lindsayspop

What brand/model is the dvr?

I see your router is a Linksys. What model is it? You might try using the troubleshooting resources at the Linksys website. My router has to be powered off occasionally because of problems with my TIVO service losing a connection but it always saves the port forwarding settings for my HVR.

Why are you turning off the modem and router? I keep mine on 24/7. Are you in North Korea?

I did try lowering the bandwith which didn't help. I think they refer to it as the bandwidth throttle. Maybe I can try to increase it in my case just to see if it works. The DX8100 has a log of connections and disconnections which shows when the unit was connected to and when it wasn't. It recorded my connects and disconnects, the ports all show they're open and I ran telnet to the viewing port (9002) which displayed some wonky code which according to the app developer confirms that the dvr is communicating with the host. Still, I can't get the app to show the cameras. I've re-entered the setup data number of times to no avail. What cranks me the most is that I had a cheapo Zmodo dvr with a free app that ran without problems and now with this expensive app ($200 for a lifetime subscription) and a enterprise quality HVR I can't see anything over the internet or 3G.

Thanks for checking in guys. I thought I had it fixed by having our IT guy from work remotely log in and review all my PC and router settings. After he tweaked a couple of things I went out of town for a few days, planning to re-connect with the app developer that makes the only app for this unit. I checked in with them when I returned and they must have reset something because I was able to view two of the cameras after that. I re-entered all the settings on the app and the web client in hope of seeing all 6 cameras. Now I can't see any of them and I'm unable to get a response from them. I've got the DX8108 for sale on eBay for $995 and am going back to a simple DVR like Techline or Dahua. I'm pretty sure it's the app. Reviews on it haven't been good but it's the only thing that will allow remote log in. Pelco doesn't support it and offers no help.

I have a used Pelco DX8100 series HVR that I bought for use at home knowing it was way more machine than I needed but thinking the durability and design would make it a worthwhile investment. After getting it operational thanks to the help of Pelco's tech department I installed the iPhone app and webviewer client software from Mobideos that is the only developer that Pelco says provides the interface needed for remote viewing. After some fits and starts we got it connected and working fine but the connection seems to drop out occasionally, causing the ability to view remotely to be lost. I checked the Auto Reboot setting on the HVR and deactivated it, reset the HVR and rebooted the embedded Windows XP computer that drives the system. That helped for a while but lately I've been unable to log on via the internet, either through the iPhone app or the webviewer. I talked to my IP and they checked network strength, packet traffic, etc and said they couldn't find anything that would cause the problem. The IP address hasn't changed to cause a connection loss. The app developer tried to log in using my password info and couldn't connect from their servers directly. Pelco didn't identify any other features that might cause the problem and suggested I download Wireshark to test the system. Haven't waded into that yet because it looks pretty involved. Do any of you pros who use this device have any suggestions (other than sell it since I'm in over my head) that might cause this issue. Thanks, Phil

I have a used Pelco DX8100 series HVR that I bought for use at home knowing it was way more machine than I needed but thinking the durability and design would make it a worthwhile investment. After getting it operational thanks to the help of Pelco's tech department I installed the iPhone app and webviewer client software from Mobideos that is the only developer that Pelco says provides the interface needed for remote viewing. After some fits and starts we got it connected and working fine but the connection seems to drop out occasionally, causing the ability to view remotely to be lost. I checked the Auto Reboot setting on the HVR and deactivated it, reset the HVR and rebooted the embedded Windows XP computer that drives the system. That helped for a while but lately I've been unable to log on via the internet, either through the iPhone app or the webviewer. I talked to my IP and they checked network strength, packet traffic, etc and said they couldn't find anything that would cause the problem. The IP address hasn't changed to cause a connection loss. The app developer tried to log in using my password info and couldn't connect from their servers directly. Pelco didn't identify any other features that might cause the problem and suggested I download Wireshark to test the system. Haven't waded into that yet because it looks pretty involved. Do any of you pros who use this device have any suggestions (other than sell it since I'm in over my head) that might cause this issue. Thanks, Phil

I have hooked up my used Pelco HVR DX8108 and while I can operate the cameras and record just fine, I can't seem to make the connection to the LAN and subsequently to the Internet. I spoke with the IT guys at Pelco and they asked me to ping the unit but the command timed out. This unit has an embedded Windows XP computer in it and I wondered if the previous owner had in some way disabled the ability to connect for security reasons. Anyone have any advice about what to look for and what to try? I am going to pick up a cross over cable so I can check the connection between the unit and my pc directlly on the possibility that the connection between the unit, the router and the pc is inoperative. Thanks.

I have a chance to buy the above unit -- used but tested -- for not a lot of money. I know it's overkill for a home application but I like the idea of eventually converting my analog cameras to IP. I only need 8 cameras so the capacity is right. Am I nuts? Is there anything I should know about this unit before moving ahead?

You don't say how you're going to use the cameras or what they are needed for. Are you trying to cover a doorway or entrance? Do you need to have a sharp image in all light conditions? I am a relative amateur but I found out the quality of the camera makes a big difference in your ability to use the image for identification purposes. You should be able to get a good image on your PC hard drive with commonly available software but don't skimp on the cameras.

Glad you got it figured out. I got some help from the Zmodo tech support folks although depending on who answers the call, the quality of the help will vary considerably. An earlier post said any hard drive will do but in one of the several exchanges I had with them, I was told to use an AV grade hard drive -- one made specifically for use with DVR's. Their point was that with the constant overwriting on the drive in surveillance systems the drive will fail prematurely if it isn't rated for that use. The reason I know that is I that I bought a standard HD after upgrading from a smaller one. After a short time I couldn't get it to reboot and had other problems. Once I bought the AV drive, things have been fine. I don't think I paid any more than for a standard drive so it might be worth using one if you plan to change out the drive at some point.

I had a DVR that came with the DX Client Viewer you refer to. I don't recall the brand name but it was a low end 9 channel unit. Found that I couldn't use it to view via mobile phone thanks to the software so eventually replaced it. As I recall, the DX Client Viewer runs Active X which can sometimes has to be enabled through the browser on the remote computer. Check your settings under Internet Options in Internet Explorer to make sure you enable it. Also, I seem to recall that software won't run on anything but IE.

It might be worth it to sign up for the dyndns.com service even though they now charge. At one time it was free but they decided to start charging one day and I only found out when I couldn't use the service anymore and lost my connection. My Linksys router doesn't support anything else as I came to find out -- even contacted Linksys to confirm. It might be easy to change your IP address once you get a message alert but what happens to your coverage if you can't get to it instantaneously? It's $20/per year and even though it pains me to pay it I haven't had a problem since I signed back up with

You've got about $1200 worth of equipment there so almost $3K of installation costs. I would think you could get by for much less.

You didn't format the hard drive when you installed it?