dahomes555

Connection between the DVR and PC would be an IP connection, so there really isn't anything to be concerned with there. The connections to be concerned with is between camera and DVR. That's where you have the greatest potential for quality loss. But once the DVR receives the video from the camera it converts it to a digital file and then sends it over your network to a PC, smartphone, etc. PC probably doesn't need anything super crazy. Good processor (i5 or better) with a decent video card and plenty of RAM should be fine.

Many ip cameras don't have a built in microphone, but they do have audio inputs so you can add an external microphone directly to the camera. I don't know of any Ethernet microphones that will pair with an NVR or VMS software. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it just isn't a common application (yet).

Well your cameras won't ever trip a breaker unless you have the worst designed electrical system of all time. Cameras are low voltage. They are drawing much less power than your PC or TV. A bread toaster draws over 10 amps making your breakfast. I haven't seen a non-PTZ that draws more than 1 amp with IRs on. Don't worry about power consumption; you aren't drawing nearly as much as you think. To answer your question about Intensifier, I've seen that video and can say I've never had one perform that well. If your want a camera with IR, avoid the Speco mini turrets. They are great aesthetically and do a pretty good job during day. At night they do a very good job with a minimal amount of lighting. But if you're using them in the dark, they just don't do the job. The models with IRs suck. The illumination is very cloudy and almost useless.

Don't do it. SSD isn't built for constantly writing and rewriting huge files. It's great for an OS and programs because it boots so fast, but I would stick to a good quality HDD in a DVR

The best resource would be the manufacturer of the NVR you wish to purchase. They typically will have a list of tested brands and models on their website. Keep in mind that there may be many other cameras that would work, as this list is only the devices they have physically tested. Typically if your cameras are ONVIF and your NVR is ONVIF you should be ok. I say "typically" because ONVIF isn't perfect and probably works with 90-95% of devices. However, you may also find that certain features of a camera don't work. For example, the Arecont 360° camera lets not only see a 360°, but lets you use the camera as a PTZ or break it down into multiple views from different angles. That functionality will probably not work with most NVRs or VMS

I'm designing a system for a customer that lives at the end of a "dead end" road. He wants to have a license plate camera on near the edge of his driveway so that he can monitor all the vehicles that come up the road and turn around. He wants to have the camera at about 4-5' up and in a protected enclosure mounted to a pole. I know that I have seen some of my competitors with a similar application (i.e. on the entrance to a gated community or parking lot), but I can't seem to find anyone who makes it. I'm wondering if this is something that they have fabricated themselves, or if it was put together from bits and pieces of other projects. I put together this quick sketchup to show the rough dimensions and application of this pole that I want.

Yeah, let me know what it you find out. I would think it would make it simpler as well, but I had just been told by my supplier that the above was true. I haven't tried one personally.

Ahh, I only read it was on shelf looking at garden. Didn't see the window that snuck in there!

Why?

Thanks. I unfortunately don't have the luck of knowing "a guy" who can build that for me and honestly this job isn't worth enough to spend the time to trying to find someone who can build this for me. I just want to buy one already made and install it.

It would store the video right onto the memory card on the unit. Pretty simple. A camera always needs power. Most cameras are either 12VDC or 24VAC and you'll need to make sure you have a power transformer which plugs into your 110 outlet. An analog camera would connect over coaxial cable to a DVR which would record the video and allow you to either connect it to a computer for viewing locally and remotely, or connect to a monitor for local viewing only. An IP camera will run it's video signal over an ethernet cable. Most IP cameras will come with software that allows you to record the video right onto your computer, or you can purchase an NVR (network video recorder). It acts like a DVR for recording/transmitting video, but it records IP cameras. The camera I sent the link for is an IP camera, but it has a built in memory card. The recording takes place on that memory card. So you don't need any cables to connect the camera to a computer, NVR, or DVR. It records on itself. When an event has occurred you can simply pop out the memory card and insert it into your computer to view the footage. In this case, the only cable you will need to run is for power.

