Where to start?

[Naturescape IT Department]

This forum seems like it's populated with folks who really know their stuff, so I'm hoping some of you kind people can point us in the right direction! We're looking into setting up security cameras at a number of our offices, and are having quite the time trying to navigate the landscape of digital IP cameras for the first time, especially given the security issues that seem to plague IP cameras.

Can anyone recommend brands/systems that have good hardware at a reasonable price, ideally brands that are known to not be riddled with security holes? We'd like to choose a brand that we can continue to get good (and compatible) equipment from as we open new branches in the future. We're new to this, so any advice is welcome.

As far as details, we're looking into setting up PoE cameras (between 2 and 8 per location, depending on size), and having them record continuously to a device (DVR? NVR? Regular old computer?) located on-site. They don't need to be accessible on the internet, local network access is enough. Good quality in the dark is important, and as far as the best resolution/megapixels/quality, we're open to the wisdom of those who have gone before us.

 

[Fastb]

Welcome to the Forum.

Many newcomers to the forum ask questions similar to yours. You're lucky - the info is already hear, you just have to look it up. Also, since so many newbies ask the same general question, long time forum members get fatigued and don't answer. But they will answer more specific questions, once the newcomer has spent the time to get up the learning curve a bit.

Start here: Resource Guide on IP Technology for all Noobs

You're security minded. Good. Here's info on using a VPN for security and to avoid the pitfalls of back doors in cameras that gets lots of attention & concern:
VPN Primer for Noobs

I'd recommend sticking with Dahua or Hikvision. And going with one vendor (don't mix & match)

To research threads here, I like to use google, with a "switch" to only look at this web site (and avoid all the sites selling cams and such). Enter these search terms into Google:

site:ipcamtalk.com, help, newbie
site:ipcamtalk.com, noob, first system, advice
site:ipcamtalk.com, advice, low light performance

Picking the Field Of View (FOV) can be tricky. Many newbies think wide FOV is best, to "see everything". They learn later that identifying a person more than 10ft away is nearly impossible.
site:ipcamtalk.com, advice, low light performance
Advice please

Start reading, reading, reading!

Welcome again,
Fastb

 

[tangent]

Saying this is a bit of a broken record, but I'd point you to the varifocal starlight turret from Dahua. A 2mp starlight will give you good night performance.

Based on your username and description, I'm going to assume you actually work in the IT department and have a decent handle on networking. Most any cam could have security issues, they key is what you do to mitigate the risk. In the case of a company or organization with branch offices and such you may already have VPNs setup that run all the traffic from the remote sites through the corporate office. The main thing is what can you do to keep the camera off the net and keep unauthorized devices from talking to it. The obvious choice would be vlans and firewall rules. If you run a local time server there's no need for the cameras to have internet access at all.

 

[Naturescape IT Department]

Thanks for the resources! I'll dig in and climb up the learning curve!

 

[BlackLantern]

Thanks for the resources! I'll dig in and climb up the learning curve!

I'm right there with you man. I thought I was cool with my 3 Foscam cameras. Now I realize I've been a loser all along.

 

[VorlonFrog]

I'm right there with you man. I thought I was cool with my 3 Foscam cameras. Now I realize I've been a loser all along.

Nope, not a loser, just unaware of better options. We've all gotta start somewhere.