Quantum

Well, I had a catastrophic disk failure on my workstation (Thank you again Seagate, it's WD from now on), and unfortunately Debian botched the current OS release so it won't install. On the backup server where the camera is, there's a KDE problem and I have to reinstall the OS there as well. Meanwhile my phone quit and internet modem quit. So I've been so ****faced with problems that I haven't made any progress. But the camera is installed and appears to have booted as the #0 light is on. I'd sent away for the MobotixPOE injector, but SecurityBestBuy took a week to get around to starting to think about shipping it. So I cancelled my order and looked for alternatives. Researched POE switches here and discovered that Netgear makes one, from a post by wireguys in '09. I trust Netgear. Bought the GS108P for just a little more than the single-port Mobotix, and it seems like just the thing. Mobotix confirms they use the FS108P for demos, and the GS108P is the same but adds gigabit. Lifetime warranty?! C'mon, that's unreasonable... just like the lifetime warranty on my Ridgid drill and its batteries! Ridiculous.

Anyone know whether email alerts work in MxEasy? I want it to email to {phonenumber}@tmomail.net so I get an SMS on the phone. Then hope I can use the (Android) phone to view the event and live stream.

M12 arrived today and man is it ugly, which is pretty to me. Waiting now for the POE injector so I can see whether it's password-protected...

Nah, just bought it today. But I would have painted it black anyway so it would fade into the bushes. Looks like they've painted over the darned LEDs... I'm a bit worried as this is completely black at night. I should have thought that the Night camera would see the stars with the level it's supposed to perform at.

Hm, just noticed the Mobotix D24. It seems to have the same specs as the M12, but is half the price new. I don't understand how it could ostensibly have the same low-light performance without dedicated optics? Edit: Oh, the 3mp has much worse low-light performance. Isn't this a face only a mother could love?

Understand, Chris. I guess ONVIF is complex and would require alot of dedication by people who probably can't afford the cameras that use it. Maybe in time... And thankz for the skooling bpzle! {turnz hat sid3ways} Thatz why I cam3 here... Meanwhile it is time to make a decision after agonizing over this for a month, so I bought this M12. Weird looking beast, but the Germans have gotten a alot right. I have the option of using ZM or their software (Linux), and as the camera does all the motion detection and video processing it amounts to a distributed system, nice since my server is an Atom. Wonder what Sawbones or Adam would think...

Another thread where I was frantically scratching for information.

Office buildings, in and out. Test bed in my 50' driveway. Interesting. On the cam page it says domes are indoor only. Thanks for the info. It's ridiculous that Axis doesn't have better low-light performance. Adam I'm not clear why certain cameras are not compatible with ZM, because there is simply not enough info available in the time I have to dedicate to this. I suspect that the URL is basically a web interface, which denies many of the special features of a camera maybe like remote zoom, auto-iris, etc. Is ZM -only- compatible with cameras that have a web interface? Surely Exacq can manipulate some cameras at a more hardware level, to reach extended features? I am not an expert and do not pretend to be, but am open to information. (... directed to the person who said I don't know what I'm talking about... no ****. I am a developer, not a security camera technician)

Ugh, a 16" housing for a 2.25" camera. Nonstarter. Axis' low light is .08 lux, eight times worse than the better ones. Mobotix is $1,400. Seems I don't have any options. In the Olden Days we'd have at least one option for everything, back before we became an unregulated right-wing Corporatist Oligopoly.

Well that's disappointing. They do so many things right. I don't understand those Arecont cameras. What are you supposed to do for them outdoors? Is there a special mini case. or do they fit in a dome? Anyway, thanks.

Actually this is not a hobby. No, I am not getting into the security camera business, I own properties. Rest assured, I am not "shooting my self if the foot". My citation of ZoneMinder may not be for the reasons you think. All I am asking for here is information on the camera. Hopefully someone can assist.

Please have a little respect for the research and thought I've put into this. If you can't understand the direction I'm in, don't worry about it. Anyone know about this Axis camera?

Hm, how old are you? Well I am not going to clarify and we are way OT.

I think it's not about the cost. I like to think it's about visible sourcecode which is peer reviewed and checked for backdoors, functionality, etc. All of us have paid for countless apps that turned out to be worthless, buggy, or unsuitable. This is exactly why I am so suspicious. You don't run such a risk with something tangible.

