Numb-nuts

As a precaution against IP conflicts, at the DHCP settings you could reserve the DVR's IP address effectively removing it from the DHCP pool and avoiding potential IP conflicts. I just checked the details of your router on portforward.com and although it's exact model is not listed there is a model with the suffix R which appears about the same and port forwarding on that seems very straightforward. Assuming you opened the correct ports it may be that the DVR is still not visible from outside the LAN because the ports are blocked or the DVR is not communicating with the Router. I know from bitter experience to go back and check every detail again as sometimes there will be a tiny error we didn't see. Tedious I know but essential that everything is correct, Computers and DVRs don't understand nearly correct... Another site that (I like) you might like for checking open ports is yougetsignal

I recommend a good ladder and a first aid kit.

Would you have a instruction manual showing a 'screenshot' of the CMS software your DVR requires? It may be that you won't need a CMS if your DVR has a web interface. Try typing in your DVR's LAN address into Internet Explorer and see if you can access it that way, as without the correct software you may be chasing your tail a long time.

If you are monitoring a third party person for their own safety, then be sure and have an independent third party with whom you verify and agree all decisions and notarize those decisions formally. For example consider is the "patient" attended during bathing because a record of this would be helpful in the event of any misinterpretations etc. For instance those that monitor the patient from a remote location would probably have to be nursing staff (male of female or at the very least of the same gender in such circumstances as bathing. Where for example a son wanted to watch over his mother, his remote connection could be configured to exclude viewing of any camera where modesty might be an issue i.e bedroom and bathroom toilet etc. Thee range of concerns and issues is as wide ranging as the number of different ways that demeture of any type can manifest itself. Unlimited. I would suggest that if you are doing this for a family member, that you liase with those that have the duty of care medically for the 'Patient' I think this would be a very useful and hopefully helpful medium for the care of such people, but handled without serious thought it has potential to be disastrous also. Good luck with this project

Per Se there is no such thing as a wireless camera as the camera needs power, however there are exceptions such as battery or solar power. What is meant bby wireless is that the casmera will communicate it's signal over a wireless connection. Some domestic wireless systems are not all they are cracked up to be and commercial grade are way too expensive for a domestic user. There is no substiture for a properly wired camera. All the complete colutions you see are what we consider puerile rubbish. The only people who really benefit are the manufcaturer as there are a huge number of fools who think how difficult can it be to install a CCTV kit if they retail them? The cables are only adequate, and are a marketing facility and NOTHING more. These kits usually contain under specified equipment as the buyer they are aimed at usually hasn't a clue what they are buying eand even with research it's difficult. The only way to ensure a good system is to either becme a CCTV installation engineer, or buy from a local installer who will look after your best interests and most of us use the best materials available as installation failure is not an option. Manufacturers on the other hand just want to fool individuals into thinking its a piece of cake and many have discovered it's NOT. CCTV IS NOT AND NEVER WILL BE PLUG AND GO ANYONE THAT THINKS DIFFERENT IS FOOLING THEMSELVES (PS This rant is not aimed at you, all the best with your project)

Say what you like about CCTV, yes its great at capturing evidence but there's no, substitute for being streetwise and this recording illustrates that perfectly dXyQPtIjTsU

Glad you enjoyed it get a lenngth of water pipe and try it yourself its great fun

