shockwave199

I always recommend a read through here as well- a great resource to keep an eye on frequently http://www.NetworkCameraCritic.com

Also, I never like IR in dome cameras. If a bullet is okay too, I would suggest the GS9212E. I think you'll have a much better picture, with no IR glare and possible fog in the dome over time.

Did gadspot confirm that camera is compatable with a dahua nrv?

^^ Excellent- thank you. I've been wondering about that one. Good to hear. Thanks all.

I just need a 5 port, no POE. I need to plug this into a router for some additional connection- the router is full. A 4 channel NVR will be on one port- the main reason for this. I've looked at DLink and also Netgear. I had issues with all netgear stuff in the past and I'm leaning towards Dlink, but this green technology thing where it throttles speed accordingly and turns off unused ports- there are enough people who say that feature sucks and is counter intuitive. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Do tell what that would be. Could you bring an 8 channel in for 1,500? Now THAT I didn't know. Interesting! But, define about...and anything else you might know about the full new range.

What mid level NVR isn't limited by fps per resolution? If you want to spend 1,500 you're gonna be in 4-channel territory. For an 8-channel system you're gonna spend considerably more. Don't forget the decentralized concept as well, where the camera has a micro card in it and the camera records to it. The only thing you need is PSS to view and/or retrieve backup footage, or just use each cameras web interface. The camera itself becomes the NVR at that point. The catch with that is the cards are only 64gb max, as far as I've ever seen. Kind of small depending on your needs. For eight cameras even just recording on motion, you need to be looking at a minimum of 6tb hard drive storage, I would think. At least, if you want some archive history before it starts overwriting. And the thing about computers is the NVR software, what cameras it fully supports if you mix and match, how it handles recording, licencing if that's part of it, and the computer itself. That's seems to be why for a home user, the packaged NVR system where everything is plug & play, is more popular. Around 3k [including the extra 4 cams to fill it out] for something like the avertX, is about right. It would be an 8-channel filled out at that point, don't forget- plus you get a 2tb hard drive. Most of these type systems either come without one, or 500gb which isn't nearly enough and has to be upgraded. The only thing I would hesitate about is avertx being new and unknown. But mostly it seems to do what all of them do- bundle stuff up to make it plug & play ready. Only it's actually a true 8-channel system with at least two different camera choices of it's own, and 8 POE built in. Not bad. Considering the other offerings, for 8 channels I'd probably spring for it if I upgrade from analog. Or more likely, grab the 16 channels for 3 grand, which includes all the cameras and room to expand.

D1 less fps, with the highest bit rates you can.

I still think the AvertX 8-channel system could be another good contender- http://www.costco.com/CatalogSearch?storeId=10301&catalogId=10701&langId=-1&keyword=avertx What's attractive about that product is that it has eight built-in POE, so nothing further needed for that. Plus, they actually have the cameras available separately. One member is using it here and from what I can remember he's mostly pretty pleased.

I had this thought mainly pertaining to what a court would legally accept as positive ID. This does pertain to an install I have coming up at the front door of a commercial building for a family member. The dahua 2MP mini dome is perfect for the location. However, the lens is a 3.6mm. I don't wish to try another lens size in the camera- I want it stock so as not to fuss. The 3.6mm lens at 2MP will indeed capture excellent, detailed images of people when they get in the sweet spot to do so. But as we know, a 3.6 is pretty wide and there may be other people needed for ID outside of the sweet spot, but still prefectly ID'able if you drill into a snap shot from the original full image. Maybe even a vehicle or plate number. But by drilling into a shot, you lose time/day stamp- the very thing you need to prove the suspect was in fact there on that day and at that time. So all of a sudden, high resolution with the ability to drill into a shot for ID because you have more detail seems to lose it's power with wide shots. So with that thought and keeping in mind what a court of law would dictate, even with a high res MP picture, is it still important to provide positive ID with time/day stamp in the shot? If so, field of view is still critical even though a wide shot provides more coverage at high resolution for drilling. The other thing to consider is that a good NVR or perhaps even the camera, if it's recording to a micro card, should have the option to embed a digital watermark [signature] with that critical information no matter what you drill into for ID, correct? But that's not really specified in most spec information when you're shopping an NVR, and I've only come across one DVR that we use at work that has the option. Normally most people assume the time/date stamp on the shot with positive ID is what they'll need in court. What happens if you drill in and can get positive ID, but you lose the time/date stamp? We always talk about the wonderful high res pictures MP provides even with wide shots, but isn't the appropriate field of view for proof of positive ID with time/date stamp on the image still critical?

