CCTV Advice

[Davie_GLA]

Morning all.

I'm looking at this on Maplin:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/500gb-pro-cctv-kit--smartp...

Can anyone comment on how good it will be for the house? Would want to monitor usual stuff but would need to make out faces / number plates etc.

David.

[heisthegaffer]

I know little about CCTV kit but I do know some Maplin stuff is cack.

There is a CCTV specialist here on PH so hopefully he'll be along to assist.

Best of luck.

[Davie_GLA]

Yes, was trying to remember who that was.

[TonyRPH]

I think it's VEX

ETA: Or it could be Henry-F

You might get a better response in 'Computers, Gadgets & Stuff'

Ask a mod to move this topic.

Edited by TonyRPH on Sunday 19th May 13:27

[HoHoHo]

Henry's your man, CCTV42.

Whatever you do, don't buy Maplin.

He'll tell you why I'm sure.

[Driller]

Whatever good advice you're given, if you want a reliable system with quality images I would recommend sticking to branded stuff which is mostly Japanese, South Korean or German equipment.

Out of these, Samsung is very good value for money and their latest generation DVRs are excellent.

ETA Beware, what are often called "Sony" cameras only have a CCD chip from Sony in them. The rest of the guts is cheapo Chinese stuff.

Edited by Driller on Sunday 19th May 22:26

[megaphone]

I have a KGaurd system from Maplin, it was a cheap B stock system (£149?) . It is fine for general home security and allows me to monitor my home whilst away on my phone or laptop. I added a higher def camera for the front door, 600TVL, and that gives clear face images. The standard 420TVL cameras are not so good. Been working well for over a year.

[Timbergiant]

I'm having CCTV installed on Friday that i bought from Henry (CCTV42) looks very good and once it's installed I'll let you know how it works.

1st post, ohh clearly a shill

[Timbergiant]

Had my CCTV42 system installed last week and its brilliant, cameras aren't placed to get the best out of them but I knew that when I bought it and decided on placement, very good quality and superb service.
Will be adding a few more cameras at a later date, again from CCTV42.

[Henry-F]

Thanks for that, much appreciated

Like pretty much everything Maplins & their like sell that kit is basically rubbish. To qualify:

The DVR will be as good as it is. It may or may not suit your needs, the big problem is you won't get any help beyond taking your payment. If you are a technical whiz and the unit happens to do the job then happy days, otherwise you're on your own and struggling. 500GB for 8 cameras is, in my humble opinion woefully inadequate. I would suggest 250GB per camera to achieve 3 weeks rolling footage with all 8 cameras recording at D1 resolution. I wouldn't recommend relying solely on motion triggering for recording. By all means use is as a way of bookmarking potentially important events but record 24/7.

The cameras. 20 metres or 65 feet..... my arse ! I believe they quote an angle of view for the camera of 65 degrees. If you know anything at all about CCTV you will know that the pixel spread at 65 degrees mean you will be a tiny spec in the screen 20 metres away. The effective range is more likely 3-5 metres. Quite a difference !

Pan and tilt cameras are, in 99% of cases a total waste of time. unless you have a full time operator they are just a gimmick. Position the camera once properly (and spec it to do the job not just to give a vague overall view).

TVL (television lines) mean absolutely nothing at all (once you get to a certain point). People talk about high resolution 600, 650, 700 TVL cameras as though they improve the image you capture and increase the range at which you capture detail. Just between us I'll let you into a little secret. I make virtually no difference at all. The limiting factor in your CCTV system is the 400,000 odd pixels of a D1 resolution image frame.

Now if everything you are filming is less than 3 or 4 metres from the camera something like this system has a place. The problem is Maplins are trying to kid you that it's good for 20 metres and so you think your 10 metre requirement is well within capability. I will stand stark bks naked in form of one of those cameras at 20 metres and you can post up the result on here for all to see

CCTV isn't complicated and the basic principles are really quite simple. Good electronics help ensure the basic principles are followed but you can't avoid the laws of physics - namely wide angle and high detail never go together.

There's a bit more to read here: Good CCTV advice and buying guide

Henry

[Brother D]

Henry-F said:

Thanks for that, much appreciated

Now if everything you are filming is less than 3 or 4 metres from the camera something like this system has a place. The problem is Maplins are trying to kid you that it's good for 20 metres and so you think your 10 metre requirement is well within capability. I will stand stark bks naked in form of one of those cameras at 20 metres and you can post up the result on here for all to see

There's a bit more to read here: Good CCTV advice and buying guide

Henry

Ha. So Henry did stand naked in front of the camera!

[HoHoHo]

Brother D said:

Henry-F said:

Thanks for that, much appreciated

Now if everything you are filming is less than 3 or 4 metres from the camera something like this system has a place. The problem is Maplins are trying to kid you that it's good for 20 metres and so you think your 10 metre requirement is well within capability. I will stand stark bks naked in form of one of those cameras at 20 metres and you can post up the result on here for all to see

There's a bit more to read here: Good CCTV advice and buying guide

Henry

Ha. So Henry did stand naked in front of the camera!

Absolutely fecking brilliant NPMSL

I admire Henry for his business sense and also his sense of humour - well done that man






now where's that small cock smiley gone........