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Who Installed Your Home Security Cameras NWFL
- Thread starter M60Gunner
- Start date
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i bought my own off amazon. zmodo is the brand. they connect via their app with my wifi. while you can pay for more features, the free app allows me to watch real time from anywhere.
Mullet Hunter
Master
Josh Llyod did ours and did an awesome Job I’d recommend him to anyone. Very professional and got it done fast and way better than many I’ve seen. I’ll pm you his info.
I have always bought them myself and installed them. Currently myself and my parents home have the same setup, 8 camera DVR system with a 2 or 4 TB hard drive and 8 cameras.
They have Night Vision IR up to 100-150 ft that is actually not too bad for the price we paid. The image at night is good, day is good+, not 4k or anything, but enough to see what you need to.
Paid $180 for the setup and $100 for the hard drive and installed it myself (6 screws total and a cable). Did all the wiring/running and hanging of cameras ourselves too. It's not hard at all if you are halfway handy, just tuck wires into trim or hand/bolt them as needed and mount the cameras well and into good spots/wood.
Ended up with basically every spot in my front and streets covered. Can hook up to the internet to view anywhere and on an app, and have it store the last X minutes to a server/elsewhere. You could also have monitors elsewhere in the house (other than where the DVR is) to view, like in your bedroom or office/workroom.
My setup is a few years old at this point, but for sub $400 DIY you can get a really nice setup, and if you have the money and goods to protect the real nice 4k ones are nice too.
They have Night Vision IR up to 100-150 ft that is actually not too bad for the price we paid. The image at night is good, day is good+, not 4k or anything, but enough to see what you need to.
Paid $180 for the setup and $100 for the hard drive and installed it myself (6 screws total and a cable). Did all the wiring/running and hanging of cameras ourselves too. It's not hard at all if you are halfway handy, just tuck wires into trim or hand/bolt them as needed and mount the cameras well and into good spots/wood.
Ended up with basically every spot in my front and streets covered. Can hook up to the internet to view anywhere and on an app, and have it store the last X minutes to a server/elsewhere. You could also have monitors elsewhere in the house (other than where the DVR is) to view, like in your bedroom or office/workroom.
My setup is a few years old at this point, but for sub $400 DIY you can get a really nice setup, and if you have the money and goods to protect the real nice 4k ones are nice too.
This is what I have.
There are hundreds of brands, they are all basically the same thing with a different label. Just buy one with goodish ratings and what you need.
amazon.com/Loocam-Surveillance-Weatherproof-Automatic-Detection/dp/B07BGTN127
There are hundreds of brands, they are all basically the same thing with a different label. Just buy one with goodish ratings and what you need.
amazon.com/Loocam-Surveillance-Weatherproof-Automatic-Detection/dp/B07BGTN127
Rebel_Rider1969
Well Known Nuisance
Buddy of mine has - blink- brand kit. 5 cams, $400 something by the time you add server, other options. Wireless. Going to put it in the new house. Using spypoint game cams for now - 5 =$50 a month.
Unless you are independently wealthy I suggest doing a self install. When we built our house I had a network guy friend wire it up for 8 port Cat 6 around the outside. Since then I've gone through 3 different systems off of Amazon, etc., currently using a Lorex system which appears to be the best of the worst. ALL of these systems are CHICOM along with everything that entails (including offshore access to your "cloud" data). After my 3rd reinstall I inquired about professional install considering I already had the Cat 6 wiring in place. They quoted something like $4000. Needless to say I struggled through the re-install myself. If you can do a wifi system without too much effort there's that option as well but for more than a doorbell camera you'll need some kind of power source. Cat 6 solves that.
Rebel_Rider1969
Well Known Nuisance
It's just like nv/thermal ya get what ya pay for.
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Intetested and following. Did the whole house myself, inside/out, with Ring 'cause the Internet convinced the wife it was the best. Have to admit, it worked well in the beginning. Now the lag time on notificatiins is so long, it's useless.
Currently looking for a 6-8 camera, inside/outside system, with it's own hard drive (no cloud) and I'd like to be able to access/manage via "secure" Internet/wifi. Don't want anyone, anywhere, accessing/sharing anything without my permission. A manual system "kill" switch located inside would be a plus. I get I could just kill the power....
Currently looking for a 6-8 camera, inside/outside system, with it's own hard drive (no cloud) and I'd like to be able to access/manage via "secure" Internet/wifi. Don't want anyone, anywhere, accessing/sharing anything without my permission. A manual system "kill" switch located inside would be a plus. I get I could just kill the power....
ABlaster
Marksman
When installing cameras there are a few things to consider that in my experience most people don’t.
Cover approaches to the house, not just the interior or the immediate area. Driveway, street view (I would recommend one at the mailbox or gate), backyard all the way to the property line.
Make sure you pay for enough resolution and storage to be able to read a tag on the street or ID a specific person. I have seen hundreds of times homeowners who had a bargain basement camera system watch blurry figures cleaning out their house and none of it could really be used in court.
Make sure the cameras are on and working! At least a few times I have worked cases where a home or business owner had the hardware they needed but didn’t have a habit of actually turning it on.
I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things but I’m only one cup of coffee in and I have an 8-year-old high on Easter sugar running laps in the house!
Cover approaches to the house, not just the interior or the immediate area. Driveway, street view (I would recommend one at the mailbox or gate), backyard all the way to the property line.
Make sure you pay for enough resolution and storage to be able to read a tag on the street or ID a specific person. I have seen hundreds of times homeowners who had a bargain basement camera system watch blurry figures cleaning out their house and none of it could really be used in court.
