FrankenCub
.338 Win Mag
Those cameras, aimed through windows at night don't work so well. The IR illumination LEDs reflect off the glass and completely blurs the image. They'd be better off mounting them outside.
Security Camera Thread - Home Solution Write Up
- Thread starter NYGuns
- Start date
Cleck
.308 Win
Don't take me completely literally. I'm sure some will mount them outside, and some will mount them inside, with an outside light shining where they want to watch.
He's right though, the IR light will bounce / reflect off the glass and won't be able to see outside at night.
Cleck
.308 Win
Oh, I know. I have a coworker who does this with one at his apartment complex to watch his walkway or parking spot. Either the IR's don't come on, or he doesn't have them (might be a primarily indoor unit), but it works for him.
I'm assuming most of the people who want a camera will have it up outside
I'm assuming most of the people who want a camera will have it up outside
If you point a camera outside then make sure to disable IR all together and the outside area has to be very well lit.
Cleck
.308 Win
So what my neighbor did was buy a generic NVR and he figured out what standard it used for recording. In this case, I guess ONVIF. He just tossed an old 1TB hard drive into it, they have 3 cheap cameras that they have focused on their cars, front sidewalk, and front door. Outdoor light provides light for the front door, and ambient light supplements whatever the other 2 cameras have for NV capabilities. I took a look on their TV and phone for functionality, and I'm all about it. If anything, I'll upgrade to a better camera, but I'd even be happy w/ these for now. I see even this model comes in 3, 4, 5, and 8 MP. Thinking of just 1 1.3 for the cars (which are covered by fantastic floodlights in the back) and maybe a 3 for the front, which has bright light, but not a floodlight.
I'd have to find a hard drive, and a new NVR.
Here's what he has to say, "The NVR we have is no longer available on Amazon, but it was $40 when I purchased it. You may still be able to find a generic NVR online (here's a new one I found). The cameras use the ONVIF standard, so they were compatible with this NVR. When I was shopping for a recorder, the most frustrating thing was how each camera manufacturer pushed their own NVR products. understanding what cameras and what recorders were compatible was pretty confusing. By going with a camera that used the ONVIF standard, I was able able to use a more affordable, generic recorder. Most of the cheap NVR boxes don't come with a hard drive. I had an old 1 TB hard drive and used it in ours. We have 3 cameras, I'm not picky about the motion settings, and we still have video going back to January 1. Once the hard drive is filled, it automatically deletes old content as new video is recorded."
I'd have to find a hard drive, and a new NVR.
Here's what he has to say, "The NVR we have is no longer available on Amazon, but it was $40 when I purchased it. You may still be able to find a generic NVR online (here's a new one I found). The cameras use the ONVIF standard, so they were compatible with this NVR. When I was shopping for a recorder, the most frustrating thing was how each camera manufacturer pushed their own NVR products. understanding what cameras and what recorders were compatible was pretty confusing. By going with a camera that used the ONVIF standard, I was able able to use a more affordable, generic recorder. Most of the cheap NVR boxes don't come with a hard drive. I had an old 1 TB hard drive and used it in ours. We have 3 cameras, I'm not picky about the motion settings, and we still have video going back to January 1. Once the hard drive is filled, it automatically deletes old content as new video is recorded."
Cleck
.308 Win
My stuff has started coming in.
NVR: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X4UDCYE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Camera (2): https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C1MR3JJ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Just waiting for a deal to happen on my hard drive and POE switch. The cameras were originally $85 each, then they dropped $5 and I had a 5% coupon, so I got them for $155 to my door. Pretty happy w/ that.
Once I get it all, NF is gonna help me run the wires for it
NVR: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X4UDCYE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Camera (2): https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C1MR3JJ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Just waiting for a deal to happen on my hard drive and POE switch. The cameras were originally $85 each, then they dropped $5 and I had a 5% coupon, so I got them for $155 to my door. Pretty happy w/ that.
Once I get it all, NF is gonna help me run the wires for it
Cleck
.308 Win
@NYGuns Finally ordered my hard drive and switch today, so now looking into the software side of the NVR setup. I have an Amcrest NVR which comes w/ its own software. Before I even bother putting that on; do I wanna try Blue Iris or another software you recommend? I'm probably gonna sign up for that site first but would definitely want your insight on using Blue Iris vs this provided software - pros, cons, instructions, etc.
Edit: well nvm about BI then, lol. I guess it's only for PCs. Since I am going with the NVR setup, I wasn't sure if there was a better software to use in conjunction w/ my Amcrest NVR, or if I have to use it.
