CCTV Recommendation

[AlexGSi2000]

Morning,

I was wondering if anyone could recommend me a CCTV system with 2x cameras?

Been thinking about CCTV for a few years, recently had a package go missing - I have no way of telling if it was even delivered or if it was nabbed, would have at least had some closure if there was footage.

Ideally looking for a standalone hardwired system without subscription rather than the likes of a ring doorbell.

I'm thinking along the lines of two dome cameras fitted to the soffits, powered over ethernet, connected to a recorder - Not wanting to route/view the footage externally, so would like to run it completely standalone.

Many thanks!

[hellorent]

Not exactly what you asked for but I've got 1 tapo C520WS & 1 C510W camera, really happy with them.

[S6PNJ]

A Synology NAS will do the storage aspect and allows 2 cameras without needing extra licences. You can probably pick up an old model from eBay or Facebook Marketplace. Check the specs on the Synology website but even 10 year old ones will support 2 x IP cameras.
Then you need either a POE switch or POE injectors. Next pick 2 POE IP cameras that suits your needs, most are 2.8mm IIRC so wide angle. Because of my needs, I chose 2 Hikvision 8mm dome cameras.

This is how my system works. You can choose how much storage, what cameras, what specs etc to suit your needs. You'll still probably be looking at £2-300 at a guess.

[bazza white]

Ive got reolink and pretty decent quality and good value. Been reliable to so far. I use memory cards for now but will be getting a stand alone recorder at some point.

They also have a doorbell version which gets good reviews and on the sipping list. I have one of these to if you need poe and its done the job great.

[NickXX]

Recently gone for an Ubiquiti setup for exactly this. I have:

2 x Ubiquiti UVC-G5-Turret-Ultra UniFi HD PoE Turret IP Camera
1 X Ubiquiti Networks UniFi Cloud Key Gen2 Plus (UCK-G2-PLUS)

Nice hardware, and all PoE (including the Cloud Key NVR). The app is great and the whole setup has been very reliable.

[GuigiaroBertone]

I would recommend against siting the cameras in the soffits unless you're in a bungalow. It's much harder to ID someone from way up above. Especially using IR at night.

I would put them as close to head height as possible, whilst also ensuring they don't have any blind spots where they can be disabled without capturing footage of the person doing it.

[Brother D]

Need to know your budget

Budget - Ring has been pretty good, and they can work off Wifi & Battery - I have these for some family members and they are pretty decent. Reolink is ok and works with NVRs

Medium to High End - Hard wired Hikvision or Dahua cameras with dedicated NVR


Check out this channel for real-world use

[xx99xx]

GuigiaroBertone said:

I would recommend against siting the cameras in the soffits unless you're in a bungalow. It's much harder to ID someone from way up above. Especially using IR at night.

I would put them as close to head height as possible, whilst also ensuring they don't have any blind spots where they can be disabled without capturing footage of the person doing it.

Absolutely. Great for not being tampered with, but not so great when all you capture is the tops of people's heads. However, it would at least fit your objective of knowing whether something was delivered or stolen.

Recent experience suggests that police are not interested in CCTV footage to help them catch criminals. It was also evident that CCTV is not a deterrent given that the said criminals waved to the camera.

[Lucas Ayde]

xx99xx said:

Absolutely. Great for not being tampered with, but not so great when all you capture is the tops of people's heads. However, it would at least fit your objective of knowing whether something was delivered or stolen.

Recent experience suggests that police are not interested in CCTV footage to help them catch criminals. It was also evident that CCTV is not a deterrent given that the said criminals waved to the camera.

I have actually found them useful on a one occasion when a courier was trying to find my house ... he called me (I was away from home) and I could see him driving up and down the street on my camera feed, so I was able to guide him in.

Also handy to know if anyone has tried to deliver stuff when you were away from the house. Amazon will just leave it on the doorstep (without even waiting for you to answer a knock) but it's handy for things like Royal Mail and other couriers parcels. At least you can pop away for 15 mins to get something from the shops and know you didn't miss the delivery (or did miss it and not spend the rest of the day waiting in the house).

I've been using a pair of Amazon Blink cameras for years. Really nice super-easy-to-use solution but unfortunately Amazon changed to a subscription model (previously free for life) after being out for a while. Early buyers get to keep them sub-free for as long as the original cameras keep working though. Mine are getting on for four years old now.

