Routers & Other Networking Stuff

Foler · Jul 5, 2020

Burns said:
If your going to upgrade your camera system, you might as well go with the shit that the CCP use to track everyone, Dahua or Hikvision. Most of the really bad shit is going to happen at night, so you should choose a security camera based on night performance; which is the most difficult to get right. If you have an old computer sitting around (to use as a dedicated box) you can run all your security though a software called BlueIris; which is suppose to be amazing.

There is a bit more setting up required. You should isolate your camera system on its on LAN or VLAN, which have their own rules on what can connect to it. When looking at them remotely, you should have a VPN set up on your network (or Gateway), to dial into your system directly. If going the more robust BlueIris server, you will need to set that up too. The cameras all seem to be PoE though, so only running one CaT6 is nice.

I went with the cheep route, for a first set up, of 2 Dahua Starlight line of cameras (a 1080 and a 1440 @ ~$130 each) and a Dahua DVR with WD Purple HDD (~$200). I set up my TP-Link PoE switch on the UniFi gateway's LAN2 port, and isolated it from the internet and other networks in the firewall.

After reading some more, I kinda wish I spent a couple hundred more and got a machine to run dedicated BlueIris on (like a midlevel Intel NUC - maybe), as it might be easier to use, after the initial hiccup of learning how to set it up.

Links:
IPCamTalk forum, direct link to cameras:

IP Cameras

All IP Camera talk / firmware updates with popular brands as sub-sections.

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IPCamTalk direct link to Wiki:

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Hey burns.

Scanning through the stuff you linked. Any idea if you can add motion alerts to any of this ip software? Even better - I'd love to run it to a private server and make a web app so myself and others can access it. Any insights?

Burns · Jul 5, 2020

Foler said:
Hey burns.

Scanning through the stuff you linked. Any idea if you can add motion alerts to any of this ip software? Even better - I'd love to run it to a private server and make a web app so myself and others can access it. Any insights?

I think both Dahua and Hikvision have the full suite of options built into most, if not all of their cameras. You can map out zones, in the camera's FoV, in which anyone moving through it will cause an alert, as well as face tracking, so theoretically, it can ignore people you set, once it learns their face. Both Dahua's stock software and the BlueIris software include the ability to take advantage of these features, so I'm sure Hikvision's software would too. Other cameras may have this ability too, but I didn't read much on them.

I am not sure if BlueIris can set up motion tracking or face ID, just on the software side, if dumb cameras are fed to it. As far as I understand it, though, BlueIris is the best home server option, and it can be remotely accessed. I think the recommended set up is to isolate all camera system on its own VLAN/LAN and then use a VPN, setup on your router, to dial into it.

Foler · Jul 5, 2020

Burns said:
I think both Dahua and Hikvision have the full suite of options built into most, if not all of their cameras. You can map out zones, in the camera's FoV, in which anyone moving through it will cause an alert, as well as face tracking, so theoretically, it can ignore people you set, once it learns their face. Both Dahua's stock software and the BlueIris software include the ability to take advantage of these features, so I'm sure Hikvision's software would too. Other cameras may have this ability too, but I didn't read much on them.

I am not sure if BlueIris can set up motion tracking or face ID, just on the software side, if dumb cameras are fed to it. As far as I understand it, though, BlueIris is the best home server option, and it can be remotely accessed. I think the recommended set up is to isolate all camera system on its own VLAN/LAN and then use a VPN, setup on your router, to dial into it.

Really don't want to use chinese shit (i know most everything is made in china but dont want china company). Ill check it out though. VLAN may make my worries moot

Burns · Jul 5, 2020

Foler said:
Really don't want to use chinese shit (i know most everything is made in china but dont want china company). Ill check it out though. VLAN may make my worries moot

The current situation in Hong Kong might make getting either of the top tech Chinese shit rather difficult as well, but yea, you most defiantly need to worry about it dialing home with all it's data. Be aware, that the brand or amount of cameras might have reduced performance on a VLAN (according to some dude on the internet), so a nice thing about the Unifi gateway is that it has it has 2 LAN options. I have my cameras on their LAN2, just in case there would be any fuckery with VLAN. Regardless, with the proper firewall settings, you should be able to prevent any phone home protocols.

