Discuss Any recommendations for a simple CCTV and alarm system to fit? in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

Welcome to ElectriciansForums.net - The American Electrical Advice Forum
Head straight to the main forums to chat by click here:   American Electrical Advice Forum

HappyHippyDad

-
Esteemed
Arms
Reaction score
5,578
Hello all..

I have been considering CCTV for a while. We have had a few break ins recently, so it's time to actually do it!

I'd like to try and do it myself, so I'm looking for a pretty simple CCTV system and perhaps an alarm.

Any suggestions chaps? 🙂
 
I quite like these people for the cctv

As regarding alarms, I personally would always for for a hard wired system and favour Texecom gear.
 
Hello all..

I have been considering CCTV for a while. We have had a few break ins recently, so it's time to actually do it!

I'd like to try and do it myself, so I'm looking for a pretty simple CCTV system and perhaps an alarm.

Any suggestions chaps? 🙂
I have used this company for a number of years & have found good customer service & support.CCTV Kits - https://www.hdcctv.co.uk/collections/cctv-kits
 
I quite like these people for the cctv

As regarding alarms, I personally would always for for a hard wired system and favour Texecom gear.
I would agree with the choice of Texecom kit
 
We have used the Vivotek cameras (wired PoE version) and found they work quite well. Not used their DVR but the 'free' windows software they offer was fairly good (not tried latest versions).

The camera's built-in IR illumination works OK in small rooms but if fairly useless outside unless the targets are close, even then it tends to flare out the person's face, etc. However, modern cameras have quite good light sensitivity and we find they do pretty well without IR illumination if you set them to go down to 1/5s exposure time. Yes, movement is blurry there but maybe in built-up area with street lights it would be fine.
 
I'd recommend the ERA protect system. Wireless alarm with the ability to add CCTV cameras to it. It has a built in SIM card so in the event of the telephone wires being cut or your internet going down, the alarm still functions and will alert you directly on your phone.
Took me under half an hour to fit a system with 4 sensors and no crawling through lofts or lifting floorboards to hide wires.
 
Texecom ALWAYS gets recommended and rightly so .wired is better BUT its not so easy to add stuff as you want . Recently I purchased a great system (Simplisafe) off ebay for a bargain price .Used but Mint . We want to move within 6 months and did not want to have the hassle of hardwiring and then stripping it out only to do it again in a new house .As it is...its bloody good .Adding anything takes 2 mins .Battery life is amazing . It does the JOB>


lets keep it real.... scum and in and out so fast they dont really care about alarms in most cases . I just want to know the moment it happens .So i can instantly plan things . Like deleting all Apple accounts on stuff and rendering them useless etc . and to come home and deal with the damage .All alarms truly do is tell you you are been robbed .The police dont care , most neighbours dont care !!

Its better to try and convince a thief they should try another house . Good locks and internal noise /movement is the best route I believe . We have the radio on all day and leave lights on .Combined with a Ring door bell , if anyone rings to find out if the house is occupied .I just say I am busy and upstairs working etc .They dont know if I am in or not .
 
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone.
I'll have a proper wade through all the recommendations and update if I end up fitting one.
 
Swann for a basic cctv or Hikvision if you want something a bit better.
Go for NVR with IP cameras. As long as the runs are not massive you will only need 1 cat5 from the drive to each camera.
I wouldnt got for the old coax style cameras these days
Would touch Swann there is no UK support if you have a problem
 
I had a bad experience with Swann some years ago - their app was terrible for reviewing and extraction of clips. May be better now though.

I installed a Hikvision one about 10 years ago for a client (8 cameras) and it's had only one fail in that time, and still recording happily, so they seem fairly solid - Their app is not the best though for reviewing video, and the NVR setup is still pretty old. They changed their sales pitch a few years ago and now I believe sell Hlook to retail, and in theory only sell the Hikvision to dealers and installers. Always ways round it though.

There are better systems, but if you want a good app and are on a budget, Reolink cameras are worth a look. Just installed one for a family friend (IP NVR and 4 cameras) and have a reolink camera myself, albeit recording to my own NAS software.

First thing you need to decide in any case is how long you want to record for (14 days, 28 days, etc) as that will affect your choice of hard drive, and possibly the cameras.