Edit2: many lolz after reading the site and some member's views towards the cameras I bought. Hopefully, they're not junk! I'm just going for the same quality that my neighbor got out of his system using cheaper cameras with less resolution.
Edit: well nvm about BI then, lol. I guess it's only for PCs. Since I am going with the NVR setup, I wasn't sure if there was a better software to use in conjunction w/ my Amcrest NVR, or if I have to use it.
Edit2: many lolz after reading the site and some member's views towards the cameras I bought. Hopefully, they're not junk! I'm just going for the same quality that my neighbor got out of his system using cheaper cameras with less resolution.
Last edited:
Cleck
.308 Win
I set everything up last night, was mostly easy. Once I figured out how to find the camera feed/login to it, everything was easy after. Did a test run in the house, messed around w/ the IR a little bit, and even got a chance to work w/ the recording functions of the NVR software. I'm pretty impressed so far, @NirvanaFan and I are going to actually wire them up and place them outside tomorrow. So far, just glad that everything works and I figured it out 
MikeyCNY
6.5 Creedmoor
I'd like to install a small security camera system, but the fiance said no because this isn't our permanent house.. tried to tell her it's a good selling point, but we already replaced the siding and windows so it has great curb appeal. (probably also leaving the safe unless I hire pros to move it...)
I still keep an eye out for deals.. even if I went small for this house to get ideas/experience for the next..
I still keep an eye out for deals.. even if I went small for this house to get ideas/experience for the next..
Cleck
.308 Win
My system was pretty cheap, the most expensive was the two cameras. I have yet to see how they'll work outside, until tomorrow. All in all, because I'm getting a deal on the wiring, I spent $298.48 on this system for two cams, 1 nvr, 1 hard drive, and 1 poe switch. I found the stuff I wanted on Amazon and let them sit in my wishlists until they went on sale, or a coupon became available.
A friend of mine bought a system from FLIR. It's wifi, but you can add cams to the system easily, you can share them, the video quality is great, and it has a nice feature if the power does go out. They stay online for another 6-12hrs I think. I can't remember the details on that one.
This was cheap enough though to do wired, and so far it seems alright. Time will tell, maybe I'll change certain components so I can add more cams or a better/bigger NVR, but we'll see when that comes.
A friend of mine bought a system from FLIR. It's wifi, but you can add cams to the system easily, you can share them, the video quality is great, and it has a nice feature if the power does go out. They stay online for another 6-12hrs I think. I can't remember the details on that one.
This was cheap enough though to do wired, and so far it seems alright. Time will tell, maybe I'll change certain components so I can add more cams or a better/bigger NVR, but we'll see when that comes.
MikeyCNY
6.5 Creedmoor
Ideally I'd want a system I could link to a tablet (and even check on my phone).. what options for that exist that aren't through the roof? The tablet would be mounted on a wall (bedroom, etc).
Bob
6.5 Creedmoor
The system that I have set up (three HikVision IP cams + Blue Iris) allows the above. I can watch the cams from a web browser anywhere on the internet. I can watch and have control over the cams from the Blue Iris app for my phone and my iPad. I also have an IP camera app running on all of my Roku boxes so I can monitor the cams from any of my TVs, including one in the shed/workshop.
Cleck
.308 Win
Yeah, most systems now have that functionality to view remotely, on a mobile device, etc. I just downloaded the app for my NVR, which is actually hooked up to my tv downstairs. Once we get them wired up and running outside, then I'll configure the remote access so I can check in from work
There is a major Blue Iris Tools update being released soon. The new version has remote / cloud capabilities and a bunch more features. Are you still using BIT?
Cleck
.308 Win
I got one of the cams setup over the cars today, ran the wiring and got it going. Gotta tweak it a bit. The led floodlight to the right-bottom of it isn't enough to keep it in color at night. The led motion light on the garage 60+ feet away causes some glare. The floodlight or the angle of the camera with the IR reflects weirdly off the tail light of my wife's car. Still playing with it. Still gotta setup the front one.
I'm laying in bed, watching everything on my phone. Not bad.
I'm laying in bed, watching everything on my phone. Not bad.
Bob
6.5 Creedmoor
I am back to using it now. The last update resolved some of the significant stability problems that forced me to abandon it for a while. I use it primarily for DDNS, weather, and restarting when the system crashes.
Cleck
.308 Win
So now that I have a few of the cameras up, I can share my experience with the non-name brand stuff.
I bought some Chinesium cameras on Amazon. They had good reviews and the pics looked great, they weren't too cheap, but I guess compared to "better" ones, they were/are. With sale and a coupon, got 2 for $75 each.
