dahomes555

I have a client that is requesting to have us install an underwater camera at a depth of approximately 2'. I am planning on installing an IP67 rated camera, but am concerned about the best way to make the connections. I am planning on using direct burial Cat5e cable with some sort of waterproof RJ45 connector. Any tips or suggestions on the best way to utilize cable, connectors, junction boxes, flex conduit, or whatever other materials to make a reliable connection would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Having been to the Hikvision factory I can assure you that there is no affiliation between them and Dahua. They are similar in size and function as the two largest OEM manufacturers of cameras and DVRs in the world. But they are large rivals and very competitive. They are based in the same city, Hangzhou, but there is a lot of manufacturing there. They're as affiliated as Coke and Pepsi.

To you professionals, what design software do you use? I've been designing systems for years, often with basic software or hand drawings. We are doing a ton of business and I need a way to generate more professional plans, both for video work as well as fire/intrusion alarms and access control. I need to just buckle down and learn a CAD program, but not sure which one. There is obviously AUTOCAD, but it has been 15 years since I've used it and while it is certainly powerful, it may be overkill, as I'm trying to create something that I can work on quickly. There are also well known programs like Visio and OmniGraffle, but I would like to hear your feedback and recommendations. IMPORTANT FEATURES TO ME: - Ability to import floor plans, either from PDF or from CAD, Visio, etc. While creating plan from scratch is obviously important, I often get plans/drawings from my clients and don't want to have to re-draw them. - Ability to create an image library of simple drag and drop icons (cameras, alarm devices, fire alarm devices, access control devices, etc.) - Ability to create wiring plans for installers. - Ability to work on multiple layers so that I can create simple plan of device layout to show a client, or complex plan with full wiring diagram and installer notes. Cost is not a huge factor to me, so long as it is within reason (few hundred bucks or less is fine). I run both Mac OSX or Windows 7, so operating system is really not a huge factor, though Mac would be preferred. I can do my own storage calculations and lens calculations, so I'm not really looking for a "camera design software" per se. I'm more looking for a good, industry accepted design/engineer software. Let me know if there is anything I'm missing or should be thinking of. I appreciate your feedback and recommendations.

Thanks. Do you have a link to it, by chance? I know Ubiquiti (agree that their cameras suck), but can't seem to find that tool on their website.

Check out engines for powerful, non-private band wireless options. I've installed dozens of these radios for specialized wireless applications and have never had one go offline in 110+ degree weather.

Nelly's Security. Search for them at nellyssecurity.com. Bought cameras from him for years. Good prices and great support.

No worries. IP cameras are going to be the way to go. I install mostly 2-3 megapixel cameras and they all seem to work very well. I sell a lot of HikVision and Dahua cameras, which you'll read a lot about on here. Most will have built in IR illuminators, which do a decent job in dark areas, so long as your expectations are reasonable. Make sure to get an NVR that matches the resolution of the cameras you want to use. You could buy a 3 megapixel camera but only buying an NVR that supports 1080P (~2MP) means you won't take full advantage of your camera's capabilities. Make sure your cameras support PoE (most do). That makes it easy to wire them, as only a single Cat5 cable is needed for each camera. Let me know if you have other questions.

Oh, see I was understanding that you wanted the camera 100 feet away from the house (i.e. At the end of the driveway). Finding a good quality IP camera to cover that area isn't going to be a problem. There are literally hundreds of cameras that will suit your needs fine. The main issue you're going to run into, though, is the night vision. My advice is to typically take what the manufacturer states the IR range is on the camera and cut off 1/3 and that's what your effective range ends up being. Your problem is that you don't really care to see the 0-100 foot area, as much as the 100+ foot area. Right? Getting truly effective night vision will be tough, unless you already have good lighting in that area. Good lighting >>> good cameraq

Dahua is a manufacturer, not a distributor. You can find Dahua products distributed and marked under a variety of different brands, such as: Q-See, IC Realtime, Mace, Dahua, etc. You'll rarely see Dahua branded items outside of China, unless bought second hand.

Yes. Practically the same camera spec wise. Haven't installed the 3MP Dahua yet, but have done the Hik and plenty of 2MP Dahua's. Great value on either camera.

Your recording time isn't of greatest concern. Increasing storage time is as easy as increasing size of hard drive(s). The main question is how are you going to run your wiring to the camera and what are you planning to mount it to?

Cat5e. If you're going outside, either rum cable inside conduit or use outdoor rated Cat5e cable, otherwise the cable will fall apart over time exposed to elements.

Some VMS require a separate license on each lens of the Arecont 180° cams since technically it is 4 separate cameras. I know a few years ago Milestone used to, though they don't any more. I can't speak (thankfully) for ONSSI and how they deal with the licensing on those 180°'s.

