Totally confused.

bogart99

Have read posts on here and on other sites but the more I read the more confused I get as to which way to jump, so will give details and hopefully somebody can narrow down my requirements. It is a bit of a long scenario but will try to keep it brief.
Property out in the country with only one near neighbour whom I would not rely on to know if his place was being burgled let alone mine.
Have two entrances with 5 bar gates. What I envisage is having 5 cameras. One on each gate plus one on front door entrance and one on rear door entrance, and finally one facing a set of french doors on side of property.
What I would like is a setup where I can see all 5 cameras on my pc screen, plus access to them when away, plus something to warn me that something is amiss.
What I do not want to happen is what happened a mile down the road a few days ago, a property was burgled late afternoon and the buggars even stole the dog. I would hate to lose our dog on one of the few occasions we have to leave him indoors. Dog theft around here is getting rife.
Now I have a set, of yet uninstalled, led floodlights 50w. I was intending these to give a nice ambient light shining upwards to light the trees they were to be positioned in. Am thinking now maybe would be more prudent to use in a more security manner. The system can be wired or wireless. Have a digger so laying cables not a problem.
Have a NAS system and a WiFi coverage over an area encompassing the zones I think need watching over.
Am not bothered in spending a "few bob" to get it right first time. What should I be looking at? DIY or a professional arrangement?
Sorry was not very brief in the end.

mushii

Have installed a few similar setups. If you really are concerned about security then I would recommend a hardwired IP camera setup. Yes it will be more expensive but it will be far more robust. A Hik or similar setup will allow everything that you want. Installing external or duct grade Cat5e cables will be more than adequate upto 100m. This will also allow you to choose appropriate cameras with correct FOV for where they need to be installed. If you are reasonably IT savvy you can self install with some YouTube tutorials.

bogart99

Thanks for the prompt reply at least is a starting point, so onto YouTube.

mushii

I am here also if you have questions, as are several installers.

bogart99

Very kind of you. Have spent quite a bit of today watching videos and trawling the web. I do like the fact that IP cameras can be powered via the Cat cable.

bogart99

Hi

Is question time again.  To my mind having the NVR and PoE switch combined makes sense.
Now what I notice is that a lot of these units state they can record at 4MP but then in the next breath state they can output in 1080 ie 2MP. So is there any advantage in buying 4MP cameras?
Now in the first comment you make you mention HiK as a make, any reason for that? Are there any makes I should stay clear of? And finally is it better to get the same make for NVR/switch and camera or does it not matter?

Regards

mushii

Lots of good questions. Recording at a higher pixel density than outputting allows images to be digitally zoomed to retrieve information from a recorded image which can be very useful. It also means that in low light where image quality is often degraded the added pixel density helps add clarity and resolution.

I talk about Hik as this a brand that I use myself and for installs. There are other semi Pro / Pro brands such as Panasonic, Dahua etc that offer similar products. Personally I would stay away from the budget companies, such as Swann (they are made to a budget price-point). You can mix most IP cams and NVRs but personally for ease of setup and maintenance I would try and use a single brand.

Hope that this answers your questions

Kind Regards

bogart99

It does indeed until I think up a few more.

bogart99

HI
Am still making my mind up, am at least narrowing my options down.