security camera system - Diesel Forum

hapaschold · 06-12-2009, 09:10 AM

time to replace one of our systems, had a very basic system with cheapo camera s. very limited view and lousy pictures.

want to get better dvr setup.

but there s lot s out there to choose from .

jpeg2000 mpeg5 standalone , seems endless

i need the 411/abc 's on these systems to help choose the next.

many thanks for the help.

**Scottb NY** · 06-12-2009, 07:34 PM

well, the first questions that need to be answered are:
Number of cameras?
number of hours of storage?
how many FPS per camera?
lighting conditions?
Inside or outside?

hapaschold · 06-12-2009, 07:46 PM

currently 11 camera s cheapo dome type and bullet type
want good / better fps
lighting fair to good
all interior camera s , but want to add 4 outside

thanks

**Scottb NY** · 06-13-2009, 06:29 PM

do you know what make the existing cameras are? I am a huge fan of PELCO if someone is looking for a quality setup. Are any of them set up on motion detection? Do they run 24/7 or only when the facility is open / closed. How long do you intend to store the recorded video?

hapaschold · 06-13-2009, 06:34 PM

camera s are the cheapo dome and bullet......couldnt find name on it, wired with rg59 simese cable...

hapaschold · 06-14-2009, 07:10 AM

camera s are the cheapo dome and bullet......couldnt find name on it, wired with rg59 simese cable...

Band_Member · 06-18-2009, 07:15 AM

A decent 16 channel DVR is going to cost anywhere from $3K up. If you want 15-30fps on all 16 cameras its going to cost you. Sure there are cheap DVR's out there but the network viewing software leaves a lot to be desired and generally aren't very user friendly. If you want maximum overwrite time you'll need 2 big hard drives especially if your running 15 or 16 cameras and especially if you have the video record set at maximum quality as this will soak up the bandwidth (memory). And what good is it if you don't have it set at maximum quality.

Cameras are the same thing you get what you pay for. You can get auto switching day/night dome cameras for the exterior but the vision at night in low light isn't the best. If you have a situation that needs night surveillance then you need a good quality b&w camera and an infrared illuminator. They make bullet type cameras with built in i/r LEDs but the best set up is a camera and an illuminator, thus you're going to pay for it.

You could also set up a PTZ camera(s) outside. You could set it up with auto pan or auto preset stops. A good autoswitching day/night PTZ with controller could cost anywhere from $1500 up

As I said, you get what you pay for but its still better than nothing at all. Best thing in your situation is that you already have the siamese cable in place for most of the cameras.

One other thought on the cameras is whether you want to go with 12/24V ac/dc and run them off of one big 24vac power supply or get the cheaper ones with wall warts and have a load of wallwarts and plug strips not to mention wire splicing. Only downside of one power supply is that if it goes down, all the cams go down too. Its not a big deal if you have an electronics background and can repair it yourself otherwise you should have a back up just in case.

Bottom line is to do it right with professional equipment with 15-16 good quality dome cameras and dvr is probably going to cost at least $7500 + installation

You're going to have to research the equipment to decide exactly what you need and what fits within your budget and shop it out on the internet.

Oh yeah, and get a chamois cloth to clean the lens' of the cameras which will be something you will have to get used to doing frequently.

Good luck.