Well frankly if what Ewan says is true, then you can afford to wait a couple months to see if what he predicts is just hot air or has any merit. Frankly I doubt Hikvision or Dahua will drop their TVI and CVI forats since they've invested millions in R&D and are unlikely to abandon their investments. Only time will tell. My money is on CVI (Dahua) also since installations with passive baluns can use existing wiring aswell as coax whereas TVL is Coax and SDI is coax too. It is advisable to wait a while though, anyway I only know of two manufacturer that offer one of the HD analogue formats and thats HD SDI and frankly they are way too expensive to be worthwhile and won't do what you want. Sometimes the tools we need aren't available so we have to make do. I have a great set of test equipment but nothing yet for HD SDI nor TVI nor even AHD or CVI and frankly we haven't even bothered to find out what the initials stand for let alone invested in special additional testers. Frankly I think HD SDI is aslo an old format now, we are experiencing either CVI or AHD with the occasional TVI. Frankly I think that the progression of all these formats is quite disappointing and I have been asked to take a look at several IP systems that are bringing the LANs and internet to a standstill because whomever installed them had no idea about bandwidth requirements or a common issue is the installed didn't realise how to reseve IP addresses at the router or DHCP server. I do think that IP will wear the test of time though as it develops and as network speeds and bandwidths develop but it's not going to win universal acceptance just yet, I think that will take longer than the industry hopes. There's been huge investments in R&D by many manufacturers and again they aren't likely to abandon their R&D investments easily. Frankly I still prefer analogue for reliability, flexibility and price point. Yes I know it's not brilliant in comparison but it's improved significantly over that last few years and everything is in place and it's less bother than other formats for the immediate future at least. The rest is just a mish mash of formats that were designed by clever developers that have given no thought to the practical problems of installation. Why would they, they never have in the past? Hikvision TVI cameras at least give you an analogue output at the camera so setting up can be done with a analogue FT monitor. I feel your frustration about this because you want to do a good job for your clients and are prepared to invest in equipment which just isn't available yet. Until third party FT meters are available, and don't hold your breath waiting, it shoul be upto the manufacturers to facilitate setting up their cameras by providing an analogue output.

Have you contacted Security Dynamics in NW London about a CVI field test monitor?

I think I'll take your word for that...!

We have a job pending which will require us to install an underground conduit. I have decided to use MDPE water pipe as its easy to work with and if it keeps water in, it is going to keep water out. The runs we are making are about min 5m and a bigger run of about 25M. We have already experimented with the vacuum cleaner technique of pulling a pull string through and it works okay (Great Fun) sufficient to give us confidence that it will work on the day also. We will be using direct burial rated cat5 cable through the conduit. My question is to those that have the experience in laying underground conduit, at what depth should the water pipe be laid into the ground? MDPE= Medium-Density Polyethylene Please note when pulling cables through remember to pull a new pull string through so that you (or the next person) can pull more cables through in future.

I take your point about colour coding but I can't get anything suitable at an affordable cost other than the water pipe which does come in black and that's probably what I'll use. Purple I've seen at the side of motorways for comms cabling. The thing is that both ends of the pipe will be exposed and If I can find a warning tape thats appropriate I will certainly cover the added expense to lay warning tape in the ground just above, At least the pipe won't be carrying any critical services like water or gas. Any power will only be low voltage and will be fuse protected.

Yes I thought about the diameter and explained the issues for future use to the client. I estimated for 25mm pipe as the internal diameter is 20.1mm just enough to pull three 6 mm cables through. Fortunately the 25mm pipe will fit into PVC conduit fittings and screw direct into my IP rated Junction box. I only require a single CAT5 external rated This diameter will give an option to add upto 2 more in future without the added expense. I will be introducing a Y coupler with a stop end in one branch so that a vacuum can be operated to draw out moisture and dry out the pipe annually during maintenance. Where the pipe exits the ground there will be a ply housing to hide it as I believe is a common practice. I will also be using 24VAC for current (using 3 pairs) through the pipe as DC getting damp could lead to electrolysis and destroy the cable. I plan to either use a 24VAC camera or transform down at the camera so there is a good 12VDC supply as the run is quite a long one even though the underground portion is only 25M. 4 Feet deep seems rather deep but I'll wait to see what others think. When the pipe carries water it is recommended that it is placed about 2 feet deep, but of course it won't be full of water. 4 feet deep means moving an extra 10-15 cubic meters of dirt

Well there you have it some people know it all and this is obviously the only and definitive answer. By the way have you booked a bulldozer yet? Wouldn't it be cheaper to knock down the entire house then there wouldn't be a problem.

