Spec me a CCTV System

[Marakith]

What do people think of Reolink?

I'm having work done to my house and I'm considering installing a one of these systems. Probably a six camera one, with the intention of putting one on each corner of the house, one on the porch (to check visitors at the door) and one to cover any last blind spots. We'll put the hard drive unit in the loft.

I'm such a noob

• Is Reolink good? I wondered if anyone could recommend a good system that doesn't give too many false alerts
• What's the price/ performance sweet spot (which system is best bang for buck?)
• What happens when the apps gets deprecated in, say, 10 years? Will I still be able to use it at home OK?
• I'd like to install a wall-mounted tablet in the kitchen to monitor the cameras - is that possible?

Thanks!

 

[WJA96]

Can you buy cctv cameras from Aliexpress these days? They are more than 20% cheaper than some places I can find online (pressume trade prices are cheaper) but recall reading something that there are issues with updating firmware etc?

Thanks.

Of course you can buy cameras from Ali Express. Look for Empire Tech.

There are two main sources of cameras on Ali Express; genuine Chinese market cameras that you cannot update the firmware on (and they’re 100% in Chinese) and factory seconds. These are cameras that have, in some way, shape or form, failed QA inspection and they get sold off cheap to resellers who put them on Ali Express. Most of these yiu wouldn’t notice the issue. Ever. But there will be that time when you try to turn on WDR and the screen goes black. That’s why it was cheap!

The single biggest reason to buy UK sourced cameras from a reseller is warranty. Realistically there is no warranty on anything on Ali Express. So it’s an extreme case of caveat emptor.

 

[WJA96]

What do people think of Reolink?

I'm having work done to my house and I'm considering installing a one of these systems. Probably a six camera one, with the intention of putting one on each corner of the house, one on the porch (to check visitors at the door) and one to cover any last blind spots. We'll put the hard drive unit in the loft.

I'm such a noob

• Is Reolink good? I wondered if anyone could recommend a good system that doesn't give too many false alerts
• What's the price/ performance sweet spot (which system is best bang for buck?)
• What happens when the apps gets deprecated in, say, 10 years? Will I still be able to use it at home OK?
• I'd like to install a wall-mounted tablet in the kitchen to monitor the cameras - is that possible?

Thanks!

Reolink are very good. The single biggest issue with Reolink is warranty support. They don’t mess about with keeping stock of older cameras or NVRs, they just send you a whole new kit and tell you to keep the old one. But often the new kit isn’t entirely compatible with your previous system so you have to rip the old one out and put a whole new system in. One one hand, it’s fabulous. On the other hand, it can be spectacularly painful to fit new cameras, even if you can reuse the existing cabling.

Buy direct if you can, just pick the cheapest one that has the features you want. They’re ALWAYS on some sort of sale. The best time to buy is high summer (July/August) or Black Friday.

 

[radderfire]

What do people think of Reolink?

I'm having work done to my house and I'm considering installing a one of these systems. Probably a six camera one, with the intention of putting one on each corner of the house, one on the porch (to check visitors at the door) and one to cover any last blind spots. We'll put the hard drive unit in the loft.

I'm such a noob

• Is Reolink good? I wondered if anyone could recommend a good system that doesn't give too many false alerts
• What's the price/ performance sweet spot (which system is best bang for buck?)
• What happens when the apps gets deprecated in, say, 10 years? Will I still be able to use it at home OK?
• I'd like to install a wall-mounted tablet in the kitchen to monitor the cameras - is that possible?

Thanks!

- Reolink are often recommended on these forums, so yes, they are good.
- Once you have a budget, you can then consider resolution, 1080p, 2K or 4K. 1080p is adequate for most home security purposes, the higher resolutions give higher clarity images.
- 10 years is a long time in tech, but yes, probably. There are software products such as Blue Iris and Frigate to make use of security cameras.
- Shouldn't be a problem, the tablet just needs to be able to run Reolink app/software.

 

[MrMarvelous]

Anyone have any experience with the below?

Tapo C120 Indoor/Outdoor Plug-In Wi-Fi Cam, 2K QHD, Night Vision

2K Smart Plug-In Wi-Fi Security Camera.Full-Color Night Vision with Starlight Sensor & Spotlights.Indoor/Outdoor Versatility. Almost anywhere.Exquisite Design Exquisite design suitable for diversified indoor scenarios. IP66 Weatherproof Mounted even in extreme external weather conditions to keep...

uk.store.tapo.com

Already have 1 Tapo device in the house (Tapo C110) and never had issues with it. Tempted to fit this outside and run the cable through the side of the window.

 

[darkblade]

If I already have a PoE switch and an unraid server with available disk slots to add dedicated drives, is there any value in getting a dedicated NVR for HKVision or Dahua over a self-hosted solution?

 

[WJA96]

If I already have a PoE switch and an unraid server with available disk slots to add dedicated drives, is there any value in getting a dedicated NVR for HKVision or Dahua over a self-hosted solution?

If you just want to record images on some software (Frigate, Blue Iris) and you’re happy with what they offer in terms of AI and notifications and remote access then probably not.

 

[darkblade]

If you just want to record images on some software (Frigate, Blue Iris) and you’re happy with what they offer in terms of AI and notifications and remote access then probably not.

I use a VPN to remote into the LAN and access services running from home, so not fussed with remote access, as long as the cams can be access from a phone app.
After 7 stable years, the LAN ethernet port on my DS-7732NI-E416P appears to have failed. The rest of the system is still working.
It looks like switching to Frigate (or Blue Iris on a dedicate machine/VM) is likely to be an upgrade over the system running on the DS-7732 features and GUI anyway.

 

[FerretBoy]

Running frigate and home assistant here with a reolink doorbell and an older Poe camera. Works perfectly and I have remote access, notifications etc.

Have Google's coral for AI recognition and generally very pleased.