Recommendations For Low Cost 16 Channel System

Hello Clint:

Buying 16 cameras and a DVR (30 days storage) for between $500 - $1000 is not going to gain you good quality gear and even with cheap junk may be impossible, as it does not consider the labor costs of installation.

Here is a Super Circuits 16 camera/1 TB DVR combo for $1300.

However this is not a recommendation, nor does it likely meet your needs. Why?

1. Seeing 'facial details' is more camera positioning and application design than a hardware spec. Sure PPF (pixel per foot) is important, but the right threshold needed for recognition varies depending on the target area field of view.

2. 1 TB is a big drive, but properly configuring the way it is used: motion recording, CODECs, Framerates, and night time lighting has a big impact on how much space is used over a given day.

3. Equipment like power supplies, cabling, backup power, and viewing monitors are all typically additions to 'box kits'.

4. Installation labor can double the actual cost of a system. Do you plan to install yourself, or does your budget need to include installation as well?

5. With low cost systems, product quality and technical support is especially a big concern. 'Caveat Emptor' is a poinant adage to remember here.

If I were in your shoes, I'd take these steps:

• Do I really need 16 cameras, or can I get by with fewer? A detailed system design could save you hundreds here.
• Is it possible to 'go IP' and use a DVR-less system like Axis Camera Companion with edge storage instead? Potentially this could eliminate my DVR and use existing LAN rather than using new analog coax cable.
• Do I have to support and maintain this system for years? If so, how does this impact my budget?
• Finally, if $1000 is my drop-dead not to exceed price, I'd start with good quality equipment and simply add one or two cameras at a time as money becomes available rather than drop $1k on an ugly baby.
  

Price is always a big factor, but there is often a hair-breadths gap between 'buying smart' and 'wasting money' on surveillance systems.

Clint,

You seem to have put in to different issues here. A good low cost DVR is one. However you also state you want to see facial details from 10' to 20' away. This second issue has more to do withthe quality, selection, and installation of your cameras.

A great DVR with poor quality cameras mounted way to high, too far away, or even in terrible lighting conditions will not product any better faial images than the poor quality DVR will.

The cheapest manufacturer in that price range that doesn't suck is Lorex.

Assuming a mounting height of not lower than 9 and not higher than 12 feet from the ground, a 650TVL camera with a ~4mm lens recording at D1 resolution will allow you to view a face good enough for identification purposes at a distance of roughly 16 to 18 feet away, depending on lighting and weather conditions, although it may not look very pretty.

15FPS is fine for subjects on foot, but the higher the frame rate, the nicer the picture will look (higher frame rates mean smoother images- remember, this is all interlaced video).

Have you tried Flir? I just bought an 8-channel one for $350 (wholesale via Tri-Ed) with 1 TB HDD. Great quality! Has most basic features, including remote access via mobile phones and mac compatibility.

Clint,

Where are you located? We are working with a number of Pawn and Check Cashing stores offering a Security as a Service model. Let me know if you are interested and we can discuss this.

John,

I didn't intend for my comment to be a solicitation. We would discuss with the shop what they were trying to achieve with regards to their physical security, propose a solution that would meet their needs and using our cloud services determine a reasonable charge. What one shop believes is a requirement may be achieved in a number of ways and a professional can help you to understand the subtle differences and capabilities of different equipment.

We would be able to set up your shop for continuous monitoring and facial capture starting at around $1000, then a monthly fee of around $300. If you are local to the DC Metro area there would be no travel costs. If you have additional stores the costs for the monthly services can decrease as additional stores are brought online.

This would cover approx. 12 cameras, we have yet to work with a shop that needed more than that as well as storage for 30 days. We are able to work with law enforcement on forensic evidence.

Please let me know how I can help.

Thanks John for taking the words right out of my mouth. Not interested in monthly charges. Just want to help friends aquire a good system without breaking the bank. Im even doing the entire install for free just to help. It seems from the thread that Lorex and Qsee are going to be a good starting point. Ive personally installed a Swan system and wasnt impressed. Ill take the knowledge that ive aquired over the past few months from the IPVM camera course and put it to good use. I just needed a starting point.

Good point. I don't know if that's because there isn't an advantage with the types of components they all use or if thier marketing departments have been asleep at the wheel. Maybe some of the equipment vendor members will comment and let us know?!?!?