Upgrade of 2 independent analog camera groups

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ccusack
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2018 12:32 am

Upgrade of 2 independent analog camera groups

Post by ccusack »

I have an old commercial install with 14 analog cameras on one end of a site and 8 analog cameras 100m away (22 cameras total). Both sets of analog cameras feed to a recorder/playback.

I need to modernise the system, combine the 2 independent systems, have the ability to add more digital cameras and get multi-user web access for monitoring.

I was considering running each group of cameras into an a/d converter and then CAT6 to a box running zoneminder. Future IP cameras could just be added to the network. I looked at using a synology NAS surveillance station but the licences for 22+ cameras is high.

My surveillance experience is limited so I would appreciate some feedback on;

- is this a sensible approach or is there a better one?
- Would this need a dedicated gigabit network or could it be run as a VLAN on the existing factory network?
- Can anyone recommend what soft of hardware requirement (cpu/memory/storage) I would need to run Zoneminder on linux with approx 1 week storage.
- Is there a recommended a/d converter easily purchased in Australia for 8 and 16 channel - not using audio?

Thanks - Chris
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snake
Posts: 337
Joined: Sat May 21, 2016 2:20 am

Re: Upgrade of 2 independent analog camera groups

Post by snake »

ccusack wrote: Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:02 am - is this a sensible approach or is there a better one?
- Would this need a dedicated gigabit network or could it be run as a VLAN on the existing factory network?
- Can anyone recommend what soft of hardware requirement (cpu/memory/storage) I would need to run Zoneminder on linux with approx 1 week storage.
- Is there a recommended a/d converter easily purchased in Australia for 8 and 16 channel - not using audio?
1. Certainly. The Ideal solution is to rip out all the analog coax and replace with ethernet / ip cameras, but not practical in the real world.
2. 20 or 30 cameras at SD resolution doesn't need Gigabit in my experience.
3. I've recommended a server in my dummies guide, the KGPE-D16. Any model of similar spec or better should suffice. You don't need a lot of RAM. HDD, get a couple of Terabytes.
4. See the hardware compatibility list. The term for the A/D video converter you are looking for is Video Encoder or Video Server. There are many new and used options available. Link: https://wiki.zoneminder.com/Hardware_Co ... eo_Encoder
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