Programmers should work for FUN. Seriously, I see what you're saying. But each of us has a talent, and if we pool them we all benefit. Now, on to finding a decent camera...

Kool, thanks Christopher. When I said 'proprietary' I meant software. I'm not going to assemble a mobo and processor out of sticks and mud...

I'm only in the earliest stages of exploring ZoneMinder, and do not have an in-depth understanding. It makes sense that Exacq couldn't be using ActiveX, at least on unices. My proposed NVR is a 1GHz Atom with 2GB RAM and 6TB of storage. I like Exacq but just tend to stay away from proprietary solutions. Does the one-channel version have all features enabled? Does it have motion detection and mobile device support? Could I record a hidef version on the NVR and stream a lower-def version on my Android? (Nexus One) At the same time? Ideally I'd like my system and/or phone to *ding* when defined motion and I'm not watching.

Thanks hardwired, but ZoneMinder does not have Sanyo cameras on its HCL. The ZoneMinder wiki says, "(the cameras) need to be able to stream MJPEG without the requirement of activex controls. If you see the requirement for the camera calls for IE then there is a good chance it may not work." Dealkiller. I have to start over with the solutionset in ZM's HCL, using low-light performance as my indicator of quality.

The issue is that many of these IP cameras REQUIRE ActiveX controls, which is a proprietary M$ workproduct. Yes I could run IE in Wine, but I wouldn't have all the wonderful features of ZoneMinder, plus I'd be using a product of The Borg. No thanks, for so many reasons. We've run Debian exclusively for 14 years, and are not changing now.

I have suddenly realized to my horror that the VDC-HD3300 may require Internet Exploser and ActiveX. Well this just instantly eliminates all Sanyo cameras from consideration. I think it's ridiculous that any piece of hardware should -require- Microsoft products, which we do not use any of. So I have to start over from scratch. ZoneMinder is our NVR, so that's that. I guess this means I'll be spending closer to $900 now. I guess my test for quality is going to be nighttime performance.

{eyikes}

Seattle. We get alotta rain here, and it seems like any wall-mounted dome will always have raindrops on it? And doesn't a smoked dome impair night and/or color performance? How do you seal the back where the cables are? Pelco looks like a good camera, but they are outta sight. Double what I want to pay. Oddly, no one here has mentioned them. I've also examined Arecont carefully, but by the time you buy the enclosure it costs the same as the 3300 but is inferior. The 3300 seems to have a zoom lens, if I am understanding, but no idea what fields of view in degrees, and no idea how far away the scene looks when in wide-view. Why does zooming out have to get far away, anyway? Isn't there a more/less fisheye function? There was an M12 on eBay for $450, but it had 135 lenses... some poor sap bought it. M12's with 22 and 43 lenses are north of $1,300... fsck that.

I just don't trust Panasonic. The HD3300 is about what I need but the price is too high. Nothing from Mobotix, Axis, or Avigilon is less than $1,000 (3MP or better) that I've found. I'm stuck.

After studying the forum quite a bit, I think I've come to some conclusions. I want to monitor my 100' driveway and front yard for no particular reason. This is about a 45 degree field of view. I have a backup server running in the garage which regularly backs up my 4TB RAID10 array for the HTPC in the house. This backup server could also serve as my security camera server, running ZoneMinder. (MythTV is my media server over Debian, and the backup server runs Debian as well) I want to mount a camera on the post at the entrance of my drive, obscured by bushes, and aimed toward the house to catch license plates. I think that a realistic expectation for me would be 3-5MP resolution, and I'd like good night vision but it's not mandatory as I'm home at night. Seems to me that the best brands are Avigilon (out of the question), Axis, Sanyo, and Mobotix. Ideally I'd like to spend $500 or less on the camera. Sharpness of image is paramount. Focus in depth of field is a worry. Ideally I'd like it to alert my Android phone of motion during the day, and maybe stream me video. Can you recommend some camera candidates? Used cameras are fine, as long as the quality is there. I'd also like to know how to do a door camera that would be able to see visitors' faces, yet not be up in their face?

Thanks. Hm, I know damned well that hospitals and apartments aren't paying more than $100 each for most of their cams.