Numb-nuts

It's my experience from my own system that annoying teens misbehaving aren't so bold when they think there is a chance of being caught or identified but being what they are they have to behave that way so move somewhere else or behave themselves.

THE most important part of BNC terminating is ensuring you get the centre pin to "lock" in when you insert it in the outer body. Most people think that the crimping of the ferrule is what holds the whole thing together but they are only half right. This is the most common problem I come across & I refer to it as the Mathew Technique after the installer who spent 15 years of doing it wrong. You would wonder why he didn't bother to find out why most of his coaxes, complete with pin, would pull out of the BNC with just a little tug. He's quite right of course, the center pin MUST lock in to the body of the plug before any attempt is made to crimp the ferrule. I realize that many BNCs that I am called out to replace have this error. Not my own I should add. Someone said that everyone has their own way of doing things, I agree and who is to say whats right and wrong? If it works for you then it's what you should do provided you are not unsure of your technique. I know that most installers simply clamp CAT5 into screw down terminals, it doesn't work well for me so I looked for another way to get a connection with integrity. I would be failing in my duty to my clients if I wasn't satisfied with my final results. having to tell a client they should not move anything in my humble opinion just isn't acceptable. By all means everyone, do what works for you.

I LIKE THESE THEY SELF DRILL AND CAN BE REMOVED LATER AND THE HOLE FILLED EASILY

For some tiles I cut a piece of 9 00 *3y the exact size of my tile, then I usually reduce the tile thickness by half to ensure the ply id within the metal frame when seated. I spray carpet glue onto the ply and apply the back of the tile before screwing the camera to the ply through the tile. If the camera is very light, you could reduce the ply's width to just slightly wider than the camera base and long enough to span the metal frame behind the tile. A handy tool for getting those ssft tiles properly seated is a large paperclip bent into an "L" shape. Is it overkill, probably but better that than a camera falling off the ceiling. When you start ceiling mountingt Monitor brackets through a drop ceiling you'll realise that the ply helps to keep the tile in shape when cutting a hole for the ceiling mount bracket through a tile. They stay in one piece because the ply will hold the tile together. YOU CAN'T ALWAYS CHOOSE WHERE THE DROP WILL OCCUR BUT BEST TO MAKE IT LOOK TIDY AND A FLAT TILE LOOKS TIDIEST

Until recently I couldn't fit a RJ45 plug to save my life, I bought a100 plugs and kept every scrap of cat5 I could and practiced. I watched videos on Youtube, and practiced some more. Now I find them very easy to use and it's empowering. I find the cheaper the plugs, the more likely they are to crimp well to both solid and stranded core cables although technically we shouldn't use the same plugs for both. You will find BNCs even easier to learn, but remember before crimping the center pin make sure it is properly seated to the dialectric (polythene inner).Don't forget to put the relief boot and ferrule on before trimming the cable ( we have all done that at least once I think? ).

I never price individual component parts of a system, I dolist everything but without individual prices, I list labour as no of man hours and then a nom sum f b7utor installation materials but again no prices until the total net price, t total incl tax and deposit then finalpayment on completion. I do not think your prces are too high and your labour cost is low unless you are allowing for contingency in your number of man hours. Using the above method of quoting has helped me to move from winning just 1 in 10 quotes to winning 1 in 5 almost overnight. I found listing individualm prices, clients start to price check individual prices some which they like some they will have seen cheaper and then they will resent you not being cheaper than b@@dy ebay on every item when actually if they are happy with your total price they aren't interested in looking any further. Another advantage is, yoiu never know who they will show your quote to in order to get a better deal from the next dealer installer to quote then. This way the comjpetition really have no idea what you are charging other than overall price.

Neighbour's issues are generally ill-founded and they just want to have a moan and want something to complain about. If you humour them and don't go on the defensive, they usually come around. Obviously if your cameras cannot help but overlook their property, you should use the blind facility and approach them before they approach you. Invite them in to see that their privacy isn't compromised and you may find you have an allie. I have become somewhat of a local hero because of my CCTV. Suddenly, my neighbours are finding out who did damage to their property, there are a lot fewer incidents involving drunken teens hanging out on in the street corners etc. The teens have learned it's easier to misbehave in other neighborhoods because when they do that here, someone always calls police. (Not mentioning any names of course) My neighbours did some concerns, but they have seen the benefits too which outweigh their concerns. My CCTV is well accepted locally.

The guy has a problem, I merely offered a solution that works for me. I am not saying that there isn't another way to do it, so what's with the criticism? You just carry on and do the job the way you want to, okay? Some people on here just feel the need to criticize anything, I suppose it makes them feel superior or something personally I just don't get it? 'Nit Picking' isn't a CCTV technique, it's the pastime of nerds.

Have you noticed that the little punks that hang out in random places like this are almost always smokers? They're apparently not allowed to smoke at home, so they wander off to smoke in front of some stranger's house (and leave their cigarette butts in the street). Once they've had their nicotine fix they wander off. I wish I knew a way to make the street in front of my house less attractive to these punks... There is a way, it's called the Mosquito It emits an ultrasonic screech that can be tapered to various age ranges especially teens. It is non harmful but teens cannot stand the persistent sound for long.

