jaysen

Report back after updating... I would like to know if you noticed a difference in video quality/settings.

OP, I was in the same boat as you... As many have stated, buying from China has gotten extremely easier, but don't expect too much support. Having said that, I decided on Dahua over the other brands here. Your price range is VERY dooable by going Dahua and buying from overseas. Like Larry mentioned earlier, I don't get any kick-back from this website or its affiliates but I will share my experiences. I purchased some Dahua cameras from Aliexpress.com - Aliexpress.com is a subsidiary of Alibaba. Use lots of caution when buying from them! however, not everyone on those sites are out to take your money. I was lucky enough and found a good retailer seller; BW Electronic (HK) - http://www.aliexpress.com/store/104916 - They sell most if not all Dahua products. If something is not on the site for purchase, hit up Teresa and she will source the item and provide you with a price. I had an issue - couple threads below - with the two 2MP dome cameras I bought from them. I was extremely worried that they were gonna end up paper weights due to an IP/Firmware issue. I kept in contact with "Teresa" from the page and she was able to send me over the newest software and firmware for the cameras. I saved over $60 on each camera, then purchasing them from a US retailer... however I took a risk with support/warranty. I ended up purchasing a Trendnet TPE-S44 POE switch which supports upto 7.5W per port (plenty for each of Dahuas MP cameras)

*** SOLVED *** So it ended up being the firmware... I would caution anyone to always update their firmware to the latest when using Dahua or any other Dahua rebrand (i.e. Dahua) cameras... These are killer cameras for the price... I will post some samples in a new thread once I get them mounted. Thanks to all those that assisted me in the process.

I'm not well versed in the area, but way back in the day before reality TV hit, I used to stream a "life diary" where I had a webcam setup in my room and people could watch. No idea what was so special about me, but it caught on quick... Anyway, I used webcamxp to stream to a webpage with no need for logging in and support for multiple users.. I'm sure there are WAY more selection out there, but that's one that popped off the top of my head. I would venture to say almost all of the popular brand IP cams - Vivotek, Axis, Acti, etc - all support streaming. It's probably best to find out which software you'll be using, and see their list of supported IP cams.

I'm sure one of the pros here can chime in with first hand experience but according to the user manual it shouldn't be an issue... http://www.axis.com/files/manuals/ig_P334X-VE_P3367-VE_43215_en_1106.pdf

UPDATE: I've got good and bad news... We'll start with good; I got both bullet cams (IPC-HFW2100) up and running with static IP's in my current network range; 192.168.0.x - I was able to get them to boot using DHCP. Once they were in my range, I went into the web admin and changed them to static addresses - WHEW! As for both Dome's I truly think there's a firmware bug with these cameras... both DOME cameras are set to static IP's; 192.168.1.108 from the manufacture. When both are connected to the POE Switch simultaneously, both will not display in the CONFIG TOOL software (assuming because of the IP conflict). I managed to use Bonjour Browser in OSX to display the cameras even with both assigned to 192.168.1.108... I attempted to do the same as I did with the bullets - change them to DHCP and reconnect them back to my network. Here is where the "bug" is... See screenshot below - Bonjour shows the camera right below it it list the IP: 192.168.1.108 but if you look further down, it shows IP, SUBNET, and Gateway all within my current networks range. The cameras are receiving the routers DHCP assignment, but isn't assigning them properly... My next step is to manually add the mac address of each dome to my router with static ip assigned. so HOPEFULLY, that will force the camera to take an IP in my range as oppose to the default. Crossing fingers... The distributor had got back to me but had to resend an email so still waiting on them... Here's the dome camera connected; This picture shows the bullet connected with proper settings;

I'm using DigiFort which supports them directly. Also, if anyone is in Houston, TX and needs some of these Dahua 3200's I have a bunch of extras (cash only) as I placed an order for 40 more than I needed for our project to get the cost down. HDB or HFW3200C ? Dome or Bullet? I might be interested if I can't get mine up and running...

hi as well as IP input you may find the subnet needs changing ...... your camera may be 255.255.255.255 change this to 255.255.255.0 on the camera. Thanks for your input... Sub is correct. So yesterday I purchased a netgear switch for three times the cost of my trendnet... I also tested the system out at my parents home - no elaborate network, just an AT&T router to one desktop. I plugged the new Switch in and was able to recognize one of the cameras with a new ip. The camera was set for dhcp so it looks like it was receiving the ip from the router.... Which now leads me to believe this is more of an issue with my setup at home. Back to troubleshooting. Funny thing is my $80 foscams didn't give me this much trouble!

