Outdoor Cameras / CCTV advice

RedPete

Hi,

Looking for sone recommendations on CCTV / wireless outdoor camera setups.
I want to install 2-3 camera outside the house so I know who is outside my home & can detect any unwanted activity.

I was thinking about getting a company to install a system but theyre pretty expensive & you probably dont have a mobile app option. I also looked up some wireless outdoor cams but dont really know that much about them.

Any ideas/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

bunderoon

How are you at DIY? Using ladders, wiring plugs etc?

What house type? Bungalow or 2 story?
Do you have an idea where you are going to keep the recoder?
Have you access to your attic and soffits?
What's your budget?
How are you with basic computing and networking?

alta stare

RedPete wrote: »

Hi,

Looking for sone recommendations on CCTV / wireless outdoor camera setups.
I want to install 2-3 camera outside the house so I know who is outside my home & can detect any unwanted activity.

I was thinking about getting a company to install a system but theyre pretty expensive & you probably dont have a mobile app option. I also looked up some wireless outdoor cams but dont really know that much about them.

Any ideas/advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

As above..if you are handy with diy you could do it yourself.

Plenty of good reputable cctv brands out there. Avoid buying cheap brands as the quality is crap and trust me it is a waste of time installing a system where you cant even get a decent picture from your setup.

Just curious as to why you think a company could not set up mobile viewing for you?

Wireless....dont do it.

RedPete

bunderoon wrote: »

How are you at DIY? Using ladders, wiring plugs etc?

What house type? Bungalow or 2 story?
Do you have an idea where you are going to keep the recoder?
Have you access to your attic and soffits?
What's your budget?
How are you with basic computing and networking?

Thanks, 2 story semi d. I have attic access
Budget is 300. I'm good with basic computing & networking but useless with electrics. Im fine on a ladder.
Recorder would be kept in living room I guess.

I was looking at Blink XT cameras as an option - is there a reason why people are against Wi-Fi solutions? Single point of failure?

Thanks for the responses!!

The high horse brigade

RedPete wrote: »

Thanks, 2 story semi d. I have attic access
Budget is 300. I'm good with basic computing & networking but useless with electrics. Im fine on a ladder.
Recorder would be kept in living room I guess.

I was looking at Blink XT cameras as an option - is there a reason why people are against Wi-Fi solutions? Single point of failure?

Thanks for the responses!!

Because wireless is a shared resource, all the devices in your home share a frequency. Having a high bandwidth device continuously streaming to a recorder over wireless can have drastic effects and cause problems for other devices especially if it has a weakish signal like it would have on the soffit of your home

RedPete

alta stare wrote: »

As above..if you are handy with diy you could do it yourself.

Plenty of good reputable cctv brands out there. Avoid buying cheap brands as the quality is crap and trust me it is a waste of time installing a system where you cant even get a decent picture from your setup.

Just curious as to why you think a company could not set up mobile viewing for you?

Wireless....dont do it.

Hi, wasn't sure whether some of the wired systems could also connect to wifi & send notifications or provide you with visibility on your phone.
Also, was thinking wiring for a system couls be messy with cabling around the house.

Any brand or company recommendations?

Thanks again

bk

The high horse brigade wrote: »

Because wireless is a shared resource, all the devices in your home share a frequency. Having a high bandwidth device continuously streaming to a recorder over wireless can have drastic effects and cause problems for other devices especially if it has a weakish signal like it would have on the soffit of your home

Well you could buy a second wiifi router and put the cameras solely on that. Could even put the second router in the attic, closer to the cameras.

I agree that ethernet is preferable. But you can set up wifi to handle it too. I've got 5 wifi IP cameras running of a single (high quality) wifi router, and works fine and has had no impact on the rest of the network. I get a solid 500mb/s on my laptop.

Wifi cameras really aren't using much data compared to what a modern good quality wifi can handle. It is definitely far from perfect, but the gap with ethernet is shrinking.

alta stare

RedPete wrote: »

Hi, wasn't sure whether some of the wired systems could also connect to wifi & send notifications or provide you with visibility on your phone.
Also, was thinking wiring for a system couls be messy with cabling around the house.

Any brand or company recommendations?

Thanks again

Id wire it and go IP. Any good reptuable company would wire it so there isnt a cable in sight.

We use HIKvision, American Dynamics etc. Good stuff. HIKvision would be more user friendly.

They have a range for the domestic market called Hiwatch. Iv used it. It is the entry level professional stuff just rebranded.

