New Construction Alarm/Camera
I moved into a newly built home that I need security and camera complete coverage on. There is approximately 4300 square feet of area that needs to be covered in the physical house, and then of course full exterior coverage.
The house was pre-wired with contacts on every window/door, CO and smoke alarms, and it all comes to a panel built into a wall centrally located. Right now the wires are just hanging there.
I want to avoid all scams such as ADT and Vivent. I have had Ring before while renting, and I know for a fact that various people have unrestricted access to your videos. My wife, however, prefers notifications on her phone to see our kids/pets, and to know when someone approaches the property immediately. Same for a doorbell camera to answer remotely, but I want nothing to do with companies that allow unfettered access to employees/contractors/law enforcement such as Ring.
I have no idea what to do for a central brain to plug all the contacts and sensors into, although reading this board I see DSC mentioned a lot. If that's the best brand, or what model I need from them, I'm unsure of.
I was looking at Lorex cameras after reading various threads here, but I'm concerned it may not be the best quality and software. It's also fairly inexpensive at roughly $2000 for 16 cameras at 4k quality, and that kind of seems like a red flag. I then read about Axis, but shopping for a full system is, so far, confusing and complex.
I'd prefer not to pay subscription fees, but for the right software on an NVR or alarm system I would consider it.
I'm familiar with networking, and I'd like to install everything myself POE avoiding wifi. However I still would like to add jammer detection into my alarm system, though I'm unfamiliar with that. On a similar note, I'd also like suggestions on anything else that would be useful.
So to sum it up: New alarm system to attach to existing contacts Phone app notifications on zones Large house coverage Indoor Cameras Outdoor Cameras Reliable software for the cameras Wife wants phone app access to NVR Doorbell remote answering PoE and self install Jammer detection recommendations Misc. security recommendations
My budget is preferrably anywhere from $0-10,000. I'd consider going higher if there's a massive jump in quality for something slightly over budget.
If there's good options well below $10k, please don't just jump to the $10k. I'm willing to pay a lot for security in a permanent residence, but that's still going to sting.
I've read many threads, but I keep running across my situation with a budget of like $300. I apologize if this has been answered before, and thank you in advance to everyone who can provide advice.
Posted Jul 30, 2023, 5:05 AM UTC
As far as alarms I would look at alarm.com and purchase a Qolsys IQ Pro -PowerG System w/ DSC 433 MHz Best of both worlds. If you don’t have the technical background you might wasn’t to hire someone to help. But being prewired will make it pretty easy
Doorbell-Reolink POE. Cameras-Dahua cameras. Make sure you understand the importance of image sensor size and don’t get tricked by high mp game. Spend some time reading ipcamtalk dot com for in-depth information
Thank you for the recommendations.
Would you mind elaborating on that?
I noticed Lorex is owned by Dahua. Is there a significant different between them anymore?
It all comes down to specs of the cameras and compatibility and value for your money. Go with a 1/1.8" sensor for a 4mp cam for low light activities. I believe Lorex is a little more money and decent cam but it really comes down to spec especially when low light situations
I see, okay.
What are the benefits of the Qolsys IQ Pro -PowerG System w/ DSC 433 MHz you mentioned earlier? I appreciate the specific recommendation. I'm new to these products and I'm not sure what the features it has are that you feel are better than the other products specifically. It seems to get a DSC alarm system I'm going to have to talk to a dealer, and if they try to sell me something different it's good to know how this is the right move.
You can purchase the system though a company like alarmgrid. What is nice is you can expand the system via zwave or powerg or wired. Nice to have options down the road.