VirtualPanther

Hello again, everyone It's been some time since I have started this topic and in that time I have done some of my own research and, as advised in the above posts, have made some tough choices to make my list of "demands" a bit more realistic. Obviously, something like Mobotix looks very attractive. Unfortunately, that price range for routine residential surveillance is difficult to swallow... I have purchased a very simple, cheapo Foscam PTZ. No, not for my outdoor needs that were a precursor to this topic. I use it as a baby cam. Having it allowed me to experiment with both iPhone IP Cam monitoring (the most important need) and integration into my HomeSeer home automation system. As a result, I learned the so-called "integration" into home automation essentially does the same thing as any decent iPhone app and camera combo: e-mail alerts, FTP upload, etc. So, I don't really have to have a home automation compatibility. It will be just fine to get an alert from a camera and then use its app to look at the house remotely, or use home automation app to turn lights, etc. on and off. I have also evaluated my budget. Given my big parking pad in front of a two car garage and circular driveway in front of that, I want to cover that as much as I can, within a reason. I realize that attempting to do face recognition at the end of driveway would require a whole different range of equipment. I don't need that. But I do need something better than a $200 IP cam with cheap lens that shows everything fuzzy, is unable to auto-adjust brightness and contrast, and can only see 25 feet with IR. I have looked extensively at various specs from Axis, Vivotec, and some others. I just do not have enough knowledge of the subject to make a firm choice. I am attaching some links to pictures of the garage side of the house below, just to give you a visual of what I am trying to accomplish: http://cdn-2-service.phanfare.com/images/external/8998809_4240399_76724220_Web_3/0_0_249bf8c0f972ea90cb4131c1d17c9126_1 http://cdn-2-service.phanfare.com/images/external/8998809_4240399_76724276_Web_3/0_0_fbc7048391225ef0ba5ddcec576e0839_1 http://cdn-2-service.phanfare.com/images/external/8998809_4240399_76724223_Web_3/0_0_d8ec61043368fd33dae80d0e4f3d318f_1 As you can see from the shots above, covering entire parking pad/garage area and driveway with one camera in unrealistic. Plus, ther really isn't any need for that. What a want to be able to see perfectly during the day and OK at night is the second image. Ideally, of course. I do want to use PoE (my network area is right below in basement) and I don't want this cam to freeze/fog up in our high humidity in summer and freeze/thaw in winter weather. I was "thinking" of mounting either a ptz between garage doors, or a bullet cam under patio roof (left on picture, next to column). Not sure which one is better. Like the idea of PTZ. Not sure if it's way more money and troubles. If you have a camera model in mind, please speak up. My patience in trying to figure this out is slowly disappearing

Hi, I'm new here and I am hoping you guys can help me to sort though all the marketing lingo and help pick out a cam. I need a good outdoor day/night camera that is: - IP-based - does not need DVR (has on-board SD-slot and/or can record to NAS) - supports PoE - supports motion-tracking (to trigger recordings and message alerts) - able to see a good distance in total darkness (say, 100 feet or more) - ideally, maker has a good iPhone app (my main method of access) - if it's a wall-mounted half-dome, then wide angle is a must - good web management interface via browser is always good (for entering e-mail address to send alers to, etc. Given the above list, what is a reasonable price range? Let's just say I like what Mobotix offers but that is too pricey... Thanks in advance for your ideas and other input. P.S.: so far the only advice I have from another forum (they wer trying to mind cost) was Sharx Security SCNC3606.

You give Sharx the IP and change the administrator password so they can do the update. Wow

Thanks! How do you update firmware "remotely"?

I am not sure if you'll get acceptable quality for under $200, but I am not an expert.... I was leaning towards the following: http://www.sharxsecurity.com/products.html#outdoor I was going to get their non-Wi-Fi outdoor camera, which uses PoE, has an on-board SD card, writes to NAS, although night range is smaller than I'd like (45 ft). Their outdoor cameras seem to be getting great reviews, but I am sure the pros here would prefer a different setup, with DVR and all. I honestly have not yet had a single usable suggestion on a specific camera that I could look up, price, and see if it works for me. Quite disappointing. Best of luck to you.

