# Home CCTV - Recommendations Please



## Starbuck88

Hi All,

I'd like to set up a cheap CCTV system for my home, want to cover the front door + drive and back garden.

Would like Infrared for dark and would like to be able to remote view, but have it send alert to me if detects movement.

Wifi or Cable? Do I need one with a DVR thingy?

Any advice/help appreciated.

Cheers


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## Vmlopes

Would be interested to hear from others, as just tried a wifi one over my drive and front of house and even tough it worked fine indoors on setting it up, once outside up in the eaves of the house the wifi was on and off and the picture kept freezing.


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## Starbuck88

Vmlopes said:


> Would be interested to hear from others, as just tried a wifi one over my drive and front of house and even tough it worked fine indoors on setting it up, once outside up in the eaves of the house the wifi was on and off and the picture kept freezing.


Which one was that?

In addition, Also interested to hear what people think on the Wifi ones what with signal blockers etc.


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## Vmlopes

Starbuck88 said:


> Which one was that?


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ctronics-W...sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=ctronics+wifi+extension


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## mike13

Starbuck88 said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I'd like to set up a cheap CCTV system for my home, want to cover the front door + drive and back garden.
> 
> Would like Infrared for dark and would like to be able to remote view, but have it send alert to me if detects movement.
> 
> Wifi or Cable? Do I need one with a DVR thingy?
> 
> Any advice/help appreciated.
> 
> Cheers


I had a Netatmo Presence installed a year ago, looks like a light but crystal clear picture quality, set up alerts to how often you would like, looked at wi-fi but they all had reliability issues and i figured as i only have one door, a burglar would have to enter through it anyway.


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## sshooie

With all due respect if you are looking @ cheap cctv I would save your money and spend it elsewhere.

Get 3 reputable and accredited companies round to give you some advice and prices, have a look @ HIK 5mp stuff, it's reasonably priced and excellent quality with some great functionality on the turbo DVR's. You can set up alerts for line crossing detection (each way or both ways to trigger) map out an area or even set it to alert on changes in db level if yo have a mic fitted. All have a phone app or you can port forward the DVR if you prefer.

Run them in on Cat 5 and baluns and it's an easy install in most scenarios.

As with a lot of things it's especially true of CCTV, buy cheap buy twice.

Personally I'd steer well clear of WiFi systems.


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## Pauly.22

I fitted Swann system, defiantly one to avoid. It always fails to connect last week it decided it was 1969 this week it’s decided it 2018 again but it’s thinks it’s always the 6th June, so it’s constantly overwrites what’s recorded that day. 

Spoke to Swann. Said it needs a new DVR and is out of warranty. 

Personally I’d get a hikvision kit, simple to fit yourself


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## cleancar

stick with hikvision and use wired cameras


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## MrMatt

Have you looked at the Blink system, depends what features you are after really.

Www.blinkforhome.com


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## srhutch

Im looking to do the same and considering this.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hikvisio...var=412802560009&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l9372

Thoughts?


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## Exotica

Is wired better?


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## kingswood

was a post on here a while ago covering this. 

after some insight into the world of scroats id say go with a decent alarm and lighting. 2 things they dont like. 

cctv is to reactive, its only any good after the event and the scroats run on a 'no face no case' policy - hence the hoodies and caps.

sound, light and no easy asscess - take reasonable precautions such as no windows etc and they'll pick on an easier target. again, theyre lazy by nature!


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## sshooie

Exotica said:


> Is wired better?


Yes, by far.


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## sshooie

srhutch said:


> Im looking to do the same and considering this.
> 
> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hikvisio...var=412802560009&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l9372
> 
> Thoughts?


I'd be looking @ 4-5mp cameras, they are around £50 ea iirc.


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## benj

I've installed a CCTV system at home, 4 cameras all with ethernet cables running into the attic and into a POE (Power over ethernet) switch which then runs to my router.

I've gone for 3 Reolink RLC-411S and 1 Reolink RLC-420. The 411s have internal SD cards that record to when motion is detected. The other 420 is a dome with audio for the babys room but no internal SD card as no recording required. I do have a synology NAS which I set them to record to when we go away for a while as the SD card would get full and as they loop record you lose old footage when the card gets full but you do get around 4 days of recording with not much motion to the internal cards. 

