Trebuchet

Now I've got myself DVR'd I'm looking at IP cameras. Has anyone got an opinion on this one, once again I've gone for a cheap option, and await the derisive laughter of everyone It's the 8904W, an external, wireless IP camera... Thanks

good company with good prices. BUT why buy a new DVR and look at a wifi camera. its I.E based. Sorry, you've lost me a bit here. I've got a couple of software DVRs running, Zoneminder and Vitamin D, and need a camera to work with either or both of these (I haven't decided which one to go for yet). When you say it's IE based, does this mean it requires Internet Explorer to work or am I missing out on a bit of jargon? Cheers

Hi everyone, I'm looking to put a couple of cctv cameras on the outside of my house, I think my best bet will be to put a DVR in my garage and mount some cameras externally, using a powerline adaptor to get a connection to my network in the house. Maplin sell a kit that looks right for my needs, but I've had variable results from Maplin kit over the years, some good and some not so good - has anyone got experience of this one? http://www.maplin.co.uk/500gb-4-ch-h.264-network-dvr-with-2-x-ccd-cameras--mobile-access-517907 Really appreciate any feedback. Thanks Chris

Since I've gotten such good advice here I thought it only right that I'd give you an update on where I got to and what I've decided to do. I checked out Vitamin d, which seems very good, and as I had an old laptop running ubuntu I downloaded Zoneminder and (eventually) got that up and running. Both do what they do very well, and some trials with webcams have worked out fine. So, next I'll buy myself a decent outdoor IP camera, set it up using POE and take it from there. Depending on how many cams I want I might yet use either Vitamin d or Zoneminder, but at least I've now got some options. Thanks everyone for your help.

Thanks for the advice. Vitamin - D does look good.

Just one pointer --- A dvr is literally a server device. It has minimum and maximum operating temperatures and is susceptible to various influences from the ambient environment. Issues such as humidity and moisture content etc. Our integrators always install them in server racks and cabinets like any other server - mostly you won't find that in a DIY install. Such installations are never within the parameters of warranty terms though. But then i guess that is why we have dvr's running 5 years after installation! Thanks, having given it a bit of thought I had come to that conclusion too, if I go to the trouble of fitting IP cameras I can just put a POE switch in the garage and connect it to the network in the house via some powerline kit. Really appreciate all the suggestions though.

I'm in the UK, Tamworth to be more precise. I'm not really sure what my budget is, other than the usual 'as little as possible for as much as possible'

Hi. just type maplins into the seach on this site. total waste of money. and not good for using in the uk court system. I did search for maplins and as you say there's some pretty crappy stuff out there, but my experience of them is that they do occasionally get some decent stuff in - which is why I asked about this particular kit. However, if it's no good what would you recommend for a simple system that can control up to 4 cameras, networked to a PC for viewing footage? I'd like night vision and outdoor cameras. Really appreciate any advice. Regards Chris