Cheepo surveillance build

[IsFyx]

Hi, I'm building a surveillance pc/server on a budget, and I think I might need some advice

 

Here is what I got planned so far for the core system (not including stuff like networking, mass storage, case, PSU and so on):

• Pentium G3258 (because its cheep, decently powerful, runs cool and I've had good experiences with running it 24/7 in a minecraft server before)
• MSI Z97 board (I know Z series chipsets are more pricy and H is cheaper, but I might need the lane options later)
• 8 GB RAM
• 250 GB SSD (for OS and temporary storage)

My plan is to have the computer just take the video feeds from the cameras, compress it and store it on a local NAS that will be accessible via ssh form off-site. The computer does not need to display the feeds or anything like that, just receive, compress, store, rinse, repeat.

So most important question; how should I compress it?

• Is there any good software that could utilize a GPU for this kind of semi-real-time compression? (cheapest solution, GTX 580 and a HD 7850 I could re purpose for this)
• Do I absolutely need a Capture Card for this? (I know this is the preferred solution, but its expensive for cards that take more than one stream at a time. Also for this solution I have only seen cards that take HDMI inputs and I can't wire up an ice cream factory with HDMI in every nook and cranny)
• Is there perhaps any cameras that can do this on-board and save to external media? (I know many cameras do this, but it has to be one that is network-attachable and affordable, e.g. a wifi webcam if that is something that exists)

Secondary question, guess it depends on the answer of the first one for compatibility; what OS (and software, if not answered in the previous one) should I use? I know Windows is versatile and easier to use, but this is the kind of thing I imagine there would exist a Linux distro for, and frankly, no matter how much of a pain in the ass Linux can be to set up properly, once you get it working, it usually stays working. I'm afraid I cant say that for Windows...

 

All responses appreciated

[rtpb5642]

i have an ip camera system

i use blue iris to manage the cameras

intel quad core xeon with a z87 board

POE switch

3TB of storage on board WD RED drive

 you wont need to compress the files unless your gunna ave a TON of cameras, as long as u have gigabit between server and NAS it will be fine

[zMeul]

I have a surveillance system back-up built on a Celeron J1800 - but I only store the feeds on it, it doesn't do any re-coding

what I use it for - connects remotely to the DVR, that's ~20Km away, and records locally

 

[IsFyx]

2 minutes ago, rtpb5642 said:

i have an ip camera system

i use blue iris to manage the cameras

intel quad core xeon with a z87 board

POE switch

3TB of storage on board WD RED drive

 you wont need to compress the files unless your gunna ave a TON of cameras, as long as u have gigabit between server and NAS it will be fine

Thanks, good to know But what is Blue Iris, and will it run with the dual-core non-HT Pentium G3258? Also, what kind of cameras do you use?

[IsFyx]

I think there will be between 4 and 8 cameras in the end, but I'm trying to strike a balance between cheep and expandable, there probably wont be more than two or three cameras in the start.

[rtpb5642]

3 hours ago, IsFyx said:

I think there will be between 4 and 8 cameras in the end, but I'm trying to strike a balance between cheep and expandable, there probably wont be more than two or three cameras in the start.

Blue iris will work fine, its a great program but you have to buy it for around 60$, or you can try iSPY too.

 

overclock the Pentium a little

 

I use Hikvision ds-2cd2032-i for my cameras

They are great but are expensive though.