Castanet

Just curious, I've recently noticed that home cloud/network storage devices also transcode video allowing you to hook up IP cameras for video surveillance. I was thinking of getting the QNAP TS-231P2 2-bay NAS with a few TB of space and eventually get a few outdoor cameras with it. Anyone done this or have particular camera or other recommendations? I'd rather go this route than use WiFi cameras.

https://nascompares.com/review/qnap-ts-231p2-nas/

I noticed in the pros/cons that one say's multiple camera licenses and the other only 2 camera licenses.
If that's what it supports then is that going to be an issue?

Most IP cameras have onboard storage with remote viewing in different formats via a browser or smartphone app so you may not need a NAS unless you want to store days or weeks of recordings. Also most major brands come with free recording software so you could just use a cheap laptop instead.

I haven't connected a surveillance camera to my QNAP TS-453 Pro yet but I have played around QNAP's Vcam app which turns a smartphone into a surveillance camera, it's pretty cool! If you want a QNAP 2-bay NAS I'd go with the QNAP TS-251+ instead. It's a little more money but you get a faster CPU plus being x86 it's more compatible with Windows running in a VM. Also it has an HDMI port so you can run QNAP's Media Station, Video Station, Download Station, Surveillance Station, Virtualization Station etc. right from a HDMI-equipped monitor or TV. Keep in mind that QNAP's Surveillance Station requires a purchased license in order to connect more than one or four IP cameras depending on the NAS model you buy and the version of QTS Surveillance Station your running. Also check QNAP's IP camera compatibility list before buying a camera. The list contains only tested devices that are guaranteed to work with a QNAP NAS. I've found in general QNAP's compatibility lists are usually up to date so while some older brands/models may not be listed they could still work.

For the camera you can go WiFi or power-over-ethernet (PoE) to a router or to a QNAP NAS via a Ethernet port or a compatible WiFi dongle. I haven't decided yet. I'm definitely going PTZ maybe 10x or 20x optical zoom with night vision. A decent camera starts at around $700. You can buy really cheap ONVIF IP cameras on amazon or even a Foscam PTZ knockoff directly from China for under $100.

The NAS seem to come with x number of camera licenses. Usually you can support many more cameras but you might have to purchase extra licenses. Not sure how much that is yet. Normally you get 2 or 4 for free.

I was told by QNAP today to go for at least the TS-251+ although the cheaper models also say they do surveillance recording. It has a celeron. Saying that, I think the Synology DS-218+ with a celeron would probably be just as good, plus it is less expensive. I’m going to do a price compare and maybe pick the least expensive. I will eventually go PoE for cameras plus a small PoE hub. That is probably the better way. PTZ could be handy. Maybe more fun than handy? lol. Some seem to support tracking, motion detection, etc. Selecting a camera might be tough. I think two cameras is good enough a.t.m.

If you want a NAS just for surveillance recording then even a Marvell single core CPU would be fast enough, the camera is doing most of the work. My first NAS was the single bay TS-119 with a Marvell 1.2 GHz CPU and only 512MB of RAM. It was surprisingly fast, ran QTS 4.3 and supported 2 IP cameras. No true RAID support. I've only owned QNAP products so I can't really comment on Synology. Check out ASUSTOR NAS products as well. Like the name sounds they are a subsidiary of ASUS. NCIX used to carry them. The Asustor AS5202T has some decent specs and maybe less than the TS-251+. It runs Asustors Surveillance Center and can support up to 36 channels in 720p on single live view display.

Jlabute wrote:PTZ could be handy. Maybe more fun than handy? lol. Some seem to support tracking, motion detection, etc. Selecting a camera might be tough. I think two cameras is good enough a.t.m.

PTZ can also be used as a surveillance sweep with motion detect zone alarms.

After reading a few articles on cheap knockoff IP cameras streaming to foreign servers I think I'm going with a trusted brand! lol

Canada Computers....

QNAP TS-251+ ... $719

QNAP TS-231P2 (1GB) ... $339

Asustor AS5202T ... $389

Synology DS218+ ... $399

Jlabute wrote:Just curious, I've recently noticed that home cloud/network storage devices also transcode video allowing you to hook up IP cameras for video surveillance. I was thinking of getting the QNAP TS-231P2 2-bay NAS with a few TB of space and eventually get a few outdoor cameras with it. Anyone done this or have particular camera or other recommendations? I'd rather go this route than use WiFi cameras.

https://nascompares.com/review/qnap-ts-231p2-nas/

Did you buy a network camera? I'm looking at this one...

https://foscamcanada.com/Foscam-outdoor-camera/FI9928P



It's compatible with my NAS but QNAP says PT only in Surveillance Station, not zoom. Synology says it's compatible PTZ. Foscam doesn't know why. The price is good for an outdoor PTZ with Sony Starvis sensor. Reviews are mostly positive and image quality looks great. Night vision I've seen looks amazing! Foscam software has some interesting features like patrol and zone alarms. Wired or WiFi but no POE. Two year warranty! Net says Dahua cameras are better but they don't have an authorized retailer in Canada. Dahua told me amazon, newegg, Best Buy are not authorized retailers so their two or five year warranty is not valid. Dahua cameras cost on average about 3x more than Foscam or Hikvision anyways but your getting 24x optical zoom or higher. Not sure I need that much zoom!