dahomes555

Agreed. I've setup it up a dozen times on Windows Vista/7 computers where I had to reduce the dpi and have never had it not work. Windows 7 does require you to log out and log back in for the resolution change to take place, but beyond that, the PSS screen should appear as normal.

The 2nd DVR you listed has 480fps total @ D1 resolution. This is referred to as "Full D1 Recording" (30 frames per second @ D1 resolution). (480/16 = 30) The 1st DVR you listed has 120fps total @ D1 resolution. That breaks down to 7.5 fps @ D1. (120/16 = 7.5) Both DVRs will record full 30fps @ CIF. Honestly, there are few cases where you would need to record in D1 at faster than 7.5 fps. 7.5fps will look smooth and consistent. On my DVRs that are capable of 30 fps, I typically set them at 5-7fps anyway. If you are recording at full D1 resolution at 30fps, your HDD is going to fill up very quickly. That's the only real glaring difference between the two.

Use a Dahua DVR. It is far and a way the best DVR (price/performance) you can get in an inexpensive price range. You won't find any DVRs that I'm aware of that will let you view recorded video on the iPhone, Droid. The apps for either phone platform allow you to view live video as well as control PTZ cameras, if used. The only way to view the recorded video would be at the DVR itself or via a computer (once the DVR is networked.) There are several vendors who sell them here. PM me if you would like more information or would like to order, as I do carry them.

I would only caution to be careful with installing hidden cameras without having lots of signage that video recording is taking place. There are big time legal considerations with that, even if it is in your own house. (i.e. your babysitter gets naked in front of the camera and the video somehow makes it on the internet. The client could be sued, even though the babysitter messed up.) I heard of a case (from my attorney) where the homeowner got financially taken to the cleaners when someone sued him for having hidden cameras which violated an assumed level of privacy, even though it was in his own home.

How do you guys install the DVR box? When I first started, we would always either place the DVR onto a desk/table, or provide the customer with either a wall-mount shelf or a lock box (if they were willing to pay for it.) A few months ago, one of my technicians recommended removing the outer casing from the DVR and then attaching the DVR chassis to the wall with a couple of screws. Then the outer casing gets screwed back on and the DVR is now attached to the wall. It seemed like a great idea and we have done it on several installs since then. It looks great in a small business that has an IT "wall" with their IP switches, phone systems, etc. all mounted neatly on the wall. This obviously isn't as secure as placing inside a lockbox, but it seems to be the next best solution, since the DVR can't easily be grabbed and taken. Does anyone see any problems, first of all, with installing the DVR like this? I mean in terms of it affecting the operation of the DVR Second, does anyone have any other ideas or suggestions as to how to secure the DVR? As we all know, the DVR is only useful if it is still in place when it is time to pull footage off it.

Yes, you should be able to accomplish this without any issue. The Dahua's default ports are 80, 37777, and 37778. You would want to have the guys on site set up port forwarding on those ports to the IP address designated for the DVR. They would then just need to assign the IP address for the DVR and you can connect remotely and program the entire DVR. The login settings would be admin/admin. Good luck

Does the page look correctly formatted? There should be a gray box in the middle of the screen and a login/password field. If it doesn't look like that, you may need to be running IE in compatibility mode. The fact that you are seeing anything means that: a) Port 80 is not blocked by your ISP b) You have set up port forwarding correctly My best guess is that it is either compatibility mode issue (easy fix) or you are using the wrong login/password.

Going 100% digital is not a DVR. It would be an NVR or VMS. Anytime that a DVR is used that means that it is either 100% analog or analog/digital hybrid. But if you want 100% digital then you won't be using a DVR.

Not necessarily. It sounds like a hybrid dvr may be the best solution. It would give you, for example, 4 analog channels plus 4 IP camera licenses. So you could record a combination of analog and IP cameras in one unit. And since you are using cat5 for everything, when your budget allows you can just swap out the dvr for an NVR and swap out the analog cameras for IP ones.

Leave it as static

Not to mention easier to setup and more feature rich.

