CCTV for new home -- which one??

[Makis79]

see link-->>

Gday,

building and looking to install a minimum of 2 external cameras (Dome Preferred) under the eaves on the external walls. Possibly will extend to 4 cameras.

Ive just checked ebay and the range that is on offer has seriously given me a headache! I was hoping to get some advice and knowledge from the experts on here.

**The features that I am after are:
- Flexible angle..(will be mounted 7 metres high & pointing downwards alot to cover front yard - prob 20-30% off from a full vertical angle)
- Weatherproof (although under the eaves)
- Colour & Audio
- Great Playback quality
- Good Night Vision
- Range of 20m or greater>
- Ability to remotely view over the net from another computer or android phone
- Ability to remotely control and move the camera lens
- Motion detection recording or continuous recording selection per camera.
- Can immediately save images online
- Minimum 500GB
- Ability to view from TV (Rf output I suppose)
- Battery backup (Preferred)
- Higher operating temperature (Preferred)

Now to the locations on where I intend installing these cameras, I have run these 3 cable back to the hills home hub in the centre of the house.
1 x RG6 Cable
1 x CAT 6 Cable
1 x Figure8 24 strand Cable

Your tips, advice and preferably your experiences with these are highly appreciated. Thanks!

[watchdog]

A few tips ( I'm sure others will be forthcoming )


audio is illegal
don't expect too much under IR conditions
with the cheaper DVRs the most valuable thing is the warranty. You can get a $350 DVR with a 3 yr warranty right here in Aust. If you get from ebay check closely on the warranty

[Drift]

A few tips ( I'm sure others will be forthcoming )


audio is illegal
don't expect too much under IR conditions
with the cheaper DVRs the most valuable thing is the warranty. You can get a $350 DVR with a 3 yr warranty right here in Aust. If you get from ebay check closely on the warranty

This, plus you've run 2 cables you don't require one of which is incorrect anyway assuming the RG6 is infact RG6 quad. Good luck fitting a BNC connector to that one without piles of adapters.

Ebay is going to give you an enormous headache and will be very hit and miss regarding over build and image quality. You could compare the specifications of 4 DVRs side by side, and the one that reads the worst could actually provide you with the best image quality. Far too many people in on the game these days, and on ebay there's no way to tell what you're getting. Regarding the other things you're chasing like PTZ, long range IR etc, although it's all available on ebay, good luck finding something that's going to last even IF you manage to configure it without using a hammer.

The number of customers I see who've bought gear on the cheap from ebay then come in looking for something better is increasing by the day. Save yourself some coin & a few headaches and go have a look at some of the equipment offered by local professionals, who've already done the hard yards finding the right gear (most of the time).

[R E S S]

This, plus you've run 2 cables you don't require one of which is incorrect anyway assuming the RG6 is infact RG6 quad. Good luck fitting a BNC connector to that one without piles of adapters.

Ebay is going to give you an enormous headache and will be very hit and miss regarding over build and image quality. You could compare the specifications of 4 DVRs side by side, and the one that reads the worst could actually provide you with the best image quality. Far too many people in on the game these days, and on ebay there's no way to tell what you're getting. Regarding the other things you're chasing like PTZ, long range IR etc, although it's all available on ebay, good luck finding something that's going to last even IF you manage to configure it without using a hammer.

The number of customers I see who've bought gear on the cheap from ebay then come in looking for something better is increasing by the day. Save yourself some coin & a few headaches and go have a look at some of the equipment offered by local professionals, who've already done the hard yards finding the right gear (most of the time).

Couldn’t of put it better myself, I get phone calls all the time to come out and setup an eBay bought equipment, i just don’t touch them.....every situation needs different equipment......i not saying there rubbish, it's just i have seen alot of these equipment fail and when they need to replay the footage well lets just say what u see in CSI with a blurred images is not true...

[Makis79]

A few tips ( I'm sure others will be forthcoming )


audio is illegal
don't expect too much under IR conditions
with the cheaper DVRs the most valuable thing is the warranty. You can get a $350 DVR with a 3 yr warranty right here in Aust. If you get from ebay check closely on the warranty

Thanis all for you responses. I am in Adelaide, could you point me in the right direction and further advise which DVR you are referring too. Would this system be able to deliver all that I have noted in the original post?

On a side note: Is audio truly illegal? Why?

Also considering RG6 is not good now for BNC Connectors are there really good IP Camera alternatives to work well over the cat 6?

[watchdog]

Thanis all for you responses. I am in Adelaide, could you point me in the right direction and further advise which DVR you are referring too. Would this system be able to deliver all that I have noted in the original post?

On a side note: Is audio truly illegal? Why?

Also considering RG6 is not good now for BNC Connectors are there really good IP Camera alternatives to work well over the cat 6?

google " Listening Devices Act "
As for the DVRs readily available for public sale look at Rhino , Kobi , Jaycar , Veelock. Good low priced PTZ camera from LiLin (x5 x10 x20 zoom)

[Makis79]

Thanks!

I can get staff pricing at this mob

What do you (or anyone else) suggest from there that will meet my needs. Obviously do not want to go over board and prefer to keep the cost right down.

Once again on a side note. How on earth do you prevent fogging of the dome style covers during the winter?

[mtv]

.... assuming the RG6 is infact RG6 quad. Good luck fitting a BNC connector to that one without piles of adapters.

I use crimp and compression BNC connectors on RG6 Quadshield regularly.... no adaptors..... no problems.

[R E S S]

Thanks!