Make sure the cameras are on and working! At least a few times I have worked cases where a home or business owner had the hardware they needed but didn’t have a habit of actually turning it on.
I’m sure I’m forgetting a few things but I’m only one cup of coffee in and I have an 8-year-old high on Easter sugar running laps in the house!
justapilgrim
Marksman
Some folks might say you're paranoid...I say you're wise. The "cloud" is just a big ass computer being monitored by ??? No thanks.
Deersniper270
Master
My buddy owns RM Integrations. Honest and affordable if you want a whole system. https://rmintegrations.com/
TontoFAC
Expert
Two things to consider:
1. A DVR system requires 110V supplied to each camera along with the RGA cable.
2. A NVR system uses only a single ethernet cable. It provides both power (POE) and data.
I use an NVR system since I could not run 110V to all locations and the NVR records even if the WIFI is off line.
Also look at SWANN systems. It is an Australian company.
1. A DVR system requires 110V supplied to each camera along with the RGA cable.
2. A NVR system uses only a single ethernet cable. It provides both power (POE) and data.
I use an NVR system since I could not run 110V to all locations and the NVR records even if the WIFI is off line.
Also look at SWANN systems. It is an Australian company.
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I've seen cloud storage fail and "lose" data multiple times. I recommend a aback-up to the back-up. Plus, what you said. Anything on the cloud is available to just about anyone for the right price/threat.
SouthBound
Expert
I have done several systems for my work, home, shop, parents and others. I always go with the Amcrest POE IP cameras. They are great cameras for a great price. I've only had 2 go bad in the past 5 years (out of 78 cameras) and one was my fault (water got into the connector).
As for the NVR, I use an older Windows PC, cram a bunch of hard drives in it and use Blue Iris for the software. I use Stablebit Drivepool which allows easy disk management and makes it easy to add more as you go. I generally get referbished HGST drives (4tb) off Amazon and they have served me well. For about $40 per drive, you can easily load up 20tb of storage which will give you over a month of 24/7 recording if you have the frame rate set around 15 (no need to do 30fps in most locations) and use H.265 encoding. https://stablebit.com/
I record 24/7 on all systems but have motion triggers set as well. Some I record audio but most I don't since there isn't a need. The Blue Iris is easy to use but has tools that you won't find in any consumer grade systems. You can have schedules where the motion is off, set motion boundaries, set it where motion has to pass from one zone to another, set the size of the object, etc. You can even set up facial recognition and have it do things based off the person it sees. Really unlimited possibilities. https://blueirissoftware.com/
You can set triggers on the motion so it can send an email, play an audio file, turn on lights, the possibilities are endless.
I set up the POE switch and computer on a nice UPS so it's always recording, no matter if power if off. I also have all my networking equipment set where it doesn't get affected by power either, so I can access anytime, anywhere. My current situation is a little different than most since I'm using Starlink and behind a gnat so I have to use ZeroTier to access the system remotely but it works great. If you have high speed internet, you don't need to worry about that and can simply port map the interface to allow the mobile app to access.
The mobile app ($10) is the best app I have ever used for remote monitoring.
$200 drives
$500 used PC with good ram and an i7 processor
$600 - 12 cameras (2 for each corner of the house and some for hidden spots, doors, etc)
$150 - 16 port POE switch
$220 - UPS battery backup
$200 - Misc cables, RJ45 connectors, etc
Basically $2000 for a 12 camera system, recording 24/7 that will give you well over a month of archive footage. You could easily add a few more cameras if you wanted. I run 28 on one system with no issues.
As for the NVR, I use an older Windows PC, cram a bunch of hard drives in it and use Blue Iris for the software. I use Stablebit Drivepool which allows easy disk management and makes it easy to add more as you go. I generally get referbished HGST drives (4tb) off Amazon and they have served me well. For about $40 per drive, you can easily load up 20tb of storage which will give you over a month of 24/7 recording if you have the frame rate set around 15 (no need to do 30fps in most locations) and use H.265 encoding. https://stablebit.com/
I record 24/7 on all systems but have motion triggers set as well. Some I record audio but most I don't since there isn't a need. The Blue Iris is easy to use but has tools that you won't find in any consumer grade systems. You can have schedules where the motion is off, set motion boundaries, set it where motion has to pass from one zone to another, set the size of the object, etc. You can even set up facial recognition and have it do things based off the person it sees. Really unlimited possibilities. https://blueirissoftware.com/
You can set triggers on the motion so it can send an email, play an audio file, turn on lights, the possibilities are endless.
I set up the POE switch and computer on a nice UPS so it's always recording, no matter if power if off. I also have all my networking equipment set where it doesn't get affected by power either, so I can access anytime, anywhere. My current situation is a little different than most since I'm using Starlink and behind a gnat so I have to use ZeroTier to access the system remotely but it works great. If you have high speed internet, you don't need to worry about that and can simply port map the interface to allow the mobile app to access.
The mobile app ($10) is the best app I have ever used for remote monitoring.
$200 drives
$500 used PC with good ram and an i7 processor
$600 - 12 cameras (2 for each corner of the house and some for hidden spots, doors, etc)
$150 - 16 port POE switch
$220 - UPS battery backup
$200 - Misc cables, RJ45 connectors, etc
Basically $2000 for a 12 camera system, recording 24/7 that will give you well over a month of archive footage. You could easily add a few more cameras if you wanted. I run 28 on one system with no issues.
