Soundy

This is not necessarily correct. For one, there's a lot more to what makes good output from a camera than just the resolution. Two, because so many people just think "more TVL = better picture", manufacturers - especially the low-end ones like these - tend to "fudge" the numbers, often exaggerating them... or they sacrifice other aspects of quality just to achieve higher TVL... because that's what people think they need to look for. As Tom notes, the specs on those DVRs are dreadful. CIF denotes a recording resolution of 352x240 pixels - what's the point of a 600TVL (vertical resolution) camera if you just going to digitize it at 240 pixels? You want to look for a DVR that *records* at 4CIF (704x480) or D1 (720x480) resolution, ideally on all channels - that's the highest you can get out of analog video. Agreed. This is a good camera to start with: http://www.cnbusa.com/en/html/product/product.php?seqx_prod=1073. They can be found starting around $160 each; they're vandal-resistant, dual-power, have great nighttime/low-light image, a very versatile zoom range, and they look good too For a DVR, look up Dahua. Remember, this is a retail store; this is your livelihood. You're not just putting out cameras to catch kids leaving bags of dog crap on the porch of your house, you're trying to spot and hopefully intercept/stop theft that's affecting your bottom line. Don't cheap out on equipment that isn't going to give you the results you need.

Unless you managed to find it with the RS-485 option (cnb says it's available; I've never seen it), you can't control the camera remotely.

Doesn't matter - the camera corrects it internally.

The 24VF is dual-voltage (it will actually handle anything from about 10V to 30V AC or DC). There's no polarity to the connector. You can actually tell from CNB's model numbers whether it's dual or 12VDC-only... as I recall, "xxx-20" models are NTSC/12VDC, "xxx-21" models are PAL/12VDC, "xxx-24" are NTSC/dual, and "xxx-25" are PAL/dual.

Which info? On the camera sending clips?

Honestly, that's something only you and your own IT staff can answer. We don't know how your company handles training, what service agreements you have, what suppliers you use, or what pricing you can get. All we can tell you is that there's no functional difference to your CCTV LAN that depends on the brand of switch - the cameras don't care if it's Cisco, HP, Trendnet, D-Link, or Wal-Mart brand. Just check the specs, makes sure it's capable of handling the traffic, and your network will be fine... the rest are logistics that your company will have to work out for themselves.

I used to be afraid of flying... my wife would tell me, "Don't worry, you're not going anywhere before your time", and I'd think, "But what if it's the pilot's time?" I'd see myself standing at the Pearly Gates... St. Peter looks at me, looks at his book, looks back at me - "What are YOU doing here?" - and I'd jerk my thumb at the pilot - "I'm with him!" (Sorry... shamelessly stolen from Mike Warnke... I've actually never been afraid to fly

How many cameras are we talking about in this system? Choice of switch will largely depend on how much traffic it has to handle... brand isn't really relevant, as much as actual capacity. With installations up to 8 cameras, we've found the Cisco SFE-1000P and its successors to be a really solid performer... but that choice was originally made mainly on availability (it was the only one our supplier had in its price range, that fit the specs we needed). We stuck with it because it works well, but that doesn't mean there aren't other options out there. Again, the main concern is switching capacity: I've seen a multi-megapixel, multi-camera system have issues because of using cheap switches that don't have the backplane to handle the traffic.

Range and reliability are the biggest limitations with wireless for CCTV right now, not speed.

Peppering the case with massive fans won't help if the airflow isn't designed properly. It's all about moving air smoothly through the machine, usually in the front and out the back. Poor design will leave "pockets" that aren't ventilated properly and will just build up areas of heat.

I wonder what kind of camera one WOULD write home about? "Dear Mom, you should see the fancy cameras they got here in the big city... they're real purty. They gots these tall buildings, too..."