I can get staff pricing at this mob

What do you (or anyone else) suggest from there that will meet my needs. Obviously do not want to go over board and prefer to keep the cost right down.

Once again on a side note. How on earth do you prevent fogging of the dome style covers during the winter?

Hi Makis79 without being rude, or taking this the wrong way, but if you get discounts at Pacom, this means you have mates there and im sure they will guide you to what u needs are?

Also some dome camera give you an option to purchase heaters which sit neatly into the dome.

[Makis79]

Hi Makis79 without being rude, or taking this the wrong way, but if you get discounts at Pacom, this means you have mates there and im sure they will guide you to what u needs are?

Also some dome camera give you an option to purchase heaters which sit neatly into the dome.

That is incorrect, my mates works for Bailey ladders. They are all under the same banner of Hills Holdings. He wouldn't know the difference between rg6 and cat6.

This is why I desperately need sound advice.

[jimmyc]

If the Pacom gear is within your price range I'd strongly suggest that you have a look at some of that. Something like the PDRH-420 would be a fine model for your recording needs it is entry level gear that an installer would put in so has all your requirements.

• It comes standard with 250GB storage, however this can be expanded with a USB HDD
• You can run it over your network so if you setup your firewall and LAN correctly will be able to be viewed off site.
• Can be viewed from a TV (has a BNC output just run a RG59 from the DVR to a TV and crimp a RCA plug on the TV side)
• Recording is completely programming - activate on alarm (motion detection), change recording speed etc...
• Has telemetry control (this looks after your remotely control and move the camera lens known as Pan Tilt Zoom or PTZ)
• Operating Temperature 5°C to 40°C Operating humidity 0% to 90%
• The DVR runs on 240VAC so to get a battery backup just get a UPS also. (You'll still want a battery backup for the power supply for the cameras though, if you get 12VDC cameras you can then easily incorporate a battery backuped up power supply with charging circuit look for a 13.8VDC power supply with battery backup)

Cameras are another whole barrell of fish there are so many out there to choose from. From the information that you've given basically it sounds like you want a Day Night Fixed Dome Camera (during daylight operation the images are colour then they revert to black and white in low light situations) depending on the lighting situation on site you might also need Infra-Red (IR) LEDs to further illuminate the scene. Most of the better cameras have similar image sensors (a lot of them use the Sony Super CCD image sensor).

• If you want good images 540 TV Lines (TVL) would be a good starting place
• For your flexible angle look at the domes that have 3-Axis camera functionality
• It is a camera first and foremost and as such the range will depend on the lens (there are many websites that offer lens calculators depending on the dimensions of the scene you want to capture). If you get a fixed dome you'll be limited to the lens built-in to it. A full body camera will give you a choice of lenses but you'll have to purchase the lens and brackets & housings seperately (this will give you the opportunity to get heaters and blowers if you are worried about fog though)
• You also asked about remotely controlling and moving the camera lens also known as PTZ - The Pan Tilt Zoom cameras make the price go up astronomically it is not something that would normally be installed in a residential setup as the price is usually too inhibitive.

Hope this points you in the right direction

[R E S S]

That is incorrect, my mates works for Bailey ladders. They are all under the same banner of Hills Holdings. He wouldn't know the difference between rg6 and cat6.

This is why I desperately need sound advice.

LOL Ah ok no problems yeah the PDRH-420 a good little unit. with cameras if you dont want to spend much look at the PAC-DVPIRVF540 Ir dome cameras, not a bad little camera if you dont want to spend much, or from Rhino


As jimmyc has stated the PTZ cameras can go up astronomically....

[Drift]

I use crimp and compression BNC connectors on RG6 Quadshield regularly.... no adaptors..... no problems.

Crimp BNC on RG6 quad as in copper coated steel centre conductor which is fatter than solid copper?

[mtv]

Crimp BNC on RG6 quad as in copper coated steel centre conductor which is fatter than solid copper?

Yep.... BNC crimp connectors specifically made for it.

There are probably other suppliers, but mine come from Lacey's TV Part # BC7009C.

They are also available for RG59 Part # BC7009B

[Drift]

Well ya learn something every day.

Bloody dodgy MATV installers using the wrong coax.

[idme]

RG6 is antenna cable, not CCTV cable, but if you must use it (sigh) Radum in Melbourne have a good crimp BNC connector for RG6. All you need is the CAT5 & Fig 8 cables really. The CAT5 will do the RS485 for the PTZ and with a video balun can handle the video also.

[Uncle Kneebo]

Brad,
Technically "Why" is RG6 incorrect?

[intelliGEORGE]

Brad,
Technically "Why" is RG6 incorrect?

RG6 Dual or Quad Shield should not be utilised for composite baseband* video transmissions, such as CCTV, as RG6 Dual and Quad Shield coax doesn't have the proper type of shielding required for CCTV applications.

RG6 uses foil and braided aluminum shields. The effective range of operation for foil shields is above 50MHz, which makes them perfect for rejection of radio frequency interference, or RFI, that may have an effect on satellite or cable installations. At frequencies below 50 MHz, however, foil shields are not effective in baseband transmission.

The frequencies that are used in CCTV are usually between 25Hz to 5MHz and High Definition is around 37 MHz. For these lower frequencies, an RG59 with an all copper shield is designed to block RFI inclusion at baseband frequencies. In saying this, it is also useless to use RG59 for satellite or cable feeds.

*Baseband: Video-only composite video signal that is neither combined with any audio nor is riding within a carrier frequency for transmission.

[Uncle Kneebo]

Thanks!