Im looking to buy those security cameras the ones that people buy and set up for their homes and buisness. Its a Q-see 4-channel H.264 real-time network security dvr. The thing is it says it has reinstalled 250gb hard drive. I don't know how many days strait of recording will that last me?? Does anyone know estimate how many days will 250gb hard drive last me?
Hello
Not all CCTV equipment is created equal, in fact there are many options that offer varying performance much like the automobile industry. In the world of CCTV you can find the equivalent of a $2,000 golf cart and a $350,000 Ferrari and everything in between. Both have 4 wheels but that's where the similarities end, it’s under the hood that counts.
Just like any other consumer electronic in the end you get what you pay for. Most retailers and sellers make about a 40-80% profit margin, this is after costs like shipping and overhead. That means when you buy a product that costs $100.00 the manufacturer usually has only spent $30 to build it which simply means it’s not a good product and will probably have a working life of about 2 months. There is a reason these products are 1/10 of the price of good and reliable DVR brand names. The type of seller these products attract are online sellers (ebay) and will make profits margins as low as 2% which means they can’t afford to offer good service or allow for RMAs (returns). Cheap products are like disposable razors they are NOT designed to last for a long time and you will end up replacing them every 2 months.
Now some products can be made cheaply like ipod cases, screen protectors, and other simple products with no moving parts or electronics. DVRs need to be good quality as they run 24/7 (20X more than the average electronic device) and process anywhere from 30-480 frames per second which in a year is over 15 billion images, and a good DVR should last 3-5 years.
A true DVR and camera require years of research and development to facilitate the seamless integration of both the hardware and software. DVRs are highly complex systems that must run 24/7, processing millions of images per day and are one of the few products that can’t be made both well and cheaply. Cheap and inexpensive products like Q-see, Swan, Lorex, and other low grade DVR’s and cameras sold by Tiger Direct, Newegg, radio shack Sams Club, are not used by any security professional and should only be used by hobbyists.
To be honest Swan sells complete Garbage and is not used by anyone who has worked with CCTV or security products. I know other manufactures who used the same product as them and they felt they wee such poor quality they offered money back and replaced them at there cost.
If you are only going to spend 70$ then you should buy 15 dummy cameras they will be just as effective and cheaper.
Also as far as night vision or IR cameras go most do not give good images in the dark. Many companies claim good night vision but there are only a handful of brands who give night vision over 30 feet out doors. normally if a cameras is rated 150 feet of IR it will give you ok images at 30 feet at night and good images at about 20 if rated for 60 feet you might get 15 indoors and will be useless outdoors.
Some good CCTV brands that I recommend are Bosch, Pelco, Honeywell and Ascendent.
http://www.ascendentgroup.com (Great IR cameras)
www.honeywell.com
www.pelco.com/
http://www.bosch.com
Economical DVR's
Two good economical DVRs I would recommend are Ascendent's AVP-4120 DVR or Pelco's DX-400. They will allow you to view all your cameras instantly from anywhere in the world using either IE, or a client software. The AVP-4120 uses the latest H.264 codec to improve streaming and recording time, and will allow PCs and Apple computers to remotely view cameras. These are the DVRs I would recommend that are good quality and affordable from companies who stand behind there products.
Hope this Helps,
If you need anything else feel free to email me at
williammorales93@ymail.com
Eligible for free shipping!
