Jerrard Holland

The first step on troubleshooting DDNS is to learn your current outside IP address. There are lots of utilities on the internet that will show you your outside IP. Next ping your ddns address XXX.dyndns.xx and the ping command will show the ip address that the ddns address has resolved to. Compare the two. If the addresses are not the same, you need to straighten out your ddns account. If they match, you have port forwarding issues in your router. If a static IP worked, then you likely have ddns issues. Free advice, and worth every penny you paid.

My background is in networking. I started my CCTV life last year installing Arecont IP cameras with Mirasys software. From there I tumbled down the slippery slope to ... cheap box cameras and black pizza boxes. But I swear I am on my way to recovery. I am not trying to advertise myself, but I do want to mention that most of my current contracts are for adding or correcting remote access to installations. I am self contracted, and ply my trade in the San Francisco Bay Area. License plate cameras loom in my future. I want to learn more about LP software. Jerry

For my next DVR project I am taking on an existing installation that has issues (no remote access, a few dead cameras, and some crummy cams). I have a pretty clear idea of what I need to do, but thought I'd check in with the pros to see if anyone here has any experience with Silicor DVR boards.

I think I already know the answer to this, but here goes... I recently lost a 19 camera installation that I had put a lot of work into. City planning department meetings, site visits, et al. My employer then pulled a number out of the hat for the installation price, a number that struck me as quite fair, if not even too low. $7,200 of labor to install the DVR, 7 cameras into a hard pan interior ceiling, and 12 installed on the outside of a 80x150' building, 6" thick. Add to that the set up of the boxes, user training, and training for the offsite viewing users and this starts looking kind of low to me. Now, I lost that bid to a guy who never looked at the site, and bid a labor price so low that there was no rebuttal, $1,000. But my question is, does anyone use any formulas to determine the price of a conduit intensive installation?