Best PTZ cameras and storage

[Wilco500]

House nearly done so time for the fun stuff. What’s a recommended camera system? Installer mentioned a hard drive in the server room? I would’ve thought most are cloud now?

Tips appreciated

[megaphone]

Have you installed any cables for cameras? Or a cable to power a door bell?

[Wilco500]

Yes whole place cabled up power and data to the outside points and gate entry and exits.

[dxg]

Big fan of the ubiquiti protect system. Depending on how much you want to spend, the AI queries of the archive can be pretty revealing. And the PTZ cameras are fantastic.

But it all depends on the application.

[megaphone]

Ok then you have a world of choice.

Having a local NVR recorder on premises is the best way to go as it ensures you are in control of your recordings and data, also means no subscriptions required.

My preference at the moment is UniFi Protect. The interface and set-up are superior to all other systems I have used. The app is excellent. AI and alerts work really well. There is not a huge range of cameras to choose from, but enough. Also integrates with the Unifi ecosystem for WIFI access points etc.

Hikvision is a good option, if you don't mind Chinese. Bit more traditional than Unifi Protect, but less money to buy and a huge range of cameras. App is a bit clunky, but ok.

Edited by megaphone on Wednesday 6th August 10:14

[biggiles]

Generally any non-noddy system will have a central box with hard disk(s) in your house.

Depending upon enthusiasm/budget, you could go for a commodity system off Amazon e.g. Reolink, or higher end Ubiquiti.

If you're an enthusiast, you can look into Frigate NVR (plus Home Assistant?) or Blue Iris.

Keep it simple e.g. make all cameras POE (no wifi) and have a big POE switch powering them all. There are lots of previous threads on PH with more details.

Are you sure you need PTZ? They are good in the movies (when there's a simple scenario, and only one licence plate or face to zoom in on!), but in real life it's often better to have non-PTZ cameras.

Hopefully your installer has put in Ethernet cables, not "coax data"... it's 2025.

[dmsims]

Those Unifi cameras are very expensive and clearly aimed at someone who will never actually use the footage

Why does the G6 have a fixed FOV of 109.9° ? Bonkers

[Wilco500]

biggiles said:

Generally any non-noddy system will have a central box with hard disk(s) in your house.

Depending upon enthusiasm/budget, you could go for a commodity system off Amazon e.g. Reolink, or higher end Ubiquiti.

If you're an enthusiast, you can look into Frigate NVR (plus Home Assistant?) or Blue Iris.

Keep it simple e.g. make all cameras POE (no wifi) and have a big POE switch powering them all. There are lots of previous threads on PH with more details.

Are you sure you need PTZ? They are good in the movies (when there's a simple scenario, and only one licence plate or face to zoom in on!), but in real life it's often better to have non-PTZ cameras.

Hopefully your installer has put in Ethernet cables, not "coax data"... it's 2025.

Good point re PTZ. I guess more to be nosey and just spin round, boys toy perhaps!

[theboss]

dmsims said:

Those Unifi cameras are very expensive and clearly aimed at someone who will never actually use the footage

Why does the G6 have a fixed FOV of 109.9° ? Bonkers

I have a dozen of them and think they are very good.

Most of mine are AI-Pro or G4/G5 Pro which have optical zoom so are very versatile, you must be referring to the cheaper fixed product.

The AI detections are very good, especially if you want to integrate with e.g. security lighting as you get very reliable detection or people or vehicles without false positives.

Its also helpful if you're already using the networking/wifi ecosystem as it all integrates perfectly.

Overall very happy with my setup.

There's also a cloud storage integration so you can have continuous footage stored onsite and detections only uploaded to e.g. OneDrive or Google

Edited by theboss on Wednesday 6th August 12:37

[megaphone]

Wilco500 said:

biggiles said:

Generally any non-noddy system will have a central box with hard disk(s) in your house.

Depending upon enthusiasm/budget, you could go for a commodity system off Amazon e.g. Reolink, or higher end Ubiquiti.

If you're an enthusiast, you can look into Frigate NVR (plus Home Assistant?) or Blue Iris.

Keep it simple e.g. make all cameras POE (no wifi) and have a big POE switch powering them all. There are lots of previous threads on PH with more details.

Are you sure you need PTZ? They are good in the movies (when there's a simple scenario, and only one licence plate or face to zoom in on!), but in real life it's often better to have non-PTZ cameras.

Hopefully your installer has put in Ethernet cables, not "coax data"... it's 2025.

Good point re PTZ. I guess more to be nosey and just spin round, boys toy perhaps!

Yes PTZ can be a bit OTT in a domestic situation. That said, good ones can now track people when the 'AI' detects them, so can be an option if an area is not covered well by fixed cams.

Another note on cameras. Avoid 'dome' cameras outdoors, the dome gets dirty and messes with the IR at night. Ideally go for turret cameras as these are less obtrusive and harder to move. Bullet cams are ok high up, but can easily be moved with stick or similar.

[normalbloke]

I have a decent Hikvision setup on the house. Aside from the general security cameras, I also have a very good PTZ. I live on the edge of a nature reserve and get massive enjoyment from it. It’s got 42x optical zoom, it’s gyro stabilised, heated screen, wiper, plus more smart shenanigans than I’ll ever know what to do with. It’s a £2k+ camera, but for me, worth every penny.