Soundy

Why not just surface-mount the dome directly to the wall? Less likely to get ripped down...

There are liquidation stores up here that have 6"/7" Android tablets for <$50, selling them as "e-readers". As long as something like that has WiFi, you can install the appropriate Android viewer app, and you're good to go.

That Dahua is a good choice. It will do up to 7fps at D1 (highest) resolution on all channels, which should be plenty for you. They also carry the CNB cameras I noted above. The Security Pros DVR you linked APPEARS to do a full 30fps per channel at D1, but it's not specific about that... and I tend to be leery about anyone who lists a ridiculously high price and then graciously give you a special "lower" price (note how it lists a "regular price" of $700!! - absolutely insane). If you think you need full 30fps, a Dahua Full D1 unit will do it for about the same "reduced" price with the gimmick.

Sounds like a damaged wire, possibly a pinched wire with the power lead shorting to the coax shield. I'd check all my runs for damage/pinches/cuts. If you're stapling wires, make sure you didn't staple THROUGH a wire. You shouldn't be getting interference with just the first camera hooked up, unless it's a VERY low-quality camera, or VERY low-quality wiring. What make and model are the cameras (particularly the first one you installed)? What do the various markings on the wire say (particularly on the coax part), or on the wire box? How are you wiring up the microphones in the board cams? Are these all analog cameras? If so, why would you go with two hybrid units instead of a single 32-channel DVR?

It can be surface-mounted with its back-box, or flush-mounted in a 3-1/4" cutout (fits in a standard double-gang box). viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22339

Max, nice breakdown. Agreed... revolutionary, maybe... match made in heaven for CCTV? Not even close.

This: http://www.cnbusa.com/en/html/product/product.php?seqx_prod=1073 - is a very good all-around camera with excellent low-light performance. It does need SOME light, but will give you a great night picture without needing much of it, and without needing IR. I generally recommend a motion-activated flood over IR, for two reasons: one, you get a nice color picture rather than the washed-out white glow you get from IR; two, a bright light snapping on will usually draw the reaction of looking toward the source of the light... and if it's mounted near the camera, that means looking right toward the camera, for a well-lit face shot.

Analog video is limited by the analog standards that have been in use since the 50s - usually NTSC in North American (525 scan lines, 483 of those visible) and PAL (625 lines, 576 visible) in most of the rest of the world. For higher resolutions you need to use digital transmission of some kind - most common is network (IP) transmission to record to an NVR or hybrid DVR; less common is HD-SDi (Serial Digital Interface), which is based on a broadcast standard. HD-SDi currently supports up to 1080p (1920x1080, or 2MP resolution); IP resolutions are theoretically unlimited, although they do run into practical limitations of network speed. Still, there are cameras commercially available up to 29MP. It's got nothing to do with live vs. recorded - analog video is limited to about 480 lines (in North America), PERIOD. One word: MARKETING. In the days where 480TVL cameras were pretty high-end, 280-380TVL was more common, and going with a higher number always meant higher resolution. Marketing has kept up that trend, and most people have bought into the idea that "more TVL is always better". Of course, there's always weakest-link theory and having a higher-TVL camera ensures that the camera's resolution will never be the weakest link in the chain... but as you've discovered, that only goes so far.

How is the lighting in the areas you need to cover?

BEST?? Budget no issue? Probably this: http://avigilon.com/products/cameras-video/pro-ip/ I believe the 29MP model will set you back about $11,000. Expect to pay anywhere from $200 to $10,000 for a lens.

That should suit your needs... Just remember that those aren't actually baluns, so don't use them in place of baluns.

It will work in IE without needing compatibility mode. Not sure about other browsers. However, the PSS software (thick client) is available for Windows and Mac, and there are apps for most smartphones as well. You can never have too much storage, so always go with the biggest drive you can afford. You usually save a bit as you go bigger - for example, looking that price for WD Caviar Black drives from my regular local retailer, 500GB is $110, 1TB (twice the space) is $120... 1.5TB goes for $155, and 2TB for $210. Absolutely. You can adjust resolution and framerate on each channel individually. D1 is four times the resolution of CIF - 720x480 vs 352x240.

