Firefighter

You can disable the built in IR and use an external iluminator to fix your concern. Sorry but that first snapshot in my humble opinion isn't good.. I can hardly make anything out with any real detail. I mean yeah the car color and enough to figure out what model it is... 2nd pic is good, But it's a ptz. We can't compare a PTZ (even analog) to a ip mp that has a wide angle lens with a fov over 70-100ft. Not trying to step on any toes, Just can't compare ptz's vs fixed wide fov cams. Analog or mp ip. But, Maybe I missed it but I havn't really seen any 1080P cams with no IR for the same price ($175) with the same Image Quality ( IQ ) Also don't think I'm saying dahua is garbage... Hell I have nothing right now and wish I did. Paying off debt before I pick up a new cctv system. Payed off two cards, one left. Also payed one car off, And selling my other so that I have no payments aside from the mortgage. Priorities. Until then I just bother you guys here on the forum. lol

Are you saying $200 PER camera? Or For everything.... If it's PER camera, Why not look at the swann 1080P cams recently posted at 2 for $349 from costco.... That's $175 a cam and they look fine for low budget cameras.... If I'm not mistaken that camera you posted is like $150 or $180 I thought....

If their up even better, More sample photos of different weather conditions etc.... Either way I look forward to the videos/pictures. You can never have enough! These look promising from a value standpoint. Question I have is, how much are the non "swann" branded versions. If they ONLY work with swann nvrs then that is dissapointing... Was hoping some nvr software was available. I like the review of the acti software, and it being free is also a huge plus. I hear it's CPU usage is low. which is another plus.

I'm looking forward to the good sample photos/videos from those swann 1080p ( Rumors of being 3mp) cams from costco at 2 for 349.... Personally, Being on a budget I'd be better off with a set of those over a single $400 cam like this one just for the simple fact of being able to cover more positions for a lower cost.... Value. Shockwave: I think you would be much happier with those Swann 1080p cams at 2 for $349... Perfect for say your Door Entry ways etc where the field of view is not SO wide. Of course, I'm sure if you put this camera where it's covering a smaller area, or with a longer mm lens it would be much better... Hell... I had my Analog Box camera $160 700tvl covering a HUGE area in my video... One of those 1080p swanns would perform so much better.... And at about the same cost. Buellwinkle, Have you attempted getting ahold of some of the super high 10mp cams etc... for reviewing? If anything, Just for fun.

These look pretty good for the price. Anyone able to confirm if their 3mp? IQ looks pretty good, Even though the window/screen. PLEASE post shots once it's mounted, and videos. Day Time, and Night time. ( Longer than 10 seconds. ) Thanks

I understand it's not going to be a $5k camera or hell, even a $2k camera. It's a $400, and for $400 I'll take it over any $400 analog with the same Field Of View. I don't know why but it just seems like theres an issue with the camera or something. Your Boats ID number on the back is even smeared like the "water Color Image Look" and that's pretty close.... Out of all the 5MP or 3MP cams you've tested, is this right on par with IQ expected? Just curious, I wouldn't deter from ip mp just because of this. There's no sub for pixels/res

I just wonder why after the driveway everything appears to be like a water color painting. For the price, It would almost seem better to have two Dahuas, One wide, and one longer focal length to capture those plates/details on the street. Would I be wrong? Having one Cam wide angle like that photo, and another with say a 12mm ( Just guessing ) lens or so to capture just the street.... I don't know why but it just seems "Lacking detail" to me. Or am I completely naive? How much do you have to spend to get that angle, but detail in the street.

Did you blur the front plate of that 2nd generation Eclipse? It's a 1995-1999 model. Or is that just the camera itself. Just curious. Was hoping it would make out something on the plate.

I would Love to see these in a few different situations.

Video is private....

