lombana

Got a question for the pro's on here, I finally got the Vivotek IP8332 cameras to replace the low end mega store garbage that I thought might get me by which didn't and I'm super pleased to say these cameras are wonderful, the image from them is crisp and clear and what I expected. That said a quick observation and then a hint from the pro's on how to handle this. The IP-8332 as I have since learned from speaking with Tech Support at Vivotek can only record about 4 seconds at full 1200x800 resolution in 'Excellent' mode at 30 fps in h.264 compression and according to them unless I dumb down the resolution my desire to record a 10 second event is shot. Their own spreadsheet doesn't support these numbers and in fact I should be able to record about 8 seconds based on what they publish but I won't dwell. So it looks like I am going to have to record EVENTS in high res based on motion and then also record a 2nd stream for archive. What I would like to know from you guys that do this for a living and not a guy like me that is tinkering at home, what do you guys setup for a client when you want to archive 24*7, what frame rates, resolutions etc. I have the cams all setup to feed into a 1-TB NAS on motion now and have tinkered with several settings to write 24*7 but feel that I'm missing the boat a little. Should I be archiving at 1280*800 30 fps, or should I do 1280*800 at 5 fps or should I drop down to 640*400 etc etc the issue is that there are so many possibilities that it's clouded my thoughts. Hence the reason for this question. Thanks in advance and if anyone else is running the 8332 let me know what you're doing, you can PM if you prefer. Miguel

I will give them a shot I was hesitant since I'm in demo mode, assumed that support would be for paid customers only.

Been looking at Blue Iris per a lot of the recommendations on this board to opt out of using the Vivotek 5701 package that came with my cams. I've discovered the Vivotek system is pulling in all 4 streams from each cam resulting in a 10Mbit/s stream per cam to the server which is totally unnecessary since I only need to record 1 stream from each. I've been testing the demo version of Blue Iris and see where you can pick up 1 stream, in this case my 1280*720 stream and record at a different or scaled back frame rate. In this case I stream at 1280*720 15fps h.264 but Blue will record at 3fps. Question, is it possible to make Blue jump to the full stream frame rate for motion / alarm events and drop back down after the timer on the event is expired. Figured that someone on here may be using it this way and may be able to answer before I spend 50 bucks. Thanks in advance, Miguel

But for that you need to run a frontend server or PC, I'm trying to do it as streamlined as possible, my home is very green, lots of solar power so running a pc 24*7 sucking 200 watts isn't out of the question, but an independent NAS trickling at about 8 watts is more in line with my thinking. I do however welcome your point though. I'm back to testing, I did make some changes per some of the recommendations here and am now going back in the footage to review. I'll post something on here in the coming days when I get closer to a solid conclusion! They don't make this easy though that's all I can say. Miguel

I'm surprised that you're running your office on a WRT54 box, even with upgraded software like DD-WRT it's really still a cheap plastic box, one suggestion is to setup a small Atom based PC or grab an old box that isn't in use anymore so long as it has a working NIC and can have a 2nd NIC added to it and run Untangle as your firewall. As for the actual situation you're attempting to do, it's best to setup the network using VLAN's (Virtual Lans) and bridge them over but in re-reading your setup, don't plug into the WAN port of your router, plug into an open LAN port or setup the WAN port (if you can manage the box) as a LAN port and make sure that DHCP is turned off as it's being assigned on the equipment or from another server. My network is comparable to a corporate network to run a simple SoHo with a number of switches, access points and VLAN's and I'll be the first to admit it's overly complicated but I have a hunch that if you move the cable from the WAN port to a LAN port, you'll be up and running.

I'm in the process of replacing a hastily purchased Defender-USA system that I got at Sams and have opted to go the route of pick and choose. I found some info on a Toshiba IK-7100 that look incredible on paper, has anyone actually used these and let me know how they performed. I'm also looking for some recommendations on a 4ch DVR, my goal is to return the Defender system and get something that's as easy to operate but can give me high quality which is where my system suffers. Bottom line this is an HD world and the system I have now is comparable to 1950's black and white if you want a good analogy. I've also just found (thanks to this forum) the CNB cams which from some of the video that I've seen also look amazing however the video was on YouTube at 720p which leads me to believe that it was recorded direct to something like Adobe Premier and not a security DVR. Any help is appreciated. Miguel Lombana Phoenix, AZ

Gentlemen thank you all, I'm now steering in a new direction, the Defender system has been returned and I took advantage of the pullbacks of the Defender cables and ran CAT6 to each location. I've been looking very hard at Vivoteks and it appears that I will move in that direction. The budget was a concern (and still is) but I will just do it 2 cameras at a time and I'll be back at 4 cams as money becomes available, but based on what I've been researching and the video I've seen online from these cams, 2 of my front of house cams could easily be replaced by 1 digital and high quality cam. Again thank you all very much. Miguel