security camera help!?

i own a motel and have a big parking lot.

i would like to have a camera system that would have 8 cameras, i would be able to watch it over the internet and record on a dvr. i was wondering what kind would be good to buy and which is the best brand . if i could i would like to have zoom on a camera so i can zoom in and see good quality picture.

if some one could help me that would be great.
thanks

Answer
Nathan that is the worst advice I have heard if you don't know about CCTV products please do not post and mislead people tigger direct sell complete junk.

Not all CCTV equipment is created equal, in fact there are many options that offer varying performance much like the automobile industry. In the world of CCTV you can find the equivalent of a $2,000 golf cart and a $350,000 Ferrari and everything in between. Both have 4 wheels but that's where the similarities end, itâs under the hood that counts.

Just like any other consumer electronic in the end you get what you pay for. Most retailers and sellers make about a 40-80% profit margin, this is after costs like shipping and overhead. That means when you buy a product that costs $100.00 the manufacturer usually has only spent $30 to build it which simply means itâs not a good product and will probably have a working life of about 2 months. There is a reason these products are 1/10 of the price of good and reliable DVR brand names. The type of seller these products attract are online sellers (ebay) and will make profits margins as low as 2% which means they canât afford to offer good service or allow for RMAs (returns). Cheap products are like disposable razors they are NOT designed to last for a long time and you will end up replacing them every 2 months.

Now some products can be made cheaply like ipod cases, screen protectors, and other simple products with no moving parts or electronics. DVRs need to be good quality as they run 24/7 (20X more than the average electronic device) and process anywhere from 30-480 frames per second which in a year is over 15 billion images, and a good DVR should last 3-5 years.

A true DVR and camera require years of research and development to facilitate the seamless integration of both the hardware and software. DVRs are highly complex systems that must run 24/7, processing millions of images per day and are one of the few products that canât be made both well and cheaply. Cheap and inexpensive products like Q-see, X10, Swan, Lorex, and other low grade DVRâs and cameras sold by Tiger Direct, Newegg, radio shack Sams Club, are not used by any security professional and should only be used by hobbyists.

To be honest Swan sells complete Garbage and is not used by anyone who has worked with CCTV or security products. I know other manufactures who used the same product as them and they felt they wee such poor quality they offered money back and replaced them at there cost. They are poor quality especially for IR cameras, due to low quality material, low S/N ratio, and c grade CCD image chips.

If you are only going to spend 70$ on cameras then you should buy 15 dummy cameras they will be just as effective and cheaper hen swan cameras.


Also as far as night vision or IR cameras go most do not give good images in the dark. Many companies claim good night vision but there are only a handful of brands who give night vision over 30 feet out doors. normally if a cameras is rated 150 feet of IR it will give you ok images at 30 feet at night and good images at about 20 if rated for 60 feet you might get 15 indoors and will be useless outdoors.

Some good CCTV brands that I recommend are Bosch, Pelco, Honeywell and Ascendent.

http://www.ascendentgroup.com (Great IR cameras)
www.honeywell.com
www.pelco.com/
http://www.bosch.com

Economical DVR's
Two good economical DVRs I would recommend are Ascendent's AVP-4120 DVR or Pelco's DX-400. They will allow you to view all your cameras instantly from anywhere in the world using either IE, or a client software. The AVP-4120 uses the latest H.264 codec to improve streaming and recording time, and will allow PCs and Apple computers to remotely view cameras. These are the DVRs I would recommend that are good quality and affordable from companies who stand behind there products.

Again if you are going to buy Swan products save money and get dummy cameras they are just as affective and you will be less disappointed.

