shockwave199

If anything, it's best to look for firmware updates specifically for your cameras. I would not try and load q-see firmware on your nvr- certainly not if you don't wish to brick it. I believe motion detection issues are camera related, not nrv related. So be sure the cameras are up to date, if anything. And make sure you triple check your scheduling. If it works between some hours, it seems like it's working and might be scheduling related.

Interesting that they picture the cameras with a male jack on the end. I'm guessing that's just staged to let you know it's a network camera. Anyone that gets this package, could you PLEASE post some pics of the dome in total darkness outside so we can see how the IR is doing? I'd like to see the IR wash and if IR bleed has been fixed. Even if you just hold the thing out a window- anything to show how the IR is doing on those domes.

Yep, that's true. Q-see has their own, dahua has something in there, and I've used openeye that has their own- solid in fact. But the qsee one has always been reported to have problems every so often and I don't know about the dahua one so no-ip is what I choose.

Oh, I see you responded! LOL! My brain is fried tonight- I was getting confused.

Edit- I think I misunderstood. Carry on

The funny thing is that even knowing my cameras are up all around my house, I don't see them really. Even my ptz on the front of the house- it's not terribly noticeable unless you're really taking a good stare. It's amazing what you don't see, much beyond the top of your head. That's why to sell product on shelves, it's best to be lower in the line of site. The problem I get is when something occasionally happens out front and I did not get it on camera, like our street sign walking away one night. "All those cameras and you didn't record that?" Well no, I don't have a camera aimed at our street sign! Although, now I aim my ptz over there more often. But if it comes up in conversation, be careful what you claim to your neighbors. Your system primarily watches YOUR property. If something happens to THEIR property, 'you'd be glad to take a look and see if you got anything useful. OR, I do installs if you're interested'. That's valid and it's actually preferred that you take your cameras down when selling your house. CCTV cameras spell a troubled neighborhood, no matter how much you may insist different. Most people aren't cctv geeks like us, and they don't get the fact that in large part, a home with cameras can be even sexier to our eyes, needed or not.

LOL! I do it myself because I understand what I'm looking for and I behave as though I would be breaking in. Wear a hoody, a hat, don't look up, do look up, look straight into the camera to see if the IR is blasting me, etc. Then you check playback and adjust what you need to, and recheck. For colors, I use the American flag at each camera. When those colors are dialed in as I see them with my eyes out there, done. This I do with analog, where it can sometimes be needed. With MP cams, the colors are true by default, it seems.

I can't reccomend dydns any longer, unfortunately. To keep a free account active now, you have to login every 30 days or the account gets wiped out. An updater in a router or dvr/nvr doesn't cut it- you have to manually log into your dyndns account over there within every single month. I've been doing it. I just do a quick login when I pay my bills. But it's like, dumb. The only thing good about dyndns is it's been flawless for years, so I keep it going. But I'm getting a dahua dvr in line this weekend and for that I'll be using no-ip. I've been using no-ip in a dahua nvr with no problems at all. The dahuas have an updater in them so it's great- set and forget. Eventually they'll all be a pay account I'm sure. And then, you'll have to pay to play- just that simple.

^^ how do you do that? Details would be great- thanks.

Two things. That mailbox has a LOT of falling down in it's future if they just sit it there without anchoring it! LOL! But this does bring up another question in general for everyone. How much time do you spend teaching your clients how to operate what you install, such as searching and backing up? They all want to see picture, but they don't usually have a clue how to retrieve anything important. Most have little interest in how to work their own systems.

There's a 1080p option. It takes a few minutes after processing an upload for full res to be available.

First in line before the pile of stuff, a human.

I know this is an old thread, but if you're talking about the 2mp mini dome, it can be sharpened by turning the lens clockwise a smidge at a time.

If only it had an alarm in/out block. Sigh. Deal breaker. Someday that nvr will be in a package, I just know it.

From that picture, I think the camera needs some tweaking for sure. I saved the manual. I don't even own an Acti camera but that manual was very cool anyway- all good stuff in there.

I'm sure that's the dahua 1.3 bullets and let me say, the IR on those bad boys is just awesome. Your installs are giving me renewed faith that going IP will happen for me eventually! Thanks!

I'm not sure if it's the same dome, but Buellwinkle did a review on hik domes and the IR bleed was nasty bad. I'll have to take a look at his site. It's not worth two extra domes if the IR bleed is so flawed, to me.

That's great to know that about the IR. What's the drawback of IR staying on in day mode, picture wise? I've seen footage of a dahua camera in day mode at night and it looks like it's just available light coming in- a good picture. Is it just minus the IR, you take care of the spider problem?

Do you have a wire going from the A/B connections on the ptz to the rs485 hookup on the back of the dvr? Nothing will respond without that- you'll only have picture. If you have that hooked up, before you change any dip switches try reversing the wires at the back of the dvr's 485 hookup. They need to match how you have it at the camera side. There won't be any harm done if they are backwards. You need to make sure that wire is properly in place first. Then make sure the camera is hooked up to channel 1 in your dvr. I say that because new ptz's are usually set to channel 1 by default, and it will save you having to mess around addressing the camera with the dip switches. Hopefully you have not moved them around yet. Then, reboot the ptz and watch the monitor with pen and paper in hand because when it starts up it will tell you on screen if it's set to pelco D or P, and the baud rate. Write all that info down and on channel 1 in the dvr under ptz settings, match the camera settings you wrote down. Hit save or apply in the dvr and then go to channel 1 and try and move the camera. If nothing happens, try and reverse the 485 wire in the back of the dvr just to make sure. And make sure it's push into those hookups well and the wires aren't touching. See what happens then. If nothing, take a close up, clear snap shot of the dip switches on the camera and post it here. Then we can see what address you may have dialed in.

Awesome! Thanks for doing that. I'm gonna guess I won't be the only one that would seriously consider that unit, so it's probably worth the effort. " title="Applause" />

Actually that's the thing too- WHAT ptz would it support? There's a number of them here, and interestingly, they sure do look like dahaus http://www.hikvision.com/en/products.asp?cid=130307 All this combined is kinda why it's unlikely I could actually switch from dahua in the short term. Dahua is much more filled out with product and availability.

Is this in fact the closest you can come? http://www.costco.com/Swann-8-Channel-HD-NVR-Security-System-with-2TB-Hard-Drive-and-4-1080p-IP-Cameras.product.100027599.html Is that the best to hope for?

This can be done in the hik bullets?

So 485 even on an nvr is used for comm line. I figured so. And I would use it as well. I understand what you're saying and everyone has different needs and approaches. But it bares repeating- Hik needs to fill the 8 channel void. The full featured units need to be available from someone.

Ohhh, so you don't use com wire to 485 with IP ptz's? That's all sent over the cat5? Is that right? Huh, I didn't realize that. I'm still stuck out here in analog land! Well I sure hope someone starts carrying the nvrs with alarms. What I do with alarm out is hookup a siren that I can manually set off remotely if needed- such as if I see someone lurking around the property. I haven't had to do it yet thankfully, but it's there if I need it. Not to mention PIR's on the inputs if needed. If Hik makes them, they need to be available. And since most resellers skipped over the dahua 8 channel units entirely and went right to 32 channels, it's even more of a need to fill that void properly for the 8 channel crowd.