buellwinkle

It has features that many expensive cameras do not, like write and playback to NAS. Each brand has it's sets of features irregardless of price. Contact Swann and see if they can add this feature to their roadmap.

We have a bunch of Mobotix writing to cheap NAS devices for years, no problems, it manages files if it get full as we have them setup to write unlimited per camera. 1.5GB per camera is a joke right? We use that per camera in about 2 hours. We run 3-4 camera per NAS, when we push beyond that we get error in the log saying it's losing recordings.

The IR cut filter is stuck. Some people have used a magnet to shake it lose. What I've done in the past is shake the camera while switching from day to night mode on the web interface.

Sounded like a good story, so much so that I actually went and checked my most recent Dahua wholesale price lists, and just looked at the big bullet as an example, and wholesale, the 1080P version is $30 more expensive than the 1.3MP version but I do like the story. But I can tell you in general, the newer 1.3MP Aptina sensor does have better low light sensitivity than their 2 & 3MP Sony Exmor sensor cams. Look at my reviews on the Q-See 720P indoor dome vs. the 1080P outdoor dome, you'll see the 720P is mo better.

I think the secret code word is "please", LOL. Just ask them, sales@wrightwoodsurveilance.com.

XProtect is pretty efficient, especially if you use name brand cameras it recognizes lies Axis, ACTi and such. I have it running with 6 cameras, 3 ONVIF and 3 ACTi, mix of 3MP, 2MP and 1MP on a very similar speed processor, the 1st gen i3-540 and I'm seeing 7-10% CPU as a server doing motion detection and recording. When you hit from a smartphone app or remote client, it can jump up to 80-90% but it didn't impact recordings or it's use. For about the same money, I would look for a PC with current gen i5. That would have a benchmark rating 3x what you are looking at.

The new domes from wrightwood with the 2.8mm lens are a winner, no IR light bleed, woohoo. Build date is 8/2013 (says on box, didn't see it on the camera). The IR does tend to be brighter in the center than the edges, but that happens on other brands that have 2.8mm lenses. I'll try and do the review this weekend but currently in the middle of the D72 and D32 reviews.

Get the Hikvision version, 3MP at WrightwoodSurveillance.com for $170 shipped and they have the bullets and domes, both work well. That's about the least expensive out there now.

I think the new dome and the bullet have about the same clarity day or night, maybe you have the old dome. The IR LED's does make the image brighter in the center than the edges, but it does light the entire viewing angle, but then again, changing the bullet to a 2.8mm lens may be a lot worse, you make get vignetting, the hood will likely get in the way and you may get poor lighting around the edges. So stick to the dome if you want the wide angle, or get the newer version of the dome if you are having issues with it, look for a build date of July or newer. Hopefully I can finish a review on the dome soon, just got the new one today and mounting is a PITA because I have to wedge Styrofoam on one side to make the camera level on my pitched eave.

That's usually the case, someone here has figured it out before support did.

PM'ed you, see for yourself. IDK, it's only 2:30PM.

This has been discussed in another thread and apparently the manual setup on Lorex does not work, even to setup Lorex cameras. One approach may be to get to common ground, which may be over your head and you'll void all your warranties, but if you update the firmware on the camera and the NVR to Hikvision firmware and you don't brick either, you should be able to use both together. So there's risk and possible reward. Just my 2 cents. But in defense of Swann and Lorex, they do advertise that their cameras are only supported with their NVRs and they probably only train their support folks on that setup, anything that strays from the norm means you are on your own. It's not like they make the cameras or have deep knowledge of the product that only the manufacturer would have. If it was me, or WWBD, I would return or sell the NVR, buy a PC and run NVR software on it that supports many brands of cameras with decent support like BlueIris, Milestone XProtect or others. Sort of future proof as you may find other cameras you like to add, why be restricted to Swann or Lorex.

You can justify the fees, but my big issue is they are optimized for bandwidth, so the image quality is compromised due to higher compression but even so, having multiple camera using your upload bandwidth has to cost. For example, I have a 1.5MP upload from u-verse, how many cameras will that support before I start losing frames, events and such. So if I had say 3-4 cameras, would I need to increase my service to a higher level, and what does that to the cost? Probably more than what Dropcam is charging, or as the OP posted, $100 for the first cam, $50 for subsequent cams, so about $21/mo for 4 cameras, but I may have to up my internet service by $20/mo to support it without impacting my normal internet workload. Then you have the issue of very limited camera choices, just one, indoor only, day only. What if you want a driveway cam, a front door cam. I've seen other cloud solutions at ISC West that were more robust and you can have a wide selection of cameras. Basically they record to a device in your home that's like an NVR but really more like a staging area for the cameras to record to until there's bandwidth available to push the video to the cloud. Seems more realistic in approach.

Yes, the Axis PTZ come with both a clear and smoked dome. Also, you can order the Axis black case and dome for pretty cheap for the M32 and P33 fixed domes. http://www.axis.com/products/cam_acc/covers/ I would imagine you probably lose a lot of low light sensitivity using a smoked dome, but if it's requirement, it is what it is.