The software is nice to use and the cameras I picked up for a good price from the Reolink ebay store, they've gone up a fair bit in price since I got them a year ago though.


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## dholdi

sshooie said:


> I'd be looking @ 4-5mp cameras, they are around £50 ea iirc.


What are the benefits of those over a 1080 2-3 mp camera ?


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## LeeH

Exotica said:


> Is wired better?


Yes, forget wireless for security.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## Exotica

Won’t they cut the wires ?


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## mar00

Starbuck88 said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I'd like to set up a cheap CCTV system for my home, want to cover the front door + drive and back garden.
> 
> Would like Infrared for dark and would like to be able to remote view, but have it send alert to me if detects movement.
> 
> Wifi or Cable? Do I need one with a DVR thingy?
> 
> Any advice/help appreciated.
> 
> Cheers


depends on budget and how far you want to go really,

wifi cameras are not really wireless they still need power, so PoE is normally the easier and more reliable option, depending on runs you may be able to use off the shelf ethernet cables with pre made ends,

don't just buy cameras base on how many MP, the lens and image sensor are more import

if you want to record all cameras and over several days a DVR would be the better option and you could remote access the DVR directly, you could use and old pc as DVR with something like I-SPY software, but I'd use SD cards in camera too as it can be slower to respond to motion, I-SPY can be used as a cloud hosted option too so no local DVR required but there is a monthly charge,

what ever option I'd recommend using a UPS, on the router, switch and DVR a 500va would be ok,


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## griffin1907

I’d not set it to alert you of movement. In the morning you’ll wake up to millions of emails where the spiders are waving at you!

I use a Swann wired system, mount the camera over the hole where the cable goes in the wall - no cables to cut.


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## Stoner

We went with the Arlo system. These are wireless







but work extremely well and were easy to install. You also get free 7 day cloud storage. I prefer this option over an SD card because there have been incidents where the burglar steals the SD card! 

The main drawback is they are only 720 resolution where a lot of the other solutions are now 1080. However, the 720 is still clear enough to identify people easily

https://www.arlo.com/uk/products/kit


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## gatecrasher3

Stoner said:


> We went with the Arlo system. These are wireless
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> but work extremely well and were easy to install. You also get free 7 day cloud storage. I prefer this option over an SD card because there have been incidents where the burglar steals the SD card!
> 
> The main drawback is they are only 720 resolution where a lot of the other solutions are now 1080. However, the 720 is still clear enough to identify people easily
> 
> https://www.arlo.com/uk/products/kit


I've been looking at these but have seen many people stating that there is a significant delay from movement being detected to the recording starting. This meaning that the footage you would most likely want isn't captured.

How have you found them in that respect?


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## nbray67

gatecrasher3 said:


> I've been looking at these but have seen many people stating that there is a significant delay from movement being detected to the recording starting. This meaning that the footage you would most likely want isn't captured.
> 
> How have you found them in that respect?


We have a wired system x 4 camera's and 2 Arlo camera's.

The Arlo is great for a live feed but like many users, they eat batteries for fun. We have rechargeables in them but they need recharging all the time.

The delay in the motion activation even on the minimum setting isn't too good, the person setting it off has generally walked past by the time it records and then it's only 10secs of footage. Picture quality is very good even at 720p.

The slightest movement sets them off, eg - a washing line that we have sets ours off every minute, hence why we use it for live viewing only now as the wired system picks up the whole house surroundings.

Would I buy again, no, certainly not the std Arlo set up. The Pro version as rechargeable batteries as std I believe but it's quite pricey.

Having wired cameras visible on the house I believe deters most criminals as they'd rather try an unguarded property. Arlo's are magnetic mounts and can be stolen unless you have them mounted on a more secure fixing (ours are).


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## Starbuck88

Haven't settled on anything just yet. 