I am going to be installing a small system with two wireless IP cameras with audio talk down in construction site. I have a wireless connection back to my hub, but am needing to have solar panel for the system as there will not be permanent power installed at the site for approximately 12 months. 1) Can you recommend a good and simple solar system? The total max power consumption of the system is 70W. The system will need to run 24/7. 2) How does the power output typically work on these systems? I am hoping to have a 110V outlet that I can plug my devices into. I will need the following devices plugged in: - (2) cameras with PoE (will use PoE injectors) - (2) outdoor speakers (for audio talk down on the site), which will be powered by 24VAC - (1) 5 port network switch - (1) wireless bridge (PoE) If the devices tend to just have a 12V or 24V power output on them to directly power a camera or device, I don't think that will work, as I have a several devices that will need 110.

Oh, I see what you're saying. Ok. Well, I'm in Arizona where the sun is almost always shining, so worst case scenario without sunlight would probably be 24 hours. On most days it would be approximately 10-11 hours on battery. So, what should I do if I'm needing to have a network switch which runs on 110V? I'm going to have two cameras with outdoor speakers mounted on a pole with a wireless bridge pointed about 400 feet back to the construction trailer. So I need the switch to split the ethernet signal to the two cameras. Is there not a way to get a 110V outlet on a solar panel?

It's definitely consumer grade. Lorex is not something you'd ever find in a professional's arsenal. But if you're trying to do it cheaply, Lorex certainly comes in at an attractive price point. If you're using this in a home for general home surveillance usage, you'll probably be ok with it. I've never used any of their products (taken a lot of them out, though), so I can't say for certain whether it will work or not for you. But Costco generally doesn't sell cheap crap since they warranty it basically for life. Lorex seems to have decent consumer support since their target market is the end user. So, give it a shot!

24/7. The cameras need to be running 24/7 and there won't be access to permanent power for about 12 months. So the sole power source for the equipment I listed is the solar panel and battery.

Get an NVR and wire your cameras. There are a growing number of affordable NVRs with built in PoE, which makes setting up your cameras very easy. You just run a Cat5 cable to each camera, plug one end into the camera, and the other into the NVR. The NVR's PoE powers the camera and auto configures the cameras with the NVR. You can get a decent 4 channel NVR with built in PoE from Dahua or HIKVision for about $500. As far as measuring the recording time, there are a lot of online calculators for calculating storage. Probably won't let me post the link here, but just google "cctv storage calculator" and you'll find several good ones. You just enter in the resolution of your cameras (1.3 MP for a 720P camera), the frame rate you want (honestly recording at 20fps is a waste. You'll get smooth video at about 10-12 fps), how many hours per day you'll be recording, and the numbers of desired days. The calculator will tell you the amount of storage you'll need. The hard time that you're going to have is with that hotspot. Can't get a DSL or cable connection into the office at all? You have to have a router; no way around it. There are hotspot routers that allow you to connect your USB hotspot to it and share the connection, but you also have to make sure you have the right type of data plan from your provider to even allow you the port forwarding needed to connect to the cameras remotely. My advice: get DSL or cable connection in there and save yourself the trouble, if at all possible.

The DVR is always the device to look at. These days manufacturers will always build high specs into the cameras, but those specs are really fluff. Analog is only capable of reproducing about 480 TVL. That's a limitation of the NTSC format. So what happens if you connect a 700 TVL camera to an analog DVR? Only 480 lines of resolution can actually be recorded and transmitted. It's like putting a Corvette engine into a Kia. Next likely question is "What's the best DVR to get the best resolution?" My answer: No DVR. Analog is only going to look so good. You can put a $1,500 analog camera onto a $3,000 DVR and it's only going to look so good. If you are looking for "best resolution" you need to go with megapixel IP cameras, which are going to give you the ability to record HD-quality video. There are a lot of suppliers out there, including Dahua, that can get you IP equipment for marginally higher price than analog. It's worth paying the extra $. If you're on a limited budget, wait a few months until you can save up and afford more. You'll be glad you did!

If they are ONVIF compatible they should work, though certain features may not work (like motion detection).

Yeah, I buy them directly through Milestone, though. Haven't ever bothered to look elsewhere. Milestone licenses are reasonable, in my opinion and the support that they come with is with the price.

What do you like/dislike about the following VMS platforms: - Milestone - OnSSI - Exacq - Avigilon - Genetec Please provide as much useful detail as time allows. Maybe give the application that you use it in most and how you decided to use that software. Having very limited exposure to each, I'd love to hear how alarm companies and integrators like these software Thanks!

I haven't used this one particularly (50 port) but I've used smaller switches in the same line. http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-SG200-50P-Ethernet-Mini-GBIC-Warranty/dp/B004GHMU6A/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1366041179&sr=1-2&keywords=48+port+poe

Are you using the motion detection settings in the NVR, or in the camera? The best way to eliminate problems is turn off all motion detection from the camera and just use the settings in the NVR. Make sure that your motion detect schedule is setup to the times that you want and you should have no problem.

Change "Download Unsigned Activex" to "Prompt." That's really the only settings that matters.