8MP cameras are better quality if you want number plates etc, but take more space recording.
5MP cameras are generally OK in daylight, but often not great in night vision without assistance (extra IRs or a floodlight)

These days I wouldn't think you want to go below 5MP unless its a camera where the quality makes up for the lack of pixels.

Some of the cameras have much better (colour) night vision, but they are expensive..

So it's a balance between the best cameras and the hardware to cope with the amount of throughput, and lesser cameras but with lower hardware requirements.
 
There are better systems, but if you want a good app and are on a budget, Reolink cameras are worth a look. Just
That is worth knowing. A bit of searching eventually found how owns them:
So Chinese but not on the naughty list, a few issues, but overall seems fine
installed one for a family friend (IP NVR and 4 cameras) and have a reolink camera myself, albeit recording to my own NAS software.
What software do you use?
We have been using Vivotek's own stuff (they are Taiwanese, though cameras are made in China) and it is OK, better than we expected in many ways, but Windows-only and latest promises all sorts of cloud-based stuff we do not want to touch.
 
I have also had bad experiences with Swann. We only fit Hikvision NVR and Poe cameras now and haven't had any problems. I agree with Dartlec though the Hikconect app isn't the best.
If I were fitting at my own house I'd fit these at least you could learn how it works.

Another good brand of CCTV is Dahua not fitted any though.
 
Probably no issue for here, but remember Hikvision is on the USA naughty list so if you are installing for a client who has USA business customers that might just be an issue.
What's the 'naughty list' PC? Environment, spying??
 
That is worth knowing. A bit of searching eventually found how owns them:
So Chinese but not on the naughty list, a few issues, but overall seems fine

What software do you use?
We have been using Vivotek's own stuff (they are Taiwanese, though cameras are made in China) and it is OK, better than we expected in many ways, but Windows-only and latest promises all sorts of cloud-based stuff we do not want to touch.
Reolink seem to update their firmware relatively often, which is always a bonus - and the issues they had with some software (I Frame setting related) they claim to have fixed with the latest version.

Their mobile app is by far the best of the ones I've tried too, and doesn't need a subscription unless you want the cloud stuff.

I use Agent DVR mainly now for recording, running in Docker, though I also have a backup using the QVR Elite software that comes with my QNAP NAS.

Agent is free, with subscription for remote access through an app (though possible to set that up manually if you know what you're doing). The subscription also lets me tie into Home Assistant quite nicely, so I can disable internal recording when I'm home.

Runs on Windows, Linux or Docker, so lots of choices, though obviously a dedicated NVR is easier for clients as less maintenance or set up.
 
What's the 'naughty list' PC? Environment, spying??
A bit of both. Essentially the accusation is the company is working with, or directly controlled, but the Chinese government/military.

So the obvious risk to any USA company is the cameras being back-doored to allow an (easier) intrusion to the host network. For example, via the cloud-based app sort of software, or hidden in checks for software updates, etc.

The other more disturbing aspect/accusation is they are actively involved in the support and management of the Uyghur internment camps that China seems so secretive about:
 
So the obvious risk to any USA company is the cameras being back-doored to allow an (easier) intrusion to the host network. For example, via the cloud-based app sort of software, or hidden in checks for software updates, etc.
Of course any competent company anywhere in the world would have a separate network for CCTV, etc, and have it firewalled from going out as well as coming in to mitigate this sort of risk.

The number of truly competent companies can, it seems, be counted on a few fingers...
 

Reply to Any recommendations for a simple CCTV and alarm system to fit? in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Electrician Courses Green Electrical Goods PCB Way Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Pushfit Wire Connectors Electric Underfloor Heating Electrician Courses
These Official Forum Sponsors May Provide Discounts to Regular Forum Members - If you would like to sponsor us then CLICK HERE and post a thread with who you are, and we'll send you some stats etc

Electrical Forum

Welcome to the Electrical Forum at ElectriciansForums.net. The friendliest electrical forum online. General electrical questions and answers can be found in the electrical forum.
This website was designed, optimised and is hosted by Untold Media. Operating under the name Untold Media since 2001.
Back
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock