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The DIY CCTV camera system thread

Postby acesinghit » December 7th, 2016, 7:17 pm

This question is for the CCTV tuners out there. I'm looking to purchase one of these complete built-up home camera systems and install it myself. Kind of like I'm buying myself a Christmas gift. I'm seeing basically two types:

1. BNC type
2. PoE type

Both have 720p, 1080p and 2K ( and even 4K) resolution cameras. Both have weather proof IP66 water rating and both have bullet, dome and PTZ compatible cameras. The Lorex and Swann websites says you can download an app on your mobile phone and pc to gain access to the DVR. Swann calls it SwannLink and Lorex calls it FLIR Cloud.

Questions:

1. Are these good systems to buy in terms of brand, reliability, after sales support, ease of use etc?
2. Do you need a static IP address from your ISP?
3. Since the DVR is connected to your home router/switch and has 24/7 internet access, are these systems vulnerable to hacking?
4. What if you go the wireless route, can a sneaky techy neighbour hack into your camera/DVR?
5. If your house is broken into and the DVR is damaged or stolen, is there a cloud storage app that you can retrieve footage from (in other words is there a possibility to save footage on an offsite cloud server?)
6. Is it overkill to get 1080p and higher resolution which dramatically increases the price?
7. I see Lorex is advertising colour night vision in some of their higher end systems, anyone can tell if this is marketing or its really what they claim it is?

I know Pricesmart and several other electronics stores have been selling these systems locally for years so I want some real local input before I decide to buy. Thanks for any help you all can give on the subject.
Last edited by acesinghit on January 27th, 2017, 12:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby dude2014 » December 7th, 2016, 7:37 pm

I also need some advice on this.
I am not tech savvy, so doing it myself has always put it off.

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby Redman » December 7th, 2016, 9:05 pm

I am having a great experience with Amcrest...check it out.
I bought my system from Amazon.

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby abbow » December 8th, 2016, 8:29 am

use POE

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby originalbling » December 8th, 2016, 9:48 am

Also looking to install a system myself as well.
From my research, BNC types are analog and POE are IP systems.

There are a lot of analog HD systems (HD-TVI) etc on the market now and are cheap. These are 1MP and up resolution, pricesmart also has i think. Some require a hd dvr to get the high quality recording while others are backward compatible with the lower resolution cameras.

The IP systems are more costly but quality can be much better and a simple CAT5 or CAT6 cable run to each camera is all that you need, however you would need a POE switch or DVR with POE builtin.

As for remote connectivity, it depends on your ISP and if they blocking ports. You may have to set up port forwarding and DDNS for it to work. I dont have any experience with this.

When looking at lens type consider the area you want to cover - if its a narrow area, standard lenses would work but if its a wider area look for something with a wide angle lens or wider field of view.

Maybe the tuners who in the business can give better advice

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby nissan4life » December 8th, 2016, 10:49 am

acesinghit wrote:This question is for the CCTV tuners out there. I'm looking to purchase one of these complete built-up home camera systems and install it myself. Kind of like I'm buying myself a Christmas gift. I'm seeing basically two types:

1. BNC type
2. PoE type

Both have 720p, 1080p and 2K ( and even 4K) resolution cameras. Both have weather proof IP66 water rating and both have bullet, dome and PTZ compatible cameras. The Lorex and Swann websites says you can download an app on your mobile phone and pc to gain access to the DVR. Swann calls it SwannLink and Lorex calls it FLIR Cloud.

Questions:

1. Are these good systems to buy in terms of brand, reliability, after sales support, ease of use etc?
2. Do you need a static IP address from your ISP?
3. Since the DVR is connected to your home router/switch and has 24/7 internet access, are these systems vulnerable to hacking?
4. What if you go the wireless route, can a sneaky techy neighbour hack into your camera/DVR?
5. If your house is broken into and the DVR is damaged or stolen, is there a cloud storage app that you can retrieve footage from (in other words is there a possibility to save footage on an offsite cloud server?)
6. Is it overkill to get 1080p and higher resolution which dramatically increases the price?
7. I see Lorex is advertising colour night vision in some of their higher end systems, anyone can tell if this is marketing or its really what they claim it is?

I know Pricesmart and several other electronics stores have been selling these systems locally for years so I want some real local input before I decide to buy. Thanks for any help you all can give on the subject.


POE is neater in terms of less wiring ,it however is more costly and you need to have networking knowledge if you decide to go with a ip poe system. BNC are more plug and play with small technical knowledge, both systems provide 720p and 1080p these days
Swann,q see, lorex,amcrest, annke, etc are all low level security systems. They do what they are intended to do , act as a deterrent and are used to review any strange activities . They will work for residential and small business use.

You do not need a static address as there are ways around this and most systems these days allow QR port forwarding.
Yes any wired or wireless network can be breached with the right tools.
Yes there are NAS/cloud storage solution that can be set up on most types of ftp services.
No i will not answer any more questions. good luck

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby Mad Hatter » December 8th, 2016, 11:55 am

Did this research about 1.5 yrs ago and went with a SWANN NVR8-7085 system (wired IP system). Not from Pricesmart.

