Spec me a CCTV System

Siliconslave · 29 Sep 2020 at 09:15

just a random note - self amalgamating tape is great - make sure you use it on your external connectors!

When I installed one of my cameras I figured the waterproof connector that came with the camera would be good enough - connector slipped out from under cover during the storms last week, water got in and fried the rj45 connector.

Luckily I managed to strip back the cable, dry it out in rice, put a new connector on and its up and going again now - wrapped up in layers of self amalgamating tape

WJA96 · 29 Sep 2020 at 09:44

Siliconslave said:
just a random note - self amalgamating tape is great - make sure you use it on your external connectors!

When I installed one of my cameras I figured the waterproof connector that came with the camera would be good enough - connector slipped out from under cover during the storms last week, water got in and fried the rj45 connector.

Luckily I managed to strip back the cable, dry it out in rice, put a new connector on and its up and going again now - wrapped up in layers of self amalgamating tape

Or you could just put the ‘waterproof’ connector (which really should be waterproof if assembled correctly with both seals in the correct locations) in a waterproof junction box. Self-amalgamating tape is horrific stuff to remove and I don’t use it myself.

Siliconslave · 29 Sep 2020 at 10:10

also true, i'd put it under some lead flashing previously, which was fine until the roof was re-tiled and the roofers didn't put it back correctly & it threw it down. Don't mind the tape personally but it can be a pain!

robj20 · 29 Sep 2020 at 10:57

Going to finally order a Reolink 520 to play with, need a bracket for it to house the connectors, then i just have a cat6 cable to poke through the house wall. Anyone know a bracket on Amazon that will be suitable?
64GB and a POE switch, going for an 8port 123W Netgear GS108PP.

Need some exterior Cat6 as well.

WJA96 · 29 Sep 2020 at 11:07

You mean this one?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reolink-Ju...t=&hvlocphy=1006853&hvtargid=pla-865021355170

robj20 · 29 Sep 2020 at 11:13

Yes, expensive though. External Cat6 now 50m would be plenty, could do with it solid core terminated as well, so i can cut on end off and punch that into the patch panel.

Seems ideal, shame its 24AWG not full Cat6 23AWG but im only asking low current https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smedz-CAT6-Outdoor-Network-Ethernet/dp/B0765FF3HC/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=cat6+solid+50m+external&qid=1601375138&sr=8-4&th=1

WJA96 · 29 Sep 2020 at 11:33

robj20 said:
Yes, expensive though.

It’s about the going rate for an IP65 box. It just highlights how cheap the cameras are.

WJA96 · 29 Sep 2020 at 11:34

robj20 said:
External Cat6 now 50m would be plenty, could do with it solid core terminated as well, so i can cut on end off and punch that into the patch panel.

Seems ideal, shame its 24AWG not full Cat6 23AWG but im only asking low current https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smedz-CAT6-Outdoor-Network-Ethernet/dp/B0765FF3HC/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=cat6+solid+50m+external&qid=1601375138&sr=8-4&th=1

How much do you need? I’ve got lots of offcuts and bits. If I’ve got a bit long enough you’re welcome to it.

robj20 · 29 Sep 2020 at 11:40

WJA96 said:
How much do you need? I’ve got lots of offcuts and bits. If I’ve got a bit long enough you’re welcome to it.

About 30m, having it terminated is crucial though I don't have any rj45s. Plus it can be a pain crimping external cable.
That seller does a 30m roll for £17 so that's good enough for me. Thanks for the offer though.

Also needed is an 8 or 10mm sds bit only bit I have long enough is 20mm that's a bit silly for a 7mm cable.

WJA96 · 29 Sep 2020 at 11:48

robj20 said:
About 30m, having it terminated is crucial though I don't have any rj45s. Plus it can be a pain crimping external cable.
That seller does a 30m roll for £17 so that's good enough for me. Thanks for the offer though.

Also needed is an 8 or 10mm sds bit only bit I have long enough is 20mm that's a bit silly for a 7mm cable.

The 250mm Bosch ones from Toolstation or Screwfix are pretty cheap. Do you need an SDS one? I only use SDS for the hard, dark coloured, engineering brick at low level on houses. Anything else and I just start off with drill then switch to hammer once I’m through the outer coating to stop any flaking. I find the SDS bits incredibly destructive (which is obviously what they’re for) but I seem to get a much higher proportion of blown out plaster/brick than with straight rotary drills with a hammer function.

robj20 · 29 Sep 2020 at 12:00

Yeah I don't have a hammer drill, just add or plain ratary.
Grabbed a 300mm X 10mm. It will look puny next to the 20mm X 1000mm bit.

Next up is I'm still unsure if the camera will work via my Asustor NAS using onvif or will it be FTP only.