There are loads of options out there. Just dont buy cheap stuff for the sake of it as they are rubbish.

The high horse brigade

bk wrote: »

Well you could buy a second wiifi router and put the cameras solely on that. Could even put the second router in the attic, closer to the cameras.

I agree that ethernet is preferable. But you can set up wifi to handle it too. I've got 5 wifi IP cameras running of a single (high quality) wifi router, and works fine and has had no impact on the rest of the network. I get a solid 500mb/s on my laptop.

Wifi cameras really aren't using much data compared to what a modern good quality wifi can handle. It is definitely far from perfect, but the gap with ethernet is shrinking.

For DIY enthusiasts maybe. No professional will EVER use wireless

You do know I work in this field

I'm a firm believer that every static device should be cabled to keep wireless for mobility for the devices that need it. You have to get power to your camera anyway

bk

The high horse brigade wrote: »

For DIY enthusiasts maybe. No professional will EVER use wireless

You do know I work in this field

Professional alarm system installers used to say the same, now look at it.

Offices use to be the same, now it is all ceiling mounted WAPs with ethernet backhual and fibre backhaul.

I kind of get the felling that we will see cameras end up going the same way. At least for the residential market anyway.

The high horse brigade wrote: »

I'm a firm believer that every static device should be cabled to keep wireless for mobility for the devices that need it. You have to get power to your camera anyway

I agree completely and done the same myself where I can. And if you can wire, definitely go for it.

There is also the possibility of wifi jamming.

But I've been pleasantly surprised with how well my wifi cameras have worked. I wouldn't completely rule it out if wired is for some reason too difficult an option.

In my case, I already had power outside, but for a variety of reasons, couldn't get ethernet out to the cameras. I said try it and I've been pleasantly surprised. But if I moved homes in the morning and had an attic, then yes I'd go for a PoE solution.

krissovo

I have used wired and wireless CCTV, we are rural and have been a target for heating oil in thieves in the past. Spent a small fortune on a pro setup with DVR but there was admin overheads to the system and a pain in the backside to use.

I added a Ring doorbell and subscription for storing events and its the the best decision I have done for home security. I now have Ring cameras 360 deg around the home and a simple interface to review events. I can even talk to the postman from the other side of the world. The image quality is fantastic and the lack of any admin overheads are great.

alta stare

krissovo wrote: »

I have used wired and wireless CCTV, we are rural and have been a target for heating oil in thieves in the past. Spent a small fortune on a pro setup with DVR but there was admin overheads to the system and a pain in the backside to use.

I added a Ring doorbell and subscription for storing events and its the the best decision I have done for home security. I now have Ring cameras 360 deg around the home and a simple interface to review events. I can even talk to the postman from the other side of the world. The image quality is fantastic and the lack of any admin overheads are great.

Admin overheads?? What do you mean?

What system was installed?

RedPete

alta stare wrote: »

Id wire it and go IP. Any good reptuable company would wire it so there isnt a cable in sight.

We use HIKvision, American Dynamics etc. Good stuff. HIKvision would be more user friendly.

They have a range for the domestic market called Hiwatch. Iv used it. It is the entry level professional stuff just rebranded.

There are loads of options out there. Just dont buy cheap stuff for the sake of it as they are rubbish.

Cheers, last Q - I'm getting Phonewatch so will be covered for internal cameras (from security perspective) - I was 50:50 between wireless & wired solutions but most advice seems to lean towards wired.
Can you PM me your company name? Any guidance around install costs for 4 x Dome Hikvision kit with DVR would be appreciated - I don't want to pay for monitoring but would like to have ability to get push notifications to an app for example.
Thanks again

The high horse brigade

Mod note.

Please review the charter. Promotion of nixers is against the house rules. Installing security systems as nixers without a PSA license is against the law.

RedPete

Mod note.

Please review the charter. Promotion of nixers is against the house rules. Installing security systems as nixers without a PSA license is against the law.

alta stare

RedPete wrote: »

Cheers, last Q - I'm getting Phonewatch so will be covered for internal cameras (from security perspective) - I was 50:50 between wireless & wired solutions but most advice seems to lean towards wired.
Can you PM me your company name? Any guidance around install costs for 4 x Dome Hikvision kit with DVR would be appreciated - I don't want to pay for monitoring but would like to have ability to get push notifications to an app for example.
Thanks again

Where are you based?

Definitely go wired. Again id suggest IP which is a bit dearer but worth it if your budget can be adjusted to suit.

If any company try and charge you for remote access to your system tell them to take a hike. The apps are free.

