RustyJL

Ok good stuff. In regards to storing the 1080 HD footage direct from the camera, does this have to be done using a NAS connected directly the the IP camera? I would like to minimise the amount of assets in the one location. Also, is it possible to set it up so that the camera is connected to a wireless router that sends the HD data to a nearby LAN. This LAN could be connected to the internet for remotely controlling the camera. Sorry for such basic questions... I suppose we all have to start somewhere! As i understand it i will need... IP camera hooked up to the router either wireless or 3g, then a NAS (or can i use any old harddrive?) at home which is connected to either the LAN directly linked to the camera or internet. Can you make recommendations as to this other required hardward? Thanks

Sorry I should have been more specific in what I am striving for. I have been typing my replies on the Iphone, makes for a tedious time. Back on the laptop now! My idea is for mobile surveillance of various locations. I will be able to mount the camera in/on a vehicle and can probably get within 20m of the target without being detected. I want the motion activated feature to send an instant alert (like an email) when there is activity at the target location. Therefore, the camera has to be connected to the internet wirelessly via a 3G router (this one specifically, using the RJ45 connectors at the back - http://www.cnet.com.au/bigpond-elite-wireless-broadband-network-gateway-339302145.htm#image1). The camera can record the 1080p footage directly to a laptop located in the vehicle. Along with motion activation, I would also like the ability to access the camera at will while it remains at the target location - the H264 streaming should mean that I can do this without chewing up massive amounts of bandwidth. Further, in the event that the vehicle or camera were to be damaged/stolen, I would want to set it up so that the H264 could stream continously to a server to record everything. The Acti sounds like a better bet, although with a larger form factor, than the Brickcom for my intended application.

Ok thanks for clarifying that. Please excuse my ignorance, but how do you watch the recording made by the Brickcom? Does it have to be connected to a PC and then use the included NVR software to review the footage? That Acti actually looks better for what i have in mind. Only drawbacks at this stage are the larger size, no local storage and it is not wireless or 3g. Would you be able to plug it directly into a 3g router to control it remotely and also stream footage? Also the figure of 75m would be a long distance shot in my intended application. Being able to recognise faces out to say 20m during daytime is pretty much all i need most of the time and the ability to read number plates at night at a similar distance. All of this will need to be able to be done remotely via wireless connection. Thanks for your input and time, i really appreciate it " title="Applause" />

Thanks mate. Can you tell me how well the Brickcom is able to pick up number plates of vehicles at night? Also, given that we know who the majority people are that we are watching, would we be able to make out facial features past say 75m? The reason i am considering these two cameras is for their built in NVR. They would likely be used mounted to a vehicle to conduct discreet surveillance. Also, are you able to simply remove the SDHC card and put in a laptop computer to view and copy the footage or is there an interface? I did read your reviews on both products which has sparked my interest.

So... Can you set this to record when motion is detected and it then sends an email to let you know that an event has occurred? Do you then have the power to remotely login to the camera to review the event recorded? How noticeable are the IR led's?

Yes, the idea would be to use it for surveillance. The last one I had was a Reconyx HC600 which worked well until someone stole it. The black flash was great, completely invisible to the eye - however the shiny surface meant that headlights would have reflected off it giving away its position. At least this way the person who steals it will be identified. Also thinking about adding a GPS tracker to the device in the event the worst happens again. If the crook has any sense they would ditch it in the nearest river, however in my experience crooks aren't the brightest. On the website blurb it mentions that they have sold units to the military and law enforcement. I would think these units would be a bit fancier than the ones on offer to joe public. Comparing the images from the Reconyx or even the latest 12MP Skypoint game camera, the BuckEye seems a bit ordinary.

Is anyone currently using one of these? Something like this may suit my needs but would like to hear from anyone who is using it. Having looked at the pics on their Facebook site, it seems there is a pretty fair lag time between shots. The clarity in the pictures also looks a bit ordinary. Examples of pics would be most appreciated. Merry Christmas!

I am considering developing a surveillance system for work. It will be used for capturing trespassers among other things. As I see it I require the following things: IP camera. I looked at the Sony snc ch180 and it seems to fit the bill. How far out does the IR illuminate to? I need something that will be able to provide a clear picture of a persons face up to about 20m with only IR illumination. Wireless 3G internet/router connection. Power to the camera and the router. As I see it if I send the images over the internet they lose a lot of their quality so would be better to have the router sending the images back to a computer with DVR card. How much recording time would 1TB of HDD give me? How far would you reasonably expect for the IP camera to transmit to the router. My apologies if this seems lame - I have not dabbled in this stuff before. I had a game camera previously but that got stolen by some crooks on a job and we never recovered it. This way I figure if the camera gets stolen we'll at least know who we are looking for as the images will have been downloaded ata remote location. Cheers.

Thanks for the reply. This system must rely on IR and remain as covert as possible due to the nature of the investigations being conducted. At times this system may be deployed in a paddock no where near power and possibly outside of wireless internet connection, however that would be fairly rare. I see Telstra now has 4G services, but for now I am limited to 3G due to my location. How far out would you think the inbuilt IR would reliably work and provide detail of a persons facial features? Previously I have used game camera's which only provide good facial recognition out to around 6-10m at best at night - during daytime they are somewhat better. I have considered the use of extra IR blacklights but they are fairly expensive. I did not realise the ch180 was a hard wired camera, I had assumed that it would send the signal wirelessly back to the router which would be preferred. Is there a camera with similar specs that you would recommend that could do it wirelessly?