Home surveillance camera spec question

[Zartan]

I'm interested in THIS set-up from Super Circuits. What spec is important to not have the feed be all choppy when watching it? I'd like to have a smooth feed like I'm watching Tv.

Is it a combination of camera/DVR performance or strictly camera?

[Montu]

the frames per second is a feature of the DVR and the camera must also be able to feed the fps that you want.

many times a dvr will list something like 240FPS...which means you have 240 frames per second of recording TOTAL so 8 cams can be @ 30fps or 16 @ 15 etc..

30FPS is what I consider smooth

here are two of my video's @ 720p 30fps






*edit

just looked at the spec of the linked system...looks like you'll be good for 30fps x 8 cams

[Zartan]

Thanks Montu, those videos look great, exactly what I'm looking for. Sorry about the mailbox! Did you get that resolved?

[Montu]

NO problem, I was able to re use the mailbox and post..cost me right about 0 dollars so no big deal..just a fun catch on video.

Not sure if you've found sample footage of that system but IMO 420 TVL res is kind of low..most people are moving toward megapixel cams like the one I have or at least an Ip camera @ 480p (granted the price shoots up)

if you do get that system please post up sample footage.

Thanks and have fun.

[Zartan]

What TVL cams are you running? Looks like I can bump up to the 520 TVL and still be within budget.
I'm planning on having 1 camera mounted under the eaves at the peak of the 2nd story to watch the sidewalk/side yard and stop sign. Looks like I may have to upgrade that one.

[Montu]

What TVL cams are you running? Looks like I can bump up to the 520 TVL and still be within budget.
I'm planning on having 1 camera mounted under the eaves at the peak of the 2nd story to watch the sidewalk/side yard and stop sign. Looks like I may have to upgrade that one.

I'm running Ip cams (digital vs analog) the sample footage your seeing is from a 1.3MP cam @ 1280 x 720 30fps

at 700TVL you are getting 960x480 resolution. So I'm pretty sure the only way to get a picture like mine is to just go to a IP camera. I would bump one Camera to the highest res you can afford and place that camera either in a choke point or have that be the one tasked with over looking a high traffic area

this deal from cosco features the Cam that i have but its limited to 4 cams so you may end up having to get another DVR or buy 2

http://www.costco.com/Q-See-4-Channel-HD-Digital-NVR-with-1TB-Hard-Drive-and-4-HD-720p-IP-Cameras.product.100003211.html

you can also piece together something from the site where I got mine:
Camera

http://empiresecuritycameras.com/p-24-esc-hfw2100-13mp-720p-outdoor-bullet-ip-poe-camera-36mm-fixed-lens-onvif.aspx

Dvr's (actually NVR)

http://empiresecuritycameras.com/c-10-nvrs.aspx

*if you buy from empire security use coupon code CAM-IT to get a discount.

[joe84780]

Montu,

I've installed a DVR based camera system before, but never a NVR with ip cameras. Is there a good install gide on the internet that you can point me to?

[stevemc1979]

cctvforum.com lots of good info there.

This is my 3mp which is 2048x1536 @ 15fps. If you download the file and play it, the picture becomes clearer.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zn32ogoq6a1i18j/160549-vv-1%20WDR%20off.avi

[Zartan]

Montu, do you have your system set-up for motion or does it just record and over write? It can get windy at my house, and I can't imagine the motion coming on, or just staying on all night.

[Montu]

Montu, do you have your system set-up for motion or does it just record and over write? It can get windy at my house, and I can't imagine the motion coming on, or just staying on all night.

I have 4 of my cams on motion and the front yard one recording 24/7 but does generate alerts which basically places markers on the time line showing motion (EVERY car driving by) with my software I can black out area's of the picture I don't want to generate an alert..so i COULD choose to have the cars driving by not trigger anything or i could set it to motion only on my property line. But I decided it could be useful to go back and watch the cars driving by so i left it on contentious recording with alerts.

