CCTV System.

[Johnseat]

So I've decided to fit a cctv system to protect the outside of the house, recent events means I'd feel happier to have one protecting the property.
Has anyone on here had any experience on fitting their own system and what to look for?
I've seen some systems on ebay stating 1080p 2mp cameras and looking on YouTube they seem to be great for a crystal clear picture.
Has anyone used a sub £200 system off ebay?

 

[sg66]

The newer cctv is moving on to 8mp, 2 is really old now, the 4/5mp systems are near the end of the run and have all issues pretty much found and fixed, depends on your budget but nothing worse than having a crap image that is of no help.

Swan do out of the box solutions, hickvision do kits and is used by a few installers, some are good some are not just look into what your buying and what features your after.

 

[Ashley Burton]

Very interested to see the replies to this thread. The same thought has crossed my mind with anti-social behaviour happening in my local street & its that one time you need evidence & you don't have it!

Are you looking for discreet cameras?

 

[Robotstar5]

I really ought to get one, I found this one morning a week before Christmas

Took my dashcam.

 

[Johnseat]

The newer cctv is moving on to 8mp, 2 is really old now, the 4/5mp systems are near the end of the run and have all issues pretty much found and fixed, depends on your budget but nothing worse than having a crap image that is of no help.

Swan do out of the box solutions, hickvision do kits and is used by a few installers, some are good some are not just look into what your buying and what features your after.

To be brutally honest I'm wanting to keep the costs down if possible.

 

[sg66]

Unfortunately it's the same old you get what you pay for,
https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/

Sometimes have some good offers on box sets

Try narrow it down to what you can afford and find a kit that fits the budget then find who you can get it from the cheapest that is likely to have some sort of backup should you have a problem with it.

 

[gaz1]

as stated you get what you pay for theres been enough posts about cctv on the forums

as much as i prefer a zoom camera having 250.00 to 1,000 too hand is another matter

fixed cameras are fine but only give good enough detail at certain length to the camera even at 20ft images can be poor all depends on your cost and also your camera that you have picked as well

not forgetting darkness can make a camera poor quality

 

[GW8IZR]

I've always used and pointed people toward https://www.rfconcepts.co.uk/ in Belfast, they have always been very good.Its a few years since I rang them but a friend called them six months ago and they were very helpful on the phone.

(no connection other than satisfied customer etc..)

 

[Olderisbetter]

My cctv recorder is ok and i have a mix of old and new cameras, I have always tried to fit cctv that will be easy to use and has a good reputation for service life, We did try a few cheap ones on places but they were always rebooting freezing or just stopped, I use Qvis at the moment but i am looking for an update so maybe hikvision which i used 10 years ago and some of which are still in use. Ebay seems to be full of great claims on specs, But i have had 2 cameras side by side into a recorder and the cheap ones were quite alot poorer specially in the dark.

 

[ukracer]

The newer cctv is moving on to 8mp, 2 is really old now, the 4/5mp systems are near the end of the run and have all issues pretty much found and fixed, depends on your budget but nothing worse than having a crap image that is of no help.

Swan do out of the box solutions, hickvision do kits and is used by a few installers, some are good some are not just look into what your buying and what features your after.

I do sort of understand latest stuff is clearer but surely if 4/5 has been good enough for most till now and as jonseat has said cost is an issue a decent 4/5 would do what he needs.?

 

[Olderisbetter]

Sometimes any CCTV is a bonus, Better than nothing, My old sysytem was just dated but with street lighting it was pretty good to see who was about.

 

[Farside]

I have a box of old store cameras, using co-ax or cat5 with baluns, and a dvr box to run them. They're no great shakes compared to what's about now, but they cost next to nowt and they have decent zoomable lenses on them, so I use them to cover entry points where their low res is compensated for by a good tele setting on the lens.
For the other more modern stuff, I've started buying 2 and 4, 5 megapixel IP cams which I use the PC to run. They're much more detailed and can provide wider coverage of other areas, and give me enough detailed res to crop a face or reg plate if needed. Obviously, the more, the better, but it's driven by cost.
Good external lighting is key, though. Now the price of reasonably powerful LED floods has plummeted, I'll be trimmiing the place out like Alcatraz.
I only need some machine gun towers and razorwire.

 

[angellonewolf]

I only need some machine gun towers and razorwire.

you forgot the landmines

 

[addjunkie]

Attack dogs and a 243 with night vision does for us

 

[8ob]

Attack dogs and a 243 with night vision does for us

By far the best approach Still worth getting a cctv though so you can get see who owns all the shredded denim they seem to leave behind

Bob

 

[Robotstar5]

You need a dog named Fluffy

 

[sg66]

I do sort of understand latest stuff is clearer but surely if 4/5 has been good enough for most till now and as jonseat has said cost is an issue a decent 4/5 would do what he needs.?

yup 4/5 would be fine and better than 2, its really when you try to zoom in to get detail that the extra mp become important, have spent a bit of time looking int this as just in the process of helping with 10k worth of the stuff, anpr, fast zoom, audio cameras etc

 

[fizzy]

There are some good budget cameras around now. Wifi makes things a lot easier. Obviously not as reliable as a proper hard wired system but for those on a budget they do the job.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/IeGeek-Waterproof-Security-Surveillance-Outdoor/dp/B073GQ8T2L?th=1

I bought 5 of these - 1080 version. I wouldn't bother with the 720 - too low a res!

I haven't used them outdoors but they work well in my warehouse. You view them on your phone from anywhere. You can fit an SD card so they record for say 24hrs and then overwrite which should be long enough for most people.

 

[Olderisbetter]

My mate has a sign up saying "CAUTION ATTACK WIFE LOOSE ON GROUNDS" it keeps a few away

 

[matt1978]

I’ve just had some 8mp Hikvision cameras fitted at work, they are fixed lens but you can zoom into the image when viewing on a monitor or screen. Very good quality images especially when viewed on a 4K panel.