CCTV_Tech

What type of Internet connection? It's possible to configure a DSL modem so the connection times-out, unless that is configured in the router/modem to stay connected. Does the site have a static IP? Are you connecting via DNS name or IP, and are you using a fixed or dynamic DNS (such as DYNDNS). For example, if you have the Dynamic DNS update to be too infrequent, it won't work until you reset the thing, and your port scan is actually hitting somebody elses firewall

Clarify: the web browser no longer works on the local network? By any chance was the DVR set to DHCP..meaning it got assigned a new IP address? Can a local PC ping the DVR? If you're seeing the mobile page and not the regular browser, that sounds like something on the DVR did not start. I would double check both the Geovision settings ( to make sure web server is enabled) and also look at Windows event logs on the DVR to see if something is failing, software wise.

I believe that is the Windows Event Log. I would go into that and clear it out. You can set the size of the event log and also tell Windows to over-write it when it gets full. Control Panel >Admin Tools > Event Viewer > right click on a log to set properties

I assume you have looked at ZoneMinder and the BlueCherry cards that are used for it?

Well nobody ever got fired for buying Samsung. I could be wrong, but I don't think you can have both the keyboard and the DVR controlling PTZ cameras over the same wire using RS-485 at the same time. I believe it's possible to connect the keyboard via serial to the DVR and then the DVR controls cameras via RS-485. What DVR do you have?

Sometimes you have to do the software Quality Assurance for these companies yourself... Having done LOTS of troubleshooting flaky problems like this, I would try: a) Do a factory-reset of the unit b) try it with a blank password c) Using the free WireShark application and a Ethernet hub, watch the network traffic to see if the DVR/client communication is failing at some part of the login. d) Also look at the LAN traffic to see if there is excessive broadcast network traffic or other issues. d) Revert to an OLDER version of the firmware, if possible. e) check to see that the time is correct on the unit..that can affect authentication on some computer systems. f) Also consider the power settings on the PC. If power settings are causing the network adapter to disconnect, that may affect applications.

A lot depends on the budget, and don't forget about features like having CMS or POS integration. Who will install/support this stuff? If the answer is YOU, then the more you pay for good equipment, the less driving around you need to do. My background is more residential than commercial, so I cannot give advice on CMS and POS integration, but I have worked a lot with various DVRs and PC-Based systems and have spent a lot of time making remote-access work. The 'China clone' DVR equipment is hit or miss. It either burns up in the first day or runs for years. In terms of having issues like software bugs, flaky firmware, and non-existent tech support, those are what you get with the $199 price tag. Keep in mind when there's a power surge, the little $5 wall-wart power supply of one of these units will just simply die. The commercial-grade stuff like Aver, Honeywell, Samsung, and Panasonic and even second-tier players like Everfocus sell equipment that is better engineered, uses better grade of materials for everything from the power supply to the case. That all means these things typically run non-stop for years, even in harsh environments, there are rarely software bugs, and there tend to be actual support people and even authorized dealers. You get what you pay for.

You can buy another one of the same Eco9 units for around $100 on eBay. For commercial use I would go with something like Everfocus EDVR or ECOR264. For home or small business, perhaps a Q-See QT428. If on a beer-budget a GadSpot GS-2105 ($120 w/o HD)

here is some sample code http://www.ezcctv.com/techforum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1058

For around $70 USD, Iogear makes a wireless video-sender that does HD video over a wireless connection. These are used often for those who wall-mount a TV and don't want a bunch of cables hanging off of it. Nyrius, Startech, and Philips make similar products.

There is no law that specifically allows it, nor does there really need to be. You can stand all day long on the sidewalk with a camcorder and record every car going by all day long, or sit there on a lawnchair with a clipboard and write down tag numbers all day. Car tags are meant to be read, that's why the letters are 3" tall. The other privacy law, of course is that of your home, where the footage is stored. As long as you are not recording anything illegal, such as spying on your neighbors, the law protects you from having to show that video to anyone without a search warrant. The only area where you might run afoul of the law would be if you have a database of tag numbers, and you know who owns what tag, and you shared that with somebody other than law enforcement.

Assuming that you have a router/firewall of some sort, you need to first determine what ports are needed for the DVR. The DVR needs to have a static address, and that address has to be assigned to what is called a NAT or Pinhole firewall rule in your router to redirect external requests to the internal IP address of your DVR.

CCD is absolutely the way to go. From a hardware perspective, I have used stuff from GE/Kalatel and Everfocus for the pro-grade stuff, Lorex, Q-See, and Gadspot for the home-grade stuff, and GeoVision and NetRome for the PC-based stuff. The pro-grade stuff is more reliable, but much harder to remote-connect or even get footage from, in general. At the other end of the spectrum, the PC-based stuff is cave-man, easy, but is typically less reliable. At home I run a 16 channel Everfocus DVR and loop the video inputs to a GeoVision DVR....best of both worlds. The more you pay, the better the chance is you can get support or service if you need it. Also, the no-name units use dirt-cheap power supplies, their software is buggy, and the instructions are in Engrish. Here in the states you can get a pro-grade EverFocus or a high-end consumer Q-See model used on eBay for a couple hundred bucks. The big joke on eBay is that about 80% of the GeoVision cards are counterfeit junk that only runs an ancient and unstable version of their software.

