Renegade 2 Posted July 16, 2009 Anyone have any experience with or recommendations for a 4 or 8 channel DVR card or affordable cameras for day & night surveillance? Know any good forums or websites to get info? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
midwaste 4 Posted July 16, 2009 I installed this: http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-946-vc-sys-4cdv-kit-dvr-surveillance-camera-system-with-19-lcd.aspx at a friend's house about 6-8 months ago and it's worked pretty damn good. It has a few quirks, when the IR LED's are on in the dark, very bright lights in the distance cause it to get some hazing/rings in the picture. Also, during some very cold (<0F) nights, a few of the cameras would get hazy, I believe due to condensation on the lens because of the warmth created by the electronics and LEDs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted July 16, 2009 How was the installation on that kit? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Renegade 2 Posted July 17, 2009 Looks decent enough, but because I have plenty of top end computers at my disposal I wonder if I wouldn't be ahead getting a good DVR card and getting a variety of cams that fit my specific needs. I'm thinking like a front door cam with mic, a good led nighttime bullet for the driveway and then a scan, tilt, zoom for all over coverage, but I'm still trying to figure it all out. Right now I'd be happy to decide on a good DVR card and one solid night cam to get started with. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
midwaste 4 Posted July 17, 2009 How was the installation on that kit? It's straighforward plug+play, however, the installation of all the wires was a PITA, but that depends on your situation. We had to dig a trench and run the wires through PVC between the garage and the house.. You can get extension cords that are compatible (1 BNC+1 power) at Menards, they are the same as the Swann systems they sell. If it was for me, I would have used a PC-based DVR card and software, Renegade. You can monitor these remotely via the web and do all kinds of neater stuff than the hardware based DVR. Unfortunately, my friend is not a computer guy.. If you are going to plan on using a mic, make sure your DVR card is capable. Typically they are only BNC and power, you will need to run a separate RCA for audio. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest fivestar Posted July 17, 2009 This is the TV tuner card I have on my PC, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815293003&Tpk=N82E16815293003 It is an excellent card and should be fine for DVR. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
midwaste 4 Posted July 17, 2009 This is the TV tuner card I have on my PC, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815293003&Tpk=N82E16815293003 It is an excellent card and should be fine for DVR. All the cameras that I have seen have BNC outputs not Coax, so this is something to verify. Did that card come with software to run as a DVR? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest fivestar Posted July 17, 2009 Yes it came with some kind of DVR and TV tuner software but I just use Media Center. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edge 67 Posted July 20, 2009 All the cameras that I have seen have BNC outputs not Coax, so this is something to verify. Did that card come with software to run as a DVR? The ebay four channel card I had included BNC to female RCA converter plugs, which was much cheaper than Rat Shack. Like everything else; I suppose there have been advances in the last two years, my experience with IR Illuminated cameras is less than desirable out beyond 20 ft. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted July 20, 2009 So can anyone recommend a decent daytime/nighttime surveillance setup that allows for web access? Hopefully one that's reasonably priced I'm getting tired of having my dogs be the door bell, and I can't see the front door when I'm working in my office :- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
