Hi all, I'm planning for a total rebuild and new to landed homes.

Are there any intercom recommendations and CCTV providers to recommend?

The house will be will be four storey, prefer to have intercom on each level or using a stable company who has Mobile App solutions too.

for CCTV, there are plenty of resellers so it's just a matter of who you decide to go with. the usual brands like Hikvision or Dahua should be quite safe. Unless you want something from a single brand which has complete package with WIFI solutions, then Ubiquiti has a complete solution from CCTVs to access points and POE network switches, routers, DVRs, etc.

what kind of intercom are you referring to? are you referring to video doorbell with intercom or just internal intercom system?

for video doorbell, I think AWS had mentioned some recommendations in another thread.

If you are looking for internal intercom, maybe can consider using a PBX phone system instead. I have a Panasonic PBX system installed for my house and it has intercom functionalities besides being a house phone for incoming/outgoing calls.

Guys, is the lock for the main door typically linked to the main gate/ side gate's system? Or independent? Just thinking ... coming home, using the PIN or access card to enter the side gate, then when you reach the main door, do i key in another PIN (eg independent system)? 

24 minutes ago, Topline said:

Guys, is the lock for the main door typically linked to the main gate/ side gate's system? Or independent? Just thinking ... coming home, using the PIN or access card to enter the side gate, then when you reach the main door, do i key in another PIN (eg independent system)? 

mine is independent. it really depends on what type of lock set you want to install on your main door. if you want to be linked to the side gate, then you will need to find a lock system which can be triggered via access card of keypad (eg: those office magnetic door locks) and then have the system linked up to your side gate access control system. Technically can be done and it's just a matter of what is being used and how it will end up looking aesthetically.

My current planned setup is remote/phone for main gate, phone/card for side gate and PIN/fingerprint for main door.

If I want, I can get a PIN/card lock for the main door and use the same card for side gate and main door. 

On 8/18/2021 at 12:02 PM, Kellhound said:

My current planned setup is remote/phone for main gate, phone/card for side gate and PIN/fingerprint for main door.

If I want, I can get a PIN/card lock for the main door and use the same card for side gate and main door. 

Can advise with whom u got that done and what's the estimated cost?

11 hours ago, Jsken said:

Can advise with whom u got that done and what's the estimated cost?

Mostly DIY for me. Just as an example, the sidegate electrical bolt lock plus power supply is around $200-300 but vendors wanted to charge me around $1000 for lock plus installation (excluding cabling). So I try to use my main contractor to do as much as possible as part of the overall contract e.g. such as cabling and DIY the rest.

 

Just add on, it’s always good to get extra cable laid and then put/hide somewhere standby just in case need to use in the future. It will sometimes be almost impossible to hack the floor/wall to lay that extra cable in the future. Of course mostly can be done, it’s just the extent of the work done and the high cost involve. Why not just pay a small amount to lay that extra cable in the beginning. Likewise for Cat6 or Cat7 cables. And of course a proper and a little ‘kiasu’ planning is not a bad thing. 

18 hours ago, Kellhound said:

Mostly DIY for me. Just as an example, the sidegate electrical bolt lock plus power supply is around $200-300 but vendors wanted to charge me around $1000 for lock plus installation (excluding cabling). So I try to use my main contractor to do as much as possible as part of the overall contract e.g. such as cabling and DIY the rest.

 

Which model did you go for? Looking for options ...

5 hours ago, Topline said:

Which model did you go for? Looking for options ...

 

For my video intercom, see my post here 

For side gate lock, I'm using CISA 1A731 electric lock (Thanks to AWS for the recommendation)

CCTV cameras and NVR - I'm using a mixture of Hikvision 2MP and 4MP ColorVu cameras. I look more at the sensor size than the resolution. Sensor size affects video quality much more than resolution in low light situations. I use the 4MP cameras for key areas outside which tend to be in low light. They cost 2-3 times more than the 2MP ones and the sensor is much larger than even the 8MP cameras. I believe Dahua will have equivalents as well.

If you are planning to DIY though, prepare to spend many hours troubleshooting and trial and error😂 It may be more worth it to just pay someone to do it just to maintain your own sanity!

 

Your Hikvsion intercom comes only with one indoor monitor? Is the outdoor unit made of plastic? Weatherproof?

Thinking of Dahua vs Hikvision .... you guys know which is better? Value and reliability...

Also, any concern that they may not be compatible with other stuff like iPhones in the future after Trump banned them from ONVIF which is like som industry standards thingy (which I don’t understand)...

14 hours ago, Kellhound said:

 

For my video intercom, see my post here 

For side gate lock, I'm using CISA 1A731 electric lock (Thanks to AWS for the recommendation)

CCTV cameras and NVR - I'm using a mixture of Hikvision 2MP and 4MP ColorVu cameras. I look more at the sensor size than the resolution. Sensor size affects video quality much more than resolution in low light situations. I use the 4MP cameras for key areas outside which tend to be in low light. They cost 2-3 times more than the 2MP ones and the sensor is much larger than even the 8MP cameras. I believe Dahua will have equivalents as well.

If you are planning to DIY though, prepare to spend many hours troubleshooting and trial and error😂 It may be more worth it to just pay someone to do it just to maintain your own sanity!

 

Hi, where did you get your 4MP ColorVu cameras from? Thks

8 hours ago, superfly21 said:

Hi, where did you get your 4MP ColorVu cameras from? Thks

Aliexpress. Model is DS-2CD2347G2-LU. The other interesting feature is the camera can be set to turn on its LED light when it detects humans. Good deterrent.

Edited August 22, 20215 yr by Kellhound

8 hours ago, Topline said:

Your Hikvsion intercom comes only with one indoor monitor? Is the outdoor unit made of plastic? Weatherproof?

Thinking of Dahua vs Hikvision .... you guys know which is better? Value and reliability...

Also, any concern that they may not be compatible with other stuff like iPhones in the future after Trump banned them from ONVIF which is like som industry standards thingy (which I don’t understand)...

Yes, weatherproof (IP65 rated) but you can also buy another rain shield (I bought from Taobao) as well. You can buy additional indoor monitors to function as intercom as well. I bought a second one.

19 hours ago, Kellhound said:

Aliexpress. Model is DS-2CD2347G2-LU. The other interesting feature is the camera can be set to turn on its LED light when it detects humans. Good deterrent.

Thanks! Sounds like a good model. I used to use the non-ColorVu HikVision cams. So eager to try these new versions.