TheWireGuys is correct. You will only be using baluns if you are using analog cameras, as the baluns allow you to connect your Cat5 wire to your camera using BNC connection. If you are using an IP camera, then most will have a standard ethernet jack as the connection which, if using POE, will also power the camera. TheWireGuys is also correct that if you are going IP, you will want to use 2MP or higher. Be warned, good IP cameras will cost a lot more money than analog. You may see some IP cameras that are not dramatically more expensive than analog, but they probably won't even be as good as their analog counterpart. Case in point, I have seen some IP cameras in customer's stores that only have 480x320 resolution, have no IR, and have a LUX of 1.5! That is a TERRIBLE camera! When I looked it up online, the price was $129. I can have an analog camera that will look a lot better than that for $60-70. So it isn't necessarily an issue of IP vs analog, but what the specs are within each type. To say that analog cameras are "old" and "junk" as not accurate. Analog cameras still make up a large percentage of the CCTV market and still do a great job. Advances in firmware and software in DVRs makes them very flexible in terms of how they can be expanded and accessed. In the future, I think that most camera systems will be digital/IP based, but it will be a long, slow transition. If you aren't willing to spend the big bucks for the high end IP system now, you can make sure that you are future-proofing your system by using Cat5e or Cat6 for all your cabling and connect analog cameras with a DVR now. Then when either your budget allows or the pricing gets more competitive, you will already have the wiring infrastructure in place to upgrade to IP. I also agree that hosting your recording software on a Mac is a waste of money and resources. Buy a cheap PC to be your video host and then make sure that the software is Mac compatible so that you can connect to the PC server to view and manage your video. What is the application that the cameras will be used for?

No, baluns are typically for transmitting the video. Here's what I typically use: Blue/Blue-White: video (connect to balun) All other solid colors: Positive power All other striped colors: Negative power. Twist the solids and the stripes together and connect them to a male power connector. Then you can cleanly connect the connector to the camera and power is done. Then obviously connect your balun to the camera and video is done. POE just isn't really used in analog stuff much. You could tweak it to make it work, I suppose, but it isn't really practical. IP is more where IP would be used.

If you are going POE, you are looking at IP cameras. POE honestly sounds a lot cooler than it really is. You can run power either over your Cat5 or Siamese cable and connect them to a power supply just as easily and a lot cheaper. POE is neat and clean, but it really give any advantage and costs a lot more.

The main component that will make this all happen for you is the DVR. Make sure to select a DVR that is compatible with Mac. Many are not. Most DVRs are compatible with iPhone (and thus iPad). Before selecting a DVR, find out which app is required and download it. Most vendors will have a sample DVR that you can use to connect to your iPad or iPhone and see how it all works. That lets you "test drive" the DVR so to speak before you buy it to make sure that you like the interface and how it performs. I am also a Mac guy, so making devices work with all Apple products is a big deal to me and my customers.

Either your router or DVR (or both) should have DDNS support built in to them. Find that setting and input the host name, login, and password that you used to create your dyndns account. Then go into your dyndns account and update the current IP address and save it. Now the IP address should be current and the DVR or router will be updating your dyndns account if and when it changes.

Great CRM that is specific to alarm companies is Agemni. www.agemni.com is their website. Good for creating/tracking leads, converting leads to customers, tracking inventory, creating/tracking service/billing tickets, and even running payroll for your employees with customizable pay plans. Highly recommend.

Because all the objects you mentioned are digital. Your blu ray connects with an HDMI and is a digital signal. NTSC signal is limited to 480 TVL, same as DVD. To get hi resolution video you need a digital signal, which means an IP (megapixel) or HD-SDI.

D1 is the maximum resolution possible on analog. It's the video format (NTSC) that limits this. The only way to get higher than D1 is with digital. You'll have to go IP to get this. Also possible with emerging technology, HD-SDI. All of these will cost you MUCH more than analog. You get what you pay for.

Steer clear of Zmodo. I used to sell their stuff because it was cheap (trying to maximize profits and save a few bucks.) After having mediocre image quality and less than mediocre build quality, I switched away. Almost all DVRs nowadays are networkable. They are easy to setup and don't require any additional equipment besides the current network you already have. They are just an IP appliance. You plug them into your router and can either manually assign an IP address or auto-assign one using DHCP. From there, you can type in the IP address from any computer on the network and access the DVR. Setting up remote viewing is very easy as well. There are typically 2 different ports that your DVR will use for remote access. You just need to enable port forwarding in your router for those two ports and you will then be able to access your DVR remotely from a PC or from a smartphone. Most DVRs will remove the oldest video when the HDD is full. That allows you to keep the most recent video stored. Let me know if you have further questions and I'll be happy to assist.