Well, getting to the bottom of what is supported by HomeSeer has proved to be exceptionally difficult. They claim that "...any camera with a built-in web server is supported" and that their NetCam plugin "... allows you to enter URL to a snapshot image from the camera". That vague description has to be coupled with the fact that, according to their forums, users have varying success implementing this and that camera. So... I think the only thing I can do is try picking the camera that fits these non-specific guidelines and satisfies my needs as described and hope that it works. In all honesty, if the camera has an SD slot and supports access of iimages via URL (no additional ActiveX, Flash, etc.), then from what I gathered it should be absle to work with the HomeSeer home automation software. If, after receiving a notification email, I wish to view a live stream or a recorded clip, I can do it by using an iPhone app, or a browser. I am not sure if I will get more information from developer of plugin, so I may have to work with what i have. Eagerly awaiting suggestions.

Guys, Your input is extremely helpful. It also makes a lot of sense. Let me see if I can clarify my list of demands - in a perfect world, being able to see and ID everyone at any distance would be great, but... Realistically speaking, I only use the length of my driveway in description to illustrate that I am looking for the most length practically achievable with an IR cam or decent quality. - I have no need to ID anyone unless they get close to my house; let's say when they are almost all the way up the driveway and are 50-80 feet away from garage entrance. - if I have to choose between clarity and wide angle, I will choose clarity. I can always mount the camera right on the corner of the house (instead of between two garage doors) and get a view this way. In that case, I will need suggestions on what lens (or camera that comes with specific lens) I should be looking for. Imagine a two-car garage entrance and a drowsy approaches them sort of from one side, closer to middle. I was thinking wide angle because my driveway starts as one entrance and then splits into a oval, wit trees in between, joining together again by the time it reaches garage. - Mobotix is definitely out of my price range. Since my final goal is to have about 4 cameras (one at each potential entrance), then keeping the per-cam cost at under $500 would be great. Of course, this first one has the longest requirements list. Other are simpler and, hopefully, can be covered by cheaper cameras. - my home automation software, HomeSeer, uses a plug in that relies on a web address to view snap shots captured by camera. The program does not care about anything else. Because the home automation software is not capable to capture or control live video stream, I really need a separate app on iPhone and iPad to do that. I was planning to rely on home automation software for notifications (motion detected by camera, photo is taken, emailed to me). I would then, if need be, open the camera iPhone app and view live stream, access stored video from the point when motion triggered recording, control camera, etc. Thatis why, after reading many reviews on apps designed by camera makers (i.e. Axis, Sony, Foscam, etc.), I realiEd that I would get the highest level of control over camera by using the app designed by the same people who made that camera. Since I currently do not have any cameras, I am free to choose one that has a solid, well-rated app already made for it. Whew... Sorry for such a long worded explanation. I am just so lost at this, partially so because instead of just buying the first Foscam suggested, I decided to research the topic a little bit. Look where that got me

OK, Soundy, Given your experience and what you know, can you list a few cameras that you would choose for my situation? If you keep my needs in mind, there must be more than one camera that fits the bill, right? Some of my so-called requirements are just common sense. For example, I'm standing in front of my two-door garage entrance and the width of the area calls for a wide angle lens. From that point until the end of driveway it's a few hundred feet. The more I can see of that at night with no lights on, the better. I use home automation software from HomeSeer, which relies on cameras being IP-based in order to access them. And so on... If I have a list of models to choose from, that would hopefully make the right choice easier. Thanks again to everyone here for their help.

Thanks, I'm just new at this and want to be sure before spending money. Besides, I wasn't sure if support for PoE meant separate power injector, like the one I use with my outdoor access point, or if I could use my own PoE switch. Plus all the other requirements I wasn't sure about being supported by this cam. Thanks again,

Thanks, I looked up GeoVision GV-VD120D and it seems to be a very good IP camera, except for a few things that I could not answer definitively: - i can't tell if it is a true PoE cam, that is, can I use my existing Netgear PoE switch to power it; - it does not seem to support direct recording to a network drive (i.e. NAS), instead relying on PC and software running on it - it does not seem to have a manufacturer-designed native iPhone / iPad app, similar to ones existing for Axis, Sony, etc. - short IR range (only 15 feet) - browser support does not app era to be comprehensive (i.e. Can I control PTZ remotely?) Finally, and that is my own omission, I need a wall mounted camera. I am attempting to monitor a large area and circular driveway in front of a two-car garage. I plan to mount the cam between two garage doors. Once again, thank you very much for offering advice. As a matterof fact, I have a perfect application for this camera down the road (frontdoor patio). But for now, I am still searching for that perfect cam for my garage entrace/long driveway monitoring.