Here is the video, for setting up a firewall, where the dude briefly mentions his 8 camera set up (a huge amount of data) had issues with a VLAN (@ ~ 2:33 & 9:34):

Foler · Jul 5, 2020

Burns said:
The current situation in Hong Kong might make getting either of the top tech Chinese shit rather difficult to get as well, but yea, you most defiantly need to worry about it dialing home with all it's data. Be aware, that the brand or amount of cameras might have reduced performance on a VLAN (according to some dude on the internet), so a nice thing about the Unifi gateway is that it has it has 2 LAN options. I have my cameras on their LAN2, just in case there would be any fuckery with VLAN. Regardless, with the proper firewall settings, you should be able to prevent any phone home protocols.

Here is the video, for setting up a firewall, where the dude briefly mentions his 8 camera set up (a huge amount of data) had issues with a VLAN (@ ~ 2:33 & 9:34):

Yeah, right now i have a unifi security gateway, unifi switch 8 (150w), cloud key gen2, AC AP pro..

I need to get internet maybe 500ft to another building. Would you just trench the cable and run another network or run a something like an airmax?

Burns · Jul 5, 2020

Foler said:
Yeah, right now i have a unifi security gateway, unifi switch 8 (150w), cloud key gen2, AC AP pro..

I need to get internet maybe 500ft to another building. Would you just trench the cable and run another network or run a something like an airmax?

That might be rough, you may need some sort of signal booster. Both my cameras are PoE on 50 foot cat6, and work fine, but the internet says 100m (328 ft) is the max a cat6/7 can go before signal degradation. The Unifi Airmax, Nanostation, and such look neat, but unfortunately, I don't have any experience in long runs, so, I'm not sure what kind of solutions there are, for such lengths.

Just a thought, as I am not an expert on networking stuff:
Would the amount of data that a 1080 or 1440 camera push, cause issues with wireless, like the Airmax, depending on how many you have going?
For example, each Dahua camera runs up to 3 streams, 1 primary 1080/1440 and up to 2 secondary 480 "previews" (what you would watch on your phone). I have the primary using H.264H codec, and 1 secondary using H.265 codec (the second secondary is disabled). They are set to stream data at 6144Kbps for 1440, 4096Kbps for 1080, and 256Kbps for the 480. There are options to change the resolutions, codec (H.264, H.264H, & H.265) and FPS for the camera, to use more or less data.

Somewhat related, many cameras come with a MicroSD slot, for local backup (if you do go the wireless route and worry about signal loss to your server), but, it can be a bit annoying on upkeep, as constantly writing to an SD card, might kill them every few years.

Foler · Jul 5, 2020

Burns said:
That might be rough, you may need some sort of signal booster. Both my cameras are PoE on 50 foot cat6, and work fine, but the internet says 100m (328 ft) is the max a cat6/7 can go before signal degradation. The Unifi Airmax, Nanostation, and such look neat, but unfortunately, I don't have any experience in long runs, so, I'm not sure what kind of solutions there are for such lengths.

Just a thought, as I am not an expert on networking stuff:
Would the amount of data that a 1080 or 1440 camera push, cause issues with wireless, like the Airmax, depending on how many you have going?
For example, each Dahua camera runs up to 3 streams, 1 primary 1080/1440 and up to 2 secondary 480 "previews" (what you would watch on your phone). I have the primary using H.264H codec, and 1 secondary using H.265 codec (the second secondary is disabled). They are set to stream data at 6144Kbps for 1440, 4096Kbps for 1080, and 256Kbps for the 480. There are options to change the resolutions, codec (H.264, H.264H, & H.265) and FPS for the camera, to use more or less data.

Somewhat related, many cameras come with a MicroSD slot, for local backup (if you do go the wireless route and worry about signal loss to your server), but, it can be a bit annoying on upkeep, as constantly writing to an SD card, might kill them every few years.

