tegatdavis

I need to power 6 cameras each drawing 500 mA. In lieu of getting a central power supply, I'm considering using individual 24VAC transformers. I have one 24VAC plug-in transformer that's rated at 50VA. It says it can power multiple cameras but I'm not sure how to go about it or if it is even a good idea. You know just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should. So is this a good idea? If so how would I wire it? Can I run all the camera power cables directly to the terminal on the transformer or will I have to do it another way? The transformer I'm using is the Vitek VT-24VAC/50. Here are the specs: # Lock on power outlet screw # 24VAC Plug-in Transformer 50VA # Terminal strip connection # Capable of powering 3 to 4 24VAC cameras # LED Power indicator # UL Approved Btw I'm a homeowner and this would be for my residence.

I'm hoping you guys can help me out on this one. Let's take a sample DVR card with the following specs: channels: 8 recording: 240 FPS resolution: NTSC: 352x240, 640x480, 720x480 Is it safe to assume that the 240 FPS total (30 FPS each cam) is only possible when recording at 352x240? Now if I had 8 cameras and chose to record at 720x480 (4x 352x240) I assume then that that would give me 60 FPS total (240 / 4) for 7.5 FPS each cam? Now I'm not so sure about what happens when there is less than 8 cameras. If I were to only hook up 6 cameras and still recording at 720x480 would each cam get 10 FPS (60 FPS total / 6 cams) or will each cam be limited to 7.5 FPS? Also, can you specify different resolutions for different inputs? BTW I'm trying to decide between the Geovision 1240 and the Avermedia NV6240EXP. Both have similar specs. The Avermedia is a bit cheaper but from what I've read on here it seems like Geovision's software is much easier to work with but both are good cards

So I contacted Geovision live chat on their website and I got someone who wasn't very knowledgeable about the product at all. The person kept giving me generic answers to specific questions. On the other hand, Avermedia's live chat person was very knowledgeable. I know this is only one person but I've seen other people complain about Geo's customer support. Kinda makes you wonder if the problem is more systemic.

squelch, That module looks exactly like the central power supplies from Altronix without the enclosure and whatever else they put in there. I'm curious though, once you have the module, what else would you need in there to make it work and how would you put it together? I've never done this sort of stuff before. Soundy, These are Nuvico day/night domes without the IR (CV-SD21N). Since the cameras draw .5A, would it make sense to get a fast-blow fuse rated at 1A or is that too low? I notice the fuses on the central power supplies are rated at 2.5 or 3.5 amps but those have to be large enough to cover most applications. Since this is customized for my setup, I figured I could go lower. As for surge protection, are the power strips with built-in surge protection any good or should I get individual surge suppressors?

Let me start off by commending everyone on this forum for educating all of us newbies. For weeks it's like I've been out in the wilderness trying to make heads or tails out of security camera claims by manufacturer's and internet retailer's. I've seen much discussion on this forum about low light but I still have a question regarding my particular situation which I need some help with. I'm looking to install 6 - 8 outdoor cameras around my home. I'm thinking a couple domes (for under a soffit) and bullets for the walls. I'm looking for reasonably priced cameras (~$150 for bullets and a little more for the domes) which can see well in low light. I currently have 2x100W flood lights on 3 sides of the house and a light fixture with 3x60W lights in the front so IR is not required (actually I would prefer not to have IR LEDs). The distance from each camera to my property line is about 50 - 60 feet and that is where I would like to see. Just to give a description in layman's terms of the quality I'm looking for, when my outdoor lights are on, the cameras should be able to see clearly what I would be able to see with my naked eye (or possibly better). I've looked at some day/night cams like the Nuvico CB-HD2N-L and CB-D3N-L but I'm not quite sure how well they will do in this situation (the specs on these are pretty similar except that the HD2N has 480TVL and the D3N has 380). I'm willing to consider a black and white camera but there doesn't seem to be much of those for sale. I mostly want to identify people I know. I would prefer to use a manufacture who has a reputation of standing behind their warranty. Hopefully you guys have some suggestions for me on good cameras for this application preferably based on experience rather that published specs.

