CCTV - DIY at home - Is there interest in this forum?

[mahjongguy]

I have a mix of facts and opinions that I could share regarding a modest CCTV project that I just completed in and around the guard shack of our mooban.

 

Happy to discuss it if there's an interest. The topic does not involve rocket science but some general computer/electronics knowledge will be needed.

 

Cheers. 

[topt]

People are always asking about this subject so I would say go ahead and post and see what interest you get. 

 

 

[Halfaboy]

Lucky men (you, because you have completed the project) and me (trying finding somebody who would like to share experiences).

 

I am looking for all kind of info about installing cctv in my new house. I am non-technical and have no idea at all on how to do, so all info is welcome. Furthermore I have little confidence in Thai companies offering installation services. 

 

Looking forward to next postings.

[Olav Seglem]

I bought a wistino solar cell wjfi camera via lazada some months ago.

Downloaded app and made account.

Communication Wifi to camera not working.

Sendt mail to wistino and lazada for help, no good. They say:send video.

I send video and they say need see youtube instruction video.

Tell them seen multiple times and done as it says.

They ask me to send new video.

Been to security shop pattaya for help-they helped and says connection defect.

I tell wistino like get new camera on 1 year warranty.

They send med picture om some dancing/smiling bear...

Life is hard.....

[stigar]

My lady installed CCTV at her salon because she start loosing products,and it was wery clear who stealing.Well that person is now a history.

[OneMoreFarang]

I just bought a camera (Reolink) and I tested it already. The setup was done in about 10 minutes.

I still have to install it in the position where it should be. And then I will see how it performs day to day with different light conditions, etc.

 

I am sure I would read forum entries about security cameras, and I hope they are specific to Thailand.

There is lots of general good information out there about different camera types, with or without batteries, with cloud service, locally controlled and recorded, different prices points, etc. This is a huge field with lots of options.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, Halfaboy said:

Furthermore I have little confidence in Thai companies offering installation services. 

Why?

There are professional Thai companies out there. And they charge for their professional service.

And then there are cheap and not so cheap guys who think who can do that.

Are you willing to pay for professional service?

[Halfaboy]

But I have no idea where these professional Thai companies can be found.

[mahjongguy]

I have a technical background plus an interest in photography, so CCTV appealed to me as a hobby. I'd seen enough of it to know that well-lit interiors (e.g. 7-11 shops) are easy and that exteriors at night are never like you see in Hollywood movies. I don't believe CCTV prevents much crime but it can often help solve crimes and there is some satisfaction in that. For me, in a near-zero-crime gated neighborhood, in a house with few views, I just liked the idea of expanding my world with some live cameras. 

 

I ended up with half a dozen IP cameras scattered around outside this little house, connected to a recorder whose hard drive holds about 15 days of full-quality video. 

 

With that done, I then designed and slowly pieced together a 10 camera system around the gated entrance to the mooban. The intent was not crime prevention, more like "where's the gardener?" or "is the guard awake?". The main challenges were camera placement and cabling.     

[OneMoreFarang]

4 hours ago, mahjongguy said:

I have a technical background plus an interest in photography, so CCTV appealed to me as a hobby. I'd seen enough of it to know that well-lit interiors (e.g. 7-11 shops) are easy and that exteriors at night are never like you see in Hollywood movies. I don't believe CCTV prevents much crime but it can often help solve crimes and there is some satisfaction in that. For me, in a near-zero-crime gated neighborhood, in a house with few views, I just liked the idea of expanding my world with some live cameras. 

 

I ended up with half a dozen IP cameras scattered around outside this little house, connected to a recorder whose hard drive holds about 15 days of full-quality video. 

 

With that done, I then designed and slowly pieced together a 10 camera system around the gated entrance to the mooban. The intent was not crime prevention, more like "where's the gardener?" or "is the guard awake?". The main challenges were camera placement and cabling.     

Sounds interesting.

Did you use movement and/or person detection? Then you don't record hours of "nothing".

 

And out of curiosity I am interested about the legal situation with recording other peoples' movement. Are you allowed to do that in Thailand? As far as I know there are lots of restrictions about that in other countries.

[mahjongguy]

My cameras, though cheap, are capable of human detection and face detection but I don't use those features, can't say how well they work outdoors. Besides, I get 15 days of storage from a 3 TB hard drive.

 

I have not consulted a Thai attorney but it has been explained to me that a system set up for the common good may include views of people's homes as long as that is incidental, that no one is targeted. Peeping tom cameras, however, are not allowed. Audio recording that might pick up conversation, even by accident, is forbidden.

 

Near the entrance there are two signs indicating the village speed limit and the presence of CCTV.

[mahjongguy]

TERMS:

IP   Internet Protocol

POE   Power Over Internet

MP   Megapixels   - Full HD, aka 1080p, is 2 MP

NVR  Network Video Recorder

Cat5e   The type of Internet cable that is used to connect IP cameras to the NVR

Bandwidth  The total amount of video data moving through a device, in bits per second 

Mbps   Million bits per second, "megabits"

[Will B Good]

Just about to start investigating this....so I am interested to follow peoples advice.

[Addonvalue]

Can I directly message you somehow ? Pls drop me a line at [email protected] Looking at a simple CCTV set up in the back yard esp. where we have a neighbor who does the strangest things like throw stuff over our wall, cut down our tree along our mutual fence, at midnight etc.. 

Need evidence. So a CCTV set up may be a good idea, if not too pricey or difficult to install and operate.  

[mahjongguy]

Random thoughts on DIY CCTV: 

If you don't want it as a hobby, don't do it. Hire someone.

Are you at ease on an extension ladder? If not, consider hiring someone just to do the cabling and camera installations.

