Need Camera Advice

upstatemike

Senior Member
I have a customer who wants a few security cameras and I am looking for suggestions. He has a Funeral Home and he wants a couple of outdoor cameras and one indoors. He wants the indoor camaera to feed a dedicated big screen TV so overflow crowds can see what is going on.

He wants all three cameras to display on a dedicated security monitor in his office (regardless of whether the big monitor is being used or not).

No need for video recording or wireless or audio but the outside cameras should have an LED night mode.

I am also thinking that the outside cameras should be in a heated enclosure.

Anybody have a recommendation?
 
No opinions? Is it better to loop the indoor camera through the big monitor ahead of the security monitor in the office? Or should I hit the office moitor first and then use the VCR out jack to deed the big monitor?

No general concensus on the best hard wired cameras to use?
 
Partly depends upon the budget. For security cameras, I don't see a need for PTZ (pan tilt zoom), but for the overflow crowd camera, PTZ might be nice so it can focus on the speaker or get the big picture or whatever is needed. Of course a PTZ camera requires an operator.
 
WayneW said:
Partly depends upon the budget. For security cameras, I don't see a need for PTZ (pan tilt zoom), but for the overflow crowd camera, PTZ might be nice so it can focus on the speaker or get the big picture or whatever is needed. Of course a PTZ camera requires an operator.
I asked about that. He said no PTZ was required for his application. Just a fixed view. Indoor camera should be mid quality. Just good enough to look good on a large screen.

Outdoor cameras just need to be clear and operate reliably to -20F.
 
Another question... In looking at cameras I see that some are 9VDC, some 12VDC, and some are 24VAC. Is there a more "standard" voltage I should stick with?

Also for wiring; is it best to run the combo coax+power cable or should I run a separate 4 conductor for power in case I need to power a fan or heater in the enclosure?

How about using a balun for the video and running 1 cat-5 for both video and power? Anybody tried that?
 
I have seen 9VDC used for IP cameras, but not for regular cameras. But anything is possible. 12VDC is pretty common, although I think the higher end stuff may use more 24VAC since it travels better on long wire runs.

I have never used the combo cable, but in your environment, having extra wires for heaters sounds wise.

Baluns can be used, but I think that they are more expensive for shorter runs. On longer runs, the cat5 price advantage may pay for the baluns. Some of the IR LED cameras draw 500 mA (or more), which cat5 should handle, but I doubt it could handle heaters.

For the cameras themselves, I have been told to stick with the 1/3" Sony CCD with 420 lines or more. A vari-focal lens would help you get the picture framed optimally.
 
Thanks Wayne, that helps a lot. Any ideas on the best way to do that big screen monitor for the interior camera? Since TVs generally don't have a hiZ loop through, I'm thinking hit the security monitor first then back feed to the big monitor through the security monitor's VCR out.

Also, any advice on camera brands or models? Anything I should avoid?
 
Yeah, I would probably loop through the VCR first. Or you could add a composite video splitter to drive both at once. That means that anything going on with the VCR wouldn't get fed to the big screen, which could be good or bad. It means that you could now use the security VCR without interfering with a function in progress, but it also means that you cannot playback the VCR on the big screen. So you may actually want a switch of some sort if you want the best of both worlds.

Supercircuits has a bunch of camera choices and info on their web site. They probably aren't the cheapest, but not the most expensive either, and they have been around a while with a good reputation.

I purchased some cameras from the Direct Sales Inc web site. Their prices are good, but their customer service is weak.
 
So here is my revised plan:

I will run all cameras via coax to a closet that sits on the other side of the wall where he wants the big monitor that shows the interior camera video. In that closet will be the camera power supply box and a video splice box that contains an active video splitter. I will feed the interior camera through the video splitter and it will feed the big monitor. The remaining cameras plus another output from the splitter will each be connected to video baluns. Each video balun will be connected to one pair in a single run of cat-5 going to the office. In the office, the pairs in the cat-5 will be attached to another set of baluns which will go to the inputs on a quad display security monitor.

Anybody know a reason why this wouldn't work?
 
If all you want is the quad video, then you can save some money by splitting before you send. Then you'd only need one pair of baluns instead of 4 pairs.
 
markthomas said:
If all you want is the quad video, then you can save some money by splitting before you send. Then you'd only need one pair of baluns instead of 4 pairs.
I was going to use a monitor with the quad splitter built in but if you think it is better go with separates, I am open to suggestions. What quad splitter and monitor do you suggest?
 
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