Anthony A.

would all agree here that the panasonic 502s or new 306 (dome) cameras are superior in night mode than mobotix d12/m12 with d/n lenses?

Im looking for an NVR for use with IP cameras that provides an output that can be watched on a TV. What are my options? I have always used analog cameras and used a coax run with rca end to watch the signal via composite on a tv. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

thanks for the clarification. so what is the best way to go about and use mobotix cameras then? lets say for example i am usig 4 of them on a gigabit network and want them to record all the time (or only motion) and basically overwrite the video file every month or so. would it be better to get other nvr software and run that on a central server?

i thought the usb drive simply had to be on the network and the cameras would simply record the stream to it. from there one would use mxcc to access the video files, etc. maybe im mistaken then. so if one has mobotix cameras and wants to record multiple streams to a server pc, i take it that mxcc acts as a standard nvr then? and their client program used to watch streams on different pc's would be mxeasy? do i have it right?

after some more research, i finally found a matrix switch that will work with a single cat6 cable. http://www.hdtvsupply.com/hdmi-splitter-over-cat5.html so here is what im thinking. i will have the nvr software running on my newly built server. i rarely use it and it case the new core i7 processor from intel at 3ghz. a lot of power for recording and multitasking i would think. i already have a 2tb drive in there that i can have dedicated to the recordings. in my equipment closet, i will use the matrix switch posted above and have a small form factor pc such as the asus eeebox plugged into the source input. from there, the pc can be output to 8 tv's using cat6 cable. the pc will have either a client window open or the web browser. i think this is a more elegant solution that having to buy a pc for every tv i want to have camera access on. any thoughts on this setup and which nvr software is good? thanks. PS. is there any way to control the nvr software using a universal remote control?

thank you all for the replies. i will look into geovision and qnap. the hdmi matrix switch is something i had in mind that would work beautifully, but since i only ran cat6 and coax to each location, it would cost me a fortune to buy cat6 to hdmi baluns and then use a matrix. im thinking of just buying a small form pc such as the asus eeebox for each tv (can be had for around $200) and just leave the pc with a webbrowser open to the nvr screen. that way, all i have to do is switch inputs on any tv to the pc, and the pc will have the webpage already opened for viewing the video feed. i think its the cheapest solution for me at the moment. not elegant, but it works and i can use the pc for youtube, etc.

any advice on the on this?

I want to install a front door IP camera for my house but unfortunately I wired it with 1 - RG-6 cable and 1 - 18/2 for power. I have seen mention on this forum that many have used the Veracity coax to ethernet adaptors with great results, unfortunately this won't work for me as the unit has a max outdoor temperature range of -10 degrees celsius (14 farenheit). In Canada, we get -30 degrees all the time and this unit would have to be installed outside. So what are my options to use an IP camera with the coax run? Baluns? All my research has dried up and I don't want to use analog. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

its a toss up between using mobotix m12 for driveway and d24 for porch or arecont 3135. night performance is crucial since it is very dark in my neighbourhood but i also want it to capture faces when there is a lot of motion. maybe will need a raytec ir illuminator.

yes, but i still need something to modulate the signal to 3 separate displays around the house. hence why the zeevee makes sense as it will modulate whatever signal i input and make a channel so i can view it on all my tv's using standard coaxial cable throughout the house.

thank you all for helping out a total noob!! so i guess i should steer away from a capture card since i will be doing only IP cameras. from the sounds of it, a dedicated pc will probably be my best option. modulate that pc using a zeevee and have the camera window always active on the desktop. so by going this route, what kind of specs would i need? would an atom based pc like 1.6ghz with 1gb ram be sufficient? how much space does a 3mp camera consume recording if its running all the time? and finally, if i use a dedicated pc running the dvr software, can i have it save the recording data on the server? will this still slow down the server?

hmm, okay now im even more confused on a solution that would fit my needs. all i really want to do is modulate the ip cameras to either an input on each display or a channel. now i see that this really isn't possible at the moment, the same way analog cams can be modulated. so i have researched extensively on something that coupld modulate HD signals over coax and have come up with the zeevee box 150 or 170. this unit is an hd modulator that "streams" a signal over coax. now its main use is hooking up a pc input and modulating it over an empty channel, so i think this may be my solution for getting the cameras to multiple displays. however, now comes the part that im still confused on. if i purchase a capture card and install it on my main server (which i also use as a desktop pc), i would have to leave the nvr software running all the time and have it take up the entire desktop (as the zeevee shows the desktop as it is). since my server is a multi-use system, this simply isn't feasible. so next option is to buy a small form pc such as an asus eeebox, install the biggest hdd that will fit and have that pc dedicated to running the software and leave it maximized on the desktop. this way, when i tune into the channel, it will display the desktop page which will have the nvr software showing the cameras. now this is more money than i want to spend on a clunky setup, but is it the only way? or, do hybrid dvr's all have vga output that i can use as a monitor output?

thanks for all the responses. im still here and researching the posts suggested but i have concluded that i am going to go the direction of using a capture card on my newly built server. i see avermedia has cards, what are my other options? im looking for an 8 channel card as this will give me room for future expansion. in regards to outputting the image to the tv, i guess i could always use an av converter from the vga/hdmi output of the capture card to the display. but them i can only have 1 display and would need to get matrix distribution switches which is more work than its worth. now i was wondering how smooth a 3mp ip camera would look if i streamed it. do all ip cams have specific ip addresses that i can pull up on a browser window, without seeing the full control panel GUI? or, if i use 2 mobotix cameras, i guess i could stream them without the need of a capture card. woud this be the best way to go?

wow, that product sounds like exactly what i need. any more info available? or please pm me. thanks.

the cable run is around 20', however it is impossible to run a cat 5e cable as it goes through a couple of concrete blocks, around a few corners, etc. i have tried fishing new wire by using the existing coax as a fish, but no dice. so i am left with only a few options and they will have to be exposed. the mobotix mx2wire would do exactly what i need but its quite pricey and its size is a bit obtrusive seeing that it would have to be exposed on the porch ceiling. if using a passive balun, can anyone make a brand and model recommendation (pelco?) as well as best camera brand that will do 10baseT?