Take your time making a plan for the NVR location, the cameras, and how the cabling can be routed. When you think you've got it all worked out, buy one camera and enough cable and connectors to get it working on your PC. Clamp the camera on a step ladder and move it around, be sure you like the result. Wait until dark and repeat, consider where you may have to add infra-red or visible lighting. 

Do not consider any use of Wi-Fi. It's not suitable.

IP cameras and NVRs are not much available in Thailand so you must accept having to order most everything from Ali Express. It's more reliable than you might expect but it's definitely slow. The big items are the NVR (~2,500 baht), cameras for around 1,300 baht each. Outdoor cat5e cable can be bought from Lazada vendors for 1,400 baht per 100 meters.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

24 minutes ago, mahjongguy said:

If you don't want it as a hobby, don't do it. Hire someone.

That is definitely good advice.

And hire someone who knows a lot what he is doing, not just the bare basics.

 

If you use cloud services (like watching your cameras over the internet, storing videos on the internet, etc.) make sure you know what you are doing and that your data is secured.

If you don't do it right then strangers/burglars might be able to use your cameras, watch your videos, delete your videos, etc.

[mahjongguy]

I will be mentioning in an upcoming post that there is a lot of risk in allowing connection of your camera network to the Internet, especially since that usually also includes connectivity to your computers and mobile phones (via your router's Wi-Fi).

 

Each of these clever little Chinese cameras run Linux. They are feature-rich and love to "call home" whenever they have the chance. I keep them completely air-gapped from everything else I own. 

[recom273]

8 hours ago, Halfaboy said:

But I have no idea where these professional Thai companies can be found.

Correct - It seems to me that every aircon fitter in my area also advertises as a cctv fitter. Anyone can tack up a Chinese hikvision camera and run the cables back to a NVR. They know very little about safe ways to expose the NVR to the internet, they don’t seem to understand the cameras they supply won’t clearly record a moving number plate, probably because the clients don’t particularly care. I share the same views with the OP, I don’t think it will necessarily prevent a theft but you can keep tabs on what’s going on and record what’s going on around you. Take your own first steps, then if you want to go to a professional route, you will understand what you want from a fitter system.  

[mahjongguy]

Let's talk about POE:  CCTV cameras require 12 volts DC power. In almost every case, this power is sent to the camera on the same Ethernet cable which carries the video and other IP data. This is simple because there are eight wires in the cable and only four are needed, so the other four conductors are doubled up to carry the power. There are two ways to do this. You can buy an NVR with 4 or 8 or 16 sockets on the back, each socket providing a data connection and 48 volt power to the camera cable. Notice that it's 48 volts. This allows a maximum cable distance of about 100 meters. You must purchase cameras that are optioned for POE. Inside the camera the voltage gets dropped to 12 volts. 

 

Or, as I prefer, you can set up a cabinet with a 12 volt supply, something like 5 amperes, and use a Y-connector for each camera cable to inject the 12 volts onto the spare conductors. At the camera end, your cable must connect to a different style of Y-connector which extracts the 12 volts and connects it to the camera via a different socket.  If arranged this way, you will need to provide a cheap 100Mbps Ethernet switch to combine the data from all the cameras; this can then be connected to the NVR's single RJ45 Internet-type connector.

 

A third and very appealing alternative is to buy a 100Mbps Ethernet switch which applies power to each camera cable. The overall cost (compared to buying a POE NVR) is about the same but it gives you much more flexibility in physical design. 

 

Don't be tempted to "simplify" your design by providing 12 volts DC from individual nearby transformers located in the attic or anywhere else distant from the NVR. The best arrangement is to have the camera wires come together in a closet, storage room, or garage to get their power, with a single Internet cable running to the location (office, living room) of the non-POE NVR and its display.

 

If you can picture the power design, you can see that buying an NVR with built-in POE ports forces you to run all the camera cabling to wherever you place the NVR and monitor. This is inconvenient, usually ugly, and not conducive to future growth and changes.

 

This decision, buying an NVR with POE ports versus using a POE Ethernet switch to do that function,, is where you must begin. Plenty to read on the 'Web about this topic.

 

 

[mahjongguy]

[grin]

We had 9 cameras installed at our house plus all of the equipment by a local shop in Chiang Mai years ago. We have had absolutely no problems with it and can go back and replay any video from the past. All of the hardware came from Hong Kong Telecom and may be available for DIY installation. I'm pretty sure I've seen their equipment being sold on Amazon. And obviously our installer acquired all of it in Thailand.

 

The cameras and equipment turned out to be better than I expected. Their apps for macOS, iOS, and Android that I use work well plus I assume they have a WIndows app. The best part is that their service is excellent, actually better than any similar service that I've used in the US. Oh yeah, we have the AIS Fiber 999 Baht per month package and it keeps up fine with all of the video. I can easily watch all 9 of the cameras at the same time on a large monitor when I'm back in the US.

[mahjongguy]

This drawing shows the DIY system that is spread out over several rai. There are currently 11 cameras in service.

 

[lopburi3]

HIKVision has sales/install outlets at various locations or equipment can be bought from Lazada or Shopee at reasonable cost and they are good quality.  Understand the new HIKVision ColorVu cameras are very good so likely worth the slight extra cost.  If DIY and you want central control you need a recorder/hard drive (buy one made for continues security use), cameras w/power supply and cables.  You can attach recorder to TV or computer screen and it comes with a mouse controller.  Alternatives are having memory with camera and use local power.  As said would not recommend IP systems (although most cameras can be used for such - dedicated line provides much better video). 

 

And when you place camera be sure the boss is not going to be growing a bush in front of it anytime soon.   ????

Edited March 4, 2022 by lopburi3