shockwave199

Do you have cameras in place? Why not just point one in that direction? You can monitor who's there, and with motion detection/alarm mode enabled, the dvr will record comings and goings as well.

If the family is cool with that, that's good. I felt it was too intrusive of everyones privacy to have cameras in my house. Maybe ones pointed at doors only or something like that would be ok, but it was just too much to ask that everyone be ok with me watching their every move- as I monitor my home system all night from work. Now, what I did ask my wife for and got approval for was one cctv mic in a back room upstairs. I can't hear typical conversations down stairs well enough to be eaves dropping, but I can absolutely hear louder things at the front door and more importantly, my alarm system going off if that happens. Upstairs, I hear a good deal more. And if she has a problem or falls ill and can't get to a phone, she can just yell out and I'll hear it from almost anywhere in the house. The mic is that good. It's like being a real central station remotely. And it's the kind of thing where no one fixates on it because it's out of sight, so privacy doesn't feel infringed upon like cameras staring at you all the time. Audio really puts you in touch with the inner home, remotely- almost feeling more like true security than just pictures. I highly recommend a mic in line, especially if you're monitoring remotely most of the time.

Try 'calling' preset 95.

These smart IR cameras can help with that problem. Maybe try a couple of them and see. http://www.gadspot.com/c-55-smart-ir-cameras.aspx

Your first hole through the wall is the toughest. It gets easier after that. If there are old plugged holes from cable or phones, you can try them. I wouldn't use any existing hole with service wire in it already though. I avoided popping holes through exterior walls by first bringing my lines up into the attic from an upstairs bedroom closet ceiling and then running them out through attic vent windows on either side of the house- tacing the lines to the facia. But I did have to drill into two spots on the siding for camera installs and it wasn't easy to do mentally. It's small screw holes but still, once the siding has holes, it has holes. And I'm due to make four more for a ptz install. Just plan your placement REALLY well, choose the right camera, and install once. If you have to, tape up a camera and see how the fov looks before drilling. When planning for this ptz placement I'm doing, I took over an hour deciding where the best place to install it will be. I went back and forth over the pros and cons between three spots, considering where the best spot is for the camera and where the best spot is so it's not too obtrusive to the look of the house. Plan really well, get the cameras you really want, do it all once, and you'll avoid a bunch of wasted holes everywhere. Good luck.

In browsing ptz's, I've been seeing claims such as this- •Tracking object: Based on image recognition technology, auto-search and track •Tracking image: High-integrated DSP module, fast and steady •Tracking effect: Not affected by light Other verbage such as the camera provides high-accuracy detection of individuals by memorizing the characteristics of the subject including color, shape and contrast. Other features in some include masking out areas to help avoid unwanted triggering of auto tracking- I figure trees and such. Most auto trackers now seem to have these claims to them. The only two objects anyone is ever interested in is humans and cars. If parameters and recognition technology now exist to at least help auto tracking behave better, might it be worth it, as opposed to just not having it at all? I'm curious if anyone has actual experience with a camera such as this. I understand the speculation of possible problems, bogus spec claims, 'can't possibly work well' attitudes from those who haven't actually used these things. Frankly, that's my thoughts too! I'm just curious if anyone has had enough experience with one of these things to say heck- the technology is getting there now and it's worth it. Kind of like the case of budget dvrs, where some years ago they weren't worth a dime and now some are actually pretty good. Is technology making auto tracking a worthy addition to the ptz now? Or is it still a losing feature.

As MP counts go up, you lessen the need for auto-tracking - rather than having the camera need to decide which ONE of potentially multiple objects to follow, you simply record the entire scene in high detail, and zoom on various points of interest after the fact. The ability to drill into a wide shot is where it's at with that for sure. But I suppose I'm firmly an analog guy. I'll give a nod to that, but the opposite side of that is what happens if you can't even catch one person or car because the PTZ is 'dumb' to it and simply looking the wrong way at the momet? I can't see having a ptz without tracking. To me, if it's set as best it can be, it increases the odds that you may very well have tracked a car or person of interest. It seems they've come far enough not to track bugs or moving branches and stuff. There's enough settings to give it the best shot at avoiding false triggering. But much like blocking for motion detection, it can't be perfect, of course. But whatever tilts the odds in favor of a good ID shot out at the fringes of your coverage with an analog PTZ, all the better to me. I have eight fixed cameras at the moment, covering what I need. Even wide shots are covered, but the wide shots don't really provide any real ID detail. A person has to get fairly close into my property for me to get good detail, made all the more difficult at night. I'm maxed out at eight cams and frankly, I wouldn't want a bunch more varifocals pointing all over the place to try and tighten things up. Now I'll admit I just have a fever for a ptz- had it for months now. I think it's a nice augmentation to otherwise decent coverage from my fixed cams. So I just bought one of the domeless kind with smart IR and auto tracking- flying in the face of common wisdom here I plan to video document the whole install and how it works and looks. So we'll all get a chance to see how this type of camera does....or doesn't over the short and long term. Stay tuned... 1/4 inch CCD Security CCTV Speed Dome Camera, EFFIO 650TV Line Horizontal Resolution, 0.01Lux Minimum Illumination, 27X Optical Zoom, 3.2 to 86.4mm Lens, 752 x 582 Effective Pixels, 360 Degrees Continuously Pan Angle, 8 Privacy Zones, 220 Preset Positions, With RS-485, Support Pelco-D, Pelco-P, HS, Built in Heater and Fan, 8PCS LEDs, 100M IR Distance, IR CUT, Auto Tracking Function, IP66

