Camera question

Any recommendations for a high quality camera? I've been told of IDIS and MOBOTIX

Also looking for a forum dedicated to physical security if anyone knows a good one.

thanks guys

I'm assuming you mean CCTV if you're listing those two brands.

If you got money to burn and want good support and a good UI, I'd say Axis. If you're on a budget and don't mind getting your hands dirty, Hikvision. Speco is somewhere between the two. I've worked directly with their engineers to fix a firmware bug and they're pretty nice.

I don't know of any security specific forums, but alt.security.alarms on Usenet is where a lot of security guys still hang out today and chew the fat.

Hey Gig, yes I was wanting to have cameras pipe video to a TV that is on 24/7

We had some hoodlums break into our car couple days ago. Sucks but the bigger problem is that they hit us around 4:30a. My wife usually leaves for work at this time so imagine what could have happened if she encountered these guys breaking into her car as she is leaving the house with no one around to help. I wouldn't have heard it.

I would like to be able for her to look at the TV we'll dedicate solely to cameras that she can check before she leaves the house.

Thanks for the recommendations, very much appreciated!

All three vendors have systems that can do what you want. A video feed on a TV and you can also get it on their phone app so you can see your cameras while away from home. The phone app can be a bit of a pig to get working for any of the manufacturers, but it generally works fine once you get it configured. You'll just need to make sure your internet connection is up to the task, as well as your mobile phone plan. The video feeds eat up a ton of bandwidth, and if you have data caps, you'll quickly blow through them and keep going. Best to connect your phone to wifi beforehand before opening the video feed if you don't have unlimited bandwidth.

@GiGaBiTe, is there anything you don't know? Seriously, you commented on a couple of my posts and you know a lot about a lot of different stuff.

Would you say Axis is top of the bunch? I sent them a message on their website after your recommendation but haven't heard back. I'll see if I can ask the local reddit boards if they know an AXIS dealer/installer in Houston.

If you were going to go high end, what brand would you install?

amrogers3 said:

@GiGaBiTe, is there anything you don't know? Seriously, you commented on a couple of my posts and you know a lot about a lot of different stuff.

Click to expand...

I read a lot and have multiple hobbies, probably a few too many.

amrogers3 said:

Would you say Axis is top of the bunch? I sent them a message on their website after your recommendation but haven't heard back. I'll see if I can ask the local reddit boards if they know an AXIS dealer/installer in Houston.

If you were going to go high end, what brand would you install?

Click to expand...

I would say Axis is one of the high end brands, but again very expensive. If you're a DIYer and have a TX sales tax & resale permit, and an assumed name certificate for a business, you can open an account with Anixter/Tried, ADI or Alarmax. All three are wholesalers that don't sell to the public and are geared to businesses and installers, and all three have branches in Houston and several other Texas cities. I use the branches in San Antonio and Austin since they're close enough to me. The reason for the tax permit is because you'll have to pay tax on the parts, and the parts houses generally don't like dealing with that part, so you have to report and remit it yourself to the comptroller. It's not hard to do, but the tax permit and assumed name cert are really only intended for people running an actual business.

The reason to use a wholesaler is because you'll pay a lot less than retail, and far less than a company selling them to you with their markup. But the caveat is you're on your own when it comes to support, hence the DIY part. They also don't like people "sampling" their products and returning them, they're not a Walmart or HEB. Once you buy, you keep unless there's an actual problem with the gear and you can return it under warranty, which is usually 1-3 years depending on the product.

If I were to install something, I'd use a upper tier pro grade Hikvision system because it's what I'm familiar with. Hikvision has several tiers of products from the value express to pro grade, I'd just pick the highest tier.