CCTV Systems info required.

[cheshiremusicman]

I live in gated community of some 40 villas and for my sins am on the Committee that tries (it's best) to look after all the general things that require doing within the community.

I am looking into trying to set up a CCTV system to monitor the coming and goings of vehicles and people. The whole system would have a minimum of 6 cameras, with 3 of them being some 160m from the recording device mounted as a cluster in an elevated position with line of sight to the recording device located in the entrance guard house. Has anybody got any experience of using WiFi cameras at this range? There is no problem of supplying a D.C. supply to the cluster as we have a mains supply some 5m from the cluster from where where we could locate a ad/dc converter. Obviously, the farther away you get the weaker the WiFi signals get, but I believe that we could use amplifiers to overcome this problem. 

I understand that we could 'Hardwire' the cameras, but I would prefer to use WiFi instead to overcome slinging cables. 

I would be most grateful to hear of anybody that has had experience/knowledge of problems that might occur.

 

[KittenKong]

Directional antennae.

https://www.simplewifi.com/pages/how-it-works

 

Another option might be powerlan, if both locations are on the same electric circuit.

 

Another option might be a fibre cable.

[Rimmer]

Wifi cameras usually come with a 12v adapter that plugs into an ordinary 220v socket. Or just run a small extension cable into a waterproof box that will accommodate the extension socket and the 12v adapter, see attached picture of one of my cameras.

 

Easy to install WiFi and based on my signal strength 160m would be OK but if there is a problem use a WiFi extender.

 

DVRs are synonymous with recording analog or coax based cameras.  WiFi digital NVR is easier to set up and give a better picture

 

[mahjongguy]

Like the OP, I am on a mooban committee and I also have CCTV as a small hobby, so last year I set up a 4 camera system for them as a donation that they can expand if they want.

 

All of the cameras are 3 megapixel and use a Sony sensor that is excellent in low light. Just US$34 from AliExpress. There are enough streetlights around the security box that the cameras run in color day and night. There is a camera at each end of the hut facing the approaching vehicles. A third one is on a pole looking out over a side street, and the fourth is mounted on a storage shack where it has an overview of the hut for a view of pedestrians and the guards themselves.

 

In this simple setup, all the cameras are powered by 12 volts run through the Ethernet cabling. In the hut there is an NVR, a 1080p monitor, and a utility box containing an Ethernet switch and 12 volt power injectors.

 

There was no need to consider Wi-Fi in this setup. If there had been, I would have given it due consideration but probably chosen to avoid it. Too many issues with throughput stability, particularly beyond 30 meters. It relates to the fact that the Wi-Fi protocol was not designed to be compatible with IP CCTV.

 

A cluster of three IP cameras can easily be combined onto a single run of Ethernet cable using a 300 baht 100Mps Ethernet switch. At the cluster, a single 3 amp power brick with a 4-way splitter can power the cameras and the switch.

 

Whatever you decide, make sure that any remote-powered devices (Wi-Fi, Ethernet switch) have an AC power switch or breaker that you can access. All IP devices need an occasional power off/on.      

 

Also this: don't expect too much. We all see CCTV clips on television where something is happening inside a 7-11 and the images are so sharp. Outdoors, especially at night, is different. In particular, you won't have much luck with license plates. Because of headlight glare, reflective plates, and the tendency of cameras to "bloom" bright lights, license plate recognition is a specialized field that involves special cameras and engineering. 

 

[Rimmer]

Topic moved to DIY forum as per OP request