Responses using your number sequence:
1. Very easy to setup and use. Had some camera failures but that was due to rain on the RJ45 connectors.

2. Did not require a static IP address. Remote access via Swann Link was very easy to setup. Just needed to scan a bar code on the NVR.

3. Everything connected to your router is vulnerable but there are ways to make it more difficult for intrusion. At least you can monitor network traffic for intrusion.

4. They would have to get into your WiFi network which should be secured to begin with.

5. Haven't seen this feature on 'budget' systems but cloud storage further opens your network and data for intrusion.

6. My system is 720p and I consider the quality is superior to some of the HD analog. The Resolution requirement for me was being able to recognise faces. If you want to recognise number plates, you need to upscale your resolution requirement.

7. No experience

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby desifemlove » December 9th, 2016, 3:24 am

I'm not a networking expert, bear with me:

- PoE is via Cat 6 Ethernet. Though you need a router that can send electricity over these cables. For a home router, this is expensive. You also have to ensure they can store energy on the camera and

- Static IPs are better, since you know which camera is which by looking at it. Though if you know where they placed, and can see the feed, then move on to DHCP. Static is easy to set up,on your router just set aside some addressing space. A /24 in IPV4 is more than enough for any house (that's 255 cameras with a single IP address). In IPv6 that's even more.

- I dunno about brands, i cannot answer dat.

- if it's just wifi 802.11ac or 802.11n at the least, it's unlikely people could hack into this.

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Re: RE: Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby boxy » December 9th, 2016, 5:44 am

desifemlove wrote:I'm not a networking expert, bear with me:


Image

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby Miktay » December 9th, 2016, 5:53 am

If u have a big place u might wanna try wireless IP cams. Saves the headache of wiring/rewiring positioning/repositioning.

Always use static ips. U don't need them from ur isp. Setup on the LAN/router/DVr/camera. There are software programs that track the WAN ip. Most manufacturers offer this service. Worse case scanario get a subscription to DYDNS for US20-30 per year

Change the default password from admin.

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Re: RE: Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby desifemlove » December 9th, 2016, 10:58 am

boxy wrote:
desifemlove wrote:I'm not a networking expert, bear with me:


Image


http://www.dailywritingtips.com/bare-or-bear-with-me/

cool scene brah.....read up before you act the badman!

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Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby boxy » December 9th, 2016, 11:18 am

desifemlove wrote:
boxy wrote:
desifemlove wrote:I'm not a networking expert, bear with me:


Image


http://www.dailywritingtips.com/bare-or-bear-with-me/

cool scene brah.....read up before you act the badman!

It's nice that u tried to correct my sattire as I was just giving visual aid of your quote.

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby desifemlove » December 9th, 2016, 11:19 am

nah.....just some social condition/asperger's on your part...

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby nissan4life » December 9th, 2016, 2:33 pm

desi why do you have the constant need for attention?
Man giving you a little fatigue stop acting like a hen, especially when you dont know what you speaking about.

POE CAN be run over cat5e and cat6.
You do not need a router to send electrical signals. you need a poe switch or poe injector
I dont even want to know what you talking about storing energy on a camera, its not a FACKING battery.
Op ask about static ip from ISP not for the cameras.
Wireless 802.11ac/n has to do with speed and NOTHING to do with network security...any network can be hacked with the proper knowledge,tools and time.
I could go on but we have already established the fact you dont even know what you talking about so please stop commenting on things you know nothing about...you just confusing the fack out of everyone

OP i hope all the information that i just corrected has been useful to you.

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Re: RE: Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby K74T » December 9th, 2016, 3:03 pm

nissan4life wrote:desi why do you have the constant need for attention?
Man giving you a little fatigue stop acting like a hen, especially when you dont know what you speaking about.


:lol: :lol: :lol:

Check how she/he gonna return with some stupid asperger's "retort" and think that she/he fleck yuh up. #desimpsforlife

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby desifemlove » December 9th, 2016, 7:59 pm

nissan4life wrote:desi why do you have the constant need for attention?
Man giving you a little fatigue stop acting like a hen, especially when you dont know what you speaking about.

POE CAN be run over cat5e and cat6.
You do not need a router to send electrical signals. you need a poe switch or poe injector
I dont even want to know what you talking about storing energy on a camera, its not a FACKING battery.
Op ask about static ip from ISP not for the cameras.
Wireless 802.11ac/n has to do with speed and NOTHING to do with network security...any network can be hacked with the proper knowledge,tools and time.
I could go on but we have already established the fact you dont even know what you talking about so please stop commenting on things you know nothing about...you just confusing the fack out of everyone

OP i hope all the information that i just corrected has been useful to you.


hahahaha...so i need your permission to comment now? i did add the caveat I'm not an expert..haha..but cool, that's very manly of you, is this how you behave normally??

i'd consider you asperger's since you don't' get it. I had said that i didn't know, and it was implied that it should be taken with a pinch of salt...haha...wow...some 50 year old man acting so....haha
Last edited by desifemlove on December 9th, 2016, 8:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: RE: Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby desifemlove » December 9th, 2016, 8:00 pm

K74T wrote:
nissan4life wrote:desi why do you have the constant need for attention?
Man giving you a little fatigue stop acting like a hen, especially when you dont know what you speaking about.


