Reddit reviews 9"x9"x3" OUTDOOR CABLETEK ENCLOSURE PLASTIC GRAY CASE UTILITY CABLE BOX CTE-S

are you planning planning? or is the house already started and you've already got bids from your EC for the work?

if you're planning planning, i would suggest considering :

1. in-ceiling speakers for whole-house audio. you can get rough-in rings and just do the wiring, and if you want the speakers later it will save you a fortune in time. especially if you're in a two story dwelling. don't forget volume controls.
   
2. recessed ceiling lights.
   
3. cabinet lights for your kitchen / laundry.
   
4. anticipate more camera drops - bring up twice the runs to the attic you think you'll need. alternately, if you're not in a hot climate, anticipate a switch in the attic instead of a ton of cat6 runs back to your central data cabinet.
   
5. did i mention a central data cabinet? plan on power outlets in that cabinet, for routers / modems.
   
6. are you building in for TV's? pull 3/4" smurf from a recessed box to the data cabinet. this will future-proof your tv mount locations.
   
7. don't forget recessed power / media plates for your tvs. your smurf tubing will feed from the low voltage side to your media cabinet.
   
8. more data drops in the house! cat6 can become anything you need it to, with baluns. so in addition to being a plane data connection, a cat6 cable can replace most any other cable you didn't know you were going to need.
   
9. for your security pre-wire, make them use 18 gauge stranded wire instead of 22 gauge solid. it's much more durable.
   
10. add motions in your living room, family room, hallways, basement, stairwells. they're cheap and can be used for home automation later.
    
11. detached garage? get a 1" conduit run put in for future data.
    
12. basement? attic? get a 1" conduit run put in going from basement to attic for future data.
    
13. pre-wire your own cable (as in TV cable), providing your own demarcation box on the outside of your house, and do not let any rat-bastard cable guys or satellite guys touch your home wiring.
    
14. your cable pre-wiring should not have a single splitter anywhere. it should be a single run from your demarcation box to your data cabinet, and then a multi-point amplifier, and then direct runs to each outlet.
    
    ​
    
    as rossg876 said, it's useful to be able re-pull your data wires in the future. but i'll explain a bit more detailed :
    
    
15. anywhere you know will be a data use point (mounted TV, dedicated computer desk, etc) run a 3/4" (minimum) smurf tube. this will let you upgrade or add cables with ease.
    
16. anywhere that is a simple cat6 run, make sure the contractor does not staple the cable in the wall. also, request that they drill 1/2" holes for all your stud penetrations. this will at least give you a hope of being able to replace the wiring if needed.
    
    ​
    
    > My question is, what kind of cameras/nvr should I be looking for.
    
    
17. don't bother with cameras under 2mp
    
18. don't bother with cameras that claim digital WDR. you need true WDR, 120db.
    
19. only get cameras that support ONVIF.
    
20. keep your cameras & recorder on a different switch than the rest of your equipment.
    
    i've got an electrical contractor that swears up and down about Lorex.
    
    they've got a good price point, and look great. but you can't upgrade the recorders as much as i need for my commercial applications. would probably be a non-issue for residential.
    
    i've had good luck with Hikvision, although the DVR controls are garbage compared to a computer-based recorder. but then again, computer-based recorders are $$$.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FU9KGSM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FU9KGSM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I would have gone a little bigger if I had known better

You could buy a weatherproof panel. Something like this or this

This looks like an awesome idea! This also looks like quite the electrical fire hazard.

I'd suggest a sturdier enclosure like THIS. You could route some receptacle sized holes in it and get either bolts or self-tapping plastic screws to secure them.

A lot of the other parts like the Pi and your usb power supply could be mounted with VHB Tape. That stuff is amazing.