Thanks Tom.

For a 75' run, will zip wire suffice? I don't know the damn gauge of the stuff I have, but I have a lot of yellow, solid copper two core [peel apart to separate] wire. It's thicker than twisted pairs in cat 3 or telephone wire, for instance. Roughly double that thickness I'd say. I'm guessing it would be fine to use, but for a 75' or so run?

I wouldn't say anything too negative- those gals are obviously in the mafia.

I've read lately here there are other presets to try,such as preset 85,90,91,95. Maybe one of them? I'd probably make a cup of joe and sit and try all of them to see which one is the golden ticket. That is, if no one else has the quick answer. Best of luck to you.

You do have an RS485 wire hooked up for communication, correct? And if so, you have it hooed up the same on each end- positive to positive, neg to neg. I've also read along the way that hitting the iris button within the dvr's ptz control sometimes calls up menus. Sorry I can't be of more help, but you're at the right place- someone will help you through. Good luck.

If you need brighter light get higher wattage bulbs. Or better yet, install another fixture altogether and keep the wattages where they are now. Maybe one fixture on either side of the property for even lighting. But before anything, I would walk around the fov's and see how your face details are doing in the light you have when viewing video or pictures of the shot. Too bright can cause problems with face details being whited out or overyly bright. Those settings can be adjusted in the dvr channel to compensate, but then you'll compromise the daytime picture. So imo, set lighting with a human in the shot just to confirm how THEY look around the full fov, not how a pool or car might look just sitting there.

Do the cameras themselves have motion detection and is it on? If so, does the setting have a sensitivity setting that may be too high? Maybe even shut that off and let the dvr handle motion detection. The dvr also has motion sensitivity settings that may be too high. It's a balance of the sensitivity settings and masking out unwanted areas of constant movement, such as trees or bushes. That can all be adjusted per channel. Also, be sure you actually have alarm recording set in the dvr, and not constant record. Alarm recording is usually associated with motion recording settings.

You seem to have exterior light at almost every location, so I would start by recommending what most here would recommend- CNB varifocal dome cameras. With exterior light, they always look darn good to me. CNB VCM-24VF I'm not sure how much of a problem, if any, you'll have with your exterior lights actually in the shots, which is what you'll have according to your projected placement. Light within the shot can make the image more problematic. You might want to check that before deciding on the exact aim of the camera. Anything you can do to get the lights just out of frame will help. If it can't be done, a camera such as the cnb will probably handle the task well, but you'll have to see it to know. The walkway up to your house looks void of any light, in which case I would throw out a rec for a Gadspot- http://www.gadspot.com/p-329-gs830sm.aspx That one comes in white if you think that's a better color, and is a varifocal camera but more importantly, it has smart IR. It won't white out people approaching with strong IR- it will adjust it automatically to keep the IR regulated for good facial/body detail. And if you really get a good shot of people coming up the walk, then your front door camera can be more like added 'gravy'. Perhaps a cnb installed at your right arrow, maybe just a bit away from the door wall up there, will do very nicely. Zoom the fov tighter and you'll probably catch a decent overhead face profile and a side swipe of the front doors. And that will also keep the position of the camera in a better spot for that access you need there. Good luck!

I didn't really mention the zoom cam for constant movement like a ptz. It's just that it offers the whole package with the advantage of easy adjustment at the dvr if needed over time. And considering the video demos look fine as well, seems like a win. But, there is one huge difference between the two. The Dahua 700TVL box cam has the Sony Effio-E Chipset. I figure that's why that camera spanks. Good luck.