They do have per-camera licensing fees, but they vary depending on the camera (cheaper for their own branded cameras), and there may be savings realized by ordering as all-hybrid vs. adding IP licenses later... that would more be a question for the specific vendor/integrator you purchase from, though. Well, unless it's hybrid, you won't be able to add any IP cameras... the cons of most standalone hybrids I've seen are already spelled out above. You don't tend to have the same level of flexibility/expandability with a standalone vs. a PC-based system. Pros, well... cost... but again, you're generally paying less for fewer features. Not really... it's going to vary substantially depending on the system you use. If the NVR portion does its own motion-detection, for example, it will need a more powerful processor than if it uses the camera's motion detection. A hardware-compression DVR card will need less CPU power than a software-compression card. And so on.

WTF??? Pretty much. Have fun getting all that to work... I wouldn't have paid more than $20 for those cameras.

Doesn't matter - just one pair of terminals per camera.

Red to positive (+), black to negative/ground (-).

No. I can't speak for this DVR specifically, but my experience, all channels will default to COM1, ID1. You only lucked out that your camera was already ID1. It would have worked no matter which channel you connected it to.

Keep in mind that many standalone hybrids are limited in the resolutions they support from IP cameras. For example, take the "Dahua HYBRID 16 Channel Analog plus 4/8 Channel IP Security DVR/NVR"... in addition to 16 analog cameras, your IP camera options are: If you want to use cameras higher than 2MP... you're SOL. If you're only planning to ever add a couple 2MP or lower IP cameras, you're fine with a couple of systems like this - they run around $1000 each. If you need more capacity than that, you're probably looking at something PC-based... take a look at Vigil systems (http://www.3xlogic.com). They support a wide range of cameras up to 12MP or higher, have support for dewarping of panoramic cameras, and all channels (16 or 32) can be any mix of analog and IP. You could load it up with 32 analog cameras and swap them for IP cameras in the future, if you wanted. Catch is, they aren't cheap (you're probably looking at around $4500-$5000 for a 32-channel full hybrid system), but that will give you a ready-to-go system with none of the limitations of standalones. Another option is to go with a pure NVR software (Avigilon, Exacq, Milestone, etc.) and connect the analog cameras using encoders...

The DVR should not automatically match the PTZ's ID number to the channel number - the ID should be configurable in the channel's settings. Most do default to ID0 or ID1 (depending on the protocol used), and most of them I've seen have it set by DIP or rotary switch(es).

You could probably get away with cloud backup for the same reason you won't need a massive amount of storage: fixed camera, vacation property, motion record, there really shouldn't be that much video data to worry about. Again, cameras like the Dahuas can automatically send to FTP on alarm inputs, so you could potentially wire it to an alarm panel, or even just directly to a door trigger, and have it send to your server as soon as something sets it off. I wouldn't even bother with PTZ in this case - it's going to add a BIG chunk to the price, and won't really do any good unless you have it running on a constant tour or pattern, in which case you'll be constantly recording and/or transmitting, and eating up the storage and bandwidth.

Who said it was? I've been testing the 3MP box cam for a few weeks now, it holds up quite nicely beside an IQ755 (the IQ is still better in some regards, weaker in others, but runs 2.5 to 3 times the price). I just got one of the 2MP domes and haven't had a chance to put it through its paces yet, but I have high expectations based on experience with the 3MP.

Yes you can. Hard to say what the law is without knowing where you are and where the outsourcing is - if it's India, I'd say probably no problem... if you're in the US and you're outsourcing monitoring to Syria or something, then there might be a problem. A bigger problem will be the amount of bandwidth you'll need on the site to be sending that video 24/7 - it will need to be a fast enough connection to provide smooth video, and have high enough monthly limits so you don't exceed your caps.

You're probably fine with a couple appropriately-placed vent holes. I don't think the chill pad will really make a difference, as all it's doing is pushing air across the bottom of the DVR - unless there are vents on the bottom, it's not going to carry much heat away, and all it will do then is circulate it around inside the cabinet. Proper venting will do far more to keep things cool - I'd put a hole directly above the DVR for its heat to escape through, and another kitty-corner in the bottom so fresh air can enter the cabinet to replace it. If you find it it needs more cooling, a 12V computer fan inside the exhaust hole, blowing outward, and powered off a simply 12V adapter, will do the trick - get a low-flow/low-speed fan to keep the noise down, as you really don't need to move massive amounts of air - the important thing is just that there IS air flow. Run it inside the wall. Use about a 3" hole saw to drill through the back of the cabinet and through the wall (between studs, of course). Drill a hole in the top plate from the attic, and fish the wires up. Yes, it's that simple... it would be simpler to just run the DVR output to an RCA A/V input on the TV.

Agreed - hate sites that have noisy videos start up automatically.