CCTV System with an Alarm Relay Out

[J600]

Hi everyone,

total noob here so forgive me if this question is a stupid one. I have a CCTV system that imo is pure garbage, in hindsight I think they saw me coming.
I paid £1k+ for a EZ960 DVR with 4 cameras a few year back, it felt dated the day it went in - the picture quality is dreadful and the net guard app is also poor (perhaps related to the system setup?).

The main reasons I wanted the system was for peace of mind, but also the convenience of remotest opening / closing my electric gates via the Alarm Out (relay switch?). But the camera quality is so poor and pixelated it gives no peace of mind, and the remote app fails more than it works (potentially due to the way it connects via some weird ip redirect service?).

Anyhoo, enough is enough I need a new system. But I’m struggling to find which brands / models offer an Alarm Out relay. Seems to be some good systems on amazon, but none of them refer to this relay out functionality??

Any ideas on how / where I can find a decent system to replace the one I have now?

 

[Kyle]

Hi @J600,

Your best bet is to check the datasheets, most well-recognised NVRs (and some cameras) will have Alarm Out relays. It is normally indicated as 'Alarm In / Out', or similar.

Hikvision would be a popular choice - they offer the best value for money of all the well-known manufacturers and have a wide range of products. All of the new Hikvision cameras feature VCA smart events, which you would typically use to trigger whatever device is connected to the output (eg. by motion detection, intrusion detection, etc).

The below screenshot is from the Hikvision DS-7608NI-I2-8P NVR datasheet, which is one of our best-selling recorders, and shows the alarm in/out information:

For an idea of how to use the alarm out relay, see this guide on connecting a device to the alarm I/O ports to a Hikvision NVR.

 

[RogerJP]

Couple of questions for you to ask yourself... Do you want the camera to open your gate on alarm automatically? If so, as soon as it rains the gate will be opening and closing like a toilet door at a party.

If it were me I'd get a camera for the best image, zoning, alarm reporting/capture etc, and control the gate with an entirely different means. There are smart switches that connect to your wifi (controllable by App) that can give out switched mains, and small PCBs doing the same thing with isolated relay contacts (much as the one inside your present cameras). This gives you complete (remote) control of the gates - and you can always then using home automation apps link an alarm from the camera to the gate.

That's what I'd do anyhow. A bit like hi fi separates instead of a music centre in the old days