If you're ever able to put a hundred bucks together for two cameras @ 50 bucks each, consider trying GS907CM from gadspot. com. For a cheap budget camera, I don't think it gets much better than that. And you'll probably have useable images for ID when the need arises. Good luck.

You know what eventually moves into bird houses and boxes on trees? Then what will they see? I would consider mounting black bullet cameras to the massive trees you speak about- if they seriously want to install on tress. Unless you're really looking for them, they'd probably go unnoticed mostly. And no creatures would climb into them and make a home.

Make sure they are all varifocal cameras, first off. Every single camera you're installing is not that close to the targets. So get varifocals so you can adjust them just so, to get the best fov for each location. I'm guessing you're staying up under eaves because of installation concerns. Such a flat stucco finish to the exterior walls makes it difficult to run and tuck wires to lower locations, such as what can be done with siding on the exterior. Unless you pop through the walls from the inside, there doesn't look to be any first floor eaves at most of your locations. So by all means, get varifocal cameras to at least zoom the images tighter to your targets, from up above. The front walk/mailbox camera however- that one can be extended down further forward and lower. Run the cable along the lower roof/wall seam and get the camera mounted on the lower eave above your front door entrance. It can stay on the corner by the wall there. That will give you a much better shot of people walking up the walk and the mailbox as well. But you'll have to choose which fov is more important to you, the front walk or the mailbox. You can get both in one view, but most likely only people coming up the front walk within approx 6' in front of the camera will be clear for good ID shots. But consider the lower location I mention. The high wide one won't make you happy, trust me. It'll look fine and you'll have a large fov, but no ones face will be detailed enough for ID- not by a long shot. You could put a varifocal there but at that point, why bother? Too high and too far from your targets. The front door- I would suggest lowering the position and moving more towards the middle of your arrows. If you put an arrow in the center of your existing arrows, bring the camera out from the door side a bit, but not to dead center of the wall. That will give you a person walking up to the door, a profile of the person at the door, and the door itself. But again, you have clean walls. Any camera that isn't tucked to a corner and lower on the wall will look obtrusive and ugly on the wall. In which case, think about a small keyhole camera type that they put in doorbells or doorframes and such. That camera would be looking straight out. You'd see everyone approaching and standing at your front door no problem. MUCH better for ID'ing, and you'd spare your walls an ugly camera sticking out. My two cents, for what it's worth. I'm a diy'r- not a pro installer so consider the source. Good luck. Dan

The Aposonic 650 in all three shots is looking useable for you- not bad. The cnb on the front door woke up with added light- nice. Something still isn't right with the cnb on channel 7. The ptz is not doing well at night- at least in that particular shot. It's either something not quite set right, or just the limitations of that camera. If you get any more night shots from the ptz, post 'em. But I think that particular camera will only do so well at night. Thanks for posting pics from it. If you ever figure out how to post a vid of that ptz at night, go for it.

Ok I'm confused. Break it down for me- exactly what camera is on Cam 01, 02, and 03? Yes, exterior lighting helps big time. It helps cameras see better and it can be a crime deterrent itself as well. There are low wattage bulbs that will help you save some money and still provide good light too. If you haven't, check them out. The light above my back door puts out the eqivillent of 90 watts of light but only use 23 watts of engergy. With lights on all night, that can be a significant savings in a year.

What camera is that and where did you get it? I'd like to check it out if possible.

What model, what company?

I think most here will either say it's cheap garbage or not even respond. Looks like a china listing from an office in Texas. I'm not altogether against such a thing, but there's no real info about the menu options for it. There are so many things a ptz can do, and should do as a minimum. But with all that info lacking, it's probably because the camera can't do it. You should contact the seller and get ALL the info about what the menu options included for the thing. If you do, post the specs for the thing. I'd be interested. But it's probably very limited. And how well it's built will determine how long it lasts as well. Will you be ok with the possibility of it breaking down 14 months into using it with no possibility of getting it serviced or replaced? Consider such a ptz as disposable. If that's ok with you, than fine.

None of those people were around your car. They were beyond your cars. I think the video looks great. But you're asking too much from one static FOV. How does someone look actually at your cars, peering inside, both day and night? Do a vid with even yourself doing just that and see if there's more detail actually being closer to the cars- thereby closer to that camera. I'm sure you'll see more. If the end of the driveway and the street are important to you, you'll have to set a varifocal shot zoomed in appropriately to see the detail you're looking for. But overall I'd say it looks good. You'll have to do some experimenting to see if the FOV is best to get detailed shots at your cars- the real target. So in answer to your question, you're only expecting too much from one FOV, imo.