The reviews looked alright, the construction looked alright, so I figured maybe the quality of the video would not be as crisp, but I wasn't gonna go with some $150/ea camera. Get what you pay for I figured. Get them added to my system to test them, and they look alright, I left them hooked up in my basement so I could configure the NVR. Two days later I notice one has a blurry spot on the video. Go check it out, and sure enough, looks like a fingerprint, until I go to wipe it off. Whatever it is, it's clearly on the inside of the cap over the camera lens. Looks like condensation. Turns out the IR sensors get warm the temperature difference between the body and the outside causes condensation buildup (I guess).
Very noticeable on camera too:
So I email China back through their Amazon store (return period had expired since I bought things as they came on sale) and tell them what's up. China says no problem, those must have been a bad batch, keep those, we're sending replacements out immediately. Two days later, 2 new ones show up. Ok, cool. Hook em up, and the problem persists, but on a much smaller scale. One of the ones that was originally doing it when I got it stopped doing it. Since I got new ones, I figure what the hell? Let's open these up and see if we can fix something. Typical Chinesium, you can take it apart, but not much of it comes out. The lens has a seal on it, the rear cap has a nice rubber plug that press-fits into the body around the cable, they're not horribly built. Best we figure to do is get some rain-x applied to the inside lens and go from there. Do that to both, and the results seem alright so far. I would watch the feed playback from overnight and the fogging would happen between 12-4am, and it would vary but eventually go away during the day. So far so good, and this is what images I get (screenshots pulled from my phone):
(back lights not on)
For what it is, I'm alright with it. I'll rain-x the new ones prematurely and just deal with whatever happens. I got 4 cameras for 2. The NVR software was easy to set up, the phone app is fairly easy to use, now I just need to configure my pc for remote use. Everything is stored to a 1TB WD Blue hard drive, I have schedules running for recording/motion detection, and I just have to tweak a few things. I think I'm gonna set one more up facing down my driveway, and maybe one more on the front of the house looking the opposite way of the other one. For $300 and some ladder climbing, it's not the worst thing, lol. It's no Hikvision, but hopefully my fix works and these hold up.
Only thing now that I've noticed is that the NVR is a 4 channel unit that displays two cameras at 1080p and then steps the rest down to 720p when you add more. I may upgrade to a bigger one so all feeds are 1080p sometime in the future.
I bought some Chinesium cameras on Amazon. They had good reviews and the pics looked great, they weren't too cheap, but I guess compared to "better" ones, they were/are. With sale and a coupon, got 2 for $75 each.
The reviews looked alright, the construction looked alright, so I figured maybe the quality of the video would not be as crisp, but I wasn't gonna go with some $150/ea camera. Get what you pay for I figured. Get them added to my system to test them, and they look alright, I left them hooked up in my basement so I could configure the NVR. Two days later I notice one has a blurry spot on the video. Go check it out, and sure enough, looks like a fingerprint, until I go to wipe it off. Whatever it is, it's clearly on the inside of the cap over the camera lens. Looks like condensation. Turns out the IR sensors get warm the temperature difference between the body and the outside causes condensation buildup (I guess).
Very noticeable on camera too:
So I email China back through their Amazon store (return period had expired since I bought things as they came on sale) and tell them what's up. China says no problem, those must have been a bad batch, keep those, we're sending replacements out immediately. Two days later, 2 new ones show up. Ok, cool. Hook em up, and the problem persists, but on a much smaller scale. One of the ones that was originally doing it when I got it stopped doing it. Since I got new ones, I figure what the hell? Let's open these up and see if we can fix something. Typical Chinesium, you can take it apart, but not much of it comes out. The lens has a seal on it, the rear cap has a nice rubber plug that press-fits into the body around the cable, they're not horribly built. Best we figure to do is get some rain-x applied to the inside lens and go from there. Do that to both, and the results seem alright so far. I would watch the feed playback from overnight and the fogging would happen between 12-4am, and it would vary but eventually go away during the day. So far so good, and this is what images I get (screenshots pulled from my phone):
(back lights not on)
For what it is, I'm alright with it. I'll rain-x the new ones prematurely and just deal with whatever happens. I got 4 cameras for 2. The NVR software was easy to set up, the phone app is fairly easy to use, now I just need to configure my pc for remote use. Everything is stored to a 1TB WD Blue hard drive, I have schedules running for recording/motion detection, and I just have to tweak a few things. I think I'm gonna set one more up facing down my driveway, and maybe one more on the front of the house looking the opposite way of the other one. For $300 and some ladder climbing, it's not the worst thing, lol. It's no Hikvision, but hopefully my fix works and these hold up.
