My friend a qualified electrician can install CCTV so I want to buy a simple 2 camera set up, can anyone recommend one please. Would be nice to have good night vision, good quality image quality and we only need 7 days storage tbh though if 14 days not much more thats fine. Ideally be good to be able to watch it on an app on our phone or tablet. Presume we will need the box for recording the video to for storage. Budget wise not after anything flashy or expensive, any recommendations please?
Recommend me a cheap 2 camera CCTV set up please.
- Thread starter WaddyUK
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If you want to record continuously 24/7 then I would advise getting an NVR but if you're happy to record only motion events you could simply record to the cameras' built-in SD card which can probably hold a month of event recordings before it starts to overwrite the earliest ones. Much also depends on the camera resolution you need. If you want the highest resolution cameras, they are more expensive and their video also takes up a lot more storage space. But if you're happy with 2MP or 4MP cameras then you don't really need the extra expense and complication of an NVR. And any recordings you need to keep for posterity you can easily download from the camera to your PC.
For efficiency and reliability, I would always advise using ethernet-wired POE cameras which would also require a POE switch. But for cheapness and ease of setup, you could alternatively look at wi-fi cameras albeit they are slower to kick in and prone to dropping their connection so not ideal for mission critical surveillance. Also, AFAIK, you would be restricted to event recordings only with wi-fi cameras.
For efficiency and reliability, I would always advise using ethernet-wired POE cameras which would also require a POE switch. But for cheapness and ease of setup, you could alternatively look at wi-fi cameras albeit they are slower to kick in and prone to dropping their connection so not ideal for mission critical surveillance. Also, AFAIK, you would be restricted to event recordings only with wi-fi cameras.
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You will struggle to get a complete POE kit for £300. If that's the limit, I would start off without an NVR and add one later if needed and if you want to spend the extra cash. Our esteemed host could sell you a couple of decent Hikvision DS-2CD2343G0-IU cameras at around £130 each and you would spend the balance on two 128GB SD cards, a POE switch and ethernet cable. Software comes free from Hikvision.
The amount of continuous recording you can get onto a 128GB SD card depends on the settings you choose for your camera and video. These are 4MP cameras capable of recording video at 2688×1520 pixels at 30fps but you wouldn't get many hours of that on a 128GB card. But by a combination of settings you could store a week or more of video before the card starts to overwrite the data.
The key settings to limit are:
Frame rate (hardly anyone records continuously at 25 or 30 fps). Try 15 or 8 fps.
Resolution - if you can manage with a smaller video display, reduce it to 1080p or 720p.
Bitrate - reducing the bitrate allocated to your video will reduce its file size and image quality.
Codec - try switching from the standard H264 to H265 video codec to reduce file sizes dramatically.
When you find that nothing at all happens in 95% of your continuously recorded video, consider switching to motion event recording only which makes your footage much easier to review and requires a fraction of the storage space. You could then increase the above settings and could even get a whole month of recordings onto the SD card.
The amount of continuous recording you can get onto a 128GB SD card depends on the settings you choose for your camera and video. These are 4MP cameras capable of recording video at 2688×1520 pixels at 30fps but you wouldn't get many hours of that on a 128GB card. But by a combination of settings you could store a week or more of video before the card starts to overwrite the data.
The key settings to limit are:
Frame rate (hardly anyone records continuously at 25 or 30 fps). Try 15 or 8 fps.
Resolution - if you can manage with a smaller video display, reduce it to 1080p or 720p.
Bitrate - reducing the bitrate allocated to your video will reduce its file size and image quality.
Codec - try switching from the standard H264 to H265 video codec to reduce file sizes dramatically.
When you find that nothing at all happens in 95% of your continuously recorded video, consider switching to motion event recording only which makes your footage much easier to review and requires a fraction of the storage space. You could then increase the above settings and could even get a whole month of recordings onto the SD card.
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I'm sure Kyle or someone will pop up to suggest some options. Other decisions you need to make include whether indoor or outdoor use, desired focal length (how much real estate you need to see through the lens), how far and how clearly you need to see at night, whether you need to record audio, etc.
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Hi @WaddyUK
Yes, a brand new TurboHD system of similar specs to an IP system will give similar image results, but the analog does have limitations when it comes to network/remote access and camera-side smart functionality. You will need to speak to a reseller/installer of TurboHD to get their advice on what is best for you as we have minimal experience with that product range.
Yes, a brand new TurboHD system of similar specs to an IP system will give similar image results, but the analog does have limitations when it comes to network/remote access and camera-side smart functionality. You will need to speak to a reseller/installer of TurboHD to get their advice on what is best for you as we have minimal experience with that product range.
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