dejota

RCA isn't a type of siamese cable. RCA refers to the type of connection. And siamese is the type of cable it is (meaning it has 2 function, generally data and power). That said, whatever is different in your new cables has made a good amount of difference! Congrats!

I'm really confused Tom. The link you provided said nothing about them not using the footage so long as the person providing it was, in effect, responsible in chioce of equpment and how they used it. Basic stuff anyone installing CCTV should consider (Picture quality, easy equipment to use, ability to export recorded data to appropraite mediums). I don't know the laws over there so I don't actually know what I'm talking about, but going just off the link you provided it seemed it was just common sense advice to me. Lastly, spending 100 pounds on a DVR would fall under things they didn't recomment. A 50 dollar DVR from China...well it's going to be a piece of crap and you'll have 0 support from the company for any potential issues (installing, recovering data, tech support). If you buy a Dell/Mac you know they'll be there to help you ever step of the way, if you go and buy a knock off $100 computer from Bob's Discount Electronics you just don't expect that. Take the same approach to DVRs and security equipment.

Stop the recording before you lose it. Next, the only example of th at DVR I could find seems to use: "Built-in USB2.0 port for video backup to computer. " Which to me sounds like it needs an external USB hard drive to burn to. Generally DVRs need to format the stick first and then will transfer the data. In case I'm completely mistaked b/c I'm not personally familair with that DVR what menu options does it have (either on the DVR menu itself or in the manual) for exporting data. Again, I may be completely off base, but directly plugging it into your computer shouldn't be the way you take that data off. It should be to a USB hard drive that you can then hook up to your computer and just drag and drop the file.

I'm only a month or two into the CCTV world so I'm here to learn and help if I can. Forgive me for wordy responses in advance, I can't help but type how I think -DJ

Personally, I don't think that where it's manufactured is as important as who manufacturer's it. If whoever your purchasing the equipment from doesn't make you call somebody else to address issues and backs up their manufacturer's warranties with their own policies you're in better shape than most places. I always reccomend doing a trial run with a "fake" issue with anybody's tech support just to see the hoopes you'd be required to jump through should something go wrong with your equipment. But as others have pointed out, the actual location your gear is manufactured isn't going to determine whether or not it's quality. And face it, this is electronics we're talking about. Everything has the potential for failure. Call me a cynic, but in this industry it's always best to prepare for the worst.

If there's not too much concern for the camera's being destroyed/stolen mid-incident I'm always a fan of eye level cams. You can get a much better picture with less distortion since you don't have to force the angle's so much. I'd see how close you can get with that door at a 90 degree angle from the area you want in the FOV. Or, again, on the panel next to the door so you can't leave without smiling directly into it is always a plus.

Would an eye level dome at the exit work? If it's a typical push/pull door they wouldn't be able to leave without give you a nice close up when they reach for the door. And as far as a camera outside, it'd probably work best if there was something hanging over the entrance jutting out a few feet to get the angle you'd want. A bullet camera would serve you well if you had something to attach it to overhead.

Instead of telling you how everything about your plan an situation is horrible, i'll tell you a bit about the market on CCTV. There's very little to no middle ground. If you want excellent quality you pay excellent quantatiy. You're best bet is to get her approval on the quality of the system BEFORE it's installed and payed for. Any reputable salesman or business will have some means for you to be able to preview the quality of the gear your looking at (and they should be able to stream it to a remote location for her preview). If the owner says it's good enough for her before you tell her a price then she has no right to complain after you make the deal and install the system. Secondly, the solution that always seems easiest to me when you need quality capable of identification is making sure there's only one entrance to your store and when they come in put a big over the top bullet cam right in their faces and say smile. It not only does it's job as a detterent immediately it provides a close enough shot that if something goes down in other areas of the store where you can't identify them by face you have a good shot of their clothes/hat/identifying features that you can reference to your close up they took on the way in. You can do this project within your budget. You're listenting to a bunch of seasoned CCTV vets who's first instinct is always to tell the customer about their over the top expectations (because frankly it's the case 99% of the time). But in this case, especially when you may have the ability to bottleneck any potential suspects and get a close up, it's certainly doable.

You're using your laptop to connect with what? You're desktop itself (ala something like gotomypc) or the network that you're CCTM system is on?

When you log on remotely are you referring to your desktop itself or to a remove viewer for the CCTV?

I know for the line I work with there's an application that's needed I'd check with the manufacturer to see if they offer that app yet.

Firstly, you DON'T need IP cameras. With a DVR you can avoid having to use IP cameras that are costly. You could find dome cameras for 30-50 bucks that'll suite your needs and a 4 or 8 channel DVR wouldn't run more than 500 bucks. That's half or more off the cost of just one IP camera. Secondly, consider upgrading to cable if your going to start using the connection for streaming video. It's generally not that much more a month than DSL and if you're investing hundreds of dollars already what's a few bucks a month to make sure you're getting the maximum capabilities from the system you're purchasing. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.