Al Drake

This was my first DVR and after reading a few good things I now find that I am not as happy as I was at the time I bought this rather expensive device. Does Q-See even make a DVR or are they all refurbished, used or otherwise low grade products? This "QT518T" in reality a LST with a bad reputation if anyone can believe this article: 8 Channel Enterprise Full D1+ DVR LTD2508FD Description "This product was reviewed and rejected by our Quality Assurance Team Why was this product rejected by the Security Camera Warehouse Quality Control Team? We rejected this product or manufacturer for at least one of these reasons: Poor build quality standards, evidenced by a high rate of Dead-On-Arrival (DOA) components Infrared has a propensity to overheat, creating a potentially dangerous situation Camera or DVR has a poorer image quality than described Manufacturer does not stand behind their products, evidenced by a lack of or lackluster warranty" It's no wonder I had such a hard time getting this thing online. Not to mention the poor quality cameras. Sad Al.

it can't hurt to try it and see if it performs well enough for your needs since you already have it. It depends on how often the cameras are recording and the sensitivity of the motion detection. There are many variables such as video settings that can eat up drive space. So I would say go for it.

You "could" but would need an adaptor bracket for the size difference but is it the right drive intended for maximum access? You probably want a larger capacity like 2 Gig or at least 1 Gig. http://www.cctvcamerapros.com/CCTV-Accessory-s/33.htm Why upgrade the Hard Drive in your DVR? There are several variables which play into requiring larger storage capacity in one’s DVR: 1. The number of cameras you are using will affect the appropriate DVR or NVR hard drive size. 2. The resolution of these cameras (low, medium or megapixel), the higher the camera resolution, the better the video quality, and this will increase the storage requirements. 3. The Frames per Second rate you select for each camera (7.5, 15, 20 or 30 fps), for the higher the frame rate the more storage is needed. 4. The length of time you wish for the DVR to record (one, two, three weeks or more). Once you have assessed the number of cameras, the resolution and frame rate, determined how much time you can record before the oldest day is deleted, you will be able to decide which size hard drive is best for your video surveillance needs.

no i havent to be honest with a transit the layout is pretty simple to have 2-3 cameras to easily cover all passengers Maybe you could post some photos of what it looks like inside. Thanks. Al.

Well *that* was kind of a naive question... at least in retrospect. Now I see that feature is SOP - as is ignition control. Next question: This seems like a ripe area for enthusiasts who want to go beyond off-the-shelf functionality. Does anybody know of a forum or NG dedicated to that? Where I'm going is concocting some sort of DVR system using relatively low-cost USB webcams like my Logitech 9000 (http://tinyurl.com/cauxkb8 which gives impressively-clear images and has a built-in microphone). Maybe build up an XP box on a Micro ATX mobo that's small enough to fit under the passenger's seat or in the glove box... then hang a few USB cams on it - served by something like Blue Iris.... Vehicle's ignition turns on, XP box boots up and cams are online within a minute or so. I can imagine all sorts of issues with such an effort: power consumption, image processing power, and so-forth. So, back to The Question... does anybody of a forum or NG that caters to people with such fantasies? Try one of these http://www.cobantech.com/www/ie8/EDGEMC.html

i don't use or recommend wireless for video. period. your original post said you wanted to run from the dvr to *two* tvs. two does not constitute "many". My original post? Show me. there's *always* a way. Not if you don't own the dwelling. your original request said nothing about sharing with the neighbors - your wanted to run to *two* tvs in your own house. I think you are simply confused. i wouldn't really call that a success... "o hai neighbor, sorry about f***ing up your wifi, but look, you can view my cameras now!" Chill out my friend. I have worked with my neighbors to make sure there is no interference and have a collection of 2.4GHz devices sitting on a shelf to prove it. There is no interference using 5.8 GHz.

One wire? How about many wires in many directions. No way could I run a wire from the top floor(third) back loft to the ground floor front kitchen or even the basement and the separate garage. I can give access to my neighbors who only have to purchase cheap receivers which I have several that work great. I was successful in the past using cheap 2.4 GHz but it caused gross interference with Wi-Fi all up and down the street. So I guess you don't use the one you recommended then.

Do you have one of those? I purchased one of these: http://www.security-cameras-cctv.com/security-cameras/5.8GHz-Wireless-Transmitter-Kit.html and added one of these: http://www.rflinkusa.com/products_APW1000.html I haven't checked the distance yet. Al.

But you gotta be one mofo of a shot. What's a "mofo"?

Have you thought about mirrors along with the camera(s)? This arrangement might be less cumbersome and noticeable.

Looks like he has a blurry camera to me.

I found that the best way to ID a DVR is to take the cover off and take numbers from the board. I was surprised to find numbers that matched up to a manufaturer different from the name which I purchased it as. I have been adding hard drives and then decided to keep a log of what I was adding and make a list of all the numbers I found inside. I googled my Q-See 518 and got some helpful reports that led me to the LTS manufacturer site. Al.