WJA96 · 29 Sep 2020 at 12:42

Use RTSP. Select ONVIF/H264 RTSP and it should work fine. You may need to to point it to whatever port is required. From memory I was using 8000 on the test cameras I had.

There is an issue with some current Chinese cameras that mean they are fully ONVIF compliant but because of the US Export Administration Regulations ONVIF will not list them as compliant.

robj20 · 30 Sep 2020 at 16:11

Absolute doddle to setup. Plug it in, open the app camera just pops up. Setup password and name and done.

So far so good for £40. Wait for a dryer day to install it.

psd99 · 3 Oct 2020 at 12:47

WJA96 said:
Dahua XVR will do as much or as little as you want - XVR5108-HS will do the fundamentals of motion detection and it will uplink to a Synology NAS if you want. It has 8 analogue camera inputs and it will support 4 IP cameras as well. They’re EoL now but there are some kicking about in distributors for about £50+VAT plus HDD of your choice.

If you want something properly intelligent (like it can tell the difference between people and vehicles when it sees motion) then XVR5108-HI is your device. They’re quite new to the market and you’re looking about £130+VAT+HDD of your choice.

hey so still looking for that exact model number XVR5108-HI it is difficult to find.

I have seen many variants of the end digits - what does the HI mean? and is there an alternative Hikvision system you would recommend that works for my existing cameras? Looks like Hikvision have many good reviews compared to Dahua

WJA96 · 3 Oct 2020 at 14:44

psd99 said:
hey so still looking for that exact model number XVR5108-HI it is difficult to find.

I have seen many variants of the end digits - what does the HI mean? and is there an alternative Hikvision system you would recommend that works for my existing cameras? Looks like Hikvision have many good reviews compared to Dahua

The problem with Hikvision is that they’re not that great on analogue cameras. Dahua invented HDCVI and they basically specialise in XVR crossover analogue/IP recorders. For what you want, that is the best device on the market.

psd99 · 3 Oct 2020 at 15:23

WJA96 said:
The problem with Hikvision is that they’re not that great on analogue cameras. Dahua invented HDCVI and they basically specialise in XVR crossover analogue/IP recorders. For what you want, that is the best device on the market.

how are hikvision not great with analogue cameras?

i have found models like XVR5108HS-X but what difference does the -HI mean?

WJA96 · 3 Oct 2020 at 16:15

psd99 said:
how are hikvision not great with analogue cameras?

i have found models like XVR5108HS-X but what difference does the -HI mean?

The H means it has a better processor (High End or High Performance) and the I means it has the AI functions you need built-in.

How are Hikvision not so good with Analogue? It’s just not as good. It’s not what they do. Hikvision is the biggest manufacturer of IP cameras and recorders but Dahua owns the market on Analogue.

Vimes · 3 Oct 2020 at 17:01

WJA96 said:
Just in case anyone is still spinning that old yarn about expensive cameras not being that much better than cheap ones, I added a couple of 5MP Full Colour TiOC Cameras to a scaffolders yard and the difference between the similarly mounted Flureon cameras and the new Dahuas is pretty obvious;

720P Flureon Camera at the Front Gate (4mm)

.............................snip

I saw that in another post you linked these types of cameras to this place....

https://www.cop-eu.com/

if you can't register for a trade account with them do you know of another place that sells retail...?

It seems that gone are the days when I bought many Hikvision cameras, and an NVR, from Aliexpress with hacked Chinese firmware.

These were the type of cameras tha tI have....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hikvision-DS-2CD2332-I-Outdoor-Network-Camera/dp/B00PIHN1SI
along with a...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/HIKVISION-DS-7608NI-SE-Channel-Network-Recorder/dp/B00LG0YCEI

...for the NVR, separate Netgear POE switch. They still run fine to this day, several years old now.

Realising that Ali's prices and hacked Hikvisions are somewhat different these days those you linked seem pretty good and I assume that the cameras offer at least the similar type of config that you would expect from Hikvision...? Without the issues of using an hacked firmware, if you needed to update it.

do you also rate their NVR's....?

Thanks

Scream · 5 Oct 2020 at 15:54

You can still buy Hikvision kit in the UK from all the usual online stores but you just have to register an account the same you do here on this forum. Once you register, the prices are then revealed.

Vimes · 5 Oct 2020 at 16:38

Scream said:
You can still buy Hikvision kit in the UK from all the usual online stores but you just have to register an account the same you do here on this forum. Once you register, the prices are then revealed.

Thanks, good to know.
The Hikvision kit that I bought a few years ago.... NVR, POE Switch and six cameras are still fine.
Our eldest daughter is finishing a lot of internal work and has started to ask about a CCTV system for their property.

General questions....

Are there any dealers considered to be good for Hikvision kit in the UK.?

I'm seeing cameras such as the Reolink brand noted, anyone using them and can compare them to Hikvision, in terms of quality, features and night vision?

Thanks.