Surveillance for Dummies

[rotorwash]

Therein lies the problem ... if its easy then it costs a lot. If it's cheap then its not easy.

This is the truth. I am a tinkerer and I almost always try to build first before I buy. Most of the time it's cheaper and way more satisfying to build it yourself. HOWEVER, when friends and family see what you have done, they want it too. I made mistakes in the past trying to replicate what I've done, only to be the one to troubleshoot and fix things when they don't work. If I had unlimited time, or my primary source of income was master tinkerer, it would not be a problem. I've started pointing people to off the shelf or boxed solutions that come with tech support. I don't mind providing help, advice, and guidance, but I just don't have the time to be tech support on top of it. Do you find you have the same problem?

 

[Inigo]

This is the truth. I am a tinkerer and I almost always try to build first before I buy. Most of the time it's cheaper and way more satisfying to build it yourself. HOWEVER, when friends and family see what you have done, they want it too. I made mistakes in the past trying to replicate what I've done, only to be the one to troubleshoot and fix things when they don't work. If I had unlimited time, or my primary source of income was master tinkerer, it would not be a problem. I've started pointing people to off the shelf or boxed solutions that come with tech support. I don't mind providing help, advice, and guidance, but I just don't have the time to be tech support on top of it. Do you find you have the same problem?

Yes. I ended up being the tech support for my neighbor's boxed system, but they also call me for tech support for their computer networking... They pay in bottles of wine, so it isn't all bad ;-)

 

[mrvelous01]

I did some research on the pre-packaged systems from Microcenter and Costco. My first plan was a Swann NVR (NVR8-7300) with 4 cameras for about $599 at Microcenter, then I found a similar Lorex package at Costco for $499. I went with the Lorex. The wiring was easy enough. The device found all cameras through a secondary POE switch and a Powerline Adapter and displayed live image on all cameras when I first connected it, but it kept complaining there was no "hard disk" installed. I figured if tech support couldn't walk me through it they would RMA it.

Lorex tech support and customer service is a joke. Every time I called either department I got the standard recording saying "wait time was in excess of 30 minutes, please leave your number and we'll call you". Each time I called it took on average 2.5-3 hours to call me back. In one case it was next day. They are grossly understaffed. After telling me 4 times it would not void my warranty, they had me open the box and reseat the HD harness. No help. Customer service said they would RMA the NVR in "10-14 business days". I reminded them it only took Costco 3 days to ship a new package to my house. I got nothing in reply. After waiting 5 days I told them I was calling Costco. No reply. Costco took 3 days to send me a new package (NVR, cameras, wires, etc) and even gave me a label to ship the dead one back free.

That was all well and good, but the new one was a bust, too. With the new NVR, cameras that worked on the first NVR no longer worked with the replacement. Wires that I previously tested no longer worked. Lorex system is a mess. That package is going back to Costco, too.

The next day I bought the Swann package from Microcenter. I pulled everything out of the box and had it running in 2 minutes. It's been running for 2 days now on my workbench with only a minor hitch registering their dynamic DNS and getting the port forwarding straight. The doc was a little light on that subject. I'll be pulling down the Lorex cameras and sending them back to Costco this week. Live and learn.

 

[Tehnicni]

I have 4 IP h264 ONVIF camera like these Review - TOP-201 Super Mini 720P HD IP-Cam (The Cheapest IP Cam So Far !!) One of them is 2M pixel.
What simple NVR do I need for motion detection recording? Cheap variants on Aliexpress do not have motion detection, for these one I'm not sure.
Motion Detection ONVIF CCTV NVR for IP Camera Full 1080P H.264 HDMI Output 8CH (4CH optional) Surveillance System NVR 4Channel-in Surveillance Video Recorder from Security & Protection on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group They have nice possibility to use both channel from camera.
I would like to record one channel at full video speed of 25fps, other with low fps.
Camera is on different switches in home ethernet network, so I need NVR with single ethernet port.