cglaeser

In addition to a good multimeter, the ZTS battery testers are very handy. Rather than simply measure voltage, they measure voltage while the battery is under load. http://www.amazon.com/ZTS-Mini-Multi-Battery-Tester/dp/B0002EH4YO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315246033&sr=8-1 Best, Christopher

Another option is a video encoder. The Avigilon 4 port video encoder is under $400 (ask one of the dealers on this forum for pricing) and only requires one Avigilon license. I have not used the recently announced H.264 video encoder, but I have used the JPEG2000. I connected 2 Avigilon encoders to 8 pre-installed low quality Q See cameras and the encoders enhanced the quality well beyond what was possible with the Q See DVR. Eventually, they may replace the crappy cameras too, but it's super easy to drop in these PoE Avigilon encoders, and the price is right and the quality is excellent. Best, Christopher

A few days ago I began experiencing problems trying to connect to the internet. I bypassed the Netgear FSV328 router and connected directly to the DLINK 520B (which was set in bridge mode as an ADSL modem). That seemed to work fine. AT&T checked the line at my site, and that checked out fine too. When I reconnected the Netgear router, the problems returned. I have many devices on the LAN, and some can sporadically connect, and other times get DNS errors. This configuration has worked for quite a while, and I've not made any changes recently that I recall. Anyone have a router go flaky before? I guess the cheapest solution is to drop in a new router and see if that resolves the problem. Any favorites? I'm considering switching the router to DLINK for the more advanced port forwarding. Best, Christopher

Good question. I had serious problems with the AT&T DNS servers a couple years ago, and began using OpenDNS. The problems persist using either. I tried that too with no improvement. Yeah, I've used it the past, but it's one tool I'm not particularly proficient at. Not sure if it's easier to replace the router or try and drill down the problem with a tool like Wireshark. Best, Christopher

Which 2.5" drives are suitable for the demands of NVR recording? Any preference for vendor? Asus? Zotac? Others? Best, Christopher

Which 2.5" drives are suitable for the demands of NVR recording? Any preference for vendor? Asus? Zotac? Others? Best, Christopher

The latest release of the free version has improved, but I still prefer the paid version. I have both installed on my iPhone and iPad, and usually open the paid version. Best, Christopher

Don't have any info regarding Sanyo, but some companies close distribution channels to do it themselves. Best, Christopher

What is the cost with Windows? Does the OS double the cost? Best, Christopher

You can adjust it in the browser and when you are satisfied, lock it in. Best, Christopher

The 502 has been a solid performer for me. For best low light performance, the resolution should be set to 1.3 MP (which is reasonable when going up against the 484). I have compared the forensic detail between 1.3MP and 3 MP, and the additional detail is not that much, and the improvement in low light is significant. Also, if you want to use H.264, that too requires the 1.3MP. (I use JPEG). Also note that the camera could lock up for a few hours in the early firmware releases, but I've not had any problems since the latest firmware was released. The auto back focus is a welcome feature. Best, Christopher

What resolution did you select for the 502? Best, Christopher

I received a couple Avigilon demo units including the H.264 minidome and H.264 box. I was able to connect the Avigilon minidome to Exacq and view the image, but the motion detection dialog was grayed out in setup, and the stream would only record continuous. Michael, when you tried this same setup, were you able to get motion detection to work? Best, Christopher

The mother board on my test system developed a problem and I was not able to complete my testing. I hope to revisit this in the future. Best, Christopher

iPhone and iPad. Is it possible to set up VPN on the iPad so that generic applications go through the tunnel? Best, Christopher

I'm trying to use third-party camera viewers that don't use VPN. Is it possible to use VPN when only the router knows about the tunnel? Best, Christopher

What did you do to ensure good exposure for the license plate? Did you limit the gain? Shutter speed? etc? Best, Christopher

A neighboring HOA wants to install three IP cameras on an outdoor structure that is about 100 meters from the building that will house the NVR. I can see a clear line-of-site, but there are some branches along the path that almost obscure the path. Does Firetide need a clear line-of-site, or can it maintain transmission if there are a few leaves obstructing the view on a windy day? Best, Christopher

Thanks. I was thinking the same thing. Best, Christopher

Meaning, you have to catch up on the back payments if you decide to renew support again. Now that Avigilon has a iOS gateway, with modest effort, they should be able to support any vanilla browser if they wanted to. Best, Christopher

What are you trying to protect? The camera mounted outside, or people and equipment inside? If a camera takes a direct hit from a lightning strike, it's toast. If you want to protect the camera, you have to do what you can to ensure lightning does not strike the camera using a lightning rod or some other diversion (it will be safe inside a car). If lightning strikes the grid, then yes, there are precautions that will save the equipment further down the grid. Best, Christopher

When accessing cameras from the WAN, do you have a scheme or methodology for associating ports with individual cameras? Best, Christopher

On occasion I use an IE compatibility plug-in for Chrome. I wonder if that would work. Best, Christopher

Good question. My goal is to find affordable alternatives to the Avigilon Gateway for viewing cameras on an iPhone that I can recommend to others. I downloaded IP Camera Viewer for $2.99 and it works well on my LAN, so next I wanted to test it on my WAN. The IP port mapping solution in the router is not as ubiquitous as I had hoped. Changing ports on cameras is an option, but I don't know if that's doable across camera manufacturers, and even if it works, the solution is a bit more tedious. There are some third-party router firmware upgrades that support this feature. Netgear needs to get with the program and support this feature directly. Best, Christopher

It's not a RayMax, but it doesn't have the RayMax price tag either. The CNB MIRs are nice products for the price. Best, Christopher