IP Camera Help

[CocoPops]

Hi All,

I am a new user and by no means any expert, I am here to try and get help from all of you to try do a self install but have very many questions.

I am looking to do a self install around my home (South Africa) with IP Cameras. I am looking in total at 10 cameras for now. I need your advice to setup and go about this, with very general questions for now, here are my current thoughts:

Internet Speed: 100mb Download, 50mb Upload (running off an Network ORBI Router)
Cameras: 5 x 2385G1 and 5 x 2T85G1 Bullet
NVR: Please advise on what would be best
Cable: Cat 6 (To be run within PVC Piping, outside the home as I have a double story with limitations on space)

Questions:
1. It seems fairly easy to do a self install, is this true (Do I need a lot of technical knowledge?)
2. I plan on running without a POE switch for now (As I need to then run 2 x backup power supply's) - we have rotational power cuts from time to time posing a security risk
3. If all these are connected through POE, when viewing on a local network, does it use any bandwidth? (My understanding is the internet speed limitation will be used ONLY for when streaming remotely), is this correct?
4. Can I run Cat 6 cables in the same conduit piping as Powercables or is this not advised?
5. I am looking at purchasing the above through Amazon.com (Do you advise on any other resellers?) - the cameras listed above are not available in South Africa.

Thank you in advance!
Mo

 

[Dan]

Questions:
1. It seems fairly easy to do a self install, is this true (Do I need a lot of technical knowledge?)
2. I plan on running without a POE switch for now (As I need to then run 2 x backup power supply's) - we have rotational power cuts from time to time posing a security risk
3. If all these are connected through POE, when viewing on a local network, does it use any bandwidth? (My understanding is the internet speed limitation will be used ONLY for when streaming remotely), is this correct?
4. Can I run Cat 6 cables in the same conduit piping as Powercables or is this not advised?
5. I am looking at purchasing the above through Amazon.com (Do you advise on any other resellers?) - the cameras listed above are not available in South Africa.

Thank you in advance!
Mo

1. If you are connecting all the cameras to the PoE ports on the NVR then the basic setup is fairly simple, it does get more complicated when setting up some of the advanced features like remote access, smart events, email notifications, etc...

2. As above you can run the cameras without a PoE switch if you are running all the cameras to the PoE ports on the NVR, our NVR recommendation would be a 16-channel I-series NVR like the 7616NI-I2 or 7716NI-I4.

3. If you are accessing the NVR on your local network that will be using some of your local networks bandwidth capacity, but as you will see from the NVR forum post I just linked you to, when using H.265 or H.265+ the bandwidth usage of one camera is massively reduced and in most scenarios, you will only be viewing one camera at a time thus only drawing the bandwidth of one camera, if you do view more cameras at the same time then it is often the case that as you view more cameras the live view resolution of each camera will drop thus keeping the bandwidth at a reasonable level for most networks.

4. There shouldn't be any issues running power cables alongside the Cat6 network cable, most cameras use 12-24v power supplies and this should have no effect. If you think about it when you use PoE the power is running over the same wires as the data without any problems, the only time you may see issues is if you run network cable close to high-voltage power cables.

5. We would not advise buying through Amazon as they are not an authorised Hikvision reseller. We have to advise you that if you do purchase Hikvision from an unauthorised reseller, for instance at Amazon or eBay (or any other unauthorised supplier), you will be unable to get Hikvision support. This can be as simple as requiring a password reset, or help with a firmware update. Their support team will ask you where you purchased. They will check that your product serial numbers were purchased from the official distribution channels.
Please see their official statement here:

https://www.hikvision.com/uk/Support/Notice/Distribution-Management

NB - We currently receive approximately a dozen pleas for help per day from people stuck in this predicament (not our customers, but people who have purchased Hikvision elsewhere and been refused support when needed).

 

[CocoPops]

Wow, thank you for the quick and comprehensive response, much appreciated!

The links were quite informative as well.

A follow up question, I included the 2T85G1 as I thought the 2385G1 can only be mounted horizontally, and if vertically would require an adaptor to adjust for angle, but having looked at some Youtube videos, it seems that the Camera can be pivoted to almost any angle, so this would be possible?

On resellers - I see you do not sell to South Africa, If I did purchase through you, would I get support in SA from you?

 

[Dan]

The 2385G1 Turret has 3-axis of adjustment so you can position it on a vertical, horizontal, or any angle in between. You are correct that we do not sell to South Africa so it is unlikely we will be able to provide you with any equipment, if you do buy from another seller you can always post any problems you have here at the forum.

@StewartM I believe you are based in South Africa, are you able to recommend anyone in that region that @CocoPops can buy from?

 

[CocoPops]

Thank you Dan, appreciated.

Another question: Will I be able to run the NVR, HDD and 10 Cameras off a 12v Backup power supply?

I am unable to find any official resellers who will ship to SA . Will drop you guys an email to see what options exist.

 

[Dan]

Thank you Dan, appreciated.

Another question: Will I be able to run the NVR, HDD and 10 Cameras off a 12v Backup power supply?

I am unable to find any official resellers who will ship to SA . Will drop you guys an email to see what options exist.

It should be possible to connect the NVR to a backup power supply. We have a small battery backup for some of our demo system and that works quite well when we have a power cut, just make sure it is a reasonably large battery pack on the backup as the NVRs can draw a lot of power. (our small office one only lasts around 30 minutes)

 

[StewartM]

@CocoPops please correct the following if I've got it wrong:
5 x DS-2CD2385G1-I
5 x DS-2CD2T85G1-I5/I8
1 x DS-7716NI-I4
I'll check with the distributors in SA and get back to you on availability or comparable models.
Best to buy locally for the 3 year warranty.
I'm in CPT, where are you based?