Thanks for the response Scott. However, I thought it was pretty common for cameras to be mounted within the cone of light provided by a light source with the light source somewhat behind the camera to avoid glare. What you are saying is I should consider mounting the camera outside the cone of light so maybe several feet to the side of the light. I have to say that does sound like it would work as you suggest. I plan on ordering a single camera to test it out under real-world conditions and I will take your suggestion into consideration. I'll make my final mounting location decision based on the results. I'll post my results here so others can benefit from the info. By the way I decided to up my budget to ~$250 per cam. I realized that the first cameras I was looking at (Nuvico CB-HD2N-L and CB-D3N-L) didn't have an IR Cut filter so I think the daytime images would've been washed out based on what I've read on this forum. I'm currently looking at the CB-SD21N-L (bullet w/IR) and the CV-SD21N (dome w/out IR). I am however considering going with all domes and utilizing a wall mount to mount them to the walls. I like the domes because you can't quite tell which direction the camera is pointing in which helps in my situation since I'm not going to have full coverage all the way around my property. The CB-SD21N-L replaced the CB-SD3895 which had good reviews so I'm assuming it should be good also. The CV-SD21N appears to be the dome sister cam of the CB-SD21N-L except that it lacks IR so I'm thinking it should be just as good.

I need some help making sense of power supply specs. I plan on hooking up 6 cameras to a central power supply. Each camera uses 12VDC/24VAC and draws 1 amp with the LEDs on which makes for a total of 6 amps. I would also like to have more power for possibly more cameras later on. The camera manufacturer requires the use of a regulated power supply. After searching around the internet and on this forum, I still need clarification on these: 1. What is the difference between continuous and regulated power? Is it that continuous can have huge spikes in voltage over short periods whereas regulated limits the size of any variation from the specified output? 2. When a power supply says for example: "Output fuses are rated @ 3.5 amp", does that mean that the draw on each fuse can be as high as 3.5 amps provided the total draw over all the fuses do not surpass the maximum output of the power supply? Or is the total amps on each output basically the total output of the power supply divided by the number of outputs and the 3.5 amps is talking about something else? 3. Do words like this mean that the power supply is truly regulated for CCTV camera purposes: "Filtered and electronically regulated outputs". I would assume so but too often manufacturers play with the words to mislead customers. 4. Does this mean that if too much load is put on the power supply it will trip: "Short circuit and thermal overload protection." 5. Any thoughts on using 12VDC vs. 24VAC such as when one would be more appropriate than the other? I've read that 12VDC power supplies will generally result in "cleaner" (not sure what that means in this context) power delivered to the cameras. By the way, the quotes from above are taken from the specs for Altronix's ALTV615DC1016 model. I think I know enough to stay away from PTC outputs. For some reason it's hard to find a supply with 8 fused outputs which is rated at 8 amps total or higher and also regulated. I guess I'll just have to go with 16 fused outputs.

Thanks survtech for clearing that up; it was very helpful. Can you elaborate a little bit on why a regulated 24VAC power supply can't be found? I guess the regulation is not needed but if so how does it keep the voltage from varying too much? The cameras I was looking at (Nuvico CB-SD3895) don't say whether or not it has regulation on the camera end but maybe that's standard for 24VAC cameras? The primary reason why I wanted to stick with a regulated power supply is so I don't void my camera warranty if something was to go awry from the power supply side (however small the odds are). My cable runs are all shorter than 50 feet so I don't think I have to worry about distance too much but it does sound like the 24VAC power supplies offer more flexibility. Just concerned about the regulated part so if you can elaborate on that that would be great.

So last night I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to test my theory with my entry-level Canon ZR900 camcorder out back with the flood lights on. My theory so far (which I'm trying to confirm) has been that since the area is reasonably well lit to the extent that I can see clearly with the naked eye, I wouldn't need an all powerful low light camera with nightvision and IR LEDs. Well the picture on my camcorder was HORRIBLE (basically pitch black, except for a little green from the foliage, and just grainy) to say the least. I didn't expect it to shine but I didn't expect it to be that bad either. Now I know my budget camcorder is no security cam and wasn't built to be used in low light conditions but the results do give me pause. What I'm now wondering is even though the area seems well lit to me, are the budget low light camcorders (like the Nuvico CB-HD2N-L and CB-D3N-L) gonna have problems giving a usable image. I've seen the CB-SD3895N-L and the CB-SD21N-L get good ratings for their performance in low light but I don't want to step up to that price point if it is not necessary for my application. If no suggestions I think I'll just buy one each of the HD2N and the SD3895 and test them out before buying the whole lot. Hopefully I can find a site with good return policy. I'm not necessarily stuck on the Nuvicos but they just seem to be the best value out there price/performance/reliability/warranty wise based on what I've found. I'm willing to be re-educated though