Only thing now that I've noticed is that the NVR is a 4 channel unit that displays two cameras at 1080p and then steps the rest down to 720p when you add more. I may upgrade to a bigger one so all feeds are 1080p sometime in the future.
Thanks for the review @Cleck...Not to be a jerk, but this is the exact reason I always stress do not buy cheap / no-name cameras!!! Not to be the bearer of bad news, but those cameras are not going to last you more than a year, 2 max While the RainX may work now, that's not a solution to fix a manufacturer issue and in my years of being in the industry I have never heard anyone have to do that to a brand new camera. The condensation inside the camera will eventually be the demise of it. Go on Amazon chat and beg the rep helping you to return those cameras!!! Tell them the issue and that the replacement has the same issue. If you're Prime that will help your cause.
DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON SECURITY CAMERAS AND DO NOT GET NO NAME CAMERAS!!!!!!!
DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON SECURITY CAMERAS AND DO NOT GET NO NAME CAMERAS!!!!!!!
Cleck
.308 Win
Yeah, just kind of the stubborn side of me saying, "I'm not spending $300 on just cameras, lol." Stupid amazon reviews too. Sometimes ya just gotta find out for yourself. Neighbor has been running some Hikvision knock-off for years now, no issues. I hate stories like that, and then I get stuck w/ the shit end of the stick, like why can't I just slide by? haha.
I think the 4MP Hikvision cameras you posted in the beginning of this thread are only $100, so I'll be looking at those and whatever other similar ones.
Aside from Hikvision, any other brands you suggest?
I think the 4MP Hikvision cameras you posted in the beginning of this thread are only $100, so I'll be looking at those and whatever other similar ones.
Aside from Hikvision, any other brands you suggest?
Yes, there are some Dahua low lights on the market right now that a vendor on IP Cam Talk named EMPIRETECANDY that sells them, they actually are better than the Hik's right now and aren't expensive. As long as your NVR is ONVIF compatible then it will be able to handle the Dahua starlights. What NVR are you using? Send me links to everything you got ASAP so I can help rectify this.
Seriously, go on Amazon chat please and try to return everything. If you can return the NVR too, do it. I'll link you to stuff that will be similar in price, last forever and not be shitty.
You need some external IR Illuminators pretty badly. Check these out http://go.ipcamtalk.com/ir
Cleck
.308 Win
https://www.amazon.com/your-orders/...ryId=&returnUnitIndices=&shipmentId=D8WLNLLf9
https://www.amazon.com/your-orders/...ryId=&returnUnitIndices=&shipmentId=D8fxK2b8k
https://www.amazon.com/your-orders/...ryId=&returnUnitIndices=&shipmentId=D8fxK2b8k
I actually don't mind the NVR or hard drive I used, thought I had seen the Amcrest line recommended before on those forums? Or maybe I was wrong. Oh, and the boxes may have already...been....tossed
FrankenCub
.338 Win Mag
They would be nice when there's no moon light. I'll have to tag them on Amazon so I remember them lol. We'll be moving shortly so will hold off for now, but they'd be useful at our more private property.
As a side note I still haven't caught the dirtbag trying to get in my truck again. But, the other day he was outside on a rant about who knows what saying he's sick of the bullshit going on around here and I should check my cameras. I'm assuming it was directed me so he obviously has seen them. Probably why I haven't caught him. Funny thing is the only thing I've seen after reviewing the recordings every so often is cars going down the road and animals in the yard. But he's a tweeker so god only knows what's in his head.
FrankenCub
.338 Win Mag
@NYGuns Is there an easy way set a camera approximately 130yds from our home? I want something at the end of our driveway where we are moving to so I can see if a certain couple people are snooping about up there.
Yes, are you able to bury a cable to it? Is there power at the end of the driveway where you want the camera?
FrankenCub
.338 Win Mag
No power available up there, only power will be 140 yds down the hill where we will be. I thought about solar power and a WiFi camera, but I won't use WiFi. Even if the signal would travel that well.
Also don't really want the visibility of a solar panel up there.
Best bet is to bury some conduit and pull some wire. Or if there is line of sight from the house you could install a varifocal on the house which is essentially a zoomed in camera.
FrankenCub
.338 Win Mag
You think there wouldn't be a significant loss in amperage at that distance? And, would the power interfere with the video if in the same conduit?
You only have to run 1 low voltage cat5e or cat6 cable to power a camera and the longest a run can be for a regular powered over ethernet (POE) camera is 368 feet. No need to run anything else. You could even get direct burial cable and bury it without conduit if you want but I prefer in conduit.