Birdman Adam

Many here have mentioned Dahua - it is supposed to be very good for the price. Based on experiences from members - I wouldn't necessarily recommend avtech - seems like people have a very hard time backing up video. How many channels do you need? What amount of recording time do you want? For 200 euros (~$280) - honestly you won't get too much. Maybe a 4-channel system with a 500GB HDD.

Yup - I've seen green used before. If you for-sure want to differentiate between power/video cables and other stuff, don't use blue or gray/white - that is probably the most common colors I've seen. (Especially in homes/small business).

Honestly, some type of "Sony" chip has been in every cheap camera I've owned. I don't take it to mean anything - seems that to be able to trust the picture a model can put out, you just have to test it yourself.

It doesn't seem to have as good low-light specs as the 24VF series, but it should perform quite well. I like the small design! Remember, though that this cameras has a fixed lens. In the description, it says an optional 6mm lens can be had as well...

Yes they can be used outdoors - that's what they are for. I believe they are IP66 rated: http://cnbusa.com/en/html/product/product_search.php?searchstr=vcm-24vf They have a VCM-24VFH which includes a heater and little fan to help keep the internals warm enough to work properly. At -30C, I would get the version with the heater!

Thats one thing I'm not sure about - I know most of their indoor domes can have grey or black outer shells. Dunno about white. I'm guessing whoever you order from will need to be told to send you a particular color?

I haven't used them (because they are like $400+), but apparently Panasonic's WV-NW484S is like the best WDR you can get. Many other members will agree I'm sure...

Also, why do you need LED - they are still so expensive. I've been using 20W (100W equivalent) CFL flood lights in all of my PIR light socket for a while now - they work fine! They do take a minute to warm up - and at first light they put out only like 60%.

It is perfectly possible to convert your RJ11 connections to BNC. Basically, two of the pins will carry the composite video from the camera, and another two will carry power to the cameras. Figuring out what's what is the hard part!

Here is a list of ALL of their indoor domes: http://cnbusa.com/en/html/product/product_list.php?maxx=1&midx=4 The DFL-20S is a good, cheap camera (cheap for CNB - $50+). It has a Monalisa chip, but don't think its day/night. It would be great for any spot that always has pretty good light... You could get a DBM-24VF - just the indoor version of the VCM-24VF. Same abilities, just in a smaller package. This is a true day/night cam. DBM-24VD is a cheaper 24VF, without ICR (TDN). So supposedly 0.05lux, instead of 0.005... If even these indoor domes are too 'obvious' or stick out too much - you could go with one of their in-ceiling domes: Their DCM-24VF is the SAME as the DDM-24VF, just 15mm smaller in height. These would be cool if you don't want your indoor cameras to stick out a lot! On this page there are a variety of mounts for the normal dome cams - say if you wanted a pendant mount, or it to hang over from the wall some. Also, their IR illuminators are on there: http://cnbusa.com/en/html/product/product_list.php?maxx=9

Yea, typically visible light is best - the cameras can produce a better picture with it than IR. No matter the light type, bugs will be attracted to it. Thats why its good to have it on a properly set motion detector. Also, don't use cameras with built-in IR, as bugs will get in the way of the camera view!

Twist on BNCs work fined, of course I prefer cat5e with baluns... Your run lengths will be fine. Be sure to invest in a proper UPS with AVR built-in. CNBs can do 12VDC or 24VAC - actually, they can go outside those specs some too... They only draw what they need (which is not much!)

Yea, cheap mini-monitors with RCA inputs are best. I don't think your phone will be able to do that. At least if its an analog cam... Maybe with a bunch of hacking you could connect a Composite->USB converter to it and use that. But I doubt it! Obviously with IP cameras, if there is a wifi network that you can connect to, and connect to the camera with - then that could help!

Thank you all for the great suggestions! Once we get it all figured out I'll be sure to post some shots as usual!

Funny, because $3k is about exactly what my system (in my signature) costed for me to put in: A very nice 8ch DVR w/3.5TB of space, and 8 sweet cameras (CNB's True day/night). Bottom line - for $2k - I wouldn't do it (at this quality level at least). I would save for another year or so and then get the good stuff. So my suggestion, either save for a year or so, or start out by buying a quality DVR ($800-$1200 or more), and getting just 4 very nice cameras. Then add on the other 4 later. Don't forget, you've got to get a nice power supply, and cabling. (I highly recommend cat5e w/video baluns). If you want to watch license plates very reliably, that will add on cost for that camera. I'd use a WDR box camera, with an outdoor enclosure, an IR illuminator, and a nice lens (say 5-50mm) so you can zoom in tight on the driveway. Also, if this is a home - front-door cams are cool!

Welcome to the forum Drew! What brands do you usually go by? I see you do alarms as well? BTW - I really like your website! " title="Applause" /> Did you do all that yourself?

Use Hamachi on a PC upstream from the DVR/equipment. Use ICS (internet connection sharing) to connect your equipment to the VPN.

FPS and IPS are the same. I would save for a couple years if I only had $900 to deal with. For $900 I would never be happy.

Remote viewing ought to be possible, but the quality of the video, as well as the framerate may not be nice. What kind of internet connection is at the PC's? Specifically, whats the upload speed?

Gotta imagine the loss is far more with a 100Kv line than with cable! Relevant youtube video:

BTW - do you have signs showing that you are recording people? Typically this helps to deter people when they know they are actively being watched! Also, consider putting a cheap LCD monitor at the entrance displaying a picture of the person as they walk in. This helps get their attention, and if you place the camera near the monitor, as they instinctively look up to it, you get a good facial shot!

Nope, the cycle of the moon will determine that. If its a full moon, then that's a good bit of light for a good camera to work off of. But if the moon is just a sliver, then your out of luck!

Funny you mention that, I have had people tell me their cable modem speeds actually go down during/after rains and storms too! Just recently a friend had to convince the cable company that the line from the little distribution box (main line split to 5 customers) to his home was compromised - he was getting much slower speeds, and the cable modem was transmitting on its highest settings, while reception was very bad. They finally ran a new line and all is well...

I'd say you do a hybrid system, say with Geo. MP cams for areas where you want a lot of detail. Combined with POS overlay so you can confirm what those items are, as well as whether they scanned them. For less important areas, stick with analog.

I'm pretty sure that a hardware reset is the only option to reset the password. Some info from another member: http://scorpiontheater.com/reset.aspx Here is his instructions specific to your DVR: http://scorpiontheater.com/Documents/Hardware_Reset_DR040_MaxPro4.pdf What is the format of the password? Is it just 4 numbers, each from 0-9? That's only 10^4, or 10,000 options. Start at 0000 and keep going up!