With the advice on this thread, I will go for a wired set up with a DVR. Ideally Ethernet with POE. I can make ends up no problem so would prefer this so I only have to make small holes to route the cables.

I would like one that actually responds at a reasonable pace to motion.

There's a host of kits on Amazon, Hikvision, Swann, Annke, Saance and the likes and tbh most just look like copies of one another. 

The Netatmo Presence would be a good Idea but although it is directly wired to the mains...the connection for the CCTV Functionality is Wifi, so a no go 

Any more recommendations?


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## sshooie

Wired and HIK for me, I have motion and line crossing set up and it works well for me, I have some FA's (never had any issues with spiders) but these are car lights turning in our cul-de sac on a night.

Avoid the Swann/Yale etc. imo, they are designed for DIY. (apologies to those who have them)


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## tonz

I have a wired viper setup , been very reliable and don’t suffer with any freezing and apps on iPhone work great , like said earlier avoid movement detection , I set that up and had 60 texts in about 1 hour . Also go for something with a good sized hard drive , I have a 4 Tb , and lasts for about 4 months before it over writes


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## Starbuck88

tonz said:


> like said earlier avoid movement detection , I set that up and had 60 texts in about 1 hour.


One of the reasons I want CCTV is for motion detection, I've watched loads of Youtube Videos now and decent systems can block out areas you don't want to motion sense and change sensitivity level and then there's the option to only motion sense between certain hours.

I wouldn't mind getting some false alerts, only need it to catch one crim or something dodgy for it to pay off.

Mainly doing this as used to living in a place where there is no crime at all and the house we have now, we still live in an area with next to no crime etc but just want peace of mind.

We have a motion activated light on the front of the property (more like a courtesy light though) and I do intend to put a motion detected flood on the rear when I finally decide on a system.

I like the idea of CCTV as you get a degree of control, you can always see your property and drive when you're on holiday etc Always having eyes on your 'safe' space is a nice luxury.


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## sshooie

I have areas masked for motion, total customisation for output/action/notification following a notification I have stills and footage of the event saved to Google drive and an email sent to the phone, this is set up on a schedule and dependant on the time and day of the week.

I get very few, if any 'false' alarms per week, it's all in the initial set up and if done properly won't be an issue.

As an example during the day I have lines set up on the drive that when crossed (you can chose one direction or both) so these are not even tripped by the postman provided they are on time (off between 11:00-11:30) in the same area's on an evening it puts on my courtesy lighting outside and has a soft chime downstairs so I can hear people walking up the drive (rare, we live in a cul-de sac)

On the HIK there is line crossing, intruder area's (you draw a shape and if entered it alerts) and general motion detection with varying mask and sensitivity options.

With the logic settings and outputs I've not found something it cant do, (if you have the right camera it will also do ANPR and facial recognition) 

VFM and quality (not DIY) HIK is a no brainer ime

I bought 4 x 5mp camera's, 4ch DVR (- the HDD) 4 sets of baluns, 4 power adaptors and a PSU for £312.00

Just add Cat5/6 and a decent HDD


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## Starbuck88

sshooie said:


> I have areas masked for motion, total customisation for output/action/notification following a notification I have stills and footage of the event saved to Google drive and an email sent to the phone, this is set up on a schedule and dependant on the time and day of the week.
> 
> I get very few, if any 'false' alarms per week, it's all in the initial set up and if done properly won't be an issue.
> 
> As an example during the day I have lines set up on the drive that when crossed (you can chose one direction or both) so these are not even tripped by the postman provided they are on time (off between 11:00-11:30) in the same area's on an evening it puts on my courtesy lighting outside and has a soft chime downstairs so I can hear people walking up the drive (rare, we live in a cul-de sac)
> 
> On the HIK there is line crossing, intruder area's (you draw a shape and if entered it alerts) and general motion detection with varying mask and sensitivity options.
> 
> With the logic settings and outputs I've not found something it cant do, (if you have the right camera it will also do ANPR and facial recognition)
> 
> VFM and quality (not DIY) HIK is a no brainer ime
> 
> I bought 4 x 5mp camera's, 4ch DVR (- the HDD) 4 sets of baluns, 4 power adaptors and a PSU for £312.00
> 
> Just add Cat5/6 and a decent HDD


Thanks for that, which model of NVR did you buy?