Plug it into the modem/router. You have what is called Double NAT. Two routers that both have firewalls. You can work with it if you want, but you need to set up port forwarding on both devices. On the modem/router, you need to port forward to the IP address of the second router. Then on the second router you port forward to the IP address of the DVR. For simplest operation, as I mentioned, just plug into the first modem/router and port forward only to the IP address of the DVR.

Never seen a standalone camera that has an LCD screen built in. You'll have a lot better luck looking at some sort of wired/wireless IP camera. If you need it to be standalone, there are several which have a built in memory card slot where you can use a MicroSD memory card and have motion activated clips stored. Then when you need to view activity, you just remove the card and pop it in your computer. That's your best bet. Something like this would do great for you: http://www.amazon.com/Dahua-IPC-HDBW3300-Megapixel-2048Hx1536V-Resolution/dp/B00AUF8SOA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1365272110&sr=8-5&keywords=dahua+ip+camera

There's a difference between the specs that a device shows and the effective performance of that device. Yes, I understand that your Nexus has 1080P resolution on it. However, on a screen size that small your eye can't see the difference between 1080P and a lower resolution. To give a different perspective, if you have two identical 32" TVs other than resolution (one is 720P and the other can do 1080i or 1080p) it is a waste of your money to spend more on the 1080 version than the 720P. Even though it technically has higher resolution, I would bet that you can't tell a difference in resolution of the two side by side. You really only start to see the difference between 720P and 1080 resolution when get above 42-47". So on your 8" display, the difference in resolution is completely negligible. I use the same IP cameras on my computer and iPad and the iPad looks comparable in quality (on the extra stream at D1 resolution) to the computer. The iPad has Retina display, but the screen size makes the lower resolution nearly unrecognizable. Also, the extra stream has nothing to do with accessing remotely. I am well aware that you can use either the web browser or PSS and view the extra stream both locally and remotely. The extra stream is an optional view on those applications, or the only stream from mobile devices (smartphone/tablet). That stream is much more bandwidth friendly, and again, doesn't really give a noticeably different resolution on such a small screen. The RTSP stream would work for you as well, as mentioned. We've extracted feeds from the DVRs before with RTSP for use in other applications and it works fairly well.

The router would have it's own firewall, so you'd need to port forward everything behind that firewall, then you'd need to port forward your main router. It's the understanding of Double NAT that just adds an extra step to the puzzle. Same principle as if you have DSL modem which your ISP gives you which is also a router, but you want to use your own router (dlink, netgear, etc.) To do port forwarding you have to have your DVR forwarded through the Dlink router, then you have to have your D-link router forwarded through the DSL modem/router. Same principle

No, you won't. The apps will always access the system over the extra stream, not the main stream. The main stream is where your 1080p recording/viewing is taking place. On the extra stream the maximum output is D1 resolution. This is designed to make the viewing of cameras bandwidth friendly. Good news though is I doubt you'd really see much of a difference on a screen that size between D1 and 1080P. The resolution would only be visible as you move up onto much larger screens than your Nexus

So long it is a PoE switch, not a router. With a PoE router built into the NVR you will have to add an extra step in port forwarding because you technically have two routers that need to forward. It's not that big a deal if you understand that principle but many DIY newbies could get frustrated by that step.

Sounds like it could be a firmware or hardware issue. Contact tech support from who you bought it from and see if they can send you an updated firmware.

When you say you can access from IE but not from app, are you on your local network on the IE computer? Which is to say, are you accessing from the LAN IP address, or are you accessing from the no-ip.org address? If you are successfully accessing it on the no-ip.org address on IE but no the app, you probably have the wrong port in the app. Most DVRs use a different port (like port 80) for web use, but the apps use a different port (like 9000, 8888, 37777, etc.) Check your user manual for your specific DVR for port information. If that is not the case, then you don't have your ports set up correctly or your no-ip.org site is not updating correctly. Two most common problems: 1) Port forwarding. Use a website like www.yougetsignal.com to check if your ports are open. If not, you need to open those in the ports. 2) IP Address change: You can also check this on www.yougetsignal.com. Try using that IP address directly. If it works. that means your no-ip.org isn't working properly. Are you using the DVR to update your no-ip settings? If so, double check that all your settings are correct. I'll bet one of those two fixes it.

