Wachhund

Always a day late and a dollar short......Anyway, if you did the install I'm sure you found it went as any other. DiBos is a nice system. Let us know.

Craig makes a good point. Also, you need to check the local laws. In New York you need to be a licensed alarm installer to install cctv equipment. Although locksmiths, computer repair places and other trunk slammers jump into the business, the law still stands.

I just did a walk through for a system upgrade and noticed the former installer used BNC compression fittings at the DVR. The client wants the same fittings because "the first guy" (who moved away or something) told him the fittings were much better than crimp on and "Well worth the additional $10 a piece." Ten bucks a piece! Extra! Is anyone using these compression fittings for standard indoor work? How about a mini-poll to see who uses what : Crimp on - Twist on - Compression. Let's see what wins. I know there are threads about this somewhere but let's see what's new......

This is a good time to bring up the obvious that all installers, or the company they work for, should have adequate liability insurance. Although the insurance company for he station would pay out for the damage to get it operational, they would certainly subrogate against your liability insurance and you personally if your coverage was inadequate. Again, violate local law and you could face criminal charges if there is a big problem.....

Why not go to a local machine shop and have them cut a piece of aluminum round stock for you. They usually don't charge much to do it and it will be more exact than if you did it yourself. If it is solid, they can cut the mounting holes for you and if it is hollow, just use longer screws.

One last thing.....know what type of compression the DVR uses and know the differences between JPEG2000, H-264, etc. A smart ass defense attorney will try to get you to stutter and look dumb if he can to attack credibility.

As long as your cables are in conduit like EMT and you have your cameras in good enclosures with the wires fully enclosed, you can run cat-5 or Siamese without a problem. We mount them on the overhangs or the station building itself if possible. Just match the correct lens with the right camera and you can stay away from immediate hazards.

Its really a matter of choice. Both will work but cat-5 will allow you to hook up the controller to the PTZ. We always use the same cable for the cameras on a specific job if possible. Cat-5 is thinner like Craig said and its easier to pull in tight places...but...its also easier to twist and crimp along the way which can screw up your signal....

Rory- I'm glad I'm here.....twist on cost about .99. This is clearly a case of an opportunistic installer taking advantage of the client. I tried to explain the situation but when he found out the connections are almost the same in price the light bulb above his head blinked and he said...."Oh". He still wants the compression fittings though. He wants everything to look uniform............

Is this a full sized armored truck or a military vehicle? You need to put the cameras in corners with wide angle lenses. Usually a board camera in an armored corner housing would work best.

The only real way to "hide" the dvr is in a lock box. The inside of armored vehicles are usually plate steel and sparse as far as cabinets. You also have to consider the heat that will build up. The cables can be put into thin conduit but hiding the DVR is going to be tough.

Another satisfied customer!

I've dealt with the DA's office here multiple times. They hardly ever get hit by the defense for video alteration. Originally they would confiscate the hard drive for chain of custody reasons. Now, they take what they call the "first copy" meaning the video is backed up on a cd or dvd. I've been called in to testify on the authenticity of the video but it never went any further than that. Shootings, stabbings, etc. A contempt of court will probably piss the Judge off enough to over rule any complaint by the defense anyway. Let the video speak for itself.

It depends on how many channels you are looking to get. IC Realtime has some good stuff, Ameba CCTV has some too. You need to get a demo set up to see which remote software you like best.....Too many choices. Make sure you can get a demo of the remote software before you buy. Most reputable companies will get you logged in to see and use the interface before you jump in and buy.

Like Kiwi posted - make sure the subnet and gateway are correct in the DVR. Also, log into DynDns from a local computer to make sure the auto detect for the external ip address is correct. Also make sure the DVR is not using DHCP and that the ip address is static on the machine. Finally, see that the router is set to automatically update the ip address daily in DDNS because Comcast will randomly change your ip address. Good Luck-

Mace has some good low light cameras .002, etc. Those are b/w at night and color during the day. check with Security Monster or one of the other dealers on this site. They'll help you out.

That happened to a client of ours too. Unfortunately for the Bozo, he used a hacksaw to cut through the conduit he thought the cables were in. He cut through the electric line for the sodium lights instead. Oooops. The cameras caught it all. Nice going Sparky!

There are several factors you need to take into consideration. First, does the size of the camera matter? There are plenty of low light cameras out there with .002 lux but they require housings for the most part. Second is the budget. Any sub $150 camera with ir will give you blotchy and blurry pictures because they don't have a filter to go to black and white which is going to give you the sharpest image at night. metafizx is right about the resolution too. You can get 600 lines in black and white or 540 in color. B/W is going to be cheaper.

The discounted pricing will bite you in the end. Save up and get a decent system. You'll need to id faces. Those cheap cameras are too grainy. Get a good dvr like an IC Realtime Max-4 or something like that and add your cameras as you go. It may cost almost twice as much mut in the end you'll reap the benefits.

You need to forward your ports on your router to view the video....even with the remote software. Check your router's documentation to see how to do it. Also, the dvr needs to have the DynDns account enabled. Usually its pretty straight forward. Did your DVR card come with a users guide?

Are you talking about the board drivers or the DVR board drivers? Some DVR boards only work with certain chipsets. If it's the motherboard drivers, try downloading them from the net. Maybe the disc is bad.

Although we run fiber, I think for this distance VST has it right. A quality active balun will boost your signal over cat5 for 500 meters. Just don't go for a cheap termination. Use an NVT balun or similar quality product.

No DVR can give you license plate recognition on it's own. You need a good camera like Extreme Video makes to get the proper capture. The DVR might be able to enhance it but it won't do it all on it's own.

First, before the camera equipment, are you certified for fiber optic runs? Splicing and termination is far different for fiber. Are your cameras fiber optic like the Pelco or are they copper terminated? You need media converters if they are copper. An 8 camera tx/rx can run $10,000 USD. This would run 8 cameras over copper to the converter, transmit over single mode to the rx and convert to copper for the head end. The fiber cable is not that expensive but the cost of termination mistakes at $10 - $15 per splice can run into money. Get a certified technician to do the run. In the long run you'll save time, headaches and money. You can try www.optech.com.tw for supplies - Good Luck

There are adapters out there but know ahead of time that even if you get a high quality lcd monitor the picture will not be as crisp as if you used a crt monitor. There are several dealers in this forum that can help you find what you need. You can try clicking on some sponsor banners too.