Reddit mentions of TRENDnet 8-Port 10/100Mbps PoE Switch, 4 x 10/100, 4 x 10/100 PoE, 802.3af, 30 W PoE Budget, Lifetime Protection, TPE-S44

Update: After looking around a bunch of sites and thanks to /u/automatedlife, I've finally made a decision. This is probably my fourth time researching this before I could pull the trigger.

Cameras: Two mini 3pm Hikvision bullets: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G7GMEOG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Networking: I opted for POE for many reason, but primarily because I can do it myself without a contractor -- I also have the supplies on hand. Also, wifi wouldn't be as reliable. The POE switch I bought can scale to 4 cameras: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QYEN1W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

NVR: Repurposed my home server. It already has a bunch of drives, and I almost never use it to game anymore. Furthermore, it has plenty of disk and two network cards (one for the cameras and another for internet. If I were to have pulled the trigger today, I probably would have ended up with a refurb like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA8XK46E2600 It's a better form factor than my current system ... and I'd still have my server in my office. Maybe later.

Anyway, I hope I can help at least one other person. I probably opened up 200 tabs throughout this whole investigation.

Edit: My out of pocket today was ~$100/camera @ qnt 2 and $50 for networking. Everything else I had on hand. My total was $250. If you need a computer, you'll probably be spending $500-$800 range, depending on what you get and how long you can wait around for a deal.

• I haven't used Zoneminder but If you're willing to go the Windows route BlueIris is tip-top.
  
  
  
• As far as what switch you'll want something with PoE. I got a model similar to this. Only 4 ports are PoE so if you have additional cameras you'll need PoE injectors. (It seems like 8 PoE ports take a huge price jump)
  
  
  
  
• Camera-wise i've had great luck with the Hikvizion bullet and dome cameras (with the IR light outside of the dome). I tried a TRENDnet and I wasn't impressed. I configured them on their own subnet, threw them on the switch, and then told BlueIris to watch the feeds from 'these IPs with these credentials'. I assume Zoneminder is similiar.
  
  
  
• (Side note I've got a machine running FreeNas as well if you have questions)

Just double check which ports on the switch have PoE. For example, this 8-port switch only has PoE on four of the ports.

I'd suggest doing some research on distances and power requirements as well.