Gonna look into this. Should have a better response to long range solution ideas in the next few weeks.

meStevo · Jul 5, 2020

Haven't done anything since, have had a lot going on and it's pretty low on priorities. Those are screenshots from the Unifi controller.

taebin · Jul 8, 2020

What's the best price/performance ratio for a cable modem on gigabit fiber? Seeing Arris Surfboard's on Amazon for $150+. TP-Link or Motorola perfectly fine for Docsis 3.0/3.1? What's the difference?

Planning on a standard Ubiquiti USG.

slippery · Jul 8, 2020

taebin said:
What's the best price/performance ratio for a cable modem on gigabit fiber? Seeing Arris Surfboard's on Amazon for $150+. TP-Link or Motorola perfectly fine for Docsis 3.0/3.1? What's the difference?

Planning on a standard Ubiquiti USG.

You're going to want to see what your ISP supports. I've had Fiber for a few years now, but when I got it there was fuck all that my ISP (CenturyLink) actually supported

Burns · Jul 10, 2020

taebin said:
What's the best price/performance ratio for a cable modem on gigabit fiber? Seeing Arris Surfboard's on Amazon for $150+. TP-Link or Motorola perfectly fine for Docsis 3.0/3.1? What's the difference?

Planning on a standard Ubiquiti USG.

I just went through updating my network, from using the 15+ year old Actiontec router (with cable TV capability) to a Unifi system. This was Verizon/Frontier FIOS.

First, are you on a lower speed currently, with coax only? Are you sure you have fiber up to the house? Do you have cable TV as well?

For example, here is how the Verizon FIOS system works (afaik):

On the outside of the house, the fiber comes up from the street, and connects to a box called the ONT (optical network terminal). That ONT should have a Ethernet output and a coax output. The coax output has a max speed of 100/100 Mbps (Verizon infrastructure limit, I guess?), whereas the Ethernet output has max speed of something like 10,000/10,000+ Mbps (current Cat 7 cap? (there are also infrastructure limits well below this)). So, when I was looking at redoing the home network, there were different options, depending on the different services.

For Cable TV & Internet over 100/100:

The most "complicated" set up
Cable stays connected though coax port and internet is changed over to Ethernet port (with new cat 6 line; if your house is old, be aware, basic cat 5 does not support 1000/1000 (cat 5E does, though))
ONT to coax runs into a splitter, then to your TV boxes (possibly keeping a cable modem connected to your network switch & splitter, to insert data into the coax line), and the ONT to Ethernet runs to a gateway/router (the ONT serves the function of, what we think of as, the old modems, or so I have read)
For on demand, DVR, and the TV guide, the coax boxes must be connected to the internet some how
- there are various different ways to achieve this
- Verizon (your ISP may have different rules) only supports a few of these set ups. The other ones work but the ISP cant see into your network past the ONT. So they cant help you much, if you call into support, until you hook everything back up their way.

For Internet only:

Call ISP, tell them to change your internet over to the Ethernet port in the ONT (if it's not already)
Buy whatever gateway/router you want and get busy setting that shit up; fuck Tech support, you got this, it's almost plug and play. The snoopers at the ISP don't need to see past the ONT anyway!

I still have the old ActionTec router laying around, and can hook it back up if I am in desperate need of some kind of in-depth Tech support.

A good resource for this is DSLreports.com:

FAQ:

All FAQs | DSLReports, ISP Information

FAQ: All s

www.dslreports.com

Reference picture related to example above:
This is what I would have done if I wanted to have full functioning TV and internet with Verizon FIOS, using the old FIOS Actiontec router, a new UniFi Garway (Primary Router), and an 10+ year old, Linksys (Back-End Router) I had laying around (too trick the Actiontec into thinking it is primary). Substitute CAT 6, for CAT 5 in the picture.

Foler · Jul 11, 2020

Man. May be regretting this usg router with ap ac pro. Maybe usg pro and ac ap hd would have been better for gig internet. Wont know until electrical is done next week. Starting to think I should try to route Ethernet jacks to the attic for max throughput. Problem is house is concrete block..

