dave c

Thanks. I appreciate the reply and info!

I'm seeing some offers on various websites about Geovision offering their software (32 channel) for free if you purchase a GeoVision camera. It is hard to decipher things on the Geo website info but I get the impression that there are 2 versions of their software - one that works only with their cameras, and one that is "unlocked" to work with a variety of other manufacturers cameras. Any idea which version they are referring to with this "free" offer? It would be nice to have that and try it out, at the very minimum. Thanks, Dave

I've continued reading a lot here the past month or so. Lots of great info. It seems pretty clear that there are a lot of problems with buying cameras online, and I'm not even talking about junk from ebay. I read the thread on CNB and unauthorized resellers, for example. But if you search for their cameras online, you find most of the hits come from the places they list as unauthorized. And then if you go to one that is authorized, such as surveillance-video.com, you read plenty of bad customer experiences. So where are the decent places online? Places that will give a respectable price, but not be the bottom-feeders that cause all the bad experiences. There have to be GOOD sources out there, somewhere, aren't there? In my case, I am a DIY sort of guy. I find this area to be quite interesting, so I am looking to start trying some things out on my own. But I want good equipment, not cheap junk and though I can't justify $2k for a camera, there seems to be a lot of good choices in the $100-400 range that should allow me to get started learning more. I just want to find a decent place to get that kind of stuff. If you need to take it to PMs to avoid violating forum rules, I understand. Thanks, Dave

Oh - I got the impression that VideoIQ was NVR/DVR software, not a full system including cameras and everything. If that's the case it won't help me much in my application, I guess. That would get too pricey very quickly.

How much does VideoIQ run? Is it like what seems to be typical for commercial systems that run least a couple hundred bucks per channel or what?

I'm working on planning my CCTV system for our house. For a bit of background: I am a total DIY'er so I tend to read and learn as much as I can and then figure out the best course of action. I am also comfortable with computers and electronics having built a couple PCs and done scads of wiring and little electronics projects. Our house will be set into 12+ acres of woods and is pretty hidden from the road. This presents a huge opportunity for nefarious individuals to create mischief. I want cameras covering the key areas, and will tie that into alarm and mobile alerts, as it makes sense. I've read a lot here and on a few other forums, so I understand the basic points of having the right resolution and lens size for getting the details you want at the range/target in question, and also for using the obvious choke points to funnel traffic to the cameras for good face and license plate shots. But of course there is much experience/knowledge with CCTV that I do not have, so here I am... Towards this, I am looking to put cameras into the entry from the street. There will probably be a Simple pillar used for lighting on each side of the drive entry and I am thinking that it makes sense to put cameras that point both in and out there (hidden in the pillar). The problem is that this is at least 300' from the house, and more likely 400'+ to the network hub room. That means if I want to use IP cameras down at the entry for best resolution, I am outside the distance limit for ethernet. Since I suspect it will be pushing 300'+ to even get to the first possible structure where I could add a switch/hub/repeater to extend the range, I am thinking I have a problem in making this reach. I am looking for options. I can think of 2 - 1. Use analog and figure out how to make the signal stretch that distance (I am less familiar with analog CCTV specs than IP) 2. Figure there is wiggle room built into the Ethernet spec and you can go over 300' safely, especially if you watch sources of interference carefully. Or maybe #3, put a monument or something outside along the path with a repeater that will somehow handle the cold environment (Mpls -St Paul area) and stay dry. What advice does the forum have on this situation? Thanks for your help! -Dave

Coolio! I appreciate the info!

There is soooo much junk on ebay, I won't even go there unless I know what I am looking for (and there is still the risk is it fake). What I am looking for is a camera I can incorporate into an outdoor mount on a light pole or stone/brick "monument" acting as a light pole. I can create a pretty decent protected zone inside so the only thing that would be exposed would be the lens, so I am looking for something that can handle that sort of exposure and is decent. Most searches I do end up with a lot of ebay junk, and I don't see much from the big CCTV camera outfits. Does anyone have suggestions for sources of GOOD quality cameras that are small enough to hide? I'm willing to go to some effort to do the hiding, so it doesn't need to be Mission Impossible, but I'm more concerned with finding quality in a small package. I could go IP or analog. MP would be a plus, but I'm not optimistic that can be found in this package. Thanks for your time! -Dave

Good questions - I didn't think to describe this. This is still in planning stages for a new house site, so I can pretty much do "anything" at this point, but not all of the details are fixed yet. It is the driveway entry from the street, so the choke point is about 15' wide, and it could be anywhere from 10-60' range, depending on how it all gets set up. There is no street lighting, so the only night lighting would be from the light post(s) that will probably be on either side of the driveway, which could include IR also, if it helps. It would be daylight and nighttime operation, and I would be looking to get car models, license plates, faces, etc. I realize this will likely require more than one camera at this location. I want at least one of them to be not obvious. Thanks, guys, for the other links. The Mobotix looks really pricey, but I guess that's expected in a specialty area like covert MP, and I know they are high-end anyways. Marshall looks like a good source, and the Axis looks interesting too. Looks like a good start. Thanks! Dave

All great to know. Now I have a pretty good idea what my options and limitations are with the wiring. Thanks again! " title="Applause" /> -Dave

Aha - there are range extenders available! Something I was not aware of. Yes, I would think that one or two of those would be all I need to make the run. That is good as I believe I can now stick with IP cameras for the improved resolution. I don't have too ridiculously far to go, so one of those IP boosters should do the job. I plan to use conduit for all these runs so I have accessibility for future changes/repairs so I can pull any combination of Cat5e/6/RG59/RG6/etc... And run power in a separate conduit separated by a foot or so. Thank you, Gentlemen! As for the issue of crooks not wanting to get boxed in, that would be nice but I am more concerned that they can operate without anyone seeing anything, once they head up the driveway. If they scope it out ahead of time, they could have a field day. Putting in a gate is not in the cards. So I want to be able to get initial photos/video before they realize they are on camera and then perhaps warn them so they may think twice about proceeding further. Being isolated has it's pluses and minuses... Thanks again! Dave

From what (precious) little I know, I'd see if you can turn off/unplug the IR light module in the camera to kill it. Then add IR or other light externally as others have stated. I'd bet you'd get good images then. Much cheaper than new cameras...