mstoetz1

First Sample: SD6C230S-HN PTZ ( Amazing clear pictures in darkness ) Second sample: DAHUA HDW4300C - Night snapshot with Default settings ( Not all that clear/ I prefer the Hikvision below over this one) Also I could only get the snapshot for this one in 4:3 ratio? Third Sample: Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I - Night snapshot with Default settings (not too bad actually)

I hope the manufacturers exercise due diligence in getting security vulnerabilities resolved. There is so much hacking that goes on out there. If one monitors "Krebs on security" website and the regular exploits, you become aware fast that security must always be a focus when you put anything on the net. Being in IT, any network appliance with a 6 character password would never be approved for implemention which makes me surprised that Dahua doesn't allow better security on their NVRs.

I may be wrong, but I don't have the impression that Hikvision, or Dahua put much of a priority on mitigating known/identified security vulnerabilities (even CVE's which are easy to be alerted to). I'm still surprised that Dahua (NVR) uses 6 character logins and passwords, regardless of account locking. Given these systems sit on a watered down version of *nix, its surprising to see they don't have better security (since every unix/linux system pretty well out there there has no problem enforcing 8 char min logins). That being said, I guess you get what you pay for.

I wanted to say that the postings of demo snapshots was something I valued on this forum when I was shopping for cameras. I often do not trust images posted by some sellers, either. I will post snaps (day and night) of cameras I ended up getting as well to help those other there trying to make decisions on cameras.

Well said.

Yikes, I hope this isn't common with Hikvision cameras.

I'm already paranoid and therefore as cautious as possible when purchasing off Ebay. I look for key words that are present, and some that may not be. When I checked this ad, it looked like a no-name brand right off, with one module being Hikvision (which is something I would avoid personally). I wanted to add, I have still ended up with counterfeit items on EBAY, but documented it well, created a case, and got all my money back as counterfeit (misleading item descriptions) are not allowed on EBAY.

I may try the WD purple drives.. how noisy are they?

Ya.. was contemplating that... although it will cost me another $700 to $800

You know.. I have to say with Q-see and Costco (and a previous DVR/Camera package).. I've had bad cameras and contacted Q-SEE. They were amazing for how fast they sent me a replacement cameras each time.. no questions asked. Also I found the support good too.

I recently purchased a DAHUA NVR (NVR5416-16P) and purchase a few Dahua and Hikvision cameras better than the Dahua. My problem is I liked the hikvision cameras... but worried about compatibility. I haven't tested things out... but also wondered (just as Livermore) if this would be an issue (and especially if the nvr/cameras are newer).

I really like the 2032s.. the colors are very brilliant and night vision is clear.

Similar to the one I purchased: http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-ProSAFE-Gigabit-Switch-JGS524PE-100NAS/dp/B00GG1ADLS They are nice switches and actually cheap for managed.

I recently purchased a SD6C230S-HN PTZ... and just have it sitting on our stair railing in the house for now to test it. It is not connected to an NVR yet but is on my internal firewalled network. My room mate called me this morning and told me it was moving around, and clicking so I asked her to unplug it. Does anyone know why this camera would move around by itself without anyone controlling it? I also noticed when controlling it (connecting to it directly), I'd click on the pan button once, and the camera would almost do a 180 degree pan. These are not cheap cameras (to me), so I'm a bit surprised that it seems unstable. btw.. I noticed many IP cameras have grounding connections... do people usually ground them? Thanks.

Hi.. no. its mounted correctly using the wall bracket. I just used some rope through the screw holds and around the column.

Dex.. I think you were right.. there was a reboot enabled (by default). Tuesdays at 2am.. and I think since the clock was out, it happened right when my room mate was next to it. Thanks for all the replies and help

Oh I'll check that. Any idea if is it normal for the gears to click like that.. like its going outside the limits of its movement?

Thank you for the reply. This one actually has its own power supply (24v) and is not connected to a POE port. It's also been powered on for a few days.

I found it very surprising that a new DAHUA NVR I just purchased appeared to be limited to 6 characters for user login names and password. The Q-See model I had previous (which I assume is built by DAHUA) allowed 8 characters. If these are linux based (?), has anyone figured out a way to set this username and password limitation to 8 characters? In this day and age, 6 characters is just a bit 90's. thanks M.

I purchased a DAHUA NVR5416-16P from the net and when getting it home I noted there was no DAHUA name anywhere on it. Even the label with the SN didn't have any vendor/manufacturer name: Is getting stuff like this with "NO name" branding normal?? Thanks Update.. I found info on this forum that explained the no branding.

Is anyone worried that the majority of products on Aliexpress are counterfeit? I too was looking on Aliexpress for some DAHUA PTZ's. I have purchased motorola parts that looked 99% like OEM Motorola. I was very surprised how China has mastered the counterfeit world of products.

I have a question I hope someone can help... I'm focusing a camera via a 12" tv and composite video cable and its actually quite clear. But when I connect it to my DVR (QSEE QT428), and view it in CMS or its web client, the image is not very clear. Does anyone know why it would be clear on a regular monitor, but not through the DVR? Thanks! Michelle

Thanks for the quick reply. I probably lose 20% of the clarity of the video. Its too bad, since at that point you probably lose much of the ability for facial recognition.

I have the QT428... with cmos cameras. They do just "ok" inside, but outside at night, they aren't very good. Even in the daytime outside, the colors are way off. My lawn never looks green in them, and they are slightly blurry. Inside, my couch never looks the right colors... so the idea their colors are off, is accurate with these. The DVR is good for the money in my opinion. I've been looking for other decent cameras, and like the Speco intensifier series. Cameras can get so expensive, and especially the IP (if you go digital)... and I can't afford to spend $10K on a video system for my home.

Hello everyone, I am new to this group, finding it from my search for useful cctv information. I've spent thousands on cctv/dvr's that turned out to be garbage, and I'm really trying to find equipment for my home that is a good balance of cost and quality. I've learned that I will not purchase any camera without seeing examples of the video it is capable of in varying light conditions. There is so much junk out there that is advertised with specifications that give the impression it should be of acceptable quality, yet turns out to be very disappointing. I was happy to see video samples of some cameras on this site and how usable these postings are to me to find decent cameras. Michelle