Al Drake

Yes but the difference in price is what I am wondering about along with the IRs and other specs I don't understand like the EFFIO and HAD II. I don't expect the adds to ever be anything but selling points and misleading hyp.

I am comparing the specs such as the number of IRs and things I know little about such as the Sony HAD II and the Effio on the Analog cameras I will be using and wonder what really matters and what is hype. I know TVL is something that should make a difference but if there is no way to tell the actual definition and if a camera is actually 700 TVL for example or less. I see this camera: http://www.cctvcamerapros.com/Day-Night-CCTV-Camera-p/bipro-x560vf.htm •Weatherproof casing for outdoor surveillance •560 Lines of resolution •150 infrared LEDs illuminate up to 100 meters (300 feet) •1/3" Color Sony CCD (Super HAD) •5-50mm vari-focal DC auto-iris lens •Bracket & 1.5 amp Power Supply Included and this for a fraction of the price: http://47digitalcamera.shopping365now.com/brand-new-q1c1-700tv-lines-high-resolution-camera-84ir-sony-effio-5-50mm-vari-focal-lens-license-plate-camera-store-show-more-product-information/ 1/3" SONY Effio CCD, Color DSP, Automatic CDS sensor 700 TV Lines high resolution. 84 LED IR Illuminators for night vision License Plate camera ,ir Night distance up to 250 ft, Construction: Aluminum. Build-in 5 ~ 50mm Vari-Focal Lens, 0 Lux ( IR LED ON) and this: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200342908_200342908?srccode=cii_16079562&cpncode=31-77490593-2 So is it fair to say that the more IR lights the further you view at night? Are there different intensity bulbs and can they be interchanged to add a larger aray making one camera better? Thanks for any comments. Al.

Great. Thanks. I am not sure what condition or configuration the cable is actually in. I tested the connectivity by connecting my Vonage modem to one jack on the third floor and attached a phone to two different phone jacks on the first floor with success. There are a few jacks in different locations that show nothing so I will simply have to see what happens. Al.

I wonder if anyone here has done this and am thinking of giving it a try. I have an old home with existing unused phone line running to every room and wonder if I could use this line to carry video signal if I used balins and make an adaptor that just plugs right in. Right now I am using wireless 5.8 GHz transmitters/receivers but this might be an alternative. This just seems to simple so I am asking is there something I am missing or would this actually work? There is no connection to the outside and I have used this line for wired intercom and it works fine so no reason why I can't transmit camera signal to DVR or signal from DVR to external monitor for viewing in any room. Al.

I have Baluns and have been assembling cat5 cables lately and thought phone line was more or less the same. It sure looks the same so I thought most any wires would work if there were baluns used for impedance matching. I have some pre-made cable I am using that looks like simple two conductor wire but it was made for CCTV. Not RG59 shielded and not cat5. It has BNC connectors on each end but I have never stripped it to see what it consisted of. I guess it must be the same impendence as RG59 but I am not sure. I don't see any baluns anywhere

I've got a VCR and some tapes I can let go cheap. I still have a few complete systems stashed I can through in cameras and all for free.

I just got in from cleaning my driveway since 7 am, that would be 6 hours, my wife wanted some pictures taken to send to her SIL in Georgia. I handed her a camera and said "knock yourself out" but she complained of a message saying "The batteries are exhausted" do you have any fresh ones?

Hello Joseph and thank you for your reply. I do like this HD-IR9884VF-G-0550 5=50mm. (Q1C1 700TV Lines High Resolution camera 84IR Sony Effio 5-50mm Vari-Focal Lens license Plate camera) so far it's the best camera I have. I am looking at my monitor now and it's very bright and almost looks like daylight.(4AM here) I have two other cameras mounted in the same direction but show just about nothing as it's aimed down the street. I can see up to ten houses until the street curves off. I haven't had time to do anything in the line of really testing it. Maybe that will come today as I will be staying home waiting for that big storm to hit New England later in the day. I will post back when I have something to add. It's operating at the factory settings but I can say the cars all have plates illuminated beyond recognition and the camera is almost wasted out by the headlights so there must be some settings I need to apply before this works as advertised. I wish there was a way to extend these OSD controls or move them to the location of the DVR. I now have all my cameras mounted just outside windows to I can easily retrieve them for adjustments. Regards. Al.

Good point and thanks for the heads up.

Phono connectors are used for sound so I would be careful you have the right connections. If you supplied more information on exactly what models you have or some photos it would be easier to answer your question.

Expensive. You can bet on it.

Day&Night set to auto as far as I can see. I am looking here now

I checked their website, they don't sell Q-See IP cameras. Lots of places sell Q-See analog products, but it was Costco that was unique in selling the IP cameras. The best is Costco Canada that sells the 1080P Q-See cameras. Yes, you are right. I meant Costco and not Sams. I'm buying more and more from Amazon as they have a great return policy and never gave me the run around I got from Q-See.

Can anyone tell me if the Q-See DVR (518) uses Sata 2 or Sata 3? I installed a Sata III 3 TB Seagate that refuses to format so this time I would like some ideas of a large HDD that will be sure to work. Can others tell me which ones they use successfully? Thanks for any replies. Al

SATA II will be fine with 8 cameras. Best, Christopher I ordered a 2TB drive and it seems most advertised are SATA III. Now I have to learn how to best save space by configuring the DVR more efficiently.

