Hey all, since my grandpa's farm has been broken into one too many times, I'm going to help him invest in a security system for his farm. Here's the situation, camera's have to be outdoor, sturdy (Iowa weather), and resolution has to be, at a minimum, basic high definition. Looking for a 6-8 camera system, with a hard drive. I'm pretty good with electronics, but this isn't an area I'm well versed in. Prefer wireless, since, you know, farm. Many that I've been looking at offer around a 500 GB hard drive/DVR, how much does this realistically store? Also, are these hard drives made to store information until its full, and then simply override it once it becomes full? Basically just looking for recommendations, and a little knowledge of the products. Would it also be possible to hookup a larger external hard drive to store more video longer? Obviously, we want to be able to see whos been doing this, so I don't want it to become erased from the HD before we can view. Thanks!
Who knows security cams? Chime in!
- Thread starter renegade_987
- Start date
- Status
The better the cams the less time you will get. I would go for 2TB min if you are looking at more than 4 cameras. Most wireless sucks really bad. If you get an IP camera type system you will be limited to around 300ft wiring per camera.
Something like this is excellent
https://slickdeals.net/f/9232095-costco-...earchBarV2Algo1
You would only need some longer wiring perhaps.
3MP is much better than 1080p, and ip cameras are a full digital system for better quality as well.
Something like this is excellent
https://slickdeals.net/f/9232095-costco-...earchBarV2Algo1
You would only need some longer wiring perhaps.
3MP is much better than 1080p, and ip cameras are a full digital system for better quality as well.
It's probably best to add additional sealing and/or protection to keep water out of the camera. careful placement is also needed to ensure getting an image that is good enough to do anything with. I had a recent issue where the perps all had their hoodies up and the camera image was not very helpful; but my observant neighbors got a license plate number of the car that parked a block away and a description of the criminals. of course, I am now waiting 4 weeks for my local PD to do anything about it. I was able to locate the car and driver on my own; and have already narrowed down one accomplice.
I've got 3 IP cameras all hard wired recording to my desktop computer with a 500gb external drive, I have yet to fill the drive as the cameras are set to record on motion and I just use iSpy software, can view it from my phone as well. I only have 1 HD camera since I just bought it and have 2 SD cameras I've been using for the last 3 years. Setup was super easy.
A. You'll need software. I use some Dlink software I found for free online from the Dlink's British site. LOL. I hear Ispy is very good. With my setup, I have the harddrive to fill up until it's 90% full and then write over the older files. It also reboots itself weekly. That took changing a setting or two in the BIOS. Yes, I'm vulnerable for about 5 minutes until everything comes back on line. I can also get notifications if the cameras detect any motion. You can set motion areas and thresholds so that motion of a door will trigger but a branch blowing in the wind will not.
B. With 6 cameras and only record on motion, 500GB could be a month or a few days depending on how much motion there is. I recommend a dedicated server if you have a spare computer laying about.
C. My cameras are wireless and you'll have to know/learn a little bit about routers to get them all configured if the software doesn't want to find them on your network. Wireless has distance limitations so you'll have to deal with that as needed.
D. Get the bast cameras you can afford. I have HD and SD and the SD are not very good. Outdoor, HD cameras are expensive.
What prompted me to install the cameras was that I ordered 4 jugs of oil off Amazon and only 2 were on my porch when I got home from work. UPS said they delivered 4 jugs. (Amazon gave me a refund)
B. With 6 cameras and only record on motion, 500GB could be a month or a few days depending on how much motion there is. I recommend a dedicated server if you have a spare computer laying about.
C. My cameras are wireless and you'll have to know/learn a little bit about routers to get them all configured if the software doesn't want to find them on your network. Wireless has distance limitations so you'll have to deal with that as needed.
D. Get the bast cameras you can afford. I have HD and SD and the SD are not very good. Outdoor, HD cameras are expensive.
What prompted me to install the cameras was that I ordered 4 jugs of oil off Amazon and only 2 were on my porch when I got home from work. UPS said they delivered 4 jugs. (Amazon gave me a refund)
I manage a decent camera system for a telecom facility, and completely agree with the comments on getting the best cameras you can afford. Also, if the system can't support recording only when there's movement, then I wouldn't bother looking at it. I think pretty much all decent systems these days work like that though.
My system at work has 11 cameras and uses 1 TB storage. It varies based on "events" (movement) detected by the cameras, but we typically have about three weeks' storage time.
Tomcat27 makes a good point about people trying to hide their faces, and I see that quite a bit myself. With creative camera placement you can mitigate that to some degree, especially if you can place a camera somewhere that a car can't drive up without you capturing the plate.
Good luck!
My system at work has 11 cameras and uses 1 TB storage. It varies based on "events" (movement) detected by the cameras, but we typically have about three weeks' storage time.
Tomcat27 makes a good point about people trying to hide their faces, and I see that quite a bit myself. With creative camera placement you can mitigate that to some degree, especially if you can place a camera somewhere that a car can't drive up without you capturing the plate.
Good luck!
Since you're "pretty good with electronics," I would go custom-made with Raspberry Pi. Here's a link to get you started.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/turn-your-pi-into-a-low-cost-hd-surveillance-cam/
You didn't mention whether or not this was for daytime or nightime... Nightime, you need infrared stuff.
I'd build a bunch of cameras and first try to find out where/how they're coming in, etc. (basically an overview), then then place some additional cameras in specific spots for closeups. If you really want high res, you probably need to set up the Raspberry Pi as a trigger for a real camera.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/turn-your-pi-into-a-low-cost-hd-surveillance-cam/
You didn't mention whether or not this was for daytime or nightime... Nightime, you need infrared stuff.
I'd build a bunch of cameras and first try to find out where/how they're coming in, etc. (basically an overview), then then place some additional cameras in specific spots for closeups. If you really want high res, you probably need to set up the Raspberry Pi as a trigger for a real camera.
- Status