Welcome!

Scenario you are talking about could easily be accomplished with a variety of different manufacturers. If you're looking to use analog cameras, they are all "plug and play." They cameras have a BNC video connection and the DVR has a BNC input. You simply run your cable, power up the camera, and plug the video feed into the DVR and you're done. Most DVRs will give you the ability to view cameras remotely from a smartphone/tablet/PC. In order to view cameras at your shop from your home TV, you'd just need to have a PC connected to the TV. Simple setup for 5 cameras would consist of: - 8 channel DVR - (5) cameras (pick your weapon!) - Power supply (best to get a distribution box. These typically come in 4 port, 9 port, 18 port configurations. Make sure that the voltage matches your cameras. Most analog cameras these days are 12VDC). - Cable (don't use the "pre-made" cables that some people will either sell or include with a kit. The cable is far too thin and you'll have video loss occur. - Router (which you probably already have.) A lot of users on here like Dahua products. Can't buy Dahua direct in U.S., but there are a number of different resellers on this site. Just search the archives for Dahua and you'll find a ton. I recommend http://www.ne11yssecurity.com (substitute the 1's with L's in the URL). Great prices and fantastic support.

Not necessarily. If you design properly, you shouldn't have major bandwidth problems. What you need to do to make sure of this is simply have all of your camera equipment (recorder, cameras, PC you are viewing on) on the same network switch. All of the bandwidth/traffic is handled by the switch and doesn't interfere with anything else on other switches/routers. The only time that your bandwidth would be affected in the scenario designed above would be when you are accessing the cameras from a camera NOT connected to the switch (wifi, for example) or when accessing remotely. This is because you are now requiring the cameras to stream across the network to a different device. However, many NVRs/cameras have multiple video streams which will record at the highest recording level, but will have an alternative stream that is lower resolution/quality/frame rate so that they are more bandwidth "friendly."

I doubt it. Pretty cool design though. Typically, when Dahua's website says "New" on an item, it hasn't even been released in China yet. It takes a few months for them to be released in U.S.

PoE is the way to go whenever you're doing IP. I don't personally like the NVRs with built in PoE. The PoE is typically a router, not a switch. If it were a switch then I'd be totally in favor of it. But where it's a router, that can cause some network setup complications when you're trying to set up remote viewing. You're basically trying to get two routers to talk to each other. It's not impossible or incredibly difficult, but it can throw some wrinkles in the process if you aren't very familiar with networking. As far as the cameras, look at something with a varifocal lens if you are concerned about the field of view. A varifocal lens lets you adjust (say, from 2.8-11mm). So on the areas you want super wide, you can go super wide. On areas you want to tighten up, you can do it.

I think you've got some terminology and ideology a little bit off on how to do this. First, do you want/have to have 1080P quality recording? If so, you're not looking at getting a DVR. DVRs do analog video typically, which only has a maximum resolution of ~486 TVL resolution. Not HD. Not even close. If you want HD video, you are looking at IP cameras and an NVR (network video recorder) or a PC based system with VMS software that can view the cameras. You can also do it over HD-SDI as others have mentioned, but I think you'll find this to be a headache and there aren't as many options available with this as there are with IP cameras. IP cameras run over Cat5 or Cat6 cable. They typically have PoE (power over ethernet) built in, so you can transmit both the video and power over a single Cat cable. Install can't get any easier! Most NVRs will have 1-2 video outputs in HD. Typically in the price range you're talking about, you'll find an NVR with an HDMI output and a VGA output. Some may also have "loop" outputs, as you mentioned, but these are typically over coax and are an analog output, not HD. I'd look at picking up a Dahua NVR. There are a lot of different guys on here that can tell you where to buy them. Their NVRs are well priced, have a solid GUI, and have good apps for remote viewing on your smartphone/tablet. They also manufacture great quality cameras which are incredibly easy to configure with the NVR.