I guess they are a big deal now that Sam's sells them. I think they're found in the toys section.

I've got some that have been covered in ice and huge ice cycles hanging from them and they still work fine. One did start to leak but I replaced the O-ring and now it's fine. I have had some on my roof that get completely covered in snow each winter and keep working fine year after year. I just got a Q-See that is not doing so fine while the support guy is giving me a hard time about it being effected by weather and threatened me with it not being covered by warentee if it gets exposed to the "elements" while it didn't even get wet. So I guess it depends on the camera. I'm not too happy with Q-see right about now and don't mind spreading that around.

CCTV CONs: Resolution stay max cap at 720 x 576 (D1). Anything higher will be a different system like SDI etc. But they are even more expensive than IP cameras. Tons of cable. If you are running a 16ch or 32ch, you are like having 32 cables running back to DVRs. It is also more tedious if you need to add cameras last minutes as you need to run the cables from cameras back to DVR again. I have a Q-See QT518 and have set the Video Output to VGA 1280X1024 without really knowing why. Just because I figured higher is better I guess. Does this mean my DVR is SDI? (not really knowing what that means). Is there a place where I can learn as much as I can without having to read endlessly on forums like this one? Thanks for any guidance. Al.

I just installed it tonight and I can say it's a lot better than that QD6504B. I know now for sure I will never buy another Q-See camera again. I had to jump through hoops to get support to give me an RMA and was told the warrantee would be void it the camera was "exposed to the elements" __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ "If the camera is in direct contact with elements this would be a good reason. The cameras are weatherproof which means they can be outside, but need to be under and eve or simply not in contact with the elements. If rain or moisture gets on the camera this will cause the fogging you are describing. Is the camera behind any glass or inside any enclosure? The second image looks like it is behind something. Unfortunately if the camera is in direct contact with the elements the RMA dept will be able to determine this and the camera will not be covered under warranty. If the camera is housed or has not been in contact with elements, then we can RMA the camera. Just follow the steps below. Please follow the steps in the link below to complete the RMA form. http://qsee.custhelp.com/ci/fattach/get/104653/1356656376/redirect/1/filename/RMA_Procedure.pdf If you need further assistance with setting up your system, please reply to the email of what sections on the documentation you need help on and how I can further assistance you. This incident will self-close to solved within 3 business days, however, you can reply to the email to reopen your incident. Be sure to check our support site at http://www.q-see.com/support for updates about your DVR. Thank you for contacting Q-see Support. Brendon Welch" _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Now I have to wait to see what their determination is before I find out if I get squat for a defective device. If I had purchased anything from Amazon it would already been in the return mail no questions asked. I’ll have time to evaluate this camera the first time I see daylight on Sunday but I am optimistic. It already looks fine right out of the box at factory settings. The haze on the Q-See is an indication of its defects. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Now I have to wait to see what thier determination is before I find out if I get squat for a defective device. If I had purchased anything from Amazon it would already been in the return mail no questions asked. I'l have time to evaluate this camera the first time I see daylight on Sunday but I am optimistic. It already looks fine right out of the box at factory settings. The haze on the Q-See is an indication of it's defects.

Thanks for your suggestions. Do you have anything in mind that I could select from? So far my first Q-See is going back as soon as the support guy gets done with me and sees it is defective. Today my newest camera arrived. Maybe you could give me your opinion on this selection. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0074AMXOU/ref=pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1 Thanks. Al.

How many cameras are you planning to attach to your Q-See? Best, Christopher I have 8 now and will be upgrading them all as time goes on. Eventually I hope to have the best that this DVR will support. I will be adding as much storage as possible as soon as I figure out which are the best and fastest drives.

OK, thanks Shockwave. I guess it doesn't matter what make. It seems I usually end up with Seagate which is what I will go with in this case. Regards. Al

I have a Linux based RAID storage that is limited to 2 TB drives. SATA III should be compatible with a SATA II port. I don't know why your drive will not format, but my initial guess would be the size of the drive and not the SATA III. Best, Christopher I figured the Sata drives were downward compatable but wondered if any DVR would support the speed of the Sata III. I guess not. Thanks for the help.

Great explanation and I thank you very much. For me the D1 is all I need and that's good in a way because I know I won't be ordering any of those over the top cameras that I really don't need. Now if I can find some of the best that I can use I will be happy. I am still trying to get the mm factor into my head and translate that to what I want to view in different spots. I see some awfully cheap cameras out there is scares me to even think of wasting time and money now that I got a taste of the one I will be sending back. The QD6504B I found out today even gets washed out in the sun so that I total junk. I was thinking of this one: http://www.cctvsecuritypros.com/prhirevaspli.html But I did order this: Q1C1 700TV Lines High Resolution camera 84IR Sony Effio 5-50mm Vari-Focal Lens license Plate camera I am looking for one that I can adjust remotely from the location of the DVR that is not too big. I don't think I can install large domes. Have any suggestions? Thanks. Al