From Google: If it's analog DVRs you can use a matrix system, the matrix for example has 64 video inputs and 2 monitor outputs. The matrix enable you to take multiple video streams and manipulate the video output ranging from 1 to 100 monitors. Read more: How can we connect multiple CCTV DVRs to Single monitor and at a time we can see more then one DVR Cameras on the screen? - I have multiple DVRS which are used to store and display CCTV images/Videos I want to connect them to single monitor and can be able to see multiple images at one shot :: Ask Me Fast at http://www.askmefast.com/How_can_we_connect_multiple_CCTV_DVRs_to_Single_monitor_and_at_a_time_we_can_see_more_then_one_DVR_Cameras_on_the_screen-qna949967.html#q1741855 http://www.askmefast.com/How_can_we_connect_multiple_CCTV_DVRs_to_Single_monitor_and_at_a_time_we_can_see_more_then_one_DVR_Cameras_on_the_screen-qna949967.html#q1741855

This sounds very interesting and something I have given some thought about in the recent past. I have considered installing a dash cam with maybe multiple cameras. I have a netbook and a floor mount with backup cameras ready to use. There are some usb dvr devices and probably many ways to set up a working system but I have to wonder about the easy of removing everything so nothing gets removed for me or in such a case where I want to take everything out at night or even when I leave the vehicle momentarily. Adding students might complicate things a bit so much thought would have to be taken about security. I would think a netbook would be a bit easier than a laptop. I added an SSD for speed so now many other questions would come to mind about a rather complicated endeavor. Exactly what does a "small" budget mean to you would be my first consideration and how and where would you mount cameras and what kind would you plan to use? Makes for an interesting post. Al.

You sure have a lot to look over. I need some better cameras so I will see what you have that I like. Thanks. Al.

I am not familiar with this card in particular but a few years ago when I used DVR cards in home brew systems I had multi monitors and used the old WinXP box as a PC and DVR system and never had a problem although I was advised not to. I had an ATI card that supported dual monitors and even tried a dual monitor PCI card. The DVR card always started up in the main monitor so I kept that running 24/7 and used the PC on a secondary to maintain the system without shutting down. I tinkered a lot and used the system for email and most everything else. I am not a gamer so I can't say anything I did was intensive. I still have two old systems stashed away that I never use and have gone the route of the DVR box. I say it can't hurt to give it a try. But I never had a problem with taking things apart and reconfiguring every system I ever had. Good luck and I 'm sure others will chime in with their expertise. Al.

It was pointed out to me that this DVR is an LTS so I am in the process of making some changes. So far everything is going well if I can figure out how to get through from my work network. I think they are blocking this activity somehow. I'm going have to educate them I think.

The launch date is indeed 2012-06-26 18:19:41. I am sure I have registered correctly.

I won't have access to a remote computer until I get to work tomorrow. I will give it a try. All my systems are on my network and that access is fine. I do see my external IP addy from canyouseeme.org and others. I just got a return email from Q-See support who asked me where I got the DVR and the Firmware. I got it from Amazon but I didn't check to see where it really came from. The FW seems rather old so I will wait to see what support comes up with. Ver. 3.2.0.P-12.0.6.F-00 looks like it might be from early 2000 if I decipher it right. I do see mintdns. I selected it but got a response of "register account fail!" so I will jhave to lok into what I might have to do to correct this. I used the Q-See settings like you suggested but the test shows failure as mentioned above. I don't have a cell phone(I'm really a very old timer). I don't have multiply routers other than my Vonage device but I never access that and I don't think it is active on my local network. I will now go to Amazon and see if I can find out where it really came from. I have had it for some time so I might have a problem if I try to get any satisfaction from them. Thanks for the suggestions. I will keep trying. regards. Al.

I downloaded cports and it indicates DDNS.exe is running. 2 instances. One remote port 49158 with a lot of other stuff I don't understand. It shows http://www.dyndnsservices.com Enterprise DDNS client. One instance listening and one established. This is after I rebooted but at one point I noticed 4 instances but I think that might have been due to be running it again from the desktop. I am using a Linksys router and a Zoom modem so I know there is no combo device. Maybe the problem is IE so I could try Firefox as I have it installed but not my default. I emailed q-see and will wait for a reply. I type to slow for any other communication. Maybe I'll do like you suggest and use Dyndns and the trial version. Thanks for that. According to canyouseeme.org port 80 is not blocked but I could try another to be safe. Thanks for the suggestions. Even if I have to wait for as long as it takes I don't mind. I am so busy at work I only have Sundays to sit back and try stuff. Thanks again. Al

One more thing. I see in the router that DDNS is set to disable and the only choice I have to change this is to make a selection in the drop down menu which are only DynDNS.org and TZO.com. It seems to me that this must be the problem and would be resolved if there was a selection for Q-See.com in that window. Also: Enterprise Client v3.0 shows the service is running.

I checked to see that the ports were open in the router but it is unclear what I must do and check the modem. I saw no mention what-so-ever of this being an issue. What is the process to set Dynamic? If you mean that I uncheck this box then I have done this many times back and forth. I rebooted each time I made a change just to be sure the settings took effect. The only thing I see that is different from what I see in the manual is there is no indication of Q-See.com showing as the DDNS server. I selected the site mane myself as I didn't see any way to have it chosen for me. I was tempted to pay for DYNDNS and would do so if I thought it would work. I need to know more about filtering as this might be the problem. What do I need to check that is not clear in the manual? Could it be a firewall issue configured in my router like the 4 I see enabled? Block Anonymous internet Requests Filter Multicast Filter Internet NAT Redirection Filter IDENT(port 113)

I haven't contacted Q-See yet but my guess is that if their service is not showing then there will be no connectivity. I will give them a try. I was unable to set to Dynamic IP unless I am doing that wrong too. I can't get out of the "Other settings" menu if the settings are not correct so I have to cancel. I have tried power cycle several times but no help.

For starters I found this: http://www.arrg.us/pages/Loss-Calc.htm Al.

http://signal.ee.bilkent.edu.tr/VisiFire/