Securame

If you had the system for a few years, maybe it is time to update the software. What program are you running on the DVR? Hikvision software is free to use with their DVR cards. http://www.hikvision.com/en/download.asp

Buying from China is not just googling "china cctv" and buying from the first web page you can find. It takes time, it takes patience, and you need to find suppliers you can trust. You will buy junk sometimes that will end up in the garbage. You will get products that might be ok one time, but not the next time. You will make mistakes and (hopefully) learn from them. You will have to invest not just time, but money. If you want to do it from home, go ahead ant try longse, cantonk, or from any one of those that fill up our spam boxes daily. If you want to it right, you can go to CPSE 2013 to be held in Shenzhen Oct/29 to Nov/1, you will meet and get to know more suppliers that you could ever need. http://www.cpse.com.cn/index.php?lang=en

DS-2CD2032-I already has built in IRs. Why not try the cameras first, and then think if you do need extra IRs?

I like to use TP-Link's nano router to do this, since they are powered with 5V, so I can just power them from a USB port on the DVR. http://www.tp-link.com/lk/products/details/?model=TL-WR702N

If your OSD menus are like the ones on the link you supplied, tweak the following settings on your camera: DAY/NIGHT Menu This sub-menu governs how the camera handles color and how it changes between day and night mode and back. Four options are available, EXT and COLOR (no sub-menus), and B/W and AUTO modes, explained below. B/W Mode Sets black-and-white mode. The D&N B/W sub-menu appears, shown above. BURST: Alters the color burst information passed to the video monitor. Since this is B/W mode, it doesn't effect color but can effect gain. If your monitor is showing a poor image and you are using long runs of cable, changing this setting from OFF to ON may improve the situation.

It sure does, I didn't recognise the first picture as a Hikvision camera, it is one of the following: http://www.hikvision.com/en/products_show.asp?id=8723 http://www.hikvision.com/en/products_show.asp?id=8724 I see nothing on the manual about the audio/alarm interface. Maybe you are supposed to get (buy) some external cable that will supply the needed conectors for mic in, audio out, alarm inputs and outputs, ...? I find it quite strange that the cable does not come included with the camera. I would need to ask my Hik supplier to know, I have never installed that model. You can surely cut the cable and do the connections yourself, but that is something I would not do myself and would not recommend, you would lose your warranty.

Can't help there, sorry. Never converted HDMI to analog... that would actually make me want to cry

Sure, give me a sec and I will tell you your password. Wait, no I want. I am not a wizard, so if you do not even let us know what DVR you have, there is no way anyone can help you...

I have a copy of Windows 7 on the computer I am using right now. And then I have another one on my laptop, and another one on my office computer. Why did I have to pay for the three of them? They are the same "bytes", and actually, when I am using one computer I am not using the others. And hey, software is software! It's called licenses, you are not just buying hardware, but also software.

If that monitor has HDMI input, check out something like "rikomagic mk802IIIs". Mini android device that connects on the HDMI input, that way you can run IVMS-4500 on it. I am assuming your NVR is networked, and that you have a wifi that the device can connect to. Otherwise, you could just try a HDMI to analog converter, and use the existing video cable.

Peter_, Check out TeamViewer, it is awesome to help customers remotely, and there is nothing to set up (just ask the customer to download the program, run it, and supply you with their ID and password).

A picture showing what is beneath the camera, and any other cables that come out from the camera, would help. Also, what are the labels on all of those wires?

With Hikvision and Dahua you can do that with no problems, every user can have different permissions. If he has a cheap no brand DVR, you will probably not have the option dto do it, but you should check any options available under user accounts.

Well, from your first post I expected you to have a view into Obama's office. Or at least some, a nice view to any of the famous places on DC. From the youtube video, I also can't imagine why anyone would want to pay to have a peek fromyour balcony.

I trust more a network led on my switch, than any activity led on the DVR. So, if I know for certain that a network cable is working fine, and when I connect the DVR to my network the led on my switch does not show any link/activity, after trying different network cables and trying on different network ports, I would assume that the network port on the DVR isn't working. Also; forget about DHCP, just set up the DVR with an IP, subnet, and gateway that works with your network.

Looks like a power issue to me if it is working fine during the day.

Ahhh, yes, that is the thread I had read, I thought it was for Hikvision NVRs. Hopefully something like that can be done with Hikvision, please let us know if you have any luck.

If you are happy with the NVR, I would take the option 1. I have used many Hik IP cameras and NVRs, but I have not used any of their NVRs with included POE ports. That said, I think there is a post somewhere on the forum that explains a way to make the cameras directly accessible from the network. I think you have to telnet on your NVR and change some routing options, but once it is done, it is done forever. If you can not find it yourself, hopefully someone will have the link to the thread.

I have never missed the event stream. You would use it when recording 24/7 at a lower quality, and then you want to record at a higher quality when there is any event (motion detection or alarm).

Change the web port on your DVR to something different than 80, I recommend 90. Forward port 90 TCP/UDP on the nanobridge to 192.168.1.100 Forward port 90 TCP/UDP on the WR741 to 192.168.0.200 Repeat for any other ports that your DVR needs.

You haven't used many IP cameras, have you? IP cameras have no "OSD" menus, since all the configuration is done via the camera's web interface.

Those are analog cameras; so they will be useless to you unles you buiy a DVR+hard drive. Without a DVR you will not be able to see them over internet, you would only be able to see them on site connecting them to a TV/monitor. PTZ IP with decent quality for $300, I think that is not going to happen. You could get something like the following on that price range: http://www.apexis.com.cn/en/productsdetails_183.html But that one is only 640x480 and has 3x zoom. You will be able to see during the day if your workers are working or just being lazy, but do not expect a lot more from it.

I think MDVRs are only good when you will be using the higher grade that integrate extras like GPS, G-sensor, and 3G. This way it is easy to set up for remote viewing, for knowing all the time were the vehicles are, G-sensor so it logs the speed or any incidents, etc. If you only need video recording with no extras, I think it is just easier and way cheaper to install a normal DVR using a SSD hard drive. If only one camera is needed (like maybe in a taxi) there are even small 1ch DVRs that will just record to a SD card.

There is no solution to your problem. On an outdoor camera, you WILL get false positives. Branches, wind, leaves, trees, animals, rain, whatever. Even the shadow of the trees on the ground, which moves all day long as the earth rotates, so you can not mask it out. The only solution is to install PIR motion detectors. With video movement detection, which is what you are using now, you can only tweak the detection zones and sensitivity to get the best results. You have already done that, and are not geting the results you need, so you need PIRs.