cglaeser

This assumes, of course, there is an available PC. And, if the PC is not dedicated, it will surely be rebooted, etc, and the process will likely be shut down. Best, Christopher

I know you need this for a particular DVR, but ... this is one of the reasons I like Exacq. They have one of the most robust SMTP implementations for email notification, and scheduling is included with the standard package (some companies require enterprise licensing for scheduling). All of the event linking (i.e. when this happens, then do this) can be scheduled. Best, Christopher

Just watched a documentary today and the data collected from prison interviews confirmed what I already knew. Home burglars generally don't care about cameras, real or otherwise. Cameras rank near the bottom of their list of concerns. I use wireless outdoor motion sensors around my home with a voice announcement inside the home that tells me when someone is in the driveway or near the front door, etc. Best, Christopher

I like Netgear as well. When possible, I opt for fanless switches and routers. Best, Christopher

The Axis Q7404 has four IP addresses and requires four Exacq IP licenses. How many IP licenses are required for the Axis 241Q? Are all four video channels streamed through one IP address, or is there one IP address for each video channel? Best, Christopher

Only if you want upgrades. Best, Christopher

In the IQI night video, there are two people walking a dog on a footpath between the house and big tree. Can you please take the lux reading on that footpath. It's difficult to judge the light from a video, but if it's as dark as I think it is, that is very impressive for a 5mp camera at 1/50 shutter. Best, Christopher

The ability to lock segments of recorded video to protect from overwrite. It's a very useful feature, and I submitted a feature request to Exacq. Best, Christopher

You should try and separate the email function from the trigger that causes an email message to be sent. Did you create a profile and click the "Test Profile" button? Did that work? You should get that working first, and then add events that cause an email message to be sent. Best, Christopher

Did you read my number one requirement? Best, Christopher

Yes, I know. The vast majority of crimes recorded on security cameras are never solved. Any Costco CCTV system can do that. If the only requirement is to record video that will make a nice youtube upload to show your friends, sure, there is no need to be notified of a crime in progress, and there is no need for remote viewing. If there is no requirement to solve the crime, then just let the system record the crime and you can come to work the next morning, open a bag of popcorn, and enjoy watching the recorded video. You can even make a copy for the police. Odds are close to zero the video will solve the crime, but it feels good just to give them a CD for the police report. I am not interested in designing that type of system. My number one requirement is to design a system that will result in arrests. Based on my track record, I think I know how to do that. Best, Christopher

The conversion would probably go faster if ... - iPhone and other smart phones are supported, is feature rich, and responsive - email notification was fixed - ActiveX is not required I doubt they will fix the last one, but the other two would certainly be nice. The Avigilon video lock is very useful. Crossing my fingers that Exacq will take note and implement it. Best, Christopher

... and I have a call into Exacq to support video lock. Has Avigilon made any progress on the iPhone app? According to Exacq, their iPhone app is extremely popular. The next release will include the ability to control alarm outputs. For example, you could turn on a light remotely. Best, Christopher

I've not had much success with anything except Exacq. I know several forum members are very hot on Avigilon, but it's my understanding that Avigilon has problems with email notification as well. Axis, Panasonic, they all have problems. Maybe Exacq should go into the business of licensing their email software. Apparently, none of these other companies can get it to work. Best, Christopher

Why is it that so many cameras and DVR/NVR can't send email? What is so difficult about implementing email notification that actually works? Best, Christopher

Evidence quality video with no guard on duty, so #2. That's what most people want. Unfortunately, it's an extremely unlikely scenario. Unless there is a very serious crime, the police are not going to analyze the video and attempt to identify the burglar, and even in the case of a serious crime, a positive identification from video taken at night is rare. If there are areas where no one should be during the night, then motion sensors combined with cameras will work, but if car owners can come and go during the night, then motion sensors won't help either. Best, Christopher

Can you give me a specific scenario? Here are some possible scenarios: Scenario 1) Someone breaks a car window at 1 am, they remove a GPS, your security guard hears a noise, calls the police, the burglar is apprehended with the GPS and arrested, and the camera video is given to the DA as evidence. Scenario 2) Someone breaks a car window at 1 am, they remove a GPS, you discover the broken window and missing GPS the next morning at 9am, you review the video, give the video to the police, they identify and arrest the burglar, and the video is given to the DA for evidence. Which of those two scenarios is the best description of your objective? Best, Christopher

What are your objectives? Be as specific as possible. For example, if someone burglarizes a car, do you want to confirm the time of day of the burglary? Do you want to count the number of people involved in the crime? Do you hope to make an arrest? Best, Christopher

I said it before and I'll say it again. If you can find an open source VMS that meets your requirements, use it. That's what I would do. This isn't about more reliable or more anything if the open source version doesn't even exist. When someone starts explaining why they refuse to pay for proprietary software, sometimes the arguments don't make any sense. Consider the back door argument. Does anyone honestly believe you can build a system with disk drives and routers and surveillance cameras with no back doors? Have you even looked to see where those components are made? Then there's the refusal to use any proprietary software. Where do you purchase a router or camera that does not include proprietary software? Regarding the subject of reliability, why is this an issue for software but not hardware? So, let's see, you won't pay for proprietary software because you can't fix any defects, but are willing to pay for a disk drive because you can, what, open it up and fix it with a screwdriver? None of these dogs will hunt. The fact is, hardware has all these same issues. Best, Christopher

Yeah, sure, right, like there are no back doors in any of the hardware you are willing to pay for. Thanks, for the laughs. You are knee slapping hilarious. Best, Christopher

Hey, if you find a group that pooled their talents to produce the perfect VMS app for your requirements and it's free, I'm all for that. The part that leaves me scratching my head is if someone finds the perfect VMS app for your requirements (yep, it does that, yep, yep, yep, yep, it does all those) but it costs money, you walk on by. I think we were genetically programmed thousands of years ago to barter based on weight. Our brains can't grasp this relatively new concept that something with no weight can have value. Best, Christopher

Yeah, I know. I've always viewed this thinking as odd, but I know it's common. Tangle products have value, intangible products are worthless. Chip designers should get a salary. Programmers should work for free. Best, Christopher

Where can you find a processor, disk drive, and memory that does not include proprietary technology? Yep. Yep and yep. Yep. Best, Christopher

Exacq does have a lot to offer. 1. Remote viewing with web browser does not require ActiveX. 2. Runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac. 3. Runs on iPhone, iTouch, iPad, and Andriod. And, it's feature rich and very responsive. 4. eMail notification that actually works. Exacq has many other features, but how many VMS applications can do the above? Best, Christopher

megapixel at 10 fps should suffice. Best, Christopher