groovyman

I'd expect at full retail this type of DVR would sell for $200-$250 without a hard drive. Add $150-$200 for a hard drive. Similar quality DVRs can be found on ebay for $125 or less (w/o hard drive). A quick google search turned up the manufacturer: http://www.yishi.net.cn/video/ProductShow.asp?ID=208 Anyway, even when you add installation and configuration charges I think $800 is still a bit excessive for this. Another non-branded dvr from china with no documentation or support.

Have you contacted the seller and asked?

Thanks Razesdark. Appreciate your reply. As for private citizens being arrested for recording police, here in the US it's been happening. Here's an article on the subject: http://gizmodo.com/5900680/7-rules-for-recording-police

When you use the wan ip address is it from the wan or on the lan?

gallonoffuel - very interesting read. Thank you. I'm going to try this on some systems I have in the garage just to tinker around a bit.

And the way things happen - you'll be standing nude by your window, the camera will stop, she'll see you then have you arrested for indecent exposure. Being the person I am I'd do something like this: Is it art or the one-finger salute? http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4188445 I know this doesn't help you, but your story just reminded me of it. I hope you can get the issue resolved. Maybe try talking to the local police?

Port Forwarding CnM Secure 4 Channel H.264 DVR on the Netgear DGN2000 http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/Netgear/DGN2000/CnM_Secure_4_Channel_H.264_DVR.htm

Meant to put a smiliey at the end of that

From that post I thought you were questioning it. Won't try to help again, sorry.

buellwinkle's image is actually 490KB and 1023x1365. After clicking on the image click on the arrow keys on the lower right corner to see it full size. Or right click on the image, save to desktop and view in your favorite image viewing program

I'm confused (not something too unusual though ). PCI-e (PCI Express) adaptors need a motherboard to connect to. If you're just getting a case and some pci-e sata adaptors what are the adaptors going to connect to? Am I reading your post wrong? What am I missing?

Traditionally this is true, but I want to point out that today many home & small business routers do not create a true DMZ. They allow execptions and will forward all inbound network traffic to what they call the "DMZ" except if specific ports have been configured for other hosts on the network. The router creates a DMZ host, not a true DMZ and can it create security issues - not necessarily with a stand alone DVR, but if the DMZ host is a poorly configured PC it can be used to access the rest of the network because this DMZ host is not actually separated from the network. This is one of my peeves with router manufacturers and I hate when they use the term DMZ when they're not creating a DMZ at all. OK, rant over.

I see the new 16CH Nano has HDMI, but the 4CH and 8CH don't seem to have it yet - at least it's not listed on the Aver website. Do you have an expected date on when the new 4CH and 8CH with HDMI models will be available?

I just want to provide some clarification on viewing the nano on your HDTV. There are 3 outputs on the Nano: VGA, TV Out and Spot Out VGA - used to obtain full control over the unit. Can view and access all video and menus. Must use VGA to configure the unit. TV Out (BNC) - can view video in single or 4 channel. Cannot switch between channels unless the view is changed via the control panel which is done through VGA. Spot Out (BNC) - Single channel view, but can be set to rotate between channels of your choosing - default is 3 second intervals. If your HDTV doesn't have a VGA port you can still connect the Nano to the TV via the VGA port by using a VGA to RCA/SVideo or HDMI converter. To connect the nano via Spot or TV Out you'll need a BNC Female to RCA Male Adaptor and connect to the composite input on the TV. Viewing via iPad or Android device is very easy. I think the Aver app works very nice and the latest version allows playback (one channel at a time though). You can use the app internally over wifi as well as externally over 3G/4G or wifi. I happen to like the Nano and it's been my DVR of choice over the last 1.5 years. It's not perfect and it would be nice to have some remote menu features, but I can't complain about the video quality which ultimately is the most important aspect (to me anyway). The hybrid feature is one that initially captured my attention and I'm slowly working towards adding IP cameras for some clients. Having a choice between IP and analog is a definite plus.

Wow, we run into this all the time - stuff getting moved and added and removed and changed constantly in the course of construction of some large restaurants we install for. But really, the only thing you can really do about it make sure there's something in the contract that lets you bill for extras when that happens and someone else's idea/mistake/brainstorm causes you extra work. Well, it happened again. Had a camera installation last week for a new business and I was very specific with the owner to schedule the camera install after everything else was completed, including any shelving, signage and decoration. We ran cable weeks ago when the walls & ceiling were open and it was a pleasure to install the cameras. Everything went very smooth, until today when I received a call from the owner that 3 cameras need to be moved because they hung some signs and plants. I think he was expecting it to be free.....nope. I just logged on and saw the signs and plants were moved. Yep, that was a lot cheaper

Or if you can't remember the IP address. Remembering an address like mydvr.xxxxxx.com is a lot easier than remembering the actual IP address. I find DDNS to be a very valuable tool whether there's a static IP address or not. Just my personal opinion.

And neither did you, me or anyone else until it was learned

Can you access the DVR via Internet Explorer? If yes then log in twice with two different IE windows and place them side by side. Have Cam1 on one window and Cam2 on the other. Works well with a widescreen monitor rather than standard.

I can take up that slack.

I happen to love that feature and it is one of my requirements when looking for a DVR to purchase.

Is the 30 days the maximum or minimum amount of time video can be stored? What sort of penalty is there for going under or over, and how would anyone know? This seems strange to me. Why does a general law exist specifying how long video can or should be retained? Are there restirctions on quality settings also? As others have stated, there is no restriction either way in the US. I have clients with DVRs that retain video anywhere from a low of 5 days to a high of 6 months.

Here are some specs of each camera. The similarities are very few. They certainly do not resemble each other and you can see why the VCM-24VFH is twice the price. VFL-20S MONALISA VANDAL DOME 600TVL DNR, SBLC, AGC 3.8MM FIXED 0.05LUX 85mm dome DC12V SURFACE MOUNT VCM-24VFH (same as VCM-24VF, but with a heater) MONALISA VANDAL DOME DAY/NIGHT HEATER 600TVL 2.8~10.5MM VARI-FOCAL 0.005LUX (B/W) TDN (ICR) 100mm dome DNR, SBLC, OSD DC12V/AC24V SURFACE/FLUSH MOUNT

Isn't learning something "new" fun? I think it is. I'm an information junkie and love learning, although these days its become difficult to keep up with everything - not just talking about CCTV, but technology in general.

Yes. Just need to set the corresponding ports in the devices you want to access. You can't have different hostnames using the same port number though, like mydvr1.dyndns.tv:89 and mydvr2.dyndns.tv:89. Each hostname would end up resolving to the same device.

For a home user, or even a business, with just one resource running on their network there may not be a need for more than one hostname. But, that's not always the case. Here are some examples where I've used multiple hostnames for clients: Multiple locations. Multiple WAN IP addresses associated with the same Internet router/gateway. Multiple resources remotely accessible via the Internet (like multiple DVRs) and want to differentiate between them using different hostnames (DVR1.xxxx.com DVR2.xxxx.com, etc.) Creating a temporary hostname for guests or temporary employees that need remote access to resources on a network.