When I first started toying with the idea of getting a NAS for our home, I didn't realise how much a part of our daily life it would eventually become. Let me take you back to where it all began... The problem My wife and I have separate laptops and we often need to access common files such as photos, videos, ...
READ MORE +
While I have owned and reviewed quite a few outdoor IP cameras and pan-tilt indoor cameras regular readers will note that my DIY CCTV system does not include a Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) camera. I have even got a few emails asking me why I don't write much about PTZ cameras. This was not deliberate, I just didn't feel the ...
Hikvision and Dahua are two of the most popular IP camera brands among DIY enthusiasts. I am personally a Hikvision fan and all my cameras are Hiks, but that's more due to my ignorance when I first got into DIY CCTV. Whenever I saw recommendations being made online, it often went like this: "Avoid Foscam, go for ...
READ MORE +
When I started using my NAS as my DIY NVR, it was more of an experiment than anything. Here I had a NAS that I primarily purchased for backing up all our devices and media serving, but which could also serve as an NVR. So why not try that before buying a dedicated NVR like a Hikvision? But over the last 2 years, I ...
READ MORE +
There used to be a time when a professionally installed home security camera system was the only option for most of us. But in 2017 we live in the golden age for DIY enthusiasts. Why pay a 'professional' when you can select, buy and build your build your own home security camera system for far less money? ...
READ MORE +
While reviewing the articles we published in 2016, my wife and I realized that we did not write much about indoor IP security cameras. For the most part, this was because we did not have indoor security cameras set up in our home. At the time, our priority was to fully secure the outdoor yard and the garden. Well this ...
READ MORE +
When I sat down to write my list of the best IP cameras last year, I wanted to bring you an easy to follow guide to the best technology in the home security market. That post took months of research but I wanted to give you the best advice on the Internet. This year I intend to do the same. But boy oh boy, has it ...
READ MORE +
Your phone buzzes to let you know you have a message from your security camera. Someone's at the door. You open the notification to see a live video stream of your front porch and you can hear them too. What's more, you can have a conversation with the visitor. Except, you need not be at home. You can be at work, on ...
READ MORE +
For quite some now, I have been looking for an IP camera to watch my front door. I already have a Hikvision DS-2CD2132F-IS dome camera on my front driveway, so a more discreet mini-dome type camera seemed perfect for the job. So when Hikvision announced their new 4 Megapixel DS-2CD2542FWD-IWS with 120dB Wide Dynamic ...
Which is better, a conventional dedicated NVR like the Hikvision DS-7608NI-E2/8P or a NAS-based NVR solution from Synology or QNAP? This is something I get asked quite often by readers. It's also a question that's been on my mind for some time now. So let's take an objective look at the pros and cons of each option. ...
READ MORE +