Still haven't heard back from the Distributor... Anyway,this is getting frustrating - love me a challenge! Like I stated before, I am able to access the cameras when I separate myself from my home network and place manually set my desktop to a 192.168.1.xxx range; What's strange is in the Quick Config Tool after logging in, I can "manually" add an IP address and hit Save and receive a "Save Succeeded" Prompt. However the IP i entered will not save and the camera will revert to 192.168.1.108. But if I check DHCP, that will actually save. The issue I have is when trying to add it back to my home network it reverts to 192.168.1.108 I am also experiencing the issue when I log into the Web Service interface and navigate to the TCP/IP section. I can select DHCP just fine however when I try to save a manual IP it tells me "Save failed" which leads me to believe the Web Service is smarter than the quick config tool hahaha. ...Still waiting to hear back from the distributor. I guess worse case scenario I can switch my home network back to the 192.168.1.X range, which wouldn't be difficult but would really like to figure out what the deal is.

For those that have installed these... On the initial setup, are you using a POE switch or a seperate 12V supply? I am starting to believe there is a conflict with either the POE switch Also, those using a POE switch, which are you using?

Where did you obtain the firmware... I was on Dahua's website and they have a poor directory for available software/firmware. Thanks

Sorry for the delayed response guys, I've been busy running around with my 2 yr old... I will have a little more time now to install/troubleshoot so I'll update here shortly. Bull; I actually do have 2 DHCP Servers (2 routers actually) on my network - one in the 192.168.0.x range and the other in 192.168.1.x range... Although I've setup the FiOS router (for my On-Demand/DVR functionality) to only allow DHCP for the set to boxes, that shouldn't be interfering but who knows... I actually did what you suggested, which I was able to see one cam at a time in the Config Tool program. I hooked the POE switch to my desktop, set the NIC to the same range as the cameras, and was able to login/view each one. My issue comes with the cameras not holding the IP I input, even after I hit save and it prompts me that the "Save was successful".... Again, I'll have more time to troubleshoot and will post back here shortly. Gonna also get a hold of the manufacturer to see if there are firmware updates available..

UPDATE: I was able to finally access the cameras individually, by changing my network settings on my computer to reflect the cameras ip range and gateway (192.168.1.x) however I am experiencing some problems... First issue; I cannot manually set the IP for each camera on my TRUE ip range (192.168.0.x) nor select DHCP hoping my router would assign a proper IP. After "saving" the settings, I switched back my computer settings, re attached the switch to my network, and the cameras are still showing an ip of 192.168.1.108 Second issue; Config tool will not display more than one camera at one time. If I have two domes hooked up, it'll only list one. However if I refresh the mac address will change and it will cycle between the two cameras. What's EVEN more strange, is the bullet cameras will not show up at all however, if I have them connected I can connect to them and view the video via 192.168.1.108 Sorry if this is confusing, but for those that HAVE setup Dahua cameras, any help would be appreciated.

Can someone lend a hand, I'm sure this is something very small I'm overlooking... I bought a couple Dahua IP cams to test out, specifically the IPC-HDB3200C and IPC-HFW2100, and have been trying to set it up at home to test out. My home Network consist of the following; ASUS RT-N66U Router (set to DHCP) > HP 1810-24G (24 port switch) > Trendnet TPE-S44 POE switch My home network IP range is 192.168.0.X I've added the switch to one of my available ports on the HP 1810G, and have the camera hooked up to the Trendnet POE Switch. I load up Config Tool can see the camera but its listed with an IP of 192.168.1.108. When I try logging in it prompts with wiht an "IP Addrss Modification" box where I can change values for IP Address, Subnet Mask, Defualt Gateway. To the right it says: "NOTE: Current IP and PC IP may not in the same network segment. Please reset and then try again" Well, I try changing the values but they will not stick... any ideas? I've reset the cameras with the buttons on the cameras themselves but still no luck...

Picked up a couple IPC-HDB3200C (2MP) and IPC-HFW2100 cameras to test out here at home... we'll see how they fare... From some of the samples posted, and from what I've seen on eBay these are really great value for their performance.