This article is the second in a series written up to record the experience of having a CCTV system installed at my home in February 2017. Apologies for the delay in between writing the first and this, second article.

Articles in this series include:

1. CCTV #1: Technology Basics 
2. CCTV #2: Selection Process (this article)
3. CCTV #3: Installation Design & Planning
4. CCTV #4: Installation Experience

The selection process took place over several months, beginning first in late 2016. Much research was conducted, and to a large extent, has been  documented in the first article. My personal experience and background in IT had always pushed me down the path of a power-over-Ethernet (PoE) solution, favoured over the BNC cabling or even a wireless end-point solution design.

Real Life Examples

Since beginning this journey into the world of CCTV, I began to observe real-life examples and set-ups, to gather insights into our other homes, and even businesses have designed their systems and chosen their preferred camera models.

At church, I learnt more about the system that was installed as part of the construction work; BNC wiring of the camera units leads back to the central communication room server rack, where the DVR unit is housed. Whilst a LCD monitor is available for on-site viewing, the system installation included a set-up for remote viewing. Installed as fixed internal cameras, each camera is focused on key entrances, in the foyer, access to the chapel, cafe and the rear back-stage door entrance/garage.

In late 2016, with one neighbouring house earmarked for demolition and replacement by two townhouses, the immediate neighbour raised concerns and several conversations were held on the topic of CCTV security systems. We reminded ourselves that a previous neighbours house construction had created a previous period of vulnerability. During that time of construction, the adjacent property suffered from a break-in. It emerged that access had originated from the vacant construction block… Subsequently, both that new home and the neighbouring home had CCTV cameras installed.

Now, in all of the examples above, bar one, the presence and installation of the wired CCTV systems was undertaken as part of the building construction phase. In one of the examples, where the home was broken into, it was an existing home to which CCTV was added. I would definitely advocate to all home builders, get a wired CCTV security system installed as part of the construction. It is a no-brainer that the wiring work is much easier during this phase with best access to wall cavities, floors and ceiling space.

As I visit familiar shops and retail spaces, I look out for the tell-tale signs of a CCTV system. On one occasion, I was with friends and we freely discussed the topic, to the extent that we even drew the attention of the owner. Gaining additional insights from the owner helped to build a holistic view of CCTV systems.

Online Shopping

Since late 2016, the hunt online for good deals on CCTV systems began in earnest. The initial online research began with a different end solution design. During this early stage of the project, I had a solution design in mind where I would build the system component by component, mixing and matching according to the technology. In this approach/model, I was looking for a custom design where I would focus on buying the individual components, relying on a purist knowledge of each component and their connectivity and compatibility. Understanding the concepts of CCTV technology, I saw this approach as being the best from a technological perspective, where the cost driver was a lower priority.

Some of the online resources and retailers that I consulted during this phase included:

• Computer Parts & Land
• JayCar Electronics
• Centre Com
• Whirlpool

For the core CCTV system, finding the right network video recorder (NVR) and supporting power-over-Ethernet (POE) router is important. Cabling supplies are standard and the only variable there is the amount required, according to the locations of each CCTV unit. Compatibility between NVR and end-point cameras is the other important factor for the solution to work.

Researching parts on the first three sites gave me an appreciation of how much each component would likely cost. Working off a base assumption that

During this period, discussions with my neighbour also saw me pay attention to retailers like Kogan and Costco. My experience with online shopping with Kogan has been quite successful overall. Almost two years ago, the purchase of a treadmill from Kogan proved to be a very successful transaction. The bargain sale price was also very timely and we were able to purchase a larger-sized unit for a low price. Viewing Kogan for CCTV options helped to contextualise the various choices. Both retailers offer CCTV system bundles rather than individual components so consulting and expanding the consideration set to include both Kogan and Costco meant changing the base requirements.

Another approach to considering options for security/CCTV systems was to go via the home insurance companies, because it is generally looked upon favourably by insurance providers. It has been generally proven that homes which have security monitoring and surveillance systems are more secure and less risky. This reduced risk is recognised by the insurance providers in the form of lower premiums. A lot of the insurance providers even partner with security and monitoring service providers to provide the installation and ongoing support/monitoring service for a fee.

Case in point, RACV offers a comprehensive protection service branded RACV Home Security, which provides alarm systems, security monitoring with rapid response mobilisation, plus their own CCTV systems. RACV partners with Honeywell for their CCTV technology. This type of offering is at the other end of the spectrum to DIY installation, where not just a professional installation service is provided, but an ongoing monitoring service is provided. I know that in some instances of holistic security monitoring systems with 24×7 service, any incident/trigger of the alarm can result in response actions varying from a call to the owner right up to contacting the police. These solutions are typically suited to businesses and for home owners who want total peace of mind. In a similar way, NRMA provide Home CCTV surveillance, with the incentive of discounting the installation cost.

Some time in early January I stumbled across the online retailer InFront Technologies, which is a specialist store for CCTV surveillance and security camera systems. At the time, a packaged deal for DIY IP/wired solution was advertised for under $600!  This business promotes the use of Swann technology, which also led me to research directly from the Swann website and compare the deal with other Swann products.

My general findings from reviewing and considering the various products and components helped me form the following conclusions:

• Whilst my purist and technologist desire for implementing a CCTV solution saw me start out by focusing on components, the pragmatic and economical factors prevailed.
• The core technology design of being IP-based with digital video standard was affirmed as the superior technology choice.
• The scalability and expandability of a solution became an increasing important consideration, particularly since the exact number of required CCTV cameras was not fully known.
• Accordingly, my final selection of a CCTV solution was the Swann NVR8-7082.

Selected Product: Swann NVR8-7082

Swann product page

NVR Specifications