Buy a Dahua DVR. Best feature set and reliability by far at that price point. Full D1 resolution @ 7fps, plus remote viewing, scheduling, email, etc. You mentioned D1 @ 30fps, but I think that is a waste of hard drive space. Your eye can't really see the difference between 7fps and 30 fps, but you'll get a ton more storage space on your HDD. They're sold by a few different distributors in US. I'd buy under the QVIS brand name. Their prices are best and they offer a 3 year warranty on their DVRs. Some distributors don't sell unless you're a dealer. PM me if you would like more info on QVIS DVRs.

Welcome! Congrats on setting up your new system. Hope it adds security and peace of mind.

Search on amazon for "CCTV microphone." First result will be for a VideoSecu microphone. I've used it a few times and customer has been pleased with the result. It is easy to install with a power input/output (plug the camera's power supply into the microphone, then connect the camera to microphone. Done!) Costs about $15 and if you have an Amazon prime account, shipping is free!

First things first. If the DVR is only 4 CH, I guarantee you that it doesn't have 240 fps. That would be 60 fps, which is double the rate of full motion. Secondly, there is a difference in frame rate typically as resolution goes down. Your DVR does support D1 resolution, but not at full 30 fps. It records D1 @ 60 fps, which breaks down to 15 fps per channel. That is plenty, by the way. So while I don't think Swann is the greatest brand on the market, you are at least working with a DVR that has a decent frame rate at D1. So there are two things that can be improved: 1) cameras. Don't buy in to the notion that the higher the TVL, the better. The reality is that D1 resolution is only capable of recording/displaying 480 TVL. So buying a camera with any higher resolution than that won't get any higher quality. Will increasing from 420 to 480 make a difference? Yeah, a little. But not a ton. You'll want to make sure that the cameras have a 1/3" CCD image sensor. If you can get one with a varifocal lens (typically 4-9mm in that price range) then that is better. Often the cameras come with a 6mm lens, which in my opinion, is not wide enough to give a good general view and not focused enough to get good detail when needed. Opt for a varifocal lens. Make sure that it has good specs (low signal/noise ratio, and low LUX are important for image quality and low light image) and if you want night vision, get one with lots of IRs for maximum illumination in darkness. 2) Cabling. I hate those kits that come with "everything you need" because the pre-made cables are almost always junk. They don't use coaxial cable (RG59 or RG6) for the video transmission and the power wire is usually very thin. You can have a good DVR and good cameras, but if your power isn't sufficient and your video cable/connectors are junk, then you won't have a good image. It's best and cheapest to make your own cables, either with siamese cable or using UTP (Cat5) with good video baluns. If you still want to go the pre-made route, make sure the cables use coax with 18 ga power wire. I've never bought cameras from monoprice, but I am pleased enough with many of their other products that I would take a chance buying cameras from them. You don't have to spend a ton for good quality (half the price is the name brand printed on the outside!) For the cameras you are talking about, you should be able to find good ones in the $60-100/camera range. Hope that is helpful. Good luck!

I've been reading a lot lately about HD-SDI being able to transmit full 1080P resolution video using existing RG59 coax cable, so long as the cameras and DVRs are HD-SDI. The demos that I've seen appear to be stellar in quality. Having mainly installed NTSC DVRs that are limited to D1 resolution, I've been looking on how to break into the HD market. IP has seemed like the way to go, but there is just so much upkeep and configuring that goes on with IP. You also run into bandwidth issues where having a decent sized system (8-10+ cameras) will basically require it's own network, otherwise it will just kill the bandwidth for the rest of the building. What are the pros and cons of HD-SDI, in comparison to IP? In my opinion, IP has always given more flexibility and higher quality images, but with lower reliability (network dependent) and more maintenance. If HD-SDI can offer the great image quality, with most of the flexibility (DVRS are basically network appliances these days), then why would I use IP over it? Thanks