I don't like running regular 5K's(or more, pavement runs) like my wife does. Have Never Ran any 5k but I know I'd prefer the "Mud Runs" with obstacles etc.... However, Watch this video, It looks like a complete blast! Check it out!!! Even friends who hate running are going just for the fun, After Party(Bands + Beer) etc..... http://www.runforyourlives.com Or See it below.... Here If you only watch One Video, Make it this one. And Watch the entire 2 Minutes. (It's the same video on their main page) eKEVbC0GiUg Here's some more. I have a bunch of guys from the Fire dept going to the one here in Nashville, Nov 9th. Getting more guys to try and go as a group in Sept. 21st to the one in Atlanta. gPz5FXEa_3k h8WVmfU7D4Y SEsmzAHjtE8 A4XvnVz9qDQ

Wow, Thanks for the info so far. I could sit here and read for hours trying to sift through and figure out exactly what I'm going to spend my hard earned money on. That Acti is def better, Not only the color but the amount of detail is worth the difference. Don't be afraid to write long reviews, I can't get enough of em! Look forward to seeing your reviews on them. Btw I would assume the better IR performance from the dahua is due to the space. Dahua has the IR Leds more open and If I had to guess it creates a more even spread pattern. I wouldn't mind the Acti in the Dahua Size/

Yeah it looks pretty good. If you can I would try and get a few more cameras since for bkw it sounds like an entire new system is out of the question. Maybe spend $60 on a good analog with a decent zoom lens so you can have one focused on your mailbox. Might be a good idea if it continues to be a problem area for you.

So the image is better than before? Post some screen shots. Is the DVR 4 chan or 8? Could add some more cheap cams...

As said above. The P just means there will be 4 powered ports. No matter which dvr you get. The reason you can't have 6 cameras on the 4 chan nvr is because firmware aka programming. For 4 chan, 8 or 16 there are different settings. Different Layouts, etc.... A company can't sell the 16 for what the 4 is, So there has to be a way for them to create leveled products. So, someone who wants 4 cameras, Only pays X amount, And if you want more you gotta pay more. You can try to add more cameras, But Your NVR will simply not allow it. You won't be able to see them or anything so it's pointless. Sorry if I'm confusing, Any more questions just ask!

Kawboy12R: Hey, Thanks. Right now I'm naked, Nothing. shockwave199: Yeah I know, I've had a very busy last few months. I got married not long ago, And I've been really trying to pay off some debt and work on the house so the Wife and I can sell it and move. So, Unfortunatly Higher Priorities have been getting the money. Though, I just started a new 2nd job and their actually working me unlike my old 2nd. Lat two weeks 40hrs each week. Not including my Full Time Job so Last week I worked 98 Hrs, this week by friday at 7PM I worked 87 hours and had Sat off. Back on a 24hr shift today (sunday) so I'm looking at another 100+ hr week. Needless to say, I should finally be able to Purchase the IP products. I'm waiting on hearing from my Source for these products. Dahua NVR3208 (I don't think the 16ch is really worth it. Though I'll price it out and double check. Also pricing the IPC-HFW3200C 2.0MP IP Bullet Cams and the 3.0MP versions since their only like $15 more, Just a cheap investment for possible future expansion into dedicated software able to use the extra 1mp. Anyway, Sorry to thread jack! Back On topic, Yes, The lower quality recordings come from the lower quality equipment. I bet that LED motion light out back was half or more of what your whole system cost. I'm looking forward to more pictures and videos. Yeah, Like Shockwave said. You could get better analog cameras, But when you start getting quality ones you could venture over towards the ip field. THough I understand that's a budget issue. Your limiting factor is the dvr. It just isn't a High Quality... It isn't going to be able to handle what you want, But, Like we have all said, For the price you got lucky

Yeah, Your bidget is a huge hit. I'll be honest, I was surprised by the screen shots you provided. With your budget it will be important to spend a lot of time on the placement/settings. Just like you have them now, Record driving down the street both ways, walk near the mailbox, Walk around the house, Pretend to "Stake Out" your own home. Actually pretend to try and break into your own home. Look at that recorded footage and fine tune the camera placements. My wife only told me the Hobby CCTV has turned into shouldn't cut into our priority budget and I spend what I want. So, I've sold the Analog system and now going IP MP. If you're ever able or interested in upgrading, You can grab a Dahua 8Ch NVR for $200.... and pretty nice 2MP 1080P cameras for about $200 too. Yes, their more than your system but the difference is Huge... You'd be able to ID people... By the way! Please feel free to post pictures. You can never have too many pictures In my opinion! I look forward to seeing more pics and videos from your system!! Maybe show the wife a bunch of cctv videos and the difference, Maybe it'll push for a higher budget. btw, Here's a resolution chart/ Granite, Having the system you have is no doubt better than not having anything at all. I'm surprised by it's Price Vs Performance. Granite, It's just for situational awareness but at least you'll have an idea of whats going on!