I happen to know Ascendent is offering a special on a 4CH DVR and 4 cameras 2 of them are IR. http://dealer.ascendentgroup.com//cctvpaâ¦

Hope this Helps,

If you need anything else feel free to email me at
williammorales93@ymail.com

How do I transfer a security camera DVR to a computer?

innatrance

How do I transfer a security camera DVR to a computer?
Its been on my mind for quite some time. I can transfer the recorded video onto a VCR. but I would like to hook it up to the computer so that way I can record it on the computer which then i can easily transfer to dvd if needed for evidence.
I work at a thrift store and we are having a lot of problems caught on camera so i'm having a full time job just transfering it all on a VHS tape. Which is such a pain.
We have several security camera systems in the store.
The DVR we are using is a Clover DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER
Model CDR4060
Which can be found here http://www.cloverusa.com/product_detail.asp?id=159
Is there a way I can hook it up to the computer which is about 30 feet away from one of the DVR's? using a USB port on the computer?
I appreciate your help.
Thank you.

I have looked and thought about the Pinnicale video transfer thing but not sure if that would work the way i would like it to.

Answer
i think you will need a security DVR software to do that. check this out for more info about surveillance: http://www.video-surveillance-guide.com/dvr-security-software.htm

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How do you feel about security cameras inside an office?

bleuflamen

I used to work for an IT shop that started selling and installing security cameras inside offices to record employees at their desks, in hallways, etc. What I saw is that the morale plummeted at all the offices we did installations at.

Ironically, at one of the companies, I knew the manager watched porn on his computer because I saw temp files from it when I worked on his computer. And he was one of only a couple people without cameras in their offices. I didn't report this to anyone, as he was essentially my boss while I worked there.

Have you ever worked in an office like this? What are your feelings on the subject.

Answer
I work as a security officer at a highly secure data hosting centre.
We have cameras literally everywhere, with exception of the office.

They wanted to install there as well, for obvious security reasons, as office space is a common place for burglars, who runs off with monitors, projectors etc. but the staff said no.

I, personally, don't like being spied on like that. If you have to spy on your own staff like that, you have a trust issue, and trust, among other things, is what keeps most companies running.

I disapprove of security cameras inside offices. Elevators and hallways leading to ie. restricted access areas can be okay.

I'm looking for a good office camera security system. Any recommendations?

actefft

I would prefer the cameras to be wireless and to have a DVR. It would be nice if there was an app I could access the system from my phone. I would probably need at least 12 cameras.

Answer
I like Swann and Lorex systems for these (or smaller) systems.

There may be valu in getting two systems so if one fails, all the cameras are not down - but that is up to you.

Since we do not know the office layout, we do not know how the "wireless" part will work going through walls made of various materials.

Quick review:

Wired security cameras have a single "bundled" cable that contains the video feed and power. There are two plugs at the camera - one for power and one for video. At the DVR there is a connection for the video and the power plug connects to a power source - usually a "wall wart" or some sort. You can locate a battery back-up system at the DVR to power the DVR and the camera in the event of a power outage.

Wireless security cameras send only the video wirelessly. The camera still needs power (wire #1). If battery backup is needed, then some sort of local UPS is needed. The video is transmitted wirelessly to its base station mate. The base station needs power (wire #2). The base station connects with wire (#3) to the DVR.

You will also want to invest in a couple of monitors that connect to the DVR. 16 channels is a lot to watch. For the monitor at the DVR, a low priced, VGA-connected computer monitor is fine. There may be a need to have auxilliary monitors around the rest of the property. Use of the composite video out makes that easy.

Connecting the DVR to the computer network is easy enough - be sure the network is segmented using a network switch (not just a hub) so the video traffic and be isolated from the rest of the network. Use of PnP is easy, but a network admin with half a clue will know how to set the IP address and security properly. Also, for the remote access you want, setting up the router to allow your access while maintaining network security is needed. Again, any half skilled network admin who understands IP networks and router configuration can do this. This works best if your internet provider gives you a static IP address, but can still work if a dynamic address is used - there are some work-arounds and compromises you'll make is you go this route.

I would suggest sizing the system with more ports for cameras than you think you need - in case you decide to add cameras. In this case, two 8-channel systems gives you decent coverage. And a composite security camera will work on any manufacturer's system. I have installed Swann DVRs with Swann, Lorex and other manufacturer's analog, composite video, security cameras...

You did not tell us if the cameras will all be indoors or if there will be any out door (parking lot, alley, etc) in which case you may want outdoor-rated night-vision cameras in addition to the indoor versions.

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