Is the time stanp absolutly correct? Its just possible that the missing time is lost when the timestamp has been changed to correct the time. This can be seen on the DVR activity log is the time was changed.

Your main aim should be to deter rather than catch offenders. So long as you keep your aims formost in your mind I think you are on the right track. In terms of height of cameras look around see what there is for the intruders to stand on ( wheelie bins are a favorite) to vandalize a camera mount ot of their reach Vandal resistant domes are your best bet. The eye domes don't last long if attacked. There's no such thing as vandal proof only vamdal resistant cameras misdescribed. Theres a recent thread regarding vamdalized domes take a look. I'd be more worried about the pile of rubble that could be used to smash your patio doors.

Don't use the air vent

Really chaps, the cost of the materials is irrelevant. If you do an installation and have to pull the wire and satrt again with a better or more suitable woe where's the economy in that? From my perspective if cat5 with baluns works well , then frankly cat5 is easier to work with, no de-reelers (no twisting) needed, lighter and therefore easier to handle. For me cat5 is the first choice every time but thats just my personal choice.

Good News is it can be reset, using a crossover cable and a downloadable utility the BAD news however they will ONLY reset it for trade clients and technicians. The more people that know how to overcome passwords the less effective having one becomes.

Are you using an amplified speaker on the audio output? The first time I attached a mic I got caught out this way and also theere may be an icon on the channel that corresponds to the mic i.e audio 1 = channel 1 Only one channel at a time can play audio sound or you would hear a cocophony of diffenet sounds so althugh they would all recod you could only listen to one at a time. These little details although they sound very obvious aren't always that obvious to a first timer. Even now after years I still have to think these things through carefully myself so don't be discouraged. BTW: That audio cable should be fine.

You can also ask to view the log info. Each time a camera starts recording it logs and when it stops it logs. The log file should also be available for that time period. All sorts of things can cause motion detection to trigger, changes in light, tree limbs blowing in the wind breaks in the wind gusts all shadows. It's not perfect as it works on pixel changes which when detected are considered movement. It's probably more detailed than my simplified explanation but frankly that's all I needed to understand about it and all I wanted to know (if I'm honest about it). I am sure some know-it-all doughnut here will blow a lot of hot air full of facts and figures your way which may impress nobody but won't answer your question either, before you (and the rest of us with a life) are bored to death. I WISH I'D NEVER ASKED NOW !

What type of cable are you using to take the audio back you aren't very clear about how you've wired it. You should use 4mm (min) screened audio cable for predictable results. Powering from the camera is okay if there is enough current reaching the camera

Who to buy from would be dependent on where you reside? If yu want to buy from a box moving operation that won't support you and will just replace or refund when you decide the unit is too complicated for you then Amazon sounds like a good bet If you are concerned it will be a genuine Hikvision, I have never seen a fake and have never heard of a fake (that doesn't mean they don't exist ) Latest Firmware? If you had done your research you'd know that the latest firmware can always be downloaded from the support portal on the HIkvision website. I'd like to suggest you need to buy from a supplier that "actually understands CCTV" not some retailer that knows nothing about anything they sell. except what the profit margin is.

You simply do not give enough information here to expect an answer. First what id your front door situation? onto the street, into a portico into the garden what? Also yes of course you can view your cameras on your TV that is if your NVR has a suitable output that matches your TV inputs i.e either VGA or HDMI you could even stream the video to your TV with a media streamer. But where is your NVR to be located you have to get the cable to the TV in order to plug it in and HDMI will require a good if not great cable if it's any distance away. You questions are fairy vague and a picture of your front door would help you get suggestions. Remember if anyone is standing infront of a camera the light behind them will be an issue (very often)

Measure the voltage at each camera and it should be within 10% of 12V. If it isnt then your so called plug n play cables are likely your problem.