Beginner hardware - Revision history

Snake: /* Analog Cameras (pre 2010's) */

2020-08-23T03:20:20Z

Analog Cameras (pre 2010's)

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:20, 22 August 2020
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	[[Ubuntu]] and [[Debian]] are the easiest to setup, and best supported. Beginners are advised to use those.		[[Ubuntu]] and [[Debian]] are the easiest to setup, and best supported. Beginners are advised to use those.

	~~Configure and then you're running!!!.~~

	This is of course a beginners system and so can be expanded and improved on once you are happy, my aim in this design is to build a Zoneminder system as cheaply and basic as possible, I have made a lots of setups that are still operating on the above basis.		This is of course a beginners system and so can be expanded and improved on once you are happy, my aim in this design is to build a Zoneminder system as cheaply and basic as possible, I have made a lots of setups that are still operating on the above basis.

Snake: /* Analog Cameras (pre 2010's) */

2020-08-23T03:19:47Z

Analog Cameras (pre 2010's)

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:19, 22 August 2020
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	Install Zoneminder using the [[CentOS]] guide contained in the wiki or any other distro guide you are happy with, I personally started with the CentOS guide and it has worked well for me.		Install Zoneminder using the [[CentOS]] guide contained in the wiki or any other distro guide you are happy with, I personally started with the CentOS guide and it has worked well for me.

	~~EDIT:~~ [[Ubuntu]] and [[Debian]] are the easiest to setup, and best supported. Beginners are advised to use those.		[[Ubuntu]] and [[Debian]] are the easiest to setup, and best supported. Beginners are advised to use those.

	Configure and then you're running!!!.		Configure and then you're running!!!.

Snake at 03:19, 23 August 2020

2020-08-23T03:19:00Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:19, 22 August 2020
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	==~~Option 1~~==		==IP Cameras (2010 and newer)==


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	Generally speaking, any camera that is ONVIF compliant will work with ZoneMinder. The differences between a more expensive camera versus a cheaper camera is how well it performs in non-ideal lighting conditions. If your camera is in area that is always well (and evenly) lit, then that too-good-to-be-true super-cheap 1080p IP camera, might work just fine. On the other hand, it might look terrible at night or if part of scene is under a shadow. It's these kind of performance features that are hard to determine ahead of time without physically testing the camera.		Generally speaking, any camera that is ONVIF compliant will work with ZoneMinder. The differences between a more expensive camera versus a cheaper camera is how well it performs in non-ideal lighting conditions. If your camera is in area that is always well (and evenly) lit, then that too-good-to-be-true super-cheap 1080p IP camera, might work just fine. On the other hand, it might look terrible at night or if part of scene is under a shadow. It's these kind of performance features that are hard to determine ahead of time without physically testing the camera.

	==~~Option 2~~==		==Analog Cameras (pre 2010's)==

	The best beginners hardware and setup is to use an old unused system, anything from late Pentium 3 or Athlon XP generation of cpus will be more than enough for a setup capable of running 2 or 3 (analog) cameras depending on configuration.		The best beginners hardware and setup is to use an old unused system, anything from late Pentium 3 or Athlon XP generation of cpus will be more than enough for a setup capable of running 2 or 3 (analog) cameras depending on configuration.

Snake: /* Option 2 */

2020-08-23T03:17:59Z

Option 2

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:17, 22 August 2020
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	This is of course a beginners system and so can be expanded and improved on once you are happy, my aim in this design is to build a Zoneminder system as cheaply and basic as possible, I have made a lots of setups that are still operating on the above basis.		This is of course a beginners system and so can be expanded and improved on once you are happy, my aim in this design is to build a Zoneminder system as cheaply and basic as possible, I have made a lots of setups that are still operating on the above basis.

			Note that analog cameras (not ip cameras) have resolution limitations, so if you need/want high res, you will probably want to use ethernet and ip cameras, not analog and coaxial.

	==See Also==		==See Also==
	[[Dummies Guide]]		[[Dummies Guide]]

Snake at 03:16, 23 August 2020

2020-08-23T03:16:18Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:16, 22 August 2020
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	The best, first advice is to check that your camera is compatible with zoneminder's motion JPEG (MJPEG).		The best, first advice is to check that your camera is compatible with zoneminder's motion JPEG (MJPEG) or H264 via RTSP.

	You should read the [https://zoneminder.readthedocs.io/en/stable/ Documentation]. The developers spent and continue to spend a great deal of time writing it... you should spend at least a little time reading it. Specifically, read the part about shared memory.		You should read the [https://zoneminder.readthedocs.io/en/stable/ Documentation]. The developers spent and continue to spend a great deal of time writing it... you should spend at least a little time reading it. Specifically, read the part about shared memory.

Stulander: Removed subjective comments on hikvision's bad press - doesn't explain where or how it has been addressed. Not relevant.

2020-02-06T10:14:36Z

Removed subjective comments on hikvision's bad press - doesn't explain where or how it has been addressed. Not relevant.

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:14, 6 February 2020
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	[[Axis]] brand cameras are a good choice, but expensive.		[[Axis]] brand cameras are a good choice, but expensive.

	[[Hikvision]] cameras have decent quality and are more affordable~~. Note that negative press regarding these cameras has already been addressed~~.		[[Hikvision]] cameras have decent quality and are more affordable.