:lol: :lol: :lol:

Check how she/he gonna return with some stupid asperger's "retort" and think that she/he fleck yuh up. #desimpsforlife

Since its what you have, based on how you respond...

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby dude2014 » December 9th, 2016, 8:34 pm

Very informative, still dont know what the .......... to buy.

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Re: RE: Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby Premchand1976 » December 10th, 2016, 4:57 am

dude2014 wrote:Very informative, still dont know what the .......... to buy.


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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby Premchand1976 » December 10th, 2016, 1:43 pm

So let's get some info now on wireless systems ? Some persons saying don't but those and a few are saying it works well once within range? Enlighten us yall

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby pugboy » December 10th, 2016, 2:04 pm

OP what distance are your cameras from where dvr will be ?
how many cameras ?

I have setup two home and work and used fully wired setup

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby nissan4life » December 10th, 2016, 9:25 pm

Premchand1976 wrote:So let's get some info now on wireless systems ? Some persons saying don't but those and a few are saying it works well once within range? Enlighten us yall


Wireless systems work but they are not fully wireless because a receiver is still connected to the back of DVR. You will still have to run wires to the back of the unit from receiver and in some cases it will still need to be routed through the walls/building as wireless cameras are limited to a specific distance.
Unless it a clear line of sight (eg across a road,large compound) you may still end up running long lengths of wires from unit to bring receiver closer to the camera. You ll also still need to find power for the wireless camera.
Wireless cameras also suffer from interference and weaken signals just like any other wireless device,
I have setup a few and they always suffer from pairing issues, outdoor interference or just weak signal after long distances. They are great for some applications but not all.

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby matix » December 10th, 2016, 9:48 pm

A wireless system is false advertising. Only the signal is wireless. You still have to run power to each camera.

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Re: RE: Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby DVSTT » December 10th, 2016, 10:21 pm

boxy wrote:
desifemlove wrote:I'm not a networking expert, bear with me:


Image



Take win hoss

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby Redman » December 11th, 2016, 4:41 am

dude2014 wrote:Very informative, still dont know what the .......... to buy.


Well based on the above...and subject to your layout...seem..

Go hard wired since you will need to source power for the cameras anyway.
Wireless subject to interference and signal issues
Is it worth the additional $$$...??


I would look for motion detection capability with the ability to set detection zones on the individual cameras..that saves storage space,and acts as an automatic time stamp when searching for an event.

The experience I'm having with the Amcrest system is great..it was simple to install myself and did what they advertised.
I was able to set up the system and use the online app to view the outside cameras pic real time..tweaking the camera position on the iPad on the ladder.
It took 20 min to install the furthest camera..

It was essentially dummy proof plug and play.

Stable for the last 4-6 months and taking weather outside without issues,power failures included.
Last night I pulled down the DVR moved and reconnected...dummy proof x2.

While I don't know about the Loran vs Swann vs Amcrest comparison...it looks like Differences are minor and the tech is about the same.

It comes down to your personal choice for the features available.

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby Redman » December 13th, 2016, 2:25 pm

Any one can help with the price and availability of a ANALOG PTZ camera?

Thx

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby Miktay » December 14th, 2016, 3:18 pm

Redman wrote:Any one can help with the price and availability of a ANALOG PTZ camera?

Thx


For what purpose?

Wired or wireless?

Indoor or Outdoor?

Infrared or No?

Local or skybox?

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby Redman » December 14th, 2016, 7:13 pm

For a friends property

He is looking for a back up.
Wired,infrared local.

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby Miktay » December 15th, 2016, 11:22 am

Have had good results with Panasonics. But theyre not cheap. Dunno where to get them locally.

If youre comfortable with Amcrest you can try their PTZ cameras. Amcrest iz similar to Foscam.

The first Foscams ip PTZ i tried were a pos. Spend hours trying to configure and maintain due to buggy firmware.

But theyve gotten better.

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Re: Lorex/Swann CCTV DIY system. PoE or BNC?

Postby acesinghit » December 30th, 2016, 11:40 am

Guys sorry for checking in so late. I did not bother to buy the Lorex 8 channel 720p 1TB system from PriceSmart for $3,999. Instead I bought the 1080p 2TB version from amazon for like $520. USD. I'm no network engineer but I visited a friend over the Christmas weekend and he has a recently installed Lorex IP camera system and he is getting lots of IP conflicts on his network and is yet to setup the FLIR cloud remote viewing as a result. I took the cheaper way out and got analogue. Will update when it arrives and is installed.

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