Also interested to ask about you say the system puts on your courtesy light and chimes?


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## sshooie

I bought the ds-7204huhi-k1, 4 channel HD turbo DVR, very compact and it has a 3yr warranty, I paid less than £100 for it but that was 12m ago not sure if it's superseded or cheaper.

It has outputs on the rear and I have those linked to the house alarm that in turn controls the lighting, but there is easier ways just using an octal relay.










With these cameras tucked under the eaves.


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## Starbuck88

Just wondering if there are any new kits or advancements to make note of? Still not taken the plunge believe it or not and want to get something sorted shar****.


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## percymon

A couple of miscreants targetted a neighbours car in the street a few months ago - knife through two tyres and a failed attempt to kick the drivers window in - all at 5 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon. Theyve now had CCTV installed but it would have been of little use as both thugs wore hoodies, baseball caps and dark sunglasses - even with a full description of their clothing (one hoodie was quite unique) the local plod weren't interested bar a scan of the local area (20 minutes after the incident) and a few on the spot enquiries to people in the area over the next couple of hours.

Another neighbours CCTV system was turned off by their cleaner the day before so that captured nothing. Another neighbour at the end of the street with good cctv caught the two guys getting into a dark grey Fiat 500 driven by a young woman, but couldnt get the reg plate (in fairness the house is set back 150 feet from the main road and the car was side on) - police weren't interested - i suppose they saw it as a £180 crime (two tyres) and closed the case within hours.

You've probably got more chance of picking up facial features of any thug if you have a low level camera; high mounted ones at roof gutter level are pretty pointless as they are unlikely to look up at a camera.

I had considered using an old dashcam in my front window, which would be cheap, pretty discrete and low level to catch facial details.


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## Starbuck88

So I've gone off the advice and I've bought a HikVision NVR, capable of 4 x 4MP Cameras. I specifically bought a POE version for the simplicity of running one cable to each Camera. 

I've seen you can use chinese/cheaper cameras, has anybody had any success with these? I could buy 2 x 4MP Cameras ONVIF compatible cheaper than 2 official 2MP cameras.

Or is it just a case of Trial and error?


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## Derek Mc

I bought an eight channel system off ebay it came with four cameras and a four camera power adapter, so when I added a fifth camera (just a cheap same design one off ebay again) I had to buy an eight channel power adapter and lead.

It cost all in £160 with five cameras and has been running for three years with no dramas and no failures aside from power cuts!
Picture quality is spot on for a cheap system good clarity colour day / monochrome night images good enough to track a number plate with.


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## AnthonyUK

Starbuck88 said:


> So I've gone off the advice and I've bought a HikVision NVR, capable of 4 x 4MP Cameras. I specifically bought a POE version for the simplicity of running one cable to each Camera.
> 
> I've seen you can use chinese/cheaper cameras, has anybody had any success with these? I could buy 2 x 4MP Cameras ONVIF compatible cheaper than 2 official 2MP cameras.
> 
> Or is it just a case of Trial and error?


ONVIF is a standard and any camera that supports it should work. 
The standard is a bit meh though as while it does work, it is not usually quite as good as having native support for the camera model but you will at least get video from those cams.

I've been using some Huacam in ONVIF mode for a good few years without issue as at the time you couldn't get 1080p day/night cams for anywhere close to the £70 they cost from Aliexpress. I fitted some at my Dad's place too which still work fine despite being outside in an area close to the sea.


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## The Sheriff

Some good advice on this thread.

I'd like a decent set up, even if it's just to find the owner of the dog who left a nice steaming pile outside our house through the night. Lazy get, just because it's dark and nobody can see

I know it's not the end of the world, it just winds me up.


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## Darlofan

The Sheriff said:


> Some good advice on this thread.
> 
> I'd like a decent set up, even if it's just to find the owner of the dog who left a nice steaming pile outside our house through the night. Lazy get, just because it's dark and nobody can see
> 
> I know it's not the end of the world, it just winds me up.


