cglaeser

I still have a couple of Maglites. Not sure why I keep 'em. Probably come in handy if I need to club fish in the dark. I love my new Nebo Redline. Fits in the palm, aircraft aluminum, over 200 lumens with three commonly available AAA batteries, several low and medium power settings, AND ... it's focusable. All for $25. How many lites can compete with that? I also love the Fenix because they have many AA and AAA models. Just got my brother a 4 AA in a double barrel design. Very nice lite. Best, Christopher

I'm guessing you meant PIRs??? Best, Christopher

I called Optex technical support regarding the Inovonics i series of Optex wireless products. They have combined the two products in a way that only uses one CR123 battery. Nice. The size is still the original 402 brick, but at least they have addressed the multiple battery type issue. Best, Christopher

Some Optex outdoor PIRs are available in both wired and wireless models. The wireless models are powered by a 9V battery and I get between 9 and 12 months per battery. The wired models are rated at 28mA and 35mA depending on whether the relay is set to NC or NO. Given that 9V batteries have a typical capacity in the range of 500 to 800 mAh, how is it possible to power the wireless models for up to a year on one 9V battery? 800 mAh divided by 28 mA is less than 30 hours. Is my math wrong, or does the wireless model use considerably less power than the wired model? Best, Christopher

Yeah, guessed so. My latest project is writing some software for an Inovonics Network Mesh that includes outdoor PIRs. The Inovonics PIRs are indoor. The Inovonics transmitters will easily fit in an Optex 402. I have a couple Optex 402 units mated with Ademco transmitters and they perform well, 9V battery lasts 9 to 12 months, but they are a bit large and I was hoping to find something in a smaller form factor, and, with only one battery type. Best, Christopher

Bummer, that one's pretty bad. Best, Christopher

Is there room inside for third-party wireless transmitters? Best, Christopher

+1 Also, I would not pay a high premium to get bleeding edge switch technology unless there is an immediate payoff. If gigabit cameras become common in several years, it will be relatively easy to add a gigabit switch, when prices will be lower. Best, Christopher

Low-cost CCTV lenses do not have the resolving power of high quality HD lenses. There is a very noticeable difference between CCTV lenses and HD lenses when attached to an HD camera. Best, Christopher

The IP addresses that are observable inside your LAN are not observable outside your LAN. You'll probably need to do a couple of things. First, if your ISP assigns dynamic IP addresses, then you'll need to set up a method to resolve the dynamic IP address. Second, you'll need a way to port forward from the outside of the LAN to the inside of the LAN. You should read the directions that came with your DVR, or find detailed explanations using Google. Best, Christopher

That's me in a nut shell. But I don't know how I could have done it differently. Here's some simple examples. I needed a PIR capable of monitoring a foot path 320 yards from my house. Now, how much walkin' through the yellow pages do you think my fingers would have done to find an installer in my area who actually had experience in aiming one of these? I have a 50 W RayMax IR Illuminator. Local installers I have talked to have never even held one, let alone installed one. IP? What the heck is that? Port Forwarding? Is that when you mail something overseas via ship? There's a lot of knowledge on this forum, but the air gets pretty thin elsewhere. Best, Christopher

The specs call it a relay. It's likely solid state. Best, Christopher

Many indoor PIRs use one battery (or a pair of batteries) for both the IR sensor and the wireless transmitter. This particular Optex outdoor wireless PIR uses a 9V for the IR sensor, and has a NO/NC relay that you can connect to anything. Typically, the relay is connected to wireless alarm transmitter, which has a completely separate battery (commonly CR123). In this instance, the wireless transmissions have no impact on the PIR power consumption. I get about 9 to 12 months from the 9V sensor battery, but I expect to get several years from the CR123 transmitter battery, depending on the number of transmissions. Best, Christopher

Thanks for responding. The Optex outdoor PIRs work fine, but they are big, bulky, and pricey. I'm working on a project that needs a several dozen outdoor wireless PIRs. I'm tempted to try and seal a few indoor PIRs and test the performance in the elements. Best, Christopher

+1 I'm running Exacq on Ubuntu and it's responsive and rock solid. I wish Avigilon ran on Linux. Best, Christopher

Agreed. Forget the D-Link. The Pano 502 is a good camera, but expect to pay a premium. Best, Christopher

Part of the problem is that manufacturers don't want to fully specify the attributes of their cameras so as to mask some of the shortcomings, and part of the problem is that many installers are cable pullers who don't own a lux meter and don't understand the specifications for light. When you get a chance, please post some images and videos. You should also send them to Vivotek so they can use them and take down the silly driving-through-city-streets Fellini film clips. Best, Christopher

Has anyone had an opportunity to test the Vivotek IP8151 Supreme Night Visibility cameras? Best, Christopher

The lux rating on the Vivotek IP8330 product page is 0.1 lux. Is that a typo? That is not a particularly good performance for a low-res sensor that is touting "Supreme Night Visibility". Best, Christopher

I built an Exacq system using Windows, and later moved to Ubuntu. Exacq is a nice system and I expect you will be pleased with it. However, I've been hearing a lot of great things about Avigilon. You should compare the two and then make a decision. Best, Christopher

The best way to catch them is to catch them in the act. Creating an electronic fence on a large lot is actually quite simple using IR beams and/or PIRs. When the electronic fence is faulted, the alarm panel sends a text message alerting someone to review the cameras, and if there is suspicious activity, to call the police. All of this can be done remotely, off site, on a smart phone, tablet, or whatever, with a very short response time. The project is relatively inexpensive, and will reduce the cost of the cameras, given that all you really need is the ability to see suspicious activity vs identification, which, realistically, identification ain't gonna happen. You'll see two guys (well, probably guys, one could be a gal) wearing sweat shirts with hoods. Not too many of those, are there? Best, Christopher

What about people? This is my layman's understanding. If the grid takes a hit, you can take measures to protect your equipment (e.g. surge protectors). You can also take measures to reduce the chances that your building and/or equipment will be hit (e.g. add a lightening rod). If the camera takes a hit, it's toast. However, there are measures you can take to try and avoid injury to people and damage to other equipment by diverting the energy to ground before it gets to the rest of the system. Best, Christopher

Judging from the shadows, appears to have a street light as well. Best, Christopher

First question, what are you trying to protect? Best, Christopher

No, I have not yet tested the Vivotek IP8151. But judging from the sample videos on the Vivotek website, if I plan to drive around a big city with a security camera mounted to the dash, apparently that's the camera to get. Best, Christopher