Soundy

Not just on the right track, you're right in the middle of the street Most cams that use SD format support SDHC, which is up to 32GB... with motion-detect recording and some properly-applied masking, that should give you weeks if not months of recording (since in theory, it should very rarely actually have to record anything). I don't know about others, but the Dahua-made cameras will easily support live viewing and SD playback through their PSS software, and I believe you can playback video through the web interface as well.

Most cameras with digital and optical zoom will stop zooming when you hit the end of the optical range - you have to stop the zoom command, then start it again to continue zooming past that point.

"Homerun" refers to cabling that runs directly back to the DVR location (the "home" of the system). Yes. With most protocols (such as Pelco D and P), PTZs are assigned an ID number, so you can connect multiple cameras to one controller, then select which one you want to control by selecting its ID. In many cameras, this is set via rotary or DIP switches on the camera; in some, you may need to connect just the one camera, go into the menus from the controller, and change the ID through the OSD (on-screen display). Almost all PTZs will display their protocol, baud rate, and ID when they're first powered up. Naturally, all cameras on a single output must be using the same baud rate and communication parameters (8N1, etc), but they don't need to use the same protocol.

I have one elevator cam that's using Cat5 and baluns and it's noisy as f#%*... of course, it's also a crappy, cheap camera and probably has a ground-loop problem as well. Customer is satisfied with it and didn't want me spending any more time on it, so... *shrug* Meantime, I've run baluns over station-Z, 18/2 speaker wire, 20/2 shielded mic wire... only time it's been a problem was in one instance where I had to go from Cat5e to 18/2 to a different 18/2 and back to Cat5e before reaching its destination.

Why not just swap the cameras on inputs 1 and 7? Then the camera you want associate with audio 1 will be on video 1.

Of course, if you're not sea-side, you should have no problems. I have dozens of CNB VCM-24VFs (IP65) mounted outside in direct weather, most of those direct mounted to exposed walls - no leakage issues as long as you use the included gaskets for the mounting screws. I like to put a little petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) on the O-rings and gaskets to help make a long-lasting seal and prevent the rubber from deteriorating.

A computer CAN be an NVR, just needs the appropriate NVR software. Blue Iris, Exacq, Avigilon, Video Insight are all examples of NVR software. You could also just get a camera that records internally, like the one in the ad to the left... no PC/NVR/etc required.

Failing sensor would be my first guess on that one, too.

Is the whole gimbal maybe out of position? I don't know how these things are designed, but I had a case with a Panny CW504 dome where the dome tether wire hooked the gimbal and pulled the spring-loaded camera assembly out of position when I snugged the dome down... Yes: avoid built-in IR

^+1 The Rhino units are da $#!t. My co-worker picked up a display-model 5000 for a pretty good price. ADI up here regularly has a deal on where if you buy 10 rolls of label tape, they throw in the labeller for free... of course, the tape costs $20-$30 per roll, but it essentially means you get the whole thing for half price.

The Dahua 3MP box cam I'm using right now will do all this: it has an SD card slot (up to 32GB SDHC) to record internally, or you could put any number of different NVR apps on your PC, or even use its included PSS software to record... and it can send a snapshot to an FTP server on whatever trigger event you want to define (including motion detect, so you could even just define a small motion zone and have it take the snapshot when the truck enters that area).

That is exactly the problem. You may need to slide the gasket up the lens barrel a bit. Usually these things are just a rubber or foam ring that's friction-fit around the lens.

Just thinking out loud, but... what if the camera is about to zoom in on you and your wife getting an ass whooping across the street, but then locks in on a kid riding past on the near side of the street and follows him down and around the corner, completely missing the assault? This is the big problem with auto-track: it has no way of prioritizing the actual IMPORTANCE of what it sees.

Have you tried it with IE8? No doubt, this is one of the machines out there whose web clients infamously don't work with IE9.

As with most IR domes of this design, you need to make sure the gasket around the lens barrel is pressed solid against the bubble to block internal IR reflections.

"A" dome camera is too vague to give a complete answer. Some WILL have issues, or require special care/considerations, to mount directly to a wall... others won't. You're more likely to have rain on the bubble in front of the lens, but then if the camera is looking down, it's more likely to collect under the lens if it's on a pendant mount. All in all, the only right answer is, "it depends."

Baluns tend to have male BNC connectors and would connect directly to your DVR, no 1' or 6' coax cable needed. No. GEM, GVI, NVT, MuxLab are all good names. Probably not. I'd say don't worry about it unless you see a problem. As it is... 99% chance this is caused by using the non-balun connectors.

Passive should be fine at that distance, maybe just stick to name-brand. Wouldn't hurt to use an active balun at each DVR output, especially if you're going to break out the signal in the middle, but it shouldn't be necessary. And in that case, then yes, you'd want to use a balun on each run a the midpoint and use a T-connector instead of regular coupler. Keep in mind though, that if you're coming off the DVR's main output, the other DVR is going to see and record *everything* you do on that DVR - changing views, searching, playing back footage, etc. Your midpoint monitor will show the same. Oh yeah, and you'll get an interesting "feedback loop" if the "cross-channel" is displayed on both ends...

The Dahua ESIP-MP2-DM1 has similar specs (does full 30fps@1080p, where the OpenEye does only 15), lists at $199, no scouring needed... note the banner ad to the left of the page

Yeah, there are several different ways to do this. Any number of IP cameras have the ability to send a JPG to an ftp folder, an email address, and/or a network drive when an external input is received, whether a trigger from an operator, or an in-ground loop, or an electric-eye beam, or whatever else you may want to rig up to signal it. Several of those can also record internally, so there's no additional computer needed.

If you're talking about these: ...this is your problem: those aren't baluns. They aren't forming a balanced line, they aren't impedance-matching. I'd skip the balun-barrel-balun at the midpoint and simply splice the pairs together, then put a PROPER balun at each end of each pair. This will work best if it's the same color pair all the way through, so the twists match, but it should still work fine if they don't.

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Besides the fact you're probably paying for a couple hundred feet of cable you won't actually use... the cables bundled with the "package" systems tend to be pretty low-grade, as are the power supplies (off-the-shelf wall-wart adapters). The power/balun unit I listed not only helps keep everything tidy, it has overload protection on individual channels. Also, pre-wiring with Cat5e allows for easy upgrade to IP cameras later, should you decide to go that way.

The datasheet on it states power consumption is 1.25A at 48VDC, or 60W total, while the non-PoE models are 1A @ 12VDC, or 12W... which means the PoE portion requires an additional 48W from the power supply. Divided by eight ports, that gives you about 6W/port... meaning that like most other switches in its range, it's probably designed to provide full power (15.4W/port) for up to four ports, or half-power to all eight. Which in reality should be more than enough for most cameras out there, as long as you're not running a heater/blower, or IR arrays that can be seen from space.