My front door cam is set to motion only with a buffer so that it will record a few seconds prior to the motion happening..this works quite well although shadows are a problem. I used the black out feature to black out some things that like to move in the wind.

joe84780: if you buy an NVR system its quite easy..just hook everything up the only additional step is configuring your router to be able to access your NVR from the out side..you are probably better off looking up how to setup port forwarding on your specific router.

anyone with an understanding of basic home networking should be able to figure it out.

[Zartan]

I have 4 of my cams on motion and the front yard one recording 24/7 but does generate alerts which basically places markers on the time line showing motion (EVERY car driving by) with my software I can black out area's of the picture I don't want to generate an alert..so i COULD choose to have the cars driving by not trigger anything or i could set it to motion only on my property line. But I decided it could be useful to go back and watch the cars driving by so i left it on contentious recording with alerts.

My front door cam is set to motion only with a buffer so that it will record a few seconds prior to the motion happening..this works quite well although shadows are a problem. I used the black out feature to black out some things that like to move in the wind.

joe84780: if you buy an NVR system its quite easy..just hook everything up the only additional step is configuring your router to be able to access your NVR from the out side..you are probably better off looking up how to setup port forwarding on your specific router.

anyone with an understanding of basic home networking should be able to figure it out.

That sounds like an awesome set-up, and flexible software. I'll go check out the link you posted.

[SoCalXD]

...this deal from cosco features the Cam that i have but its limited to 4 cams so you may end up having to get another DVR or buy 2

http://www.costco.com/Q-See-4-Channel-HD-Digital-NVR-with-1TB-Hard-Drive-and-4-HD-720p-IP-Cameras.product.100003211.html

you can also piece together something from the site where I got mine:
Camera

http://empiresecuritycameras.com/p-24-esc-hfw2100-13mp-720p-outdoor-bullet-ip-poe-camera-36mm-fixed-lens-onvif.aspx

Dvr's (actually NVR)

http://empiresecuritycameras.com/c-10-nvrs.aspx

*if you buy from empire security use coupon code CAM-IT to get a discount.

Montu has obviously spent the same dozens of hour of researching and implemeting IP Cameras as I have, and he has come up with EXACTLY the same solution, down to buying from the same Ebay seller.

For what it's worth: Anyone interested in a good IP Camera solution for a reasonable price, who doesn't want to spend scores of hours researching products, support and underlying technologies, should just order the 4-pack and DVR from Costco... no better price can be found, no more simpler or reliable solution... and if all else fails, just drag it all back to your local Costco for a full refund!

Add on camera note: The Costco DVR is a 4 port POI solution, which means you can't add an additional camera easily. You might be able to add a POI switch on one of those four ports, enabling you to add more cameras, but their will be some tech issues & troubleshooting involved!

[Zartan]

This one? Looks pretty awesome. I'm digging the POE feature

[GillaFunk]

What about those network IP cameras?

Would love to be able to remote control a camera at my house.

Any sugguestions?

[ExtremeX]

What about those network IP cameras?

Would love to be able to remote control a camera at my house.

Any sugguestions?

Personally I much prefer IP / NVR based solutions over a traditional DVR but in general they are more expensive…

A good quality feature rich analog camera DVR from a company like IC Realtime will still give you a platform for management and remote accesses over an IP network if that what you were thinking about.
http://icrealtime.com/solutions/pdsh...lex&id=Digital Video Recroders

I just prefer IP based camera systems since I am a network guy… and I find running cables, use of POE, and setup easier and more flexible since I have a lot more experience with IP system. Unfortunately cost of cameras skyrocket since each camera needs to have software/firmware and IP protocols built in. Higher frame rates and resolution can also be achieved with network cameras.

Mobotix has some real sweet IP cameras… if you can afford these… its worth a look.

http://www.mobotix.com/eng_US/

Check out the camera resolution images and video samples. Very impressive stuff.