HiddenMountain

Ok then... So I have been rather busy with other things for the last year or so and had almost forgot that I was a member here. I was looking for something else when I discovered this old post. Now I seem to have been disappointed in the lack of responses to my post, but it looks like the video I had attached didn't attach! I hate that! So without further ado... What it is is a 4 channel mobile DVR with 3 channels used. Channel one is the "Dashcam", a 700TVL camera, and the other 2 are 420TVL units typically found as backup cameras on RV's or garbage trucks and the like. I put this on my truck as an experiment a couple of winters ago and wanted to share this clip with y'all...

I'm tellin ya, these things are a Godsend. Without that video footage you would have had to explain what happened, while the adjuster rolled his eyes and found ways to not pay up. Glad you're OK! Critter hits can be totally unpredictable. You're very fortunate you clipped it in the butt because just a split second sooner an you could have nailed it square on and launched it through your windshield. Not a pretty sight. I am pretty much unimpressed with the dashcam offerings out there though. Wading through piles of cheap Chinese crap to maybe get one that you can depend on to give you evidence that can be used in court is a crap shoot.

53 views and no reply? No sense trying to get help from this forum anymore...

This thread is of interest to me because I'm having a similar issue with an outdoor cam that I installed recently. It's not moisture, it's not a dirty dome but it is definitely blurry at night.

haha, alrighty then.... Thanks for pointing out the obvious eh! Next time I stick my foot in my mouth, I hope it's before I mess up some million dollar contract!

Update: It turns out that the problem is/was that the old (ancient) DVR was MJPEG and the cameras H264. During the day they worked fine but at night they would "hunt" and cause the "coloured snow". The customer authorized the purchase of a new DVR and the problem is solved...

Thanks for the reply Kawboy. The store manager is going to get back to me today and let me know what he found. I suspect the halides but they said the last cams that were there didn't have this problem. These cams have "Smart*IR Vision". I'm also wondering if that could be an issue...

I have a small job resurrecting an older analog system. The owner bought it and had it installed 5 years ago. It promptly quit working and the jerk that did the install was long gone... He simply gave up on it and it's been sitting ever since. I tried to sell him on a new IP system but his budget can't go there. So we compromised... Its a Digimerge DVR with assorted cameras. The two outdoor cameras were vandalized so I replaced them. Here's my problem... The day time image is as good as can be expected for analogue. But the night image is very grainy, with "coloured" snow. The cameras are Digimerge DVP24DLR's, on 12V because that's what was there. There are two metal halide floods near by and I'm wondering if they could be an issue. Any help would be great! Thanks...

I was just about to start a thread about this device... https://www.dropcam.com/product At first glance, it looks like all they offer is cloud based storage. The disadvantage of cloud storage is that you are totally relying on internet connections. From bandwidth issues to outages, it isn't without its drawbacks. Local storage, such as edge storage (storing data in the device itself on an SD card) then retrieving it through the web is much more reliable and cost effective.

It seems to me that the Zellers liquidation has left a bunch of us scratching our heads. Of course I'm assuming that is where you got your Intellex box. It has the same MO as myself and a few others who have been trying to make them work... I was fortunate that the store I got mine from had the restore disks. Without them it would have been way too expensive of an operation and it would have sat on the shelf of shame. Too much money spent without researching what I was getting and too expensive to get it working. As it is, it sits on my bench. It works and I have few cameras hooked up but there's no easy way to connect it to my home network, let alone viewing over the net, and you definitely won't find any apps from the App Store! As far as I can tell, Intellex is/was a high end system that would be more practical for large retail chains, like Zellers, who would have one in each store that could be remotely connected to a main administration center. They really aren't interested in the small CCTV market. I hope you didn't pay too much for it....

Yes that's not a problem .... Only thing to look out for is DVR to monitor connection. Some DVRs only have screen control via the VGA or HDMI and not from the composite output. A good make Bluetooth mouse will give you 35ft range to control your system with. Good point Tom. In my last install, the DVR was mounted in a lock box, about 50' from the users desk. We simply ran a 10' USB cable from the DVR to a discreet place in the main office and plugged a wireless mouse transceiver into it. Works like a charm.

Ok then... My other job is winding down and I can once again concentrate on the CCTV world. As for this problem, I never did find a solution. I spoke with the customer last week and he is still wanting to get some sort of surveillance camera up and running. As GB stated, we're up in Canuckistan, but that shouldn't matter too much. We still need a camera that is right for the application. Any ideas out there?

After a cursory view of this problem, I have to ask you, have you contacted your ISP to see if they are blocking ports at their end? If this is the case, ask them nicely to unblock. They are generally concerned about spammers getting a back door to their networks and block them as a standard policy. If they are assured that you only want to use the ports for your security system, they should be willing to unblock them. It can't hurt to call their tech support and ask...

I have just been asked by a client if there is any way to install a camera at his roadside produce stand. He has had problems with vandals spray bombing. He has no power there and no internet connection.. I was thinking of an IP camera, powered by a battery that is trickle charged by a small solar panel, that would record to an SD card. One problem, he doesn't want to climb a ladder to retrieve the card every day but he does want it mounted high up in the overhang, at 13ft. Also, he wants it to be as covert as possible. Yes, I explained the benefit of having a visible camera, but he wants to actually catch the vandals in the act, so to speak. His season is just about to start, so he would like this ASAP. Anyone have any ideas?

I was thinking the same thing....