cglaeser

The products listed on their website is rather thin. Perhaps they will provide quotes for products in the Northern database? Best, Christopher

You really believe that everybody follow law to the tees Don't be silly. My post was prefaced with FWIW. FWIW, that's usually an indication that what follows may not be worth a lot. Best, Christopher

FWIW, Clients can't purchase from Northern unless they have a resellers license, and here in CA (don't know about other states), it is illegal for a client to use a resellers license to purchase equipment that is intended to be used by the client. Best, Christopher

Yes, understood. Is this how these cameras are commonly mounted? I'm surprised by the large number of auto zoom camera models that are available. 22x is a fairly large range and there is a trade-off to be made with aperture. I suppose if the cameras are intended for daytime use, it's easier to just toss in an auto zoom to cover all possible focal lengths for easy setup. I can't imagine that a 22x zoom range on one spot is really needed. Am I missing something? Best, Christopher

In which enclosures are these zoom box cameras typically mounted? Is it common to mount these zoom cameras without pan/tilt, or are they commonly put on a pan/tilt mount? So many cameras offer zoom, but I have not seen that many options for pan/tilt. Do any manufacturers make an empty pan/tilt dome enclosures for these 1/4" zoom box cameras? Or, are these zoom cameras commonly pointed in one direction with no ability to pan/tilt? Best, Christopher

Yes, and it's unfortunate these cameras use low-volume relatively exotic technologies that are unlikely to come down in price any time soon. Best, Christopher

Yes, the EMCCD provides exceptional low light performance, but the thermal cameras can see you it total darkness. Best, Christopher

If money is not an issue, the multi-thousand dollar thermal-based cameras will beat the sub-thousand dollar CMOS/CCD video cameras. The newly released Samsung STC-14 looks sweet. MSRP is probably in the range of $15,000. Best, Christopher

Were any model numbers posted with the video? I did not see any. Best, Christopher

The Samsung SHC-745 with 1/2" Exview has received industry awards for low light performance. Best, Christopher

What are the model numbers? Best, Christopher

Yes, Axis can ftp at the same time the NVR is recording. Be sure all other all requirements will be met (e.g. low light performance, etc). Best, Christopher

Axis, Mobotix, and Panasonic. Axis is probably best with NAS. Mobotix is reportedly good, but I don't have personal experience. Panasonic is OK with NAS, but lacks some Axis features. For example, Axis can create new date/time folders via ftp, and can ftp event preview; Panasonic can not. Regarding 24/7 power, it's seldom mentioned, but is becoming very expensive. It's more than $3 per watt per year in our neighborhood, which means that a 200 watt DVR can cost $700 per year for electricity. And that's not including the cameras. Best, Christopher

Me too. I leave all the ties loose until everything is working fine, but even after cinching tight, the ties can be easily cut and replaced. Best, Christopher

If you are selecting a vendor based on price and data sheet, make sure the vendors can actually deliver what they claim on the data sheet. It costs very little in ink for a marketing department to say this or that in a data sheet. Best, Christopher

Most video motion alarms include settings for object size and sensitivity. Best, Christopher

Avermedia has released a free iPhone app. Visit the App store for more details. Best, Christopher

Here are a few more words on the subject As shown in the photo, lightning will strike the lightning rod and travel straight to ground, or just flirt with the tower and hit something nearby. The important thing is to make sure you hear a loud bang; that's nature telling you that you are OK. On a more serious note, you need to arrest the potential surge in the cables from the camera in the event the camera is hit. I don't think this is a DIY project, but if you insist, then Google is your friend. Of course, a lot depends on where you live. I grew up in Florida, where it is wise to have a healthy respect for lightning. We lost several trees near our home in separate storms over the years, and my brother's house was recently hit and the lightning blew a $5,000 hole in the roof. I now live in northern California, where thunderstorms are rare. Best, Christopher

Concern for the camera? What about concern for people? You need a qualified professional to do the installation. If lightning hits a camera, it will fry, so steps must be taken to reduce the odds of the camera getting hit, but the real concern is making sure the energy is routed to ground and not to other equipment and people who may be using that equipment. Best, Christopher

Are there any noticeable losses in video quality when using baluns and Cat5e vs coax? (assume less than 200' and high quality baluns). Best, Christopher No. Which baluns do you prefer (assume typical house runs; less than 200')? Also, is quality Cat5e UTP OK, or is shielded required for the video? Best, Christopher

Not saying it isn't so, but where did you read this? Regarding the new Panasonic WV-NW502S, it does have good WDR and good low-light, but not both at the same time. The WDR is used for difficult lighting situations, such as a indoor camera location that must deal with some outdoor light (e.g. window or door) in part of the frame. However, if you want the best low-light night images, then WDR should be disabled, since it costs about one stop in light to perform WDR. So, yes, there are cameras that offer both, but it's probably one or the other, not both at the same time, for optimal results. Best, Christopher

Are there any noticeable losses in video quality when using baluns and Cat5e vs coax? (assume less than 200' and high quality baluns). Best, Christopher

My office is a few minutes from Avermedia, so Friday I arranged for a hands-on demonstration of the 5216 series. They were using a 1.5 Seagate, and recommended that drive. FWIW, they said the 2TB should also work fine, but have not done extensive testing. That said, you should be aware there is a relatively high failure rate of these new larger drives. I use them in ReadyNAS RAID storage. I've had several fail, and there are many reports of failures on the ReadyNAS forums. So, just because the drive is recommended for a box does not mean the drive is not the problem. Just something to keep in mind. Best, Christopher

When contacting a manufacturer, be sure and tell them you are a consumer and need a list of retailers. Often, they will give you a list of distributors, and if you contact distributors they will often give you a list of installers, which is the right answer for the majority of consumers, but may not be what you want. Keep in mind, if you see a price on Northern or some other distributor, don't expect to get that retail. Also, if you purchase equipment from a non-authorized dealer, be certain you understand what that means and are willing to accept the potential missing features like warranty and technical support. Best, Christopher

Just a guess, but the alarm is probably triggered by pulling it to ground, or possibly positive. Assuming it is triggered by pulling it to ground, the NO contact on the PIR would be connected to the DVR alarm and Common on the PIR would be connected to ground. Best, Christopher