People consistently say the fan in this unit is loud. I've been down the loud fan road before- not good. Fan noise should be minimal and not an issue. Aside from other things that probably aren't good, the one glaring problem is absolutely no choice in cameras. You can't even buy a separate camera bundle to fill all eight channels. This just doesn't look like it will be the right balance of things. The avertX unit is the only one that seems to have balanced everything you'd want in a system. Those packages aren't cheap, but at least you can build a proper system with camera choices. But who has from 2,800 to 3,600 bucks to put together an 8 channel system the way you want it? Not many.

That's the last time I follow an empire link.

Dahua of course. Everyone uses and talks about it and no one mentions avigilon or uses it much. Users know better and choose dahua every time.

" title="Applause" /> Cool. I'm getting a little more into a system change at home. We shall see.

LOL- yeah, definitely clean first when a picture is looking weird. Not always easy, but worth the trouble.

With the dvr's I've used, although not this one, it won't let you save if you exceed the limits of fps/resolution. You get a warning that you've exceeded. And there's a save button in the menu, so there's little doubt about how you save. If it's letting you keep the settings after a save, don't restart to confirm it. Back out of the menu and then go back in and see if they took. Yeah, you've probably exceeded the limit, but weird that it would let you do it without throwing you a message that you can't.

The only way anyone is gonna know the real deal with this system is if someone experienced gets a hold of it. This is four pages of almost nothing informative.

Well then the next question I have not knowing Hikvision cameras is, how is the reputation for that? Good, or cheap consumer? On par with dahua? Another question I have is something Tom mentioned a while back- what's the wattage/amperage for the POE overall?

You can still get a 408. I like it a lot, but I'd get a better dvr if I needed another one now. Something that does full D1 30fps on all channels would be a first choice for me now, for analog. And I would go with q-see over lorex or swann, but that's because I've had a good experience with qsee. However like I said, cameras are different and I went with gadspot for good prices on them. Would their dvr be good too, in a package deal? I don't know. You may have to try that on yourself.

Well the TV hookup is more than 'easy'. Are you to say that you couldn't get the NVR to show on your HDTV via HDMI at all? You had to resort to VGA to monitor? HDMI is a big deal, so more info would be appreciated. What output resolutions are available for choice in the NVR, and which one works via an HDMI cable to an HDTV or monitor?

Yeah I was wondering who makes them as well. Never really been compelled to use anything but their cameras either. What I really am curious about is their IP gear. Hmmm.

I use gadspot cameras but not their dvr's. I have no idea how they are. Aside from their cameras, I haven't heard anyone talk about gadspot dvr's, so it 's an unknown.

If you're gonna post night images- something I like btw, please post useful night images of people in the shot. Backup footage of people walking. Stills from backup footage of people. People zoomed in for that detail, from backup footage, that's always mentioned. It's gets tiring looking at images of parked cars and driveways. The ULTIMATE goal is not just a pretty, clear picture, but how much improved the ID shot will be. Night images- or any time- void of ID examples doesn't show anything more than clean pictures of static objects. The other thing to consider is location. Maybe a busy street is void of spiders on the IR's but I can assure you that on a residential house install, close up megapixel shots of webs and spiders isn't what you want. So out goes MP IR cameras, in comes other considerations- be it analog or MP. MP cameras absolutely provide better resoltion, but a heck of a lot more goes into the equation for ID than just that. And one mans great result with MP cameras doesn't mean it's the better choice for another. Oh, and it would be great to see how well faces hit with IR from the megapixel cameras handle that. No matter what camera has IR in it, if the intensity doesn't self adjust it becomes a useless face wash at the most critical time- a close up shot.

Fine, but home address and phone number is over the top for anything but purchasing.