In general there are about a dozen settings in IE that you need to adjust to get an ActiveX plug-in based DVR viewer to work. I would assume that the Swann tech support walked you thru all that? Having been forced to fix this sort of problem before, I have ended up simply setting up a simple Windows XP box running an old IE 6 web browser with either the UltraVNC or ThinVNC app on it in the box next to the DVR. UltraVNC is free, and will do live video nicely on a PC, on a PC web-browser, or on a mobile client (e.g. Mocha VNC iphone app). The ThinVNC app (or even the new SplashTop app) allow client-less remote control. SplashTop even does audio. I have used UltraVNC for many years to remote view/control security DVRs of many makes/models. Another 'fix it all costs' approach is to connect a SlingBox or Monsoon media streaming device to the DVR.

Just to clarify, when you try to connect from the outside, you are connecting via 3G (or other cellular), not WiFi, correct? What mobile device? Most mobile devices will automatically switch between cellular and wifi, and you have to shut-off wifi to properly test external access. If it's working when you use the internal private address of the DVR, that would usually mean you're hitting in over WiFi on the local network. Many DVRs tend to need more than one port, so I would triple check that only port 8080 is needed. On many firewalls, you must both open the port AND define a NAT (pinhole) rule to direct external traffic for a particular port to a specific internal IP address.

The default admin password is 0000 on Sentient, afaik. These systems use a numeric 4-digit password, so I would try something like your birthdate as a guess.

Note that my Everfocus DVR, the PTZ number has to be set one higher. in my DVR or the Keyboard menu, I have to change the PTZ ID to one higher than what you want. I bet yours work the same way.

There is the Gadspot GS2105, which is the same thing as the Q-See QT428. The GS2105 is $119, plus another $27 for a 1TB hard drive. the Q-See is around $300 with a 500 Gig drive pre-installed. There's what I would call the 'Asia standard' security DVR that seems to be marketed under at least three or four brand names. Gadspot is dirt cheap, Q-see is a bigger company, but costs more. These units are simply a hard drive and one circuit board in a case, so they don't generate too much heat. Having an external power supply tends to keep the unit itself cooler, and I believe it's got one or two of those little 1" fans.

Note that many times the USB port on a DVR only has enough power for a solid-state USB jump drive, versus a USB hard drive. Typically some hard drives have a USB splitter-cable to supply additional current via a powered uSB hub, a separate power supply, or even plug it into a nearby PC (it just takes 5 volts). First thing to try is a solid-state jump drive, and the second thing to try is to add power to an external hard drive, but in your case I would try not to experiment too much with power til you get your footage.

This is what's so strange. I have tried it on both my desk top and lap top with the same results. and stranger still, I cant access my user control panel on my laptop, only the desk top. I use Firefox as my main browser but, the DVR instructions say this software only works with IE as it is. there is a way to use it with FF or Chrome but the instructions are in translated Chinese and don't make any sense. I'm not sure what you mean by not using activex, isn't that the only way I can accsess my cameras when I'm away from home, like say at work? I called Verizon support and they would be happy to help me with a 30min tech call for a one time fee of $40 or a monthly fee of $10 for a minimum of 10 months. Gee, how's that for service?! I'm thinking I'm going to start looking for a good deal on another modem that isn't so screwed up it takes a 4 year degree to figure it out. anyway, I do appreciate your help. Not a lot of guys would take the time. Thank you, John First of all, if the DVR says it supports IE, this will NOT ever work with any other browser, period. Trust me, been there, done that. The issue is that only IE can run ActiveX controls. Your issue most likely is that there are at least a half-dozen security settings you need to change in IE for an untrusted ActiveX control to work. Does this work on the local network? I am not sure if you stated that here or not. I have setup lots of these types of DVRs and have worked with networks for over 20 years, so it can be done....it's just not easy.

In general, in a store you would want to use a dome camera, and if you're using analog, something with as many tv-lines as you can afford. If money is no object, then you need lots of cameras, and you need to do motion following and pan-tilt-zoom. Of course a lot depends on what you're recording this on, as a super-duper camera won't help if your DVR is recording 240 lines of resolution. And of course the motion-following has to come from the DVR, as does the PTZ in most cases. In general, there are tons of fairly good quality cameras that use a generic Sony 1/3" CCD sensor, and can get you at least over 540 TVL. Honeywell has been a good choice for me, as the gear is well made and seems to be reliable. For 'cheap' stuff, the company Gadspot makes some 650TVL indoor domes for less than $100USD each.