Some brands have SSL over port 443 instead of port 80 so you can use HTTPS. For example, in ACTi, AVTech and Axis cameras, you can create an SSL certificate and access the camera via HTTPS, just never tried it. I would imagine the NVR's would do the same. Most have manuals accessible online so you can verify how you would do this before buying. Some have additional anti-hacking features, like AVTech uses Captcha and SSL by default. Dahua will lock you out of the camera for like 30 minutes if you enter the password wrong 3 times. As for shutting it all off while you are home, most have recording schedules so you can say don't record certain cameras during certain hours/days. Also, all the cameras would feed into one PoE switch, just turn the switch off and all cameras are off. I have indoor cameras, not in bedroom or bathroom areas where privacy would be expected, mostly near key entrances to capture an intruder entering the home.

Just try it out first. Here's what happens with the old design, at night, when the IR comes on, and it's pointed out at a distance, it will look like a dirty window. If you move the camera, the smudges remain as the picture moves. Sort of unique, not the typical IR light bleed with pearls in a circle that mimic the illuminator. The new version might have a very faint smudge in a tiny part, but nothing like the old one.

If Dropcam works for you, why look elsewhere. If you want cameras that email you pictures, most do that and do that without opening ports up. Also, not sure what you fear is. I'm pretty good at hacking, been doing it all my life. Imagine this, with Dropcam, the video is outside your control, Dropcam can be hacked, your account can be hacked and you don't even know who at Dropcam is looking at your video, heck, it may end up on YouTube or America's Funniest Videos. So the alternative is to port forward which means the outside world, including you has access to your camera or NVR only, nothing else. So how is access controlled, the same way it is on Dropcam, via a username and password. Why do you think that is less secure than Dropcam? You can record to an NVR, to a PC with NVR software or just have the cameras write to a NAS via FTP, CIFS or NFS. You can hide the device where it can't be found. Also, you are only port forwarding the device, not each camera.

I posted a picture showing the two different domes, but I was mistaken. The reason is the 12mm camera has a totally different foam gasket than the 2.8mm camera. So it looks similar as before, but they seal better for better isolation from LED's to lens. Not perfect, but way better than before and pretty good, but the 12mm is perfect but not a practical lens size for a 2-axis dome. Look for date on the box of July or newer. The ones that Wrightwood is shipping are stamped with an August date. I'll be getting the one from Wrightwood tomorrow and I can take pics side by side, 2.8mm old design to 2.8mm new design, even images side by side if anyone is interested.

You can get the Hikvision domes that use the 2.8mm lens. I'm getting one tomorrow, but I would imagine it's closer to 90 degrees than the 4mm on the bullet. Also, for about $599, you can get the new Dahua PTZ, 3x zoom, 1080P, may be good for this as you'll get a wide angle but put the camera on patrol to capture different areas in greater detail. The lens is 3-9mm, perfect for a driveway or backyard where their 20x giant PTZ is not necessary. I know you can put two wide angle cameras to get the coverage, but then you won't get the detail from zooming into the action. This is the Hikvision dome, 2.8mm in my driveway, you can see the coverage is pretty wide (reduced to 640x480 for display purposes) - This is the Swann bullet, 4mm, 1080P, so is diplaying a little more width than if I can put it 3MP mode.

They sell the WeMos in a two pack at the Costco stores, at least the one by me. Also, using a managed switch you may be able to troubleshoot remotely and power cycle the camera separately from the entire switch.

List of applications to do what? Each camera company typically has a player associated with it's file type. Just install the player app, use windows explorer, find the time period you want and double-click on the file to play. The directory layout, the file names vary by camera brands. I've never seen a program that manages this for you and with most cameras, you have to manage the files, most just stop recording when it's full, not like NVR software where you set how many days you want to keep recordings, how full you want the disk to get, etc.

1. Other than future capacity is Cat6 going to provide any benefit over Cat5e for the 60-80 feet from the cameras back to the NVR? or the 20 or so feet from the NVR to my home gigabit router? Cat6 is slighter thicker gauge wire, if you were going to run 10GigE, it would makes sense. Doesn't cost that much more, than Cat5e, so up to you but most cameras use 100Mbps, so GigE is the most you may come up against. 2. Which is better for that 60-80 foot run, stranded or solid core Cat cable? Stranded is use for patch cables, not for runs. 3. Will I need outdoor rated Cat cable for the Florida heat and humidity for a soffit installation and attic(130+deg?) run? Outdoors I use foil shielded burial grade, but may be overkill but mostly to deter vermin from chewing through it because it tastes bad because the waterproof gel and metal foil. 4. Will I need anything special other than an HDMI cable to output the Hikvision DS-7608NI-SE/8P NVR to a Sony tv for simple live viewing? Most NVR's have HDMI out. Most also use a mouse to control the screen but you can use a wireless mouse and plug the dongle in. 5. Once I set up my system I plan to run my cables and the NVR(noise, out of sight) to a closet and remotely administer all of its functions from a PC on my network. Has anyone had good luck managing your system that way? I do not want to see or fiddle physically with the NVR except for rare occasions. My NVR PC is in a cabinet, access the cameras from client software on a different PC.

I'll try and figure something out.

Or bad cable, so if you can switch cameras, that may help troubleshoot. Also, reset the camera to factory settings and setup it up again. I had one ACTi where that fixed the issue and never came back.

Sorry, another online reseller, one that can't be mentioned here complained loudly to my distributor about the dome prices were too low at Wrightwood. So competitiveness working against us, what can I say. Usually competition works for all of us.