moe3615

2 Questions: 1) Does anyone know if there is a way to get onto an acti camera using SSH? 2) Does anyone have a full list of all the URL commands available on Acti cameras? Thanks,

Try meraki OD2

I'm looking into switching cameras from ACTi to Hikvision. However Hikvision documentation is non existent. Now I turn to this forum hoping to clarify a few things 1) Should I be concerned about the lack of documentation? 2) Has anyone here used both companies? How was your experience switching? I like the plug and play NVR's with PoE built in, any first hand experience with this? Thanks

Okay, I'm pretty convinced but I have one big issue and I hope I can pick your brain for a bit... Hikvision seems to have such a lack of documentation its rather frustrating. For example, acti has a product selector where I put in all the things I need and it spits out the exact model of camera that I need. (http://www2.acti.com/corpweb/Tools/ProductSelector/index.aspx?spec=Cameras). Does Hikvision have such a feature? For example, how would I find the following camera. 3MP Dome with Either built audio line in or Mic in, PoE, that can be mounted on a wall or ceiling, indoor/outdoor, Fixed Lens, Day/night adaptive IR LED, with a Wide Angle Lens and perhaps WDR... Also, how is the mobile app and browser interface for live view and playback? Thanks for all your help.

Nice, thanks for the documentation link, I have to check it out. If the Cameras are true plug and play, why would I need to logon to router to configure remotely? Can't control it all from the NVR? Have you ever installed ACTi? I would love to know how they compare. I've installed over 400 Acti Cameras and curious about the differences I will encounter.

I might be wrong, but unless your router has some sort of firmware that will act as an NVR I can't imagine how this would work unless its a real NAS. Just having the footage won't give you remote access, you need software to enable you to index and find the footage accordingly. The external hard drive into the router is simply storage, nothing more. I'm sure there is a way to access it remotely, just I don't imagine it can serve as a NVR. Note: I've never tried this, I'm a techy and don't see how it would work.

1) NVR is from the easiest methods as it provides less setup. However; if you already have a server with 13TB of storage, why not just use that? You can install software such as ACTi NVR 3.0 which even has an app which you can view live and playback. 2) You can do that as well, try Synology. 3) The software comes into play when you want to turn an existing PC into an NVR. If you buy an embedded NVR you don't have to worry about software. 4) Every camera needs to connect to the network and needs power. You can find wireless cameras in which case you won't need a switch but you'll need wifi that's on the same network. Keep in mind you still need power to Wireless cameras. You say you already have Cat5 wired to every room... why not use PoE? HP Server > PoE Switch on non Poe Port Camera 1-4 > on PoE with Power Uplink on PoE to Router. configure router to forward ports to Server and you're good. I have never used Hikvision and am very familiar with ACTi you can try them and let me know if you have any questions. They give you the NVR software for free.

Anyone figure out a better approach for this dilema yet? This for me has been one of the most difficult things to do. So far all I can figure out was to use Synology DSM5 as the NVR and backup to Amazon Glacier (Really Cheap to upload and store, more expensive and slow to retrieve). I also have snapshots upload to a separate FTP during any motion detection. I would love to hear how others solve this...?

The Synology model you speak of should be more than sufficient, I've used that model with more than 4 cameras. Just so you know, you have other options to display the display on the TV. 1) Synology has a product for viewing video (maybe video station or something similar) 2. Something like the ACTi ECD-1000

First off try using Internet Explorer and make sure in Internet Explorer the page is added to compatibility settings. This depends on the version of IE you are using. As soon as you get on, make sure to update the firmware.

I have been installing the Rosslare door access control systems for several clients. One of them is looking to be able to open the doors wirelessly from her desk. Does anyone know of any systems I can integrate with this? There are 4 doors in the office at the moment. If you're not familiar with rosslare, their system is very much like Honeywell so if it works with Honeywell is should work with rosslare as well. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

Does anyone know if something like this will work? "Logisys RM04 12V 4-Channel Remote Control" I don't want to get spammed so if you go to amazon and do a search for this product its a basic 4 port wireless on and off. Thanks

Thanks all for your reply's. Let me explain a bit more: There are cameras throughout the office that monitor the front and back doors. The receptionist is responsible for letting people in, this is among her many responsibilities. She can see who is at the front door from any location in the office and therefore is not stationed at a specific desk. I have recommended to them installing an exit button but they quickly refused that since she is almost never at her desk. Same with using the software to release doors, not an option for this office. I thought of the wireless idea after I saw a device at another clients office that had this, I took a look at the device and can't find anything like it online. There was not a single word on the device that I can use to search it up online. Not a make, model, serial number... nothing. It basically had 4 inputs that connected to the panel via 18/2 cables. It also had a small antenna and plugged right into the wall. I've looked and looked and can't find anything. Maybe this is 'hack' and not really a system that's sold with Access control? I tried calling the person who installed that system and he claims not to have installed the wireless part, no one knows who installs this which make my search for such a device even harder to find. If anyone know of any such device I would appreciate immensely if they can share that with me. Thanks again for all your help.

I know this post is old but this is exactly what I've been installing for apartment buildings. For anyone else who might find this useful.... All you need to do in this scenario is run an 18/2 cable from the relay fuze that opens the door to your system. (D - usually Red and the C - Usually Black) Personally I use rosslare since you can manage 100 different systems from one computer in a remote location. But I don't vouch for their tech support, as a matter of fact it sucks. Yet their product is pretty good. If you run into issues with them, you might just have to figure it out alone. Then run an 18/6 cable for the reader from the panel to the front door, plug it into the network and setup is easy. Just plug in the wires in the system exactly how the diagram shows it and you're good to go. I've managed to setup these systems in 2 hours. If you have any questions regarding this method, feel free to PM me.