Need suggestion for simple home surveillance system - DVR and 4 cameras

[minc3d]

Hey everyone,

I have little experience with home surveillance systems but have a client looking to get their home rigged up with a DVR based system and 4 cameras outside of the home.

Anyone have any package systems they can recommend? There seems to be a flurry of choices out there and I don't even know where to begin in looking.

Few things that we need:

* DVR needs to be able to be wired to a router/switch so that it can be remotely viewed across the net
* DVR should be 500GB or larger
* Any other recommendations you can make are all welcome!

This client has been searching some ebay listings and is pretty set on going with one of the $350-450 packages on there FYI. If I can find something in this range or less it would be great. If the system is more, I just have to justify what it offers.

Thanks guys!

 

[mjbasford]

At that price point, those ebay or costco package deals are the best way to go. Not the best systems, but a "good" system runs much more. For low price, look into Speco, decent product at lower prices. Explain the concept of you get what you pay for to the customer.

Personally, I use GE dvrs and wizkid cameras, but both are pricey.

 

[minc3d]

Many thanks, I will look into these. I already hinted to the customer that the surveillance market is a "you get what you pay for" kind of industry, as I have some experience with industrial level IP webcams and this holds true to the greatest extent for merely cameras.

I didn't expect different from outside cameras or DVRs.

Thanks for the insight and if anyone has any more info, please pass along.

 

[Checkmate]

I like the Night Owl Eagle Eye-1984500. Tiger has for 700, includes 3G capable to check via phone, 19" monitor w/ DVR built-in. 500GB HDD for storage, 4 Color/Night cameras. Have a brochure if you want it, PM me

 

[JD1248]

This is my supplier. They have some nice surveillance stuff. I've never installed any of it so I can't help you there. The prices are very reasonable, but you will need to open an account to see pricing and order. http://www.leadertechusa.com/

 

[minc3d]

Checkmate, I am looking into the Night Owl you recommended and will likely be getting that for the customer. I am not looking to open any accounts right now with Leadertech but have heard of them.

For the price and specs, I think that Night Owl is pretty nice. Thanks for the recommendation! They have a Tiger Direct store around here so I may drive over and have a look myself.

 

[Alan22]

When looking for a surveillance system there are several questions I like to ask and they all stem from the very first question: What will it be used for?

From your post it appears your client wants to place 4 cameras outside. There are a number of considerations when installing outside cameras, but I'm only going to touch on some of the basics.

The main issue, in my opinion, is weather. I see you're in Chicago. Will the cameras in those packages be able to withstand a Chicago winter? You may want to consider cameras & enclosures with built in heaters and hoods to prevent raindrops on the lens. Also, I'm sure the summers can get hot. Will any of the cameras be placed in direct sunlight? May want to consider cameras/enclosures with built in fan. Bottom line, look at the operating temps of whatever cameras are chosen and keep them within those operating temps.

Is night viewing critical? There are cameras with built-in IR, but be cautious and read the specs. Many cameras don't illuminate so great. The camera may cover a large area, but only a small area may be illuminated by the IR or the IR covers a short distance. The IR also tends to attract bugs, which in turn attracts spiders that build webs around the lens to catch the bugs. May want to consider a separate IR illuminater placed about a foot away from the camera. Another consideration is motion activated lights at night.

Many cheap cameras do not handle bright sunlight and darkness very well. During the day all you see is a ball of white and at night it's all black. Also, sometimes they don't handle changes in color very well, like if half the area is brightly lit and the other half shaded.

The cameras usually seen in those package deals are fixed lens. Usually 3.8mm. I like 3.8mm lenses and use them all the time, but if the camera is placed far away from the subject area you'll be able to record what's going on, but the video may not be good for identification purposes because the subject is too far away. You may want to consider varifocal cameras so the zoom can be set. Alot of the varifocal cameras I get are from 2.8mm-10.5mm.

Everything comes with experience and many questions arise after a system is purchased and installed. Questions like:
- Why is the color so bad - that's supposed to be red, not pink/orange.
- Everything looks far away, can't we zoom in?
- Sometimes the sun hits the camera and it's blinding, how can we prevent that?
- These are supposed to be color cameras. How come the image turns black & white sometimes?
- There are spider webs on the lenses, how can I prevent that?

These are just a few things to consider. The best advice I can give is to learn a bit about the technologies available before making a purchase. When all is said and done that inexpensive system may end up costing a whole lot more than anticipated when it's realized that it may not be the right tool for the job. Usually this is realized when something happens and video is needed for evidence, then guess what, the recorded video is crap and worthless.