Yes, All "P" NVR's from Dahua have 4 POE Ports, Even if it's the 16 Chan NVR. It makes no sense to me. Because, I would rather have One Single cable going to the attic/basement and then a powered switch port to power all the cameras. Makes things clean and less cluttered. IMHO. One thing I hated about my old analog system, all those cables having to make it all the way down to the dvr.

It's a 4 Chan NVR so you can only have a max of 4 cameras. However, You can have up to 2MP cameras because it supports 1080P. 1.3mp = 720P iirc. You'll want to check the rate of the cameras though because your NVR has a bit rate of, 48 ~ 8192kbps ( 8 MBPS max ) This is the amount of Data it can handle. It can handle 1080P cameras. (2MP) but you'll want to make sure it won't overload the nvr. Someone else correct me if I'm wrong.

So, I got my first Neighbors knocking on my door because their property was stolen lastnight and I have cameras.... Last night while they were gone for an Hour, Their $400 26ft bifold nice Ladder was stolen from the side of their house. Unfortunately My camera was off by about 5 ft and didn't catch anything but a truck backing up to it and taking off.... Needless to say they are now saving up for their own Video Security System. Worst part is the week before I was covering that edge of their house but moved my camera... I would have gotten it had I not. But oh well

So, I don't know if this is the best place in the forum for this, if not mods please move. I know in the past I discussed opening a retail bussiness for selling cctv equipment kind of like nelly's or other places. I've been doing a lot of thinking regards to my career etc... I work Full time as a Firefighter. 24/48 shifts. So I'm on shift for 24hrs, and I'm off for 48hrs. I have a very solid schedule. That won't change, I also work part time (30hrs a week) on an ambulance. So, I'm looking to replace that 3-4 days a week part time job.... For example I work 100 hours this week, with thursday off. So, I considered opening a cctv install bussiness. I did my proper research and was told by the Alarm Board for State of TN that for ANY company to do any cctv, alarm, fire access control etc... they have to work for another company for 5 years. 5 Years of TN employment are required to start/open a bussiness in the alarm field including cctv, fire, access control etc..... I thought that was slightly strict. But 100% Undrstandable. So, Here is my question. After researching, and looking around, The only available positions are "Heavy Experiance Required" Of Course everyone wants experiance, but no one want to give it. So, How do I go about getting into the field if no one is willing to teach/give experiance? Thanks! Please Note: I actually would prefer to work for a company for a few years so I know exactly what I'm doing. So, how do I get into the field with the above issues

Just wanted to chime in and tell you that with the situations at this level where their is a good chance he's going to try and break in you need to make sure you have other forms of security. Your Doors, Please look into Strike plates. Being the most common entry way, it's vital to reinforce this entry point. They make larger than normal strike plates. See Below. Normal strike plate. Under $5 -Extended strike plate - Increasing the amount of surface area the plate has to transfer energy making it harder to kick the door in. Personally... With your position I would go bigger and get a full door strike plate. Making it almost impossible to break the door frame apart... aka getting inside Their like $70 US

Value wise would say duhua. 8ch NVR 120fps at 1080p full resolution means 15fps recording rate on all 8 ch at 1080p 30fps on all 8ch at 720p. And brand new from a china source at $200... Cant beat it imho. Duhua 2mp ip 1080p cams for $250 from the same source... Cant beat it imho. True with some software modifications and better support they would be awesome. For basic residential use, I dont need more.

Value wise would say duhua. 8ch NVR 120fps at 1080p full resolution means 15fps recording rate on all 8 ch at 1080p 30fps on all 8ch at 720p. And brand new from a china source at $200... Cant beat it imho. Duhua 2mp ip 1080p cams for $250 from the same source... Cant beat it imho. True with some software modifications and better support they would be awesome. For basic residential use, I dont need more.

The larger the sensor the better the image. So 1/3 would be better than 1/4.... The Lower the lux the better it can see at night... So .01 would be better than .1