CCTV help

[m4rkie23]

Hi guys,

A friend is after a CCTV set up for his home.

The specification he requires is:

Colour
Sound
Night-vision
and preferably some sort of harddrive to store the data

I have had a look online briefly, but thought this would be the best place to ask.

Anyone with anyone experience in this field / work in the field / purchased anything like this before with any help Id much appreciate it.

Thanks for your time

[pandemic]

Check out these products: Swann Communications

Here are some old reviews but you can try checking out the companies newer products: Computer Shopper: Product Reviews: Labs: CCTV Equipment

[JagoPlasma]

colour and night time dont mix, cheap and quality definately dont mix.

ask him how much he has to spend and what he wants it for (internal/external/identification/monitoring)

[m4rkie23]

external, and i dont think moneys too much of an option (realistic mind - not 000's)

[hornydragon]

Cams with internal I/R filter for colour in daylight and BW at night are good, Have installed a few LiLin systems which worked well at night, cameras have built in IR illumination. Audio is a bit trickier does he want 2 way audio or listening only? Audio is where CCTV regs get much tighter.

[m4rkie23]

only to listen too.
do you have any links to anything youve described above? cheers


thanks to the mod for the move too. i wasnt sure where to put it. =D

[JagoPlasma]

Originally Posted by hornydragon

Cams with internal I/R filter for colour in daylight and BW at night are good, Have installed a few LiLin systems which worked well at night, cameras have built in IR illumination. Audio is a bit trickier does he want 2 way audio or listening only? Audio is where CCTV regs get much tighter.

care to point me in the direction of a good d/n switching camera? not having a go but they are rubbish for most applications, infact i havent come across a single situation where i'd use one. and definately recommend against inbuilt IR as the only time the subject is in an ideal position his face gets whited out by the LEDs.

If you need to have colour and need to view in the dark either get a flood light or 2 seperate cameras.

also make sure the dvr has cd-r or the very least usb and a computer near by. ideally the dvr should use h.264 and capable of D1 at 25ips on all cameras.

sound is ok aslong as your not a business, but be careful to limit its range.

if you can get a plan of the layout il tell you how many cameras youd likely need.

for anymore info goto the home office cctv website and look up info such as requirements for recognition, identification, monitoring and the like (which can make a difference between conviction and nothing)

[D4RK1]

Originally Posted by JagoPlasma

care to point me in the direction of a good d/n switching camera? not having a go but they are rubbish for most applications, infact i havent come across a single situation where i'd use one. and definately recommend against inbuilt IR as the only time the subject is in an ideal position his face gets whited out by the LEDs.

If you need to have colour and need to view in the dark either get a flood light or 2 seperate cameras.

also make sure the dvr has cd-r or the very least usb and a computer near by. ideally the dvr should use h.264 and capable of D1 at 25ips on all cameras.

sound is ok aslong as your not a business, but be careful to limit its range.

if you can get a plan of the layout il tell you how many cameras youd likely need.

for anymore info goto the home office cctv website and look up info such as requirements for recognition, identification, monitoring and the like (which can make a difference between conviction and nothing)

What cameras have you worked with mate that would switch well from day to night with built in IR's? I guess you've not worked with dedicated micros, vantage or vista cameras. All very capeable of IR day night colour/mono pictures.

[JagoPlasma]

Originally Posted by D4RK1

What cameras have you worked with mate that would switch well from day to night with built in IR's? I guess you've not worked with dedicated micros, vantage or vista cameras. All very capeable of IR day night colour/mono pictures.

on the contrary, I have worked with them all. but i do believe the buyer is on a budget and cannot afford £500 per camera not to mention PTZ's look bloody ugly on a house!

most day/night switching cameras that can be afforded by joe bloggs are rubbish, normally suffering from colour when in black and white mode! and if that aint enough, when the IR's are lit it just blows out the faces of anyone its looking at

[m4rkie23]

thanks for the info mate. ill pass on what youve said so far and ask him to define exactly what he wants in respect to distances etc.

thanks very much! =D

[hornydragon]

Originally Posted by JagoPlasma

most day/night switching cameras that can be afforded by joe bloggs are rubbish, normally suffering from colour when in black and white mode! and if that aint enough, when the IR's are lit it just blows out the faces of anyone its looking at

Well thats a decision for joe to make......(OP did say money isnt too much of an issue) I have used the LiLin day nights and for cheap cams night perfromance isnt bad. Dont often fit PTZ domestically as there is rarely anyone on the command board when something happens!

[D4RK1]

Originally Posted by JagoPlasma

on the contrary, I have worked with them all. but i do believe the buyer is on a budget and cannot afford £500 per camera not to mention PTZ's look bloody ugly on a house!

most day/night switching cameras that can be afforded by joe bloggs are rubbish, normally suffering from colour when in black and white mode! and if that aint enough, when the IR's are lit it just blows out the faces of anyone its looking at

All of the ones i mentioned are fixed domes mate, not big PTZ's (like the pelco or dennard's). But your right in that they are not cheap. They are affordable though to someone wanting to do it right first time. Cheap cameras as you know are nothing but a false economy.

[JagoPlasma]

good im glad we are all on the same wavelength then

the OP did mention he didnt want to spend thousands, and for decent day night switching + a capable DVR he will be running up ALOT.

personally id recommend watec's and second kpc's. both of which would be black and white with possibly a colour camera as an overview camera on the off chance there would be enough light to capture a decent image.

a good plan of his premisis is needed to be able to give numbers of cameras and lense sizes

[bournie23]

Why not have a look at the Y-cam range of equipment. I have both an internal an external camera in the house both with IR Night vision and record down onto the computer. As they are IP cameras the images from both can viewed across the internet from any PC.
If you search for Y-cam on google you will find plenty of info and some really good reviews.

Anything i can help with dont hesitate to ask.