CCTV, solar, wi-fi.

[TiredOfK@k]

This is where I am. The eight cameras I bought through CCTV Direct years ago were a bargain and have worked well. However, I had to replace power and video cables (they degenerated due to heat in the roof), as well as power supply boxes a few times (even with power surge plugs in place).

So, I have decided to go solar/wi-fi/NVR. DIY.

1. Not many options are available in SA; if they are, they are very expensive, which I understand.
2. Many good kits are available from Alibaba, AliExpress, Amazon South Africa, etc. Of course, I have done my homework on what these systems offer (e.g. only record on movement, battery mAh, HDMI output, no cloud licenses required, whether these companies are rated, verified, etc. )
3. Shipping is expensive if from China, although there are options. Average 2k.
4. Then there are import duties and taxes. For my life, no online calculator can provide me with an exact figure that makes sense to me. As it stands, I still expect it to be cheaper than a local product. R6k.

So it comes down to this. Is there anyone here who can advise me on import duties and taxes? Or perhaps you have ordered a similar product? I have been to China and not all of them = Temu.

Grateful for any feedback!

 

[hilton]

When I first starting using surveillance cameras, I thought wireless was obviously the way to go. Bought a ton of Escam cameras from AliExpress or Banggood (one of the two). Whilst they worked ok, I found that in the event of a power failure and subsequent restoration of power, the cameras would boot up quicker than the wireless APs and then didn't have the intelligence to keep trying to connect to the SSID. Eventually I connected SONOFFs to each bank of power supplies to reboot the cameras five minutes after power restoration. Long story short, it was a mess and I eventually bit the bullet and went the proper PoE network (CAT5) solution with a mixture of Hikvision and Dahua/Amcrest IP cameras. I didn't want one of those crappy NVRs so first tried ZoneMinder then moved onto BlueIris. The latter is infinitely better than any NVR I've come across.

If you ship directly from China, you may not get your stuff unless you cough up for proper couriers such as DHL.

Alternatively you can use one of the box drop shippers such as PostBox-Courier which allows you to consolidate your shipment (in case you purchase from various suppliers).

 

[TiredOfK@k]

When I first starting using surveillance cameras, I thought wireless was obviously the way to go. Bought a ton of Escam cameras from AliExpress or Banggood (one of the two). Whilst they worked ok, I found that in the event of a power failure and subsequent restoration of power, the cameras would boot up quicker than the wireless APs and then didn't have the intelligence to keep trying to connect to the SSID. Eventually I connected SONOFFs to each bank of power supplies to reboot the cameras five minutes after power restoration. Long story short, it was a mess and I eventually bit the bullet and went the proper PoE network (CAT5) solution with a mixture of Hikvision and Dahua/Amcrest IP cameras. I didn't want one of those crappy NVRs so first tried ZoneMinder then moved onto BlueIris. The latter is infinitely better than any NVR I've come across.

If you ship directly from China, you may not get your stuff unless you cough up for proper couriers such as DHL.

Alternatively you can use one of the box drop shippers such as PostBox-Courier which allows you to consolidate your shipment (in case you purchase from various suppliers).

Thanks for the reply. But solar CCTV should sort the power problem out? It only records movement which is fine for me., also 90000mAh batteries. Some Chinese options are verified/rated suppliers, and delivery is guaranteed.

 

[derp90]

I'm looking at the solar options, and the simplest seems to be either an EZVIZ option or a Eufy option. I can't decide between the two. I only need 2 cameras, so it seems overkill and the sun will shine on the areas I will put the cameras anyway.

I just can't decide between EZVIZ or Eufy! The prices are similar, with the EZVIZ being slightly cheaper.

 

[TiredOfK@k]

I'm looking at the solar options, and the simplest seems to be either an EZVIZ option or a Eufy option. I can't decide between the two. I only need 2 cameras, so it seems overkill and the sun will shine on the areas I will put the cameras anyway.

I just can't decide between EZVIZ or Eufy! The prices are similar, with the EZVIZ being slightly cheaper.

I've been looking at them, too, but I need more than two. Adding more cameras gets very expensive, hence why I'm looking overseas.

It remains a minefield. Eufy appears to be the better option (many more configurations), but from what I can ascertain, you're stuck with a mobile app with text notifications (though these can be set) etc. It appears to also require a cloud subscription for advanced features.

To consider: Quality (at least 4K), battery size, wi-fi, solar, NVR with HDMI output and HDD (no SD cards - silly?). Some only work with a phone app, but I want both. Also, the maximum distance from the camera to the home base. PTZ is also a nice option.

I simply want a connection to an external screen showing triggered camera views (you can't have it on all the time with solar during the night).

Maybe you can add what you have found? I may be wrong on many levels. Hence looking for someone with experience.

 

[Hemi300c]

IMO, and sorry Bud as it's not the same as yours, the best and only solution is:-
NVR, POE and cameras on CAT5 /6.

I've tried them all and the above is the most reliable, sturdy and with the least hassles and irritation.

 

[derp90]

I've been looking at them, too, but I need more than two. Adding more cameras gets very expensive, hence why I'm looking overseas.

It remains a minefield. Eufy appears to be the better option (many more configurations), but from what I can ascertain, you're stuck with a mobile app with text notifications (though these can be set) etc. It appears to also require a cloud subscription for advanced features.

To consider: Quality (at least 4K), battery size, wi-fi, solar, NVR with HDMI output and HDD (no SD cards - silly?). Some only work with a phone app, but I want both. Also, the maximum distance from the camera to the home base. PTZ is also a nice option.

I simply want a connection to an external screen showing triggered camera views (you can't have it on all the time with solar during the night).

Maybe you can add what you have found? I may be wrong on many levels. Hence looking for someone with experience.

I think my needs are very different to yours. I only want to be notified if someone is seen between, say, the hours of 8pm and 6am (at night). I want it to alert me on my phone with a picture of what it saw and a short recording.

The Eufy S230 is an option, it's got 2K recording. The EZVIZ EB5 is the other one, which has 4K. I don't know which would be better in terms of overall experience.

I looked at PTZ but it's pointless for my needs, as I basically want the camera to be an alert system and deterrent. So if it sees someone at night I can activate light or alarm to chase them away.

 

[TiredOfK@k]

So, I eventually purchased this for house use.

Product Not Available

Product Not Available

www.alibaba.com

All in all, with a WD Purple 2TB Surveillance Hard Disk Drive (bought locally), shipping and customs, around R11K. Configuration is a breeze. Solar batteries are always full - and it has been cloudy/raining for days on end (when my solar power batteries have not charged to 100%)

The NVR (linked to a screen) will only show (and record) movement. The last movement will then be shown on the screen as an image until the next movement. But all movements will be recorded in full, based on the time and length you set. On Android/Windows, it live screens.

Many other settings, from alarm, flashing lights, voice, PTZ etc. Uses Eseecloud. However, I'm still trying to figure out some settings. E.g. you play/mess with a mesh network, you are likely to have to reconnect to the Wi-Fi network on every device running EseeCloud.

I also want to run it on a separate mesh network but have been struggling with this (see play/mess comment). I will ask in a separate post.