Ran across this group today in my research and would like to bounce some ideas off the group regarding a system I'm trying to design for a three location PC-based DVR system.
Here's the basics:
* 3 hair salons
- #1 is 1 mile away from Central Office
- #2 is 15 miles away " "
- #3 is 50 miles away " "
* 4 cameras needed at each site
- One on cash register (would like future ability for POS integration)
- Second on front door waiting/retail area
- Third on rear door
- Fourth outside rear outdoor parking area
* Main objectives of system
- Record cash register activity
- Future integration with POS data
- Track walk-out customers
- Basic security (catch break-ins or vandals outside back of store)
* Communications at each site
- #1 & #2 - DSL
- #3 - ISDN
I'm thinking of a PC-based DVR system to record activity with a Dell 4600 that has a couple of big hard drive(s), i.e., 2 - 200gb+, at each site. Would like to have remote viewing ability from Central Office PC which has broadband/cable web access. Want ability to auto-archive of history, (perhaps remotely to the central-office). Would like system to be as maintenance-free and automatic as possible in terms of operation. What I mean by this is that I'd like it to be configurable such that I spend as little time as is necessary doing things like backups, etc. If I can set it up to do such tasks as infrequently and as automatically as possible, that would be my goal.
In looking at this board, it seems that there is general agreement that GeoVision has some respectable and affordable options. I'm thinking the GeoVision 600-4 would probably do the trick for remote sites. Sounds like the Central Office PC would just need a fast PC with big hard drives and a CD or DVD RW for archiving history. For future POS integration, our cash register system is a Windows XP based software system written in Visual Basic with Microsoft SQL Server database. Not sure about what kind of cameras to get, dome, color/B&W, bullet, etc. Also, not sure if GV-600 is current enough hardware to allow POS integration. Should I get a newer board? Any suggestions or feedback on system design, components, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