 

[CocoPops]

@CocoPops please correct the following if I've got it wrong:
5 x DS-2CD2385G1-I
5 x DS-2CD2T85G1-I5/I8
1 x DS-7716NI-I4
I'll check with the distributors in SA and get back to you on availability or comparable models.
Best to buy locally for the 3 year warranty.
I'm in CPT, where are you based?

hey Stewart,

thanks very much, this has since changed (I did not knot the 2385G1 was a 3 axis camera), which is great!:

10 x 2385G1 cameras.

I ma based in Durban, but courier is not a problem if need be.

Appreciated.

 

[CocoPops]

It should be possible to connect the NVR to a backup power supply. We have a small battery backup for some of our demo system and that works quite well when we have a power cut, just make sure it is a reasonably large battery pack on the backup as the NVRs can draw a lot of power. (our small office one only lasts around 30 minutes)

Thank you very much, One more question:

I run a Netgear Mesh Wifi System, the Satellites have Ethernet conenctions, would I be able to connect the NVR to the Satellite and not the main Router (Mainly for testing cameras locations etc before drilling walls)?

 

[Dan]

I run a Netgear Mesh Wifi System, the Satellites have Ethernet conenctions, would I be able to connect the NVR to the Satellite and not the main Router (Mainly for testing cameras locations etc before drilling walls)?

As long as all your Hikvision devices are joining the same network/domain range, then doing so via mesh should not cause any problems.

 

[CocoPops]

It should be possible to connect the NVR to a backup power supply. We have a small battery backup for some of our demo system and that works quite well when we have a power cut, just make sure it is a reasonably large battery pack on the backup as the NVRs can draw a lot of power. (our small office one only lasts around 30 minutes)

Thank you, any indication of how many caeras you are running and how the big batter pack is, Will give me an idea on feasability.

 

[Dan]

Thank you, any indication of how many caeras you are running and how the big batter pack is, Will give me an idea on feasability.

This is the UPS we are using:

PR750ELCD - Smart App UPS Systems | CyberPower

CyberPower PR750ELCD Line-Interactive UPS, with seamless Pure Sine Wave, provides the best power protection available for office system devices including PCs, workstations, networking devices, and peripherals. It’s typically integrated in the back office, server room, and data center environment.

www.cyberpower.com

We don't actually have any NVRs connected to this at the moment, all we currently have connected is a NAS device that is recording a couple of cameras. As you will see from the specs of the above model, at half load it will run for 12 minutes and ours is running less than half load so is running for 20-30 minutes, you would need a substantially larger UPS to support an NVR and 10 cameras for more than a few minutes.

 

[CocoPops]

This is the UPS we are using:

PR750ELCD - Smart App UPS Systems | CyberPower

CyberPower PR750ELCD Line-Interactive UPS, with seamless Pure Sine Wave, provides the best power protection available for office system devices including PCs, workstations, networking devices, and peripherals. It’s typically integrated in the back office, server room, and data center environment.

www.cyberpower.com

We don't actually have any NVRs connected to this at the moment, all we currently have connected is a NAS device that is recording a couple of cameras. As you will see from the specs of the above model, at half load it will run for 12 minutes and ours is running less than half load so is running for 20-30 minutes, you would need a substantially larger UPS to support an NVR and 10 cameras for more than a few minutes.

Awesome thanks, might need to run some items off separate power units.

Do you know if the NVR has a Power Plug that Lowers the voltage to 12v? or is it supplying the NVR with the full 110/230?

 

[Dan]

If you look at the bottom of our product page for the 7716-I4 NVR you will see that it features a 100~240VAC Power Input that connects to your mains by a 3-pin kettle lead.

 

[CocoPops]

Yes Indeed, thanks once again, appreciated.

 

[StewartM]

One of my distributors got back to me today regarding the DS-2CD2385G1 cameras. They are not part of their usual inventory but they are available on special order (directly from Hikvision). Special orders may take 8 weeks or longer to arrive. They have a 3 year warranty and there is a repair centre in Durban if the need arises. If your open to lower resolution models that are comparable let me know. I'll have more info on Monday/Tuesday as the other distributors get back to me.

 

[CocoPops]

One of my distributors got back to me today regarding the DS-2CD2385G1 cameras. They are not part of their usual inventory but they are available on special order (directly from Hikvision). Special orders may take 8 weeks or longer to arrive. They have a 3 year warranty and there is a repair centre in Durban if the need arises. If your open to lower resolution models that are comparable let me know. I'll have more info on Monday/Tuesday as the other distributors get back to me.

Hey, Thank you for this, I would be interested in getting a quote for the 2385G1 please, the time frame is okay for me . Much appreciated.

 

[CocoPops]

One of my distributors got back to me today regarding the DS-2CD2385G1 cameras. They are not part of their usual inventory but they are available on special order (directly from Hikvision). Special orders may take 8 weeks or longer to arrive. They have a 3 year warranty and there is a repair centre in Durban if the need arises. If your open to lower resolution models that are comparable let me know. I'll have more info on Monday/Tuesday as the other distributors get back to me.

Hey Bud,

Any luck with this?

 

[StewartM]

No local inventory from both distributors. I'll inquire as to the conditions of the special order tomorrow. The demand for 8MP cameras is fairly low in SA according to my sales rep. The 8MP models they do stock are R10K+ each (don't recall the model number). I'll ask if you can deal with them directly - Please send me a private message with your email.

 

[CocoPops]

Ah Mann OK, no prob.

At worst will have to order off Amazon or something alike.

Will drop you a pm.