IctusBrucks

Hello, I'm looking to set up 4-6 cameras outside my home to keep an eye on the property as I have some valuable equipment located outside. At first I wanted to go analogue since it seems a bit easier to setup, but I also want to have access through my iPhone, and it seems IP cameras are the way to go for data streaming options. So I want to set up a POE IP camera network, but I do not know all of the pieces of the puzzle. This whole IP camera thing is new to me, so please have patience Is it possible to have a complete system with just: Cameras -> POE Switch -> Router -> The rest software run off my PC? Or is there a better way of doing it? Not sure how I feel about using my PC as the main recording device; will it affect performance as it's writing to the HDD constantly? Would it be easier/better to use a separate hardware-box NVR to handle the recording stuff? And if so, can you please give me a clue how an NVR hooks up to IP cameras??? Does it just plug into the router next to the POE switch and just works?? I do not yet know what Cameras I want, since I don't really know how they work. Do the cameras usually come with PC software? Is the PC software purchased separately? I'd appreciate anybody pointing my in the right direction here, since I don't really know what role an NVR plays in an IP system vs just using the PC. Please clue me in if I am talking nonsense or missing something huge thanks for reading -ryan

Mmm didnt think about that. I thought the nuuo didnt need to support the iphone, i thought you can access ip cameras directly using certain iphone apps like total control ?? Does the nuuo interfere with this, or you mean doesnt provide its own iphone interface? Also, could you suggest some decent nvr software? I remember hearing one that was "blue"something or other? Sent from iphone

Thanks, It seems to get good NAS support I have to jump up several price levels in the cameras. Since I will probably be getting 6 cameras, it seems like a better choice in my case to go with an NVR to handle the recording and then get a bit cheaper cameras. What makes a device like the NUUO NVRmini better than just getting a small, cheap Intel ATOM computer??? The NUUO specs don't tell me about power consumption but I bet I could find an ATOM computer that doesn't use much juice.

Thanks, The M12 looks excellent but is a bit out of my price target for this. The Q24 looks interesting, but isn't it only indoor? I'm only interested in outdoor cameras at the moment. Anybody have knowledge of Vivotek cameras? Their IP7330 looks to have mostly what I need at a good price, but I do not know if it supports saving to NAS. The axis models seem nice, but their lowest model starts at a higher price than the Vivotek's.... of course I'm not saying its not a fair price, just that I'm hoping not to spend $2000 on cameras.

Axis, Mobotix, and Panasonic. Axis is probably best with NAS. Mobotix is reportedly good, but I don't have personal experience. Panasonic is OK with NAS, but lacks some Axis features. For example, Axis can create new date/time folders via ftp, and can ftp event preview; Panasonic can not. Thanks for the suggestions, I will start looking into different Axis models. Can you confirm that even if I am running the software on my PC as the NVR, and using a separate NAS, the camera would send the data to the NAS without bogging down the PC in the process? Indeed... my powerbill already gets up over $400/mo in the summer and $250/mo in the winter.... I blame the reef aquarium and the cost to maintain the water temperature Unfortunately much of the equipment is located outdoors so I'd like to point a camera at it incase anybody gets a bright idea.

Thanks for the great reply. Quick clarification: I'm aware that many DVRs have this, but I am warry of spending the money and then not liking a particular implementation (seems to be no user feedback on any of the iphone supported dvrs). For example I almost bought a Platinum-CCTV DVR since they advertise iPhone support.... then I saw an actual demo of this "iphone suppport" and it was basically a website that just auto-refreshes a static image every 1 or 2 seconds.... crappy having to see the whole page refresh and redraw every second, I wouldn't even call it usable. So I'd rather not gamble on a potentially bad implementation and instead go with something more open. I also like the idea of running a second PC for the NVR part, but I have been trying to cut down on my electric bill and don't love the idea of running another PC 24/7. So the NAS box is attractive since I assume they don't use as much power as another PC (same for the 'black box' nvrs?) Could you possibly suggest a good brand of camera that works with NAS boxes???