[SlimJim16v]

Blink now has a hub that records on a sd card.

I think the best location for a camera is looking out of a window, though the IR has to be turned off. Not a problem at the front with street lights, but the rear will need a separate IR light.

[Baldchap]

NickXX said:

Recently gone for an Ubiquiti setup for exactly this. I have:

2 x Ubiquiti UVC-G5-Turret-Ultra UniFi HD PoE Turret IP Camera
1 X Ubiquiti Networks UniFi Cloud Key Gen2 Plus (UCK-G2-PLUS)

Nice hardware, and all PoE (including the Cloud Key NVR). The app is great and the whole setup has been very reliable.

I'm very happy with my Unifi setup as well.

[HantsRat]

Hikvision - Ignore the scaremongering around the brand. CCTV shouldn't have direct access to the internet anyway. Great quality kit for the prices.

[Mortarboard]

If you're a competent tinkerer, then Annke are worth a look. Dirt cheap for full systems. No subscriptions. App on phone. Dvr in house.

Just remember, "wireless" systems still need power, so bear that in mind. You'll need to run cables anyway...

M.

[Greedydog]

Mortarboard said:

If you're a competent tinkerer, then Annke are worth a look. Dirt cheap for full systems. No subscriptions. App on phone. Dvr in house.

Just remember, "wireless" systems still need power, so bear that in mind. You'll need to run cables anyway...

M.

I fitted an Annke system at my previous house, it was OK, but not particularly user friendly, the NVR software was pretty basic and non intuitive. I’ve now fitted Reolink cameras and NVR at my new house, it’s much, much better.

[AlexGSi2000]

Many thanks for all the feedback - some very useful recommendations / points.

My plan at the moment is to go for a Hikvision setup with a standalone recorder - PoE from the recorder and ill set up a VLAN on my switch to keep the traffic separate, add a second network card to my PC for viewing purposes.

[Mortarboard]

Greedydog said:

Mortarboard said:

If you're a competent tinkerer, then Annke are worth a look. Dirt cheap for full systems. No subscriptions. App on phone. Dvr in house.

Just remember, "wireless" systems still need power, so bear that in mind. You'll need to run cables anyway...

M.

I fitted an Annke system at my previous house, it was OK, but not particularly user friendly, the NVR software was pretty basic and non intuitive. I’ve now fitted Reolink cameras and NVR at my new house, it’s much, much better.

Agreed. You need to be a "tinkerer". But once set up, it does 99% of what's needed.

M.

[Salted_Peanut]

HantsRat said:

Hikvision - Ignore the scaremongering around the brand. CCTV shouldn't have direct access to the internet anyway. Great quality kit for the prices.

What was the scaremongering?

[donkmeister]

xx99xx said:

Recent experience suggests that police are not interested in CCTV footage to help them catch criminals. It was also evident that CCTV is not a deterrent given that the said criminals waved to the camera.

Different experience here - neighbour was awoken by a burglar, the police came round and asked for my CCTV, provided a link to upload the footage, and later the investigating detective came and took a look at my cameras so he could sign off the evidence.

Wasn't even the run up to a PCC election!

[JQ]

donkmeister said:

xx99xx said:

Recent experience suggests that police are not interested in CCTV footage to help them catch criminals. It was also evident that CCTV is not a deterrent given that the said criminals waved to the camera.

Different experience here - neighbour was awoken by a burglar, the police came round and asked for my CCTV, provided a link to upload the footage, and later the investigating detective came and took a look at my cameras so he could sign off the evidence.

Wasn't even the run up to a PCC election!

Similar here, neighbour was broken into and Police asked to look at my CCTV. Unfortunately I have an Arlo wireless system which only records when triggered by someone being on my property (to maintain battery life). When I get round to replacing it, I'll definitely be getting a hardwired system that records to a PVR.

[Corso Marche]

Without hijacking this thread too much, but as this thread is current and this is related I hope the OP doesn't mind me adding a question to it.

Does anyone have experience or recommendations for solar CCTV cameras which could be used to monitor a rural yard and lockup?
I imagine a SIM in each camera will be necessary? Remote access and monitoring alerts are a must. But there's no power whatsoever on site, hence me wondering if solar powered cameras have gotten to a usable level?
Not a permanent setup, but could be needed for a period of circa 6 months.

Thanks in advance.