Fixed it for you Without... they list a 3.8-13mm auto-iris Fujinon MP lens as an option for an extra $100. It usually makes sense to list a box cam WITHOUT lens by default, as a lot of guys want to select a particular one for the job. I'm using mine with a Computar 3.1-8mm f/1.2 AI lens I got for something like $40 on fleaBay... works quite nicely Plus I already have a good collection of C/CS lenses, MP and SD, AI and manual, to work with, so being able to get the camera without the added cost of the lens was a definite bonus.

Premade cables are almost always low-grade stuff.

Sorry didn't get it Oh yeah, sorry, ya gotta scroll up to the top - banner ad on the top-left of the page

True, if the camera has relay outputs, you could use that to trigger an alarm input on the DVR. That's the only way that would work with analog, though.

Hmmm, it's a pretty noticeable difference to me - the Uriel is really soft around the outside. Are the two cameras using the same or at least similar lenses?? Still, given the price difference, it's not bad. You might want to compare to the Dahua ESIPMP3-1 - ONVIF, 3MP, TDN box cam, works quite well with a proper MP lens... retail price of $399.

Hope ya got proper airflow design through that bad boy!

That little dome pictured at the left of your screen will do all that as well...

It'll be tricky with a dome, unless you use one that has a C/CS lens mount. The Panasonics I mentioned do, as do at least some Areconts I've used... but none of those are in range. Dahua has a 3MP box camera that runs $400, those are a lot easier to find longer lenses for, but then you need an environmental housing for it. Keep in mind that with the higher resolution of a MP camera, you don't need to get the shot as tight, because you have more detail to work with in the first place.

From what specs I can find on it, it doesn't look like that TV has a composite-video (A/V) input... in which case, no, it wouldn't work. (Don't know how far you can trust the published specs, though - it says it's HDTV, but then lists the max resolution as 480i). If you're shopping Amazon, this is the unit I have: http://www.amazon.com/Haier-HLTD7-7-Inch-Handheld-Built-In/dp/B001OXNYIM/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1339161963&sr=1-12 Very nice little unit, and the DVD player doubles as a signal source for testing runs.

Megapixel is a whole other matter - it won't work with your current DVR. Be prepared to pretty much start from scratch.

Yes. The "T/W" dial is actually the zoom control - from "Tele" (12mm) to "Wide" (3.3mm). The other is the focus; if you're only using that, it would explain why you don't have much control over the FOV. And no, I don't think "Omni Focus" would help you - looks like it's little more than remote-controlled zoom, and it doesn't even connect back to the DVR - you have to take the remote out and point it at the camera. ALL it would do is allow you to change the zoom - it won't move the camera around. To top it off, it only uses a 2.9-8.5mm lens - it's a smaller zoom range than the other (3X vs. 4X with 3.3-12mm), and it won't get as tight a shot, since it only goes to 8.5mm. "Omni Focus" sounds like a gimmick at best. It'll save you needing to climb a ladder to adjust the zoom, that's all. It won't zoom in by itself; you have to be standing beside it to control it, and at that point, you can just see who's breaking into your car. Don't waste your money.

"Omni focal"??

Some cameras have support for alarm relay outputs, and the motion detection can be used to trigger those... so for example, motion detected by the camera could turn on a security light. Lots of times manufacturers will use the same internals for a whole range of cameras, so they may all have the function in their software, even if they don't have the associated hardware. As for turning it off... I wouldn't worry about it, unless it's generating something on the display.

They are indeed varifocal - 3.3-12mm, according to the Amazon listing I found. Going by http://cctvlenscalculator.com/, with a 1/3" sensor, at 40', your field of view (FOV) at 12mm should be about 16' wide; a face should be about 16 pixels wide recording at 4CIF/D1. That should be enough for you to make out who it is, IF you're familiar with the person. Of course, the problem with that is, the area you're covering is only 16' wide... probably not much more than the width of your driveway. At 20', your FOV is down to only 8', but a face would be 30 pixels wide; a license plate probably 1.5 to 2 times that, which should make it easily readable. But again, that's with the camera zoomed fully in to 12mm. As you zoom out, you gain coverage, but lose detail.