Upgrade of Old System - Need Advice

[Magwhy]

Hi All,
I am looking for help to specify equipment to replace an existing coax system.

I wish to replace with Hikvision NVR and Cameras. My initial thoughts were to use 4K 8MP turret cameras to most locations with 2.8mm lenses. I am open to advice,

I then started to think of putting a PTZ in location 3 to cover most areas of rear and drive to side of property and remove possibly cameras 6 & 7, the unit I was considering was 4" DS-2DE4415IW-DE 4MP (not sure what the (D) & (S5) variants are for this unit?)

I was also thinking I need to try to future proof by buying higher spec NVR but not sure if this is worth while and also whether 8MP is required and how good is 4MP or 6MP?

- At position 1- I was thinking of using DS-2CD2386G2-ISU/SL 2.8mm - I am looking for good details to cover vehicles and main access on to plot, with audio mic & speaker. Location has little light in evening although security lighting system included when PIR on front right corner of house is activated, this lights front and right side of property for 30 secs.
- At position 2 - I was thinking of using DS-2CD2386G2-IU/ 2.8mm- To cover other side of front of plot, I don't need Mic due to Position 1 camera having this, not sure if 8MP is too much? Could consider DS-2CD2386G2-I. Left corner of front and down the side not covered?
- At position 3 - I was initially thinking of using DS-2CD2386G2-ISU/SL/ 2.8mm to cover back door, doors to conservatory and some of the back garden but now thinking of PTZ as discussed above.
- At position 4 - I was initially thinking of using DS-2CD2386G2-ISU/SL 2.8mm if PTZ used at position 3 to give audio to rear. If PTZ not used this could be DS-2CD2386G2-I?
- At position 5 - This is a new proposed position to cover the rear of the house, I am looking to put a single story extension with bi-folding doors across the rear of property, removing the conservatory, this wilI be done using poe with a powerline, was initially thinking of using DS-2CD2386G2-I 2.8mm or less?
- At position 6 & 7 - These are either side of a narrow chimney breast to cover rear of vehicles and rear of caravan, these areas are very dark, If ptz used at 3 may be able to remove? if not advised open to suggestions but will obviously push up the price.
Open to advise on positions, heights etc. although would like to use existing positions as install would be easier to pull cables in, lower heights may be very challenging.

NVR
Thinking would be good to try to future proof here, thinking of 16 channel to be able to add cameras, with possibly 8MPcameras would need 4 x SATA hard drives (future expansion)??, I need poe to all channels & audio was thinking of DS-7716 NI-I4-16P ???

Hard Drive
Thinking of starting with 6TB single??

Cable
Should I be using stranded, twisted pair Cat 5 or 6? What cables are required for audio and ptz, an additional Cat 5 or 6 to location can this be used for this?

I have included a rough plan of plot with current camera positions and a couple of photos of property and garden with camera positions shown with yellow numbers.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

TIA,

Nick

 

[Magwhy]

Please see addition photos from camera positions

 

[Kyle]

Hi @Magwhy

Thanks for taking the time to provide so much info.

If you're looking at having a couple of cameras positioned on each side of the house, it is definitely advisable to go for a combination of focal lengths (e.g. 2.8mm and 4mm) so that you can get some useful coverage at the spaces slightly further from the property. Going for 2.8mm everywhere will give a nice wide coverage, but you will leave you lacking any detail on anything beyond around 5m from the property.

We also suggest avoiding a PTZ on residential installs as they are often overkill, larger than often expected (about the size of a football), and work best in large, expansive spaces. The area you have proposed using a PTZ in will be too small for the auto-tracking to work effectively, meaning you might miss activity in the space. It is also unlikely that a PTZ will be able to tilt sufficiently to cover the walkway directly beneath.

I'm not entirely sure how the "(D)" variant differs from the DS-2DE4415IW-DE, but the DS-2DE4415IW-DE(S5) is the upgraded model which now uses AcuSense technology and "smart" auto-tracking based on it.

Please find my comments and suggestions for each position below, I think your suggested models in each position are good:

• At position 1- I would be inclined to use a 4mm focal length here to focus on achieving a clear image of your cars and entire driveway. The camera in position 2 should give enough coverage of the rest of the front space.
  
  
• At position 2 - A 4mm focal length would work well here again to cover the rest of the front garden. With 2.8mm, you will likely find that your image will be unnecessarily stretched, and will overlap the view from position 1.
  
  
• At position 3 - 2.8mm will work well here, I also think the extra detail 8MP offers would be worthwhile because of the wide field of view.
  
  
• At position 4 - 4mm will be better here as it will allow you to cut the conservatory out of the view, avoiding wasting space in the camera's view and any overexposure in the image due to the conservatory absorbing most of the camera's IR light at night. It also means that you will get a more detailed picture of the back of the garden / garage.
  
  
• At position 5 - This might cause issues as the IR LEDs on the camera would be pointing towards positions 3 and 4, causing overexposure again. It may well be overkill anyway, as 3 and 4 should give sufficient coverage of the back garden. If you wanted extra coverage around the garage (and back garden), a 2.8mm Mini Dome with shorter-range IR LEDs, mounted around head height would be best, such as the Hikvision DS-2CD2545FWD-IS 4MP IR Fixed Mini Dome Network Camera.
  
  
• At position 6 & 7 - One camera should cover what you need here. I would look at placing a 4mm camera with rotate mode activated near position 7, pointing towards the caravan. You will need clearance of the protruding chimney breast, so a wall mounting bracket will probably be needed. Cameras 1 and 2 will cover the approach to the dark space behind the cars / gate.
  