Cat5 cable was never designed to work with screw down terminals. The way I deal with this is using 0.25mm chord end ferrules crimped onto the stripped end, trimmed if necessary and set into the the baluns. No amount of moving the cable will cause the connection to fail. I use ferrule ends on all screw down connections and they just never fail. Invest in a good crimp tool either plier or ratchet operated, they are a great way of solving the problems you describe. Try searching your search engine for Ferrules Direct (in US), you should use the insulated ones as they tend not to allow the wire to break, and be prepared spend around $45 on a good crimping tool, with the range 24 to 10AWG (0.25 to 6.00mm2) 0.5 mm ferrules will work with both cat5 and with cat6 cable and you can use stranded cable too. I would put a link to the best supplier here but they will simply remove the link (so why should I bother). Further, if you make any connections in a junction box outdoors, smear the contacts with Contralube to protect from corrosion. I have the blue tool shown below and it's great. One of the cheapest ratchet controlled tools around and does the job without any trouble @ around $44

That's what I call an 'uneconomic repair'. The cost of a new power supply and the unit is still past it's best if something else fails, against the added functionality and increased storage of a new replacement not to mention the instant return to full operation and a two or three year warranty. It's not as if the cameras will need replacing or even adjusting so the client is not looking at a complete new system. You should offer to clean the cameras and tweek them but other than that... If you are in business, you need to be making money from solving client's problems. Obviously you wouldn't want to take unfair advantage but you have to eat too. I would take along a great new DVR for demo and once they see it in operation they're not going to let you take it away.

If it works for you and you get a result thats all that matters

A nice idea and principal, but not particularly practical or convenient. Or do you mean on the workbench?

Speaking for myself, you are not alone on that score but any screen out in the sun will have the same washout effect believe me, although you stand a better chance of a nice sharp image with a bigger screen like the 7" Soundy uses. I used to have a sun shield I built with black craft board but it made the whole thing too cumbersome to be lugging around so I leant to cope. Depending how much you would need it , it is designed for VF lenses with body cameras and assists you to set the back focus at the workbench which then eliminates the need to "focus" at the point of delivery. The meter is not that expensive at £100 + tax but you can't use on every camera. You will still need some form of display to position and set the zoom (sight) the camera.

Too fancy for me, I use a simple CCTV Tester with 3.5" screen, nice thing is it tests my RJ45 connections and is a multimeter colour bar generator and PTZ controller/tester PTZ data tester and Audio channel tester. I have to admit I have no clue about the PTZ data tester and have never used the audio tester. You may not need all these functions so there are cheaper alternatives for sure for about $35 I wish I could find a pair of pliers that would do as many jobs. ( Now some smart@lec is going to post a multi use pliers just you watch )

What brand of DVR do you have?

In the past I have been asked to install covert cameras in bedrooms, in WCs in coffee areas where staff take their breaks and in cloakroom areas aswell as in the private office of various levels of staff. I have had to consider the ethical aspect of these sometimes and it's been quite difficult to determine who has a legoitimate purpose to have coverts installed. I once had a landlord that asked me to install a system and have a covert camera in all of his student apartments. I told him I would have to consider this request which I eventually turned down on the basis that these apartments were a place where a person would normally expect to have privacy and that installing cameras was a breach of that right to privacy. It made me sick to turn down the work as I know that a competitor did the job for him. I decided after that, that my policy would be that such clients were only legitimately allowed to install cameras in common areas alike kitchen, hallways and shared lounges and parking areas but excluding bathrooms, and apartments. If a client has a particular problem with recent stock shortages and has an idea where the goods are going missing, I urge them to place a camera, only with consultation of the police and that the camera is temporary. This excludes cash handling areas, valuable stocks like jewelry etc, and tills. It would be interesting to hear your ethics regarding covert cameras.

Go to Google Play and type in "QVIS Discovery Client" it's now available for android it may well be available for iPhone too.

OR save your money and a load of heartache and get a professional in. Running a restaurant does not pre dispose you to installing CCTV like being a CCTV engineer does not pre dispose me to being a chef. Concentrate on making your diner's experience a good one, and let a professional do the job. Remember, any job done on the cheap is just that CHEAP

Just goes to show. don't mess with what you don't understand. Good luck with your problem.

You've all seen bikers being buried in mock motorcycle tanks, mechanics in mocked up cars etc This is how I'm going to go when my time comes...How do you see yourself being buried?

Oh I thought he was shouting bring out your LEAD ! We have guys that patrol the streets for scrap metals here in the UK

Probably, that brand are usually full featured. Look in the on screen menus for the domes as there is usually an option to turn proportional tracking on or off. Also make a note of the protocol settings so you can get a controller that supports the same protocol and baud rate. Then you'll know for sure. Too late now if they don't support proportional tracking anyway. See if you can borrow a controller to try out first. Setup is a breeze. (usually)

There is a lot to be said for continuity of supply and support. Otherwise we'd all be importing our own stuff from China.

I just heard a rumour that Norbain, the UK's biggest distributor of security equipment has gone into receivership. If thats so, I am not sure what the effects on the CCTV industry in the UK will be? It won't affect me to any great extent but there must be repercussions to the industry.