Re phonewatch.... Yikes. Have a look at the threads on here about phonewatch and you may end up changing your mind about getting them in.

alta stare

Mod note.

Please watch what you are quoting

Please review the charter. Promotion of nixers is against the house rules. Installing security systems as nixers without a PSA license is against the law.

The high horse brigade

alta stare wrote: »

HIKvision own Dahua so if there are these supposed security concerns then they would be also caught up in it.

No they don't. They are serious rivals. In fact Dahua pride themselves in not being controlled by the chinese Govt. Tyco rebrand Dahua for their cheaper Hollis and Illustra Esentials brand but you can't add a Hikvision camera to American Dynamics VideoEdge, go figure.

I'm not talking about passwords, I'm talking about backdoors. Hikvision are the ones being blamed for the UK health service hacks 2 years ago.

alta stare

The high horse brigade wrote: »

No they don't. They are serious rivals. In fact Dahua pride themselves in not being controlled by the chinese Govt. Tyco rebrand Dahua for their cheaper Hollis and Illustra Esentials brand but you can't add a Hikvision camera to American Dynamics VideoEdge, go figure.

I'm not talking about passwords, I'm talking about backdoors. Hikvision are the ones being blamed for the UK health service hacks 2 years ago.

My apologies you are correct. I remember talking to our lecturer in college and he was saying HIKvision bought out Dahua. I never checked as i dont use Dahua. I have used it once and yeah i found it decent. I dont like the os they use on their dvr though. Same as the qvis stuff.

I understand about the backdoor issue and i know it was an issue but again any device connected to the internet can be compromised. The whole HIK thing blew up at a time when the Americans decided they were going against the Chinese. It would be fool hardy to think that other companies equipment is 100% safe.

RedPete

alta stare wrote: »

Where are you based?

Definitely go wired. Again id suggest IP which is a bit dearer but worth it if your budget can be adjusted to suit.

If any company try and charge you for remote access to your system tell them to take a hike. The apps are free.


Re phonewatch.... Yikes. Have a look at the threads on here about phonewatch and you may end up changing your mind about getting them in.

Re Phonewatch...am I opening a can of worms??
What would the main concerns be? Any info / links appreciated. Thx again

The high horse brigade

No I don't fully trust Dahua either, just they don't have the same bad name. I did let them wine and dine me at IFSEC though Either are fine for residential installs.

alta stare

RedPete wrote: »

Re Phonewatch...am I opening a can of worms??
What would the main concerns be? Any info / links appreciated. Thx again

Have a look on this forum. Stick phonewatch into the search bar. They arent well regarded around these parts and for good reasons. You can make up your own mind if you choose to have a read.

alta stare

The high horse brigade wrote: »

No I don't fully trust Dahua either, just they don't have the same bad name. I did let them wine and dine me at IFSEC though Either are fine for residential installs.

Happy days. i hope it was nice.

Thats interesting to know that HIK dont own them. Since i was told they did i presumed they were one. As said i don't use Dahua so i never even looked into it. Did they even ever try buy them at any stage?

The high horse brigade

alta stare wrote: »

Happy days. i hope it was nice.

Thats interesting to know that HIK dont own them. Since i was told they did i presumed they were one. As said i don't use Dahua so i never even looked into it. Did they even ever try buy them at any stage?

They may have tried. I'm not sure.

alta stare

The high horse brigade wrote: »

They may have tried. I'm not sure.

Probably. Seen as they have a government backing them the money is endless. HIK have a good gear though.

pedroeibar1

I now have fibre going to my isolated two storey holiday home. Currently I have SIM Phonewatch. The plan is to install BB and replace Phonewatch with a camera system. I don’t need sensors on windows, etc., but cloud storage is required (seven day is OK). I like the idea of monitoring the system myself via phone app. The system must be weatherproof as house is in a very exposed position.

Arlo seems suitable, could install it myself, but not keen on the hassle of rechargeable. Is there is a better alternative?

Hikvision seems interesting – install on eaves, run all through attic, four camera & base kit is about €450. Were I to get it done professionally what would be ballpark figure for installation?

A Vodaphone BB deal seems most suitable – they supply a router but should I worry about compatibility issues with a security system? (I want to avoid the ‘not our router, you’re your system’ and vice-a-versa)

Views/comments/suggestions would be appreciated -thanks.

John45

Grateful for any advice . There is Corsee wireless system on my house.. two of the cameras have very weak signal. What would be the best solution to boost the signal . Thanks in advance