Security 101

[ejn1]

On 9/22/2017 at 9:46 PM, koxkp said:

Had a small scare at my house that kind of makes me want to integrate some home security into my system.

This seems like something I haven't really gotten into at all yet and a little intimidating. Could anyone give me the basics when people mention alarm panels, window contact sensors and what not.
I think I'll start with cameras, was looking at Ubiquiti (I have the cat cables ready in the attic) with Blue Iris and a NAS NVR. Looks like Amcrest is much cheaper and I see reviews you can't even read license plate numbers with Ubiquiti.

Help me get started!

The UNIFI cameras are great but not sure why you need blue iris?  Ubiquiti has a free NVR software and cloud thay works great and you can integrate the cameras with C4 eith the generic IP c4 driver

[ejn1]

On 9/23/2017 at 8:31 AM, SMHarman said:

Cameras will generally only allow you to see what happened after the event.

I think visible exterior cameras are one of the best deterents practically available 

[ejn1]

On 9/23/2017 at 3:16 PM, SMHarman said:

That is all true.

I guess the better question to the OP is what do you want to achieve as a result of the small scare.

Preventative warning systems indicating entry, movement, glass break, or

Detective visuals to see who did what when after the fact?

It has to be both imo.

[ecschnei]

2 minutes ago, ejn1 said:

The UNIFI cameras are great but not sure why you need blue iris?  Ubiquiti has a free NVR software and cloud thay works great and you can integrate the cameras with C4 eith the generic IP c4 driver

1) not sure what cost are on a UniFi camera but an IP camera will work with Blue Iris.

2) You can update your camera feed with macros from C4. (my front door camera also tells me what my Honeywell Vista 21IP alarm state is)

3) you can make groups of cameras or single cameras that can be pulled into C4

4) you can overlay a 9 key keypad on the camera feed so on phones or tablets you can actually enter pin codes and have it trigger C4 events or just make a hot spot on the camera screen so you just tap on a light that you see in the camera and it turns it on/off

5) lots of configuration possibilities

that's the short list...LOL

[Elvis]

On 9/22/2017 at 9:46 PM, koxkp said:

Had a small scare at my house that kind of makes me want to integrate some home security into my system.

I put an ArloQ camera on my front porch before the Christmas deliveries started. It is not integrated into control4, but it is free to use (no monthly fee) and it sends me notifications. We love knowing when someone comes by or a delivery is made. Getting the clip on your phone is nice. You could IFTTT it into C4 to turn on lights, etc. A cheap fix until you get something better.

 

[ejn1]

11 hours ago, ecschnei said:

1) not sure what cost are on a UniFi camera but an IP camera will work with Blue Iris.

2) You can update your camera feed with macros from C4. (my front door camera also tells me what my Honeywell Vista 21IP alarm state is)

3) you can make groups of cameras or single cameras that can be pulled into C4

4) you can overlay a 9 key keypad on the camera feed so on phones or tablets you can actually enter pin codes and have it trigger C4 events or just make a hot spot on the camera screen so you just tap on a light that you see in the camera and it turns it on/off

5) lots of configuration possibilities

that's the short list...LOL

Cool stuff... per your points

1) They run around $135 a camera for one of their new G3 models

2) Doesn't your alarm tell you what you are alarm state is?  My DSC NEO is C4 integrated so easy to see in the alarm GUI in navigator unless you are meaning something else?

3) I think this can be done with the generic IP driver and IP cameras if you are referring which cameras you pull into Navigator?   Maybe you are referring to a multi camera view?  I cant do that in C4 but can in the Unifi Video App.

4) cool

 

[wappinghigh]

Control4- the platform, app, 4sight, camera integration, alarm panel integration is AWESOME for security.

With push notifications etc you can also DIY monitor saving bucketloads on expensive Alarm monitoring companies

 It is definitely one of Control4's major strengths IMHO.

W

 

[koxkp]

I'm researching more in the ip cams forum, but my question relating to C4 is what can the cams that have c4 drivers like HIKVISION and Lilin do that you can't do with the blue iris driver?

I was looking at Ubiquiti originally because I like their networking stuff.


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[ecschnei]

On 9/28/2017 at 8:00 PM, ejn1 said:

Cool stuff... per your points

1) They run around $135 a camera for one of their new G3 models

2) Doesn't your alarm tell you what you are alarm state is?  My DSC NEO is C4 integrated so easy to see in the alarm GUI in navigator unless you are meaning something else?

3) I think this can be done with the generic IP driver and IP cameras if you are referring which cameras you pull into Navigator?   Maybe you are referring to a multi camera view?  I cant do that in C4 but can in the Unifi Video App.

4) cool

 

1) Not a bad price.  I love all my UniFi gear so far.

2) Yes but I've found it nice to see the status of the alarm when watching footage.  The other reason for the macro feedback to the video is so you can do the other items and have onscreen feedback.  Like if you had a connected door lock you could punch in your code while watching the video and lock or unlock the door.  Say you have a neighbor that needs to borrow your gas can...You can pull up the video, wait till he's standing out front, open the garage door, watch him leave and close it behind him without ever leaving the video feed.  The screen overlay's give a user a lot of options for control with visual feedback on tablets or phones.

3) Blue Iris can group cameras and give them a name so it just looks like a normal camera feed in the C4 interface.  It gives you options to see several views at once or you can still pull in single cameras.  I just wish the C4 interface could run at higher resolutions.