Ao- · Jul 21, 2020

I bought a 2pk of velop on the cheap, and it worked in a small house... recently moved to a 4bd room 2800sqft and the coverage is shit. Bought another 2pk to expand the velops and it's still shit... I don't want to keep buying mesh nodes to get coverage, so does anyone have a recommendation? I'd almost go with the xfinity router and their mesh nodes but I don't want to pay them $14/mo for the combo modem/router.

Mist · Jul 21, 2020

If I want ipv6 on my Verizon FIOS should I just switch back to their router or get a better Ubiquiti or Mikrotik router?

Xexx · Jul 21, 2020

Ao- said:
I bought a 2pk of velop on the cheap, and it worked in a small house... recently moved to a 4bd room 2800sqft and the coverage is shit. Bought another 2pk to expand the velops and it's still shit... I don't want to keep buying mesh nodes to get coverage, so does anyone have a recommendation? I'd almost go with the xfinity router and their mesh nodes but I don't want to pay them $14/mo for the combo modem/router.

I use an Amplifi Alien in my 4bdr, I keep the main node in the basement and the beacon/AP in the bedroom on other side of the house. Its a costly WIFI6 setup for a router and a node but i get 500-800 in my bedroom so no complaints here.

AmpliFi | Faster, Whole-Home Wi-Fi

Not Just a Wi-Fi Router, It’s a Mesh Wi-Fi System.

amplifi.com

Foler · Jul 21, 2020

Mist said:
If I want ipv6 on my Verizon FIOS should I just switch back to their router or get a better Ubiquiti or Mikrotik router?

Why do you want ipv6?

Phazael · Jul 21, 2020

Mist said:
If I want ipv6 on my Verizon FIOS should I just switch back to their router or get a better Ubiquiti or Mikrotik router?

I can say that the Ubiquity setup with the gen 2 cloud key does IP6 just fine, having messed around with it just for funsies. I cannot speak on the other two. My current project is getting my fucking forwarding rules right so I can host my web page on my Synology Nas to be externally visible for a hobby programming project. The Synology web app has all sorts of automatic configuration options for other routers/gateways, but not Unifi and its a pain in the ass to figure out since I have the NAS wired to all three of my internal VLANs.

Intrinsic · Jul 23, 2020

I have a somewhat random work related question that maybe someone on here can help with while I search the internet for other answers...

A vendor recently had to update some equipment firmware after we got hit with a network event that oversubscribed the NMS port on the device. When that happened the box freaked out, went in to multiple resets, and we lost traffic for about 4 hours while troubleshooting. They've released the new firmware to address the issue and have internally tested it but I'd like to test it myself in my lab.

How do I shove like 100 Mbps or 5,000 packets per second down this thing's throat manually? I have access to a few JDSU units but have no idea how to use them and tried but even with auto negotiate off I couldn't force it to hit the bandwidth I wanted. Need to find a way to test this to satisfy both myself and my boss because it is going to be a 6 month process to upgrade all 420 nodes in the field.

Foler · Jul 25, 2020

Anyone know some decent cat6 bulk cable that can be run outdoors? Unifi tough cable only comes in cat5e which I guess would work for PoE, just not as well. Thanks

Burns · Jul 25, 2020

Foler said:
Anyone know some decent cat6 bulk cable that can be run outdoors? Unifi tough cable only comes in cat5e which I guess would work for PoE, just not as well. Thanks

From my understanding, a professional run would use PVC conduit to protect the cable, and therefor, it could be difficult to find many options for outdoor rated Cat6/7. If you used a conduit, Monoprices has a bunch of shielded Cat6/6A/7 options. Conduit also affords the option of an easier run, using a cable puller, if you decide you need more in the future.

That said, Monoprices does have a gel filled Cat6 that states that it is made for direct burial:

Monoprice Cat6 Ethernet Bulk Cable - Outdoor Gel-filled Direct Burial, UTP, Stranded, 550MHz, Pure Bare Copper, 23AWG, No Logo, 1000ft, Black - Monoprice.com

All Cat6 options:

CAT6 BULK ETHERNET CABLES - HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

Cat7 looks like the most robust option, but probably overkill:

CAT7 BULK ETHERNET CABLES - HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

Routers & Other Networking Stuff

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