Snake: /* Option 2 */

2019-12-24T00:58:31Z

Option 2

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:58, 23 December 2019
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	Install Zoneminder using the [[CentOS]] guide contained in the wiki or any other distro guide you are happy with, I personally started with the CentOS guide and it has worked well for me.		Install Zoneminder using the [[CentOS]] guide contained in the wiki or any other distro guide you are happy with, I personally started with the CentOS guide and it has worked well for me.

	EDIT: Ubuntu and Debian are the best supported ~~guides~~. Beginners are advised to use those.		EDIT: [[Ubuntu]] and [[Debian]] are the easiest to setup, and best supported. Beginners are advised to use those.

	Configure and then you're running!!!.		Configure and then you're running!!!.

Snake: /* Option 2 */

2019-12-24T00:57:41Z

Option 2

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:57, 23 December 2019
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	Install Zoneminder using the [[CentOS]] guide contained in the wiki or any other distro guide you are happy with, I personally started with the CentOS guide and it has worked well for me.		Install Zoneminder using the [[CentOS]] guide contained in the wiki or any other distro guide you are happy with, I personally started with the CentOS guide and it has worked well for me.

			EDIT: Ubuntu and Debian are the best supported guides. Beginners are advised to use those.

	Configure and then you're running!!!.		Configure and then you're running!!!.

Snake: /* Option 2 */

2019-12-24T00:57:06Z

Option 2

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:57, 23 December 2019
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	==Option 2==		==Option 2==

	The best beginners hardware and setup is to use an old unused system, anything from late Pentium 3 or Athlon XP generation of cpus will be more than enough for a setup capable of running 2 or 3 cameras depending on configuration.		The best beginners hardware and setup is to use an old unused system, anything from late Pentium 3 or Athlon XP generation of cpus will be more than enough for a setup capable of running 2 or 3 (analog) cameras depending on configuration.

	You will need one of the cheap pci cctv capture cards from Ebay that use the bt878 chip, if you search for pci cctv on ebay then most of the cheap cards that show up will be a card of this type, see the [[Pico2000]] section of the Zoneminder wiki for a few photos of these cards and a little more technical information.		You will need one of the cheap pci cctv capture cards from Ebay that use the bt878 chip, if you search for pci cctv on ebay then most of the cheap cards that show up will be a card of this type, see the [[Pico2000]] section of the Zoneminder wiki for a few photos of these cards and a little more technical information.
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	You will need to configure the capture card as described in the [[Pico2000]] wiki		You will need to configure the capture card as described in the [[Pico2000]] wiki

			Another (possibly better) option is to purchase a standalone IP Video Encoder. see [[Hardware_Compatibility_List]] for more details.

	Next source some standard analogue cameras from the retailers listed on this page or any other source you like.		Next source some standard analogue cameras from the retailers listed on this page or any other source you like.
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	This is of course a beginners system and so can be expanded and improved on once you are happy, my aim in this design is to build a Zoneminder system as cheaply and basic as possible, I have made a lots of setups that are still operating on the above basis.		This is of course a beginners system and so can be expanded and improved on once you are happy, my aim in this design is to build a Zoneminder system as cheaply and basic as possible, I have made a lots of setups that are still operating on the above basis.

			==See Also==
			[[Dummies Guide]]

Knight-of-ni: /* Option 1 */

2018-05-11T12:29:33Z

Option 1

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:29, 11 May 2018
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	The best, first advice is to check that your camera is compatible with zoneminder's motion JPEG (MJPEG).		The best, first advice is to check that your camera is compatible with zoneminder's motion JPEG (MJPEG).

	You should read the [[Documentation]]. The developers spent and continue to spend a great deal of time writing it... you should spend at least a little time reading it. Specifically, read the part about shared memory.		You should read the [https://zoneminder.readthedocs.io/en/stable/ Documentation]. The developers spent and continue to spend a great deal of time writing it... you should spend at least a little time reading it. Specifically, read the part about shared memory.


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	[[Axis]] brand cameras are a good choice, but expensive.		[[Axis]] brand cameras are a good choice, but expensive.

	[[~~BSIT~~]] are ~~really cheap but also not the greatest quality~~.		[[Hikvision]] cameras have decent quality and are more affordable. Note that negative press regarding these cameras has already been addressed.


	~~Camera quality varies greatly~~, ~~both~~ in ~~actual image quality~~ and ~~in operational reliability. Remember~~ that ~~you often "get what you pay for~~.~~" Cameras from high volume manufacturers may be subject to software/hardware compromises that lower cost~~ at ~~the risk~~ of ~~breaking functionality and/or compatibility with standards~~.		Generally speaking, any camera that is ONVIF compliant will work with ZoneMinder. The differences between a more expensive camera versus a cheaper camera is how well it performs in non-ideal lighting conditions. If your camera is in area that is always well (and evenly) lit, then that too-good-to-be-true super-cheap 1080p IP camera, might work just fine. On the other hand, it might look terrible at night or if part of scene is under a shadow. It's these kind of performance features that are hard to determine ahead of time without physically testing the camera.

	~~Avoid cameras~~ that ~~require 1.24(aka: mpeg video) because it make things harder for beginners~~.

	==Option 2==		==Option 2==