the toss

That power supply should be ok. Next is to determine if the problem is DVR related. Next time you lose a channel unplug the I/P to the DVR & plug it directly into your monitor & if any type of picture re appears then the problem lies with the DVR. Why have you set it to schedule 0001 - 2359 Why not full time motion

If what you are getting at night time is the same as what you would get when you disconnect the camera (unplug) then it is most likely a power problem rather than a REALLY bad night time image. Almost certainly what is happening is you power supply dropping its bundle when the IR leds turn on because it cannot supply the extra power requirements of the IR leds. Solution - upgrade your power supply. I usually allow 500mA per camera which in your case would require a 4Amp supply. Camera masking is a feature that enables you to prevent a camera from being displayed on the realtime view. It still records & can be viewed in playback mode An example is if you had a camera in the boss's office. Now he wouldn't want the receptionist to be able to see what is going on (if the monitor is in reception). Of course to use this properly requires that passwords & access to playback be managed properly.

Have you re-set the backfocus ?

cheap bad cameras.

optical fibre

Doen't your DVR have a BNC composite o/p or VGA o/p?

Fault Finding 101 - congulations

I'd be selling those "kit" cameras & putting the proceeds towards something decent.

When it comes to wirless cameras then pick whichever one you want. The result will be much the same - dissappointment & waste of money. So I would go for the cheapest one you can.

I would turn cam 7 around to look where cam 8 is looking & vica versa so the FOV overlaps. You say nothing about the lens selection. Get varifocal lens's to enable "fine tuning"

Just about ALL DVRs do the job of recording & retrieving video footage OK. The big difference is the other functions provided. I have found that the cheaper the DVR the less friendly is the user interface, some to such an extent that actually downloading & removing footage is a nightmare. The other BIG thing I ALWAYS look at is the warranty, I won't touch anything that hasn't a 3 year warranty. You won't get a 8ch IP system with 8 IP cameras for your budget of under $500. Even an analogue system with 8 cameras for under $500 you will get crap hobbyist cameras that are useless.

Take it back to the gate , plug it in & power it from down there. This will only involve a 12V battery (if it is a 12V camera). I'm betting that it will work which then proves the issue is your voltage drop over the cat5. Cat 5 will easily work over 140m for the video signal.

Here is a little secret for those of you that may have a 24Vac camera that has died on you. First of all DON"T throw it out , it may not be as dead as you think. Just about ALL cameras actually operate on 12V dc , even the 24V ac ones. These cameras have a mini power supply /regulator built in to convert the 24Vac to 12Vdc & this is usually on a separte circuit board. This circuitry is the first line of defence for power spikes etc & 90% of the time is the bit that fails. What we can do is remove this & run the camera on 12V dc only. Open up the camera & you will see where the main power leads run to this board , with the return 12Vdc leads coming back to the main camera circuit board. Simply cut both these leads (AC power in & DC power out) & then join them together making sure you get the polarity right. You can then either remove the old regulater board or just leave it there. There you have it , a re-born camera.

Make sure it is NOT an acid based silicon or it wont last a month. Use an IP rated box & same some heartache

I've seen this a million times. Since the camera is usually angled downwards within the dome , guess what part is the lowest. That's right - the IR led circuit board. It is the first to contact the water & gives up pretty quick. You may manage to salvage the camera itself. I'm guessing the camera is mounted on a horizontal surface & water is getting in via the base where the cable entry is. It is obviously NOT IP66

Only what CCTVMANN suggested

Metal buildings ? Stay away from wireless. I would stay away from wireless regardless.

Just good basic info for a newbie - nothing wrong with it.

Ok - you've proved the recorder channels are working. Replace the suspect camera with a working one & you will prove the problem to either the cable/connectors or the camera itself

not even going to try. Godd luck with your quest.

Keep in mind that I'm talking about Australia in the following observations on wireless cameras. You are restricted to public access bands (2.4Ghz , 5.8Ghz etc) unless you lay out lotsa money for your own share of the frequency spectrum. Wireless devices using the public access bands are restricted to 10mW O/P power. These are the main problems using wireless in Australia. As for the voltage drop it will depend on - the resistance of the power cable from supply to camera and the current drawn by the camera. Ohms Law will give you the voltage drop over the length of the power cable. There are two ways to overcome this. Work out the voltage drop & allow for it when buying your power supply. The better way is to go for 24Vac cameras. With 24V ac cameras you have plenty of overhead to allow for the voltage drop & the camera has rectification & regulation on board.

I hope it's easdy to access on the tower for maintenance purposes. I have seen lots of cameras mounted in such a way as to require a $300 1/2 day hire of a boom lift just to clean away a few cobwebs.

I'm obviously missing something here.

Commandment No1 in the CCTV bible - LET THERE BE LIGHT. Everything else is a compromise.