danweber

Does anyone know what the latest firmware version for the IPC-HDBW3202 camera is? I have 2.100.0000.7.R build 2012-08-30 and was wondering if there was a newer version because the motion detection in this camera is awful and it might have been improved in a later version. Thanks Dan

This seems to be a 1MP camera. I was going for at least full HD (2MP) because I am going to cover such a wide area. I get your point on the built-in IR. I see the spider web issue on the ones I have now and it makes sense to use a separate IR illuminator. In that case I assume it is still desirable to have a true D/N camera with removable IR cut filter, correct?

Do you have the model number? I understand that Axis is one of the best options but from the prices I checked it is likely over what I want to spend for a residential install. Around $700 was what I had in mind spending for each cam, max. Clearly this is one area where you get what you pay for but I can't go too crazy (or I find myself in trouble with someone else.....)

Thank you for the detailed feedback Buellwinkle. I'll wait a couple weeks and see if ACTi will release their new cameras and maybe by that time you got the new HFW3200S from Dahua and can provide feedback about that one. Do you happen to know a reputable ACTi dealer in the US?

What would your recommendation be? Axis seems to be mentioned a lot but it's a bit more than I wanted to spend and I thought ACTi would fit between the Dahua and the Axis. Maybe there are other options I should be looking at? I used Vivotek bullets in another location but I am not thrilled with them. I also used Mobotix in the past which worked fine during the day but the low light performance is not good (I didn't use the dual sensor model) and they are a bit out of my desired price range too.

Thanks for the feedback on the non-IR dome. Do you happen to know when the new, smaller, bullet should be available?

To the experts in the security field... I had a recent break-in attempt at my residence and my current security system captured some halfway useful pictures for the local law enforcement agency but I now decided to upgrade to something higher resolution and IP based. I'll be doing it in two phases with the front of the house being first. These are the three cameras in the front today, they are facing north, so no direct sun hitting them but the backlight on the front door camera is quite strong and the other two cameras have large shady areas during the winter time. At night the front porch lights stay on all night so no IR needed there. There is a street light on the left property corner and garage lights that stay on all night but the right side has no lights. At first I thought to replace the two front yard cameras with one 4MP or 5MP camera and a 2.5mm lens but due to tall landscaping in the FOV I think I need to keep them as two separate ones and therefore I think 2MP might be fine and certainly a huge improvement over what I have now. The two front yard cameras now have a 4mm lens and I'd like to go a little wider to get better coverage on the right side, I am thinking 3mm. The front door camera is 4mm as well and a standard 3.6mm lens should work there. So far my shortlist on cameras is Dahua and ACTi. Obviously Dahua is the budget friendly choice and ACTi is the alternative based on the excellent reviews on buellwinkle's blog. For Dahua I was thinking the IPC-HDB3200C with 3.6mm lens for the front door and two IPC-HDBW3202 for the front yard. The bullet is just physically too big for my liking and I wasn't able to find any seller for the newer short version (IPC-HFW3200S) that might work as well. If I select Dahua I am probably also getting one of their NVRs and based on reports in forums like this, and buellwinkle's blog, it seems the NVRs don't handle the 3MP cameras, so no reason to get a 3MP cam then. For ACTi The shortlist of cameras are the 2MP KCM-5511 (the KCM-5611 and KCM-5211E both don't have a wide enough lens unfortunately), or the 4MP KCM-7311 or KCM-7111. These cameras are at substantial higher price than the Dahuas but maybe the premium is worth it? Within a given brand I can probably experiment with different models by finding a seller that would allow return&exchange for different models but I haven't found a dealer that carries both brands so I could compare between brands. For a while I also considered Brickcom and Geovision but tossed them out of the shortlist along the way. Recommendation, feedback, suggestions are very welcome at this stage... Thanks Dan

Anyone have an opinion about these two models? Seems the KCM-7311 has WDR and a better noise filter which could make a big difference in low light situations, correct? I haven't been able to find any low light video samples of either camera.

DVR is sold now

Yes it is. I was just getting ready to list it on Craigslist. You can e-mail me directly at drw33062-cctv@yahoo.com

I have an IC Realtime Pro - 8 Channel DVR with 160GB HD for sale $500, obo - plus shipping PM me with offers

Hmmm. I don't have that option Menu -> Camera and I get the screen below Below is the version I have I do have the option in the newest NetViewer I downloaded but the recording is always the same, regardless of the setting.

Does anyone one know for sure if the ICRealtime Pro does D1 recording, and at what fps?

Here is a picture of the entrance area. The neighborhood is to the left and the beach and beachfront state road are to the right. The red circle is where there is a pole with an electric meter and a circuit panel that powers the electric gates and the pole lights next to them. There is no other structure nearby nor is there any phone service. I was going to extend the pole where the circuit panel is, to about 10-12 feet and mount the cameras on there. Then I was going to add a small lockable outdoor equipment box and wire an outlet from the circuit panel and put any equipment I might need in there. This is a hurricane area, so I want to have a good solid housing for the camera, to withstand the wind. I was thinking that a bullet camera might offer less resistance to the wind and might work out better than a traditional box camera and housing but in the end it probably is about the same. Some of the brackets I have seen online look a little weak and I definitely don't want anything plastic, which the sun will briddle up in no time. The blue line indicates where the two gates are. I am currently planning to use an overview camera to capture the two gates and immediate surrounding areas. a 3.6 or 2.8 lens would probably give me the coverage I need. Then a little lower on the pole, at maybe 8 feet height I was going to mount another camera, either an Extreme X-Reg or a good B/W camera tightly zoomed in, to capture the license plates. Budget is a little bit of a problem. The association is volunteer and not all residents pay the suggested dues, which covers the electricity for the gates, insurance and repairs. Most residents voted to have the cameras though and I am trying to come up with an economical solution that does not break the bank. The association did not ask for the license plate coverage, I added that as my own idea, and maybe we'll start out with the overview camera and DVR this year and add the Reg-X next year, to spread the cost. So the system should be expandable and I was looking at a 4CH DVR. Down the road they might want to add cameras facing the bridge or install a camera with a big zoom to face the beach (in the extension of the road). Once the basic setup is in place it should be no big deal to add on. Oh yes, one thing. The location of the DVR was determined to be at my house, since I am better with technology than most and I am full time residents whereas most people around the immediate gate area are part time residents or are renting their houses. That's why the distance came to 300ft and there is some tree foliage in the line of sight. Thanks for all your suggestions.

Nobody has a recommendation on the video signal transmission? Should I go with VideComm 5.8GHz transmitters/receivers or should I use a p2p Ethernet bridge and use IP cameras or video servers attached to traditional CCTV cameras? This is the hardest part I can't decide upon and any help is appreciated. Dan