That happened outside ours 2nights running last year. I was looking into a cheap motion sensitive camera I could pop on car dashboard as that overlooks the grass(high hedge so camera on house no good). It only happened those 2 nights but I'm waiting for dark nights to come see if it happens again.


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## sshooie

Starbuck88 said:


> Just wondering if there are any new kits or advancements to make note of? Still not taken the plunge believe it or not and want to get something sorted shar****.


Yes, I have just bought a 5mp HIK ColourVu dome to test and thus far it's excellent, I will be ordering more to replace my existing domes today.

Have a look online at the nigh vision quality.


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## sshooie

Darlofan said:


> That happened outside ours 2nights running last year. I was looking into a cheap motion sensitive camera I could pop on car dashboard as that overlooks the grass(high hedge so camera on house no good). It only happened those 2 nights but I'm waiting for dark nights to come see if it happens again.


If you buy the right DVR it can be configured for motion, line crossing, intrusion area's etc. cheaply.


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## GeeWhizRS

A few months late to this thread but if you are looking for a camera to mount in your car, why not use a dash cam with motion detection? I have one of these and its the bees knees https://amzn.to/2GgF0Rd
My house CCTV cameras are great but the motion detection facility is too sensitive. At night, in IR mode, any bugs that move past the lens show up brightly and trigger the motion detection. What I've taken to doing now is using one of these driveway sensors https://amzn.to/2Rkl9XB. If this detects motion, I am alerted and I can at least look at the clock to see the time then I can check the footage on the CCTV cameras. It basically sounds like a doorbell but you can change the tone. I have a sensor round the back of the house and one at the front. I'm using the sounder on a timer so that it only turns on at night. Works great.


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## AndyQash

Another shout for HIKVISION, I have a 3 camera system and the quality of both day and night vision is outstanding, can highly recommend them.

Just dropped the picture from the post as the compression is not doing it justice.

Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk


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## MDC250

Rather than start a new thread…bit backwards you normally ask for advice rather than buy and then ask if any good, but…

Have a couple of cameras covering the driveway, one is a Ring peephole camera and the other an EZVIZ internal camera I have pressed against the glass in the Bay Window (works surprisingly well with the IR turned off as drive has PIR floodlights set up so clear of a night should anybody be on the drive). Both are fine for anybody actually up the drive and close to the house and are good in terms of notifications and setting of zones etc but are obviously limited in terms of quality at any sort of distance.

I've just bought an Annke set up comprising an 8Ch NVR (overkill for my needs but expandable in the future) and a couple of cameras a C800 bullet and C500 bullet so basically a 8MP/4K HD Camera and a 5MP camera. The 8 is going to cover the driveway from the front of the house and the 5 the side of the house. In theory the 8 would capture anything at the front but the 5 is a back up to cover the side.

Anybody running any Annke equipment and even better either of the cameras I've mentioned and if so how are you getting on? Anything to be thinking about in terms of set up/issues to make installation as easy as possible? First time at fitting a wired camera rather than genuine wireless. It should in theory be as easy as wall mounting the cameras and plugging the PoE Ethernet cables to the NVR and off we go but I've got a feeling it won't be as easy as that


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## MDC250

I did do a bit of reading around Annke and in the main seem to get OK reviews. The other attraction I’m not going to lie was a hefty discount on price at the moment, ANNKE30 for 30% off if any help to anybody. And no I’m not affiliated to them.


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## PugIain

I have a single Hikvision bullet cam. POE with a 120gb card in it, it's fine
It records about 9 days on the card then copies over. Obviously at different quality settings less/more.
I went for just over a week as it's very rare we'll be away from home for any more than that.


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## MDC250

From what I can make out Annke and Hikvision are part of the same overall company. Suspect Annke is the poor cousin.

The NVR I’ve specced has 2TB storage and can set to H265+ format so storage shouldn’t be an issue. The 8m camera will be set to element recording.

Just bought some driveway sensors as well.

I wish I could legally buy land mines, electrify my gates and get hold of an Ed-209 but have to draw the line somewhere.


