad happens, and then it sucks even more when you realize that your camera didn't record it. Another case to make for recording 24/7 is that sometimes you want to see what happened before and after a motion event... was someone loitering outside of the motion detection zones for awhile before moving in, etc.

When you add a motion sensor flood light to the scene, when that light trips on it will take the camera a second or two to adjust to the new brightness. While the camera is adjusting, the quality of the video isn't probably going to be useful.

If you want to record to a dedicated, stand alone computer there is a pretty cool program called Blue Iris that does that. Blue Iris will manage the recordings/alerts clips on the PC, can alert you when alerts happen, and you can connect to it from inside your house (or from over the Internet) to review/watch clips.

The most popular cameras used by folks here are from Dahua/Hikvision, typically because those two manufactures get the latest low-light technology years before consumer brands like Amcrest, Lorex, Ring, Arlo, etc do. Dahua/Hikvision's normal sales model is that authorized resellers/installers normally design, install and support the product for consumers. It's pretty easy to by-pass that "middle-man" model and by the cameras direct (the forum here has a few trusted ways that thousands of folks here have used over the years) but it's on you to figure out which camera model(s) will work best for you.

There's a lot of great info compiled into something called the Cliff Notes, ... best to review it on a computer, not a mobile device. @SouthernYankee should be along shortly to give you a great post with some specific cameras to take a peek at.

The forum here a TON of helpful folks willing to give advise/lend a hand for any specific questions you have as you do your research. This might feel a bit like rocket science coming into it, but if you're technology-oriented, you'll probably end up having a little fun.

 

[pcolajim]

Some things to consider:

If you're not familiar with PoE, it's possible to run power over ethernet cables, so you'll probably only need to wire an ethernet cable to the camera.

Motion detection on cameras (even the pro-grade Dahua/Hik models that folks here use the most) isn't 100% accurate, so the best practice is to record 24/7 and let the camera note on the recording where the motion events are. A lot of folks here (including myself) have learned this lesson the hard way. It really sucks when something bad happens, and then it sucks even more when you realize that your camera didn't record it. Another case to make for recording 24/7 is that sometimes you want to see what happened before and after a motion event... was someone loitering outside of the motion detection zones for awhile before moving in, etc.

When you add a motion sensor flood light to the scene, when that light trips on it will take the camera a second or two to adjust to the new brightness. While the camera is adjusting, the quality of the video isn't probably going to be useful.

If you want to record to a dedicated, stand alone computer there is a pretty cool program called Blue Iris that does that. Blue Iris will manage the recordings/alerts clips on the PC, can alert you when alerts happen, and you can connect to it from inside your house (or from over the Internet) to review/watch clips.

The most popular cameras used by folks here are from Dahua/Hikvision, typically because those two manufactures get the latest low-light technology years before consumer brands like Amcrest, Lorex, Ring, Arlo, etc do. Dahua/Hikvision's normal sales model is that authorized resellers/installers normally design, install and support the product for consumers. It's pretty easy to by-pass that "middle-man" model and by the cameras direct (the forum here has a few trusted ways that thousands of folks here have used over the years) but it's on you to figure out which camera model(s) will work best for you.

There's a lot of great info compiled into something called the Cliff Notes, ... best to review it on a computer, not a mobile device. @SouthernYankee should be along shortly to give you a great post with some specific cameras to take a peek at.

The forum here a TON of helpful folks willing to give advise/lend a hand for any specific questions you have as you do your research. This might feel a bit like rocket science coming into it, but if you're technology-oriented, you'll probably end up having a little fun.

Thank you Aristobrat (I like that name!) for the info, it's quite helpful. I understand most of what you said, and my biggest concern was having the right camera and being able to feed it to the dedicated PC. I'm not too concerned about motion activation vs 24/7. I'm basically just trying to cover a dark area of the front yard. We're in a pretty quiet cul de sac. If I do 24/7, I'm guessing I can set it to record over existing video if it becomes necessary.

 

[looney2ns]

Thank you Aristobrat (I like that name!) for the info, it's quite helpful. I understand most of what you said, and my biggest concern was having the right camera and being able to feed it to the dedicated PC. I'm not too concerned about motion activation vs 24/7. I'm basically just trying to cover a dark area of the front yard. We're in a pretty quiet cul de sac. If I do 24/7, I'm guessing I can set it to record over existing video if it becomes necessary.

Courtesy of @SouthernYankee see PDF attachment.

 

[aristobrat]

With Blue Iris, it's easy to have all of the recordings go into one folder on the HDD and then have the oldest recordings be overwritten after the folder hits a certain size.

As for feeding a camera into the PC, the usual way is via a PoE switch, which is a network switch capable of sending power across an ethernet cable if the device on the far end asks for it. The most simple setup would be to connect your camera(s) and your dedicated PC into open ports on the PoE switch, then use an ethernet cable to plug the PoE switch into one of your router's open ports. This creates a flat network where all devices on your network (including the cameras) can talk to each other, as well as access the Internet. Some folks don't like the idea of gadgets being able to talk to everything on their network (and additionally don't want the gadgets to be able to access the Internet). If you're interested in a network setup like that, just give a shout and we can add some more info for that.

How far is the dark area you're trying to cover from where the camera will be mounted on the house? There are a couple of good low-light cameras folks can recommend, but the distance you're covering will help narrow that list down.

 

[samplenhold]

Welcome to the forum.

my biggest concern was having the right camera

Ultimately it is you that has to decide on which cam is right for your specific deployment. But, for anyone here to give recommendations, you will have to give very specific info. A picture of the area and where you expect to mount said cam would help. A little more specific info on what you expect to get from having that cam there is also important. Examples include: just want an overview of the area to watch/check on, but do not want to be able to get a good face shot for ID, Really want to get a good face shot of anyone in that area night or day.

Having motion activated lights is hit or miss. Some have had good captures using them (@bigredfish I think does this) but they usually have a lot of white light already so the cam does not really take time to respond. Others have had no luck since the cams take a few seconds to respond to the increase in light.

Good luck and keep asking questions on things you do not understand.

 

[SouthernYankee]

Provide pictures of the camera mounting area, and the area your are trying to cover.


16) POE list PoE Switch Suggestion List
17) Camera Sensor size, bigger is general better Sensor Size Chart
18) Camera lens size, a bigger number give more range but less field of view. Which Security Camera Lens Size Should I Buy?

Cameras to look at
IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED . Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+) - 4MP starlight
.................... Dahua IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED review
IPC-T5442TM-AS ..... Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ - 4MP starlight+
IPC-B5442E-ZE ...... Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+

 

[pcolajim]

Thank you, you are all very helpful. I will post pics of the installation area tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[pcolajim]

Thank you, you are all very helpful. I will post pics of the installation area tomorrow. Thanks.

A little delayed, but this is the location. Front yard on a quiet street in a cul de sac. Trees make this end of the yard dark at night. At the other end of the front yard is a bright street light illuminating drive, garage and front door area. My thought is to mount motion sensor flood light on the fascia at the peak of the roof, and a camera set back on the soffit below. From the camera to the room where hardware is located is a very short distance , maybe 15' across and 10' down. What are your thoughts? Thanks again.

 

[pcolajim]

A little delayed, but this is the location. Front yard on a quiet street in a cul de sac. Trees make this end of the yard dark at night. At the other end of the front yard is a bright street light illuminating drive, garage and front door area. My thought is to mount motion sensor flood light on the fascia at the peak of the roof, and a camera set back on the soffit below. From the camera to the room where hardware is located is a very short distance , maybe 15' across and 10' down. What are your thoughts? Thanks again.

Sorry, it helps to add the pics....