NVR - If you're going for all 8MP AcuSense cameras here, then you're definitely right to be looking at the larger NVR with a larger bandwidth budget, as the bandwidth usage of these cameras are substantially more than the other 8MP models. See this thread for more information - Please Read: Strange Bitrate Discovery when Testing Latest 8MP G2 AcuSense Cameras.

The 160Mbps budget of the DS-7616NI-I2-16P (2 HDD bays) and DS-7716NI-I4-16P (4 HDD bays) means that these should work well for you.

Hard Drive - 6TB will give you storage for approximately 7 days recording. Please see this guide for calculating your storage requirements for a more accurate figure - How-to: How do I use Western Digital’s Storage Calculator to identify how much storage space I’ll need for my CCTV system?

Cables - Cat6 is advisable for futureproofing the system, stranded for indoor cables, solid if they are going to be on the exterior of the house. Cat5e will work well too. All data is carried over the one network cable (PTZ, audio, etc.), so no other cables would be required for these cameras.

Hope that helps!

 

[Magwhy]

Hi @Magwhy

Thanks for taking the time to provide so much info.

If you're looking at having a couple of cameras positioned on each side of the house, it is definitely advisable to go for a combination of focal lengths (e.g. 2.8mm and 4mm) so that you can get some useful coverage at the spaces slightly further from the property. Going for 2.8mm everywhere will give a nice wide coverage, but you will leave you lacking any detail on anything beyond around 5m from the property.

We also suggest avoiding a PTZ on residential installs as they are often overkill, larger than often expected (about the size of a football), and work best in large, expansive spaces. The area you have proposed using a PTZ in will be too small for the auto-tracking to work effectively, meaning you might miss activity in the space. It is also unlikely that a PTZ will be able to tilt sufficiently to cover the walkway directly beneath.

I'm not entirely sure how the "(D)" variant differs from the DS-2DE4415IW-DE, but the DS-2DE4415IW-DE(S5) is the upgraded model which now uses AcuSense technology and "smart" auto-tracking based on it.

Please find my comments and suggestions for each position below, I think your suggested models in each position are good:

• At position 1- I would be inclined to use a 4mm focal length here to focus on achieving a clear image of your cars and entire driveway. The camera in position 2 should give enough coverage of the rest of the front space.
  
  
• At position 2 - A 4mm focal length would work well here again to cover the rest of the front garden. With 2.8mm, you will likely find that your image will be unnecessarily stretched, and will overlap the view from position 1.
  
  
• At position 3 - 2.8mm will work well here, I also think the extra detail 8MP offers would be worthwhile because of the wide field of view.
  
  
• At position 4 - 4mm will be better here as it will allow you to cut the conservatory out of the view, avoiding wasting space in the camera's view and any overexposure in the image due to the conservatory absorbing most of the camera's IR light at night. It also means that you will get a more detailed picture of the back of the garden / garage.
  
  
• At position 5 - This might cause issues as the IR LEDs on the camera would be pointing towards positions 3 and 4, causing overexposure again. It may well be overkill anyway, as 3 and 4 should give sufficient coverage of the back garden. If you wanted extra coverage around the garage (and back garden), a 2.8mm Mini Dome with shorter-range IR LEDs, mounted around head height would be best, such as the Hikvision DS-2CD2545FWD-IS 4MP IR Fixed Mini Dome Network Camera.
  
  
• At position 6 & 7 - One camera should cover what you need here. I would look at placing a 4mm camera with rotate mode activated near position 7, pointing towards the caravan. You will need clearance of the protruding chimney breast, so a wall mounting bracket will probably be needed. Cameras 1 and 2 will cover the approach to the dark space behind the cars / gate.

NVR - If you're going for all 8MP AcuSense cameras here, then you're definitely right to be looking at the larger NVR with a larger bandwidth budget, as the bandwidth usage of these cameras are substantially more than the other 8MP models. See this thread for more information - Please Read: Strange Bitrate Discovery when Testing Latest 8MP G2 AcuSense Cameras.

The 160Mbps budget of the DS-7616NI-I2-16P (2 HDD bays) and DS-7716NI-I4-16P (4 HDD bays) means that these should work well for you.

Hard Drive - 6TB will give you storage for approximately 7 days recording. Please see this guide for calculating your storage requirements for a more accurate figure - How-to: How do I use Western Digital’s Storage Calculator to identify how much storage space I’ll need for my CCTV system?

Cables - Cat6 is advisable for futureproofing the system, stranded for indoor cables, solid if they are going to be on the exterior of the house. Cat5e will work well too. All data is carried over the one network cable (PTZ, audio, etc.), so no other cables would be required for these cameras.

Hope that helps!

Hi Ryan,
Firstly thank you for your help, I will review the links, much appreciated. When you refer to location 6 camera, what type of camera are you suggesting, with a rotate mode, is this a mini dome?
I have read bad reviews with reflection from the dome glass.
With regards to position 2 these are pointing in opposite directions would this provide full coverage to the whole front area?
Regards,
Nick

 

[Kyle]

No problem at all.

For position 6, a DS-2CD2386G2-IU, or similar Turret, would work well. This would allow you to use a wall mount such as the DS-1273ZJ-140 to bring it out enough from the wall.

A 4mm focal length in position 2 should still mean that you have full coverage of the front area. A 2.8mm focal length could also work well and would ensure this, but you might lose detail towards wall.

This guide is helpful for understanding how much coverage you'll get from each focal length option to - Surveying the scene to select the correct lens for the required viewing angle?