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## AndyQash

I have a Hikvision system, 3 camera set up and to be honest it's ok, night vision could be better but it's acceptable.

Just had to look up Ed-209, definitely on my wish list as I'd send it straight through the neighbors front door to do its worst.


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## ridders66

I bought a Rekor HD set by ESP, sold at my local builders merchants electrical dept, CW Berry if anyone lives in the Preston/ Leyland area. It came with four cameras, all infra red, main box with HDD and all cables. You can buy extra long cables at a very reasonable cost, and a WiFi dongle too. I didn't want the set up in the house, so I fitted all the cameras outside, and set it up in one of my outbuildings, using a spare LCD TV. I also wanted it on a WiFi dongle as I didn't want it where the Broadband socket is in the house. Set up was dead easy, just plug and play. As long as you have good broadband the dongle works faultlessly.
ESP are a very reputable company who specialise in CCTV, alarms, access control and fire safety. They produced the Rekor HD to offer a professional set up at a reasonable price for homeowners. From memory it cost around £230 all in, the dongle is only about £15.
It works great, you can set it up to view remotely on their app, and also set it to send you an alert with a colour picture on an email. I really recommend it.
https://www.espuk.com/products/RHD4KB2G/


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## ridders66

I see many people recommend a Hik system. From memory wasn't it Hik who were found to be remotely tampering with systems? They are a Chinese company. There were concerns about security, I seem to remember schools in America banned their use.


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## [email protected]

I have HikVision in work - everyone knows them and how good they are.

I recently had installed at home (and I'll double check the name) DMSS 24/7 cameras

during they day they are at least the same as the full HD Hikvision, but at night is when they come into their own.

They have sound and are full colour all the time. They have a soft white LED where Hik etc. use IR at night. What this means is that I have full colour, full sound, and full HD all the time.

this is what I see right now on my phone:


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## MDC250

Yeah the full colour night vision sounded good but I realised they basically have light on through the night? 

I’ve got a couple of solar LED lights on the driveway wall that are on half power. If the PIR/motion sensor is triggered they light up fully. That then kicks off the main security lights and in turn that triggers the motion detection on the Ring and EZVIZ cameras which are fine for close up filming.

Come to the conclusion there is no perfect solution. You would need a few different cameras to cover all the bases.

The Annke C800 seems to get decent enough reviews but may be marginally less decent than the equivalent Reolink. End of the day I have 1080p cameras at present. The 8mp and even the 5 shoulda be a decent step up. Hopefully will get set up over the weekend if they arrive in time.


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## gatecrasher3

MDC250 said:


> Yeah the full colour night vision sounded good but I realised they basically have light on through the night?


On the Colorvu cameras you don't have to have the light on all the time, it can be set to just switch on when it detects an event. Motion, intrusion, line cross, etc.

They are also very good in general in low lighting conditions without the light, you just have to be careful not to leave the shutter speed at the default or you'll get motion blur with moving objects.


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## MDC250

Well the kit has arrived today, hopefully get a chance over the weekend to try and set it up…in-between all my other jobs I’ve got on. Weekends are meant for relaxing aren’t they?!


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## MDC250

gatecrasher3 said:


> On the Colorvu cameras you don't have to have the light on all the time, it can be set to just switch on when it detects an event. Motion, intrusion, line cross, etc.
> 
> They are also very good in general in low lighting conditions without the light, you just have to be careful not to leave the shutter speed at the default or you'll get motion blur with moving objects.


Good to know thank you, sure I read an Amazon response that said on all the time and it seemed an odd thing to me. Where these 2 cameras will go there are security lights with PIR so will light up and supposedly the EXIR should make low level light less of an issue. We shall see…or not as the case may be!


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## gatecrasher3

MDC250 said:


> Good to know thank you, sure I read an Amazon response that said on all the time and it seemed an odd thing to me. Where these 2 cameras will go there are security lights with PIR so will light up and supposedly the EXIR should make low level light less of an issue. We shall see…or not as the case may be!


I seem to recall that on the original units the light was on all the time and then later firmware releases gave the option to choose.


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