Ben Miller

Thanks

It's pretty cool to see the quality difference in those comparison shots. Thanks for posting those. Do you mind if I use them in a blog some time to show the difference in quality between CCTV and IP Cameras?

Have you tried doing a hard reset on the 4S? Holding down the top button and the home button until it turns off, then keep holding it until the Apple logo comes back up?

A lot of hard drive manufacturers have a 5 year warranty on their products. Depending on the company, I'd buy a new one and then send the other one in for RMA. That way you have a back up on your new drive. I've noticed that DVR HDDs have a higher fail rate than your usual hard drive failure rate. I'd assume it's from the high constant volume of read/writes. Backups are always a good idea and you may look into a RAID setup if you haven't yet.

Okay, so to login to your DVR, you need to type the IP address into a web browser. Is that what you meant by connect? If you're looking for it to show up like another machine on your network, I've never seen that happen. If you ARE using a web browser and you still haven't been able to connect, make sure that the DVR and your computer are on the same subnet and both are getting IP addresses from the DHCP server or router. Additionally, make sure that the default IP of the DVR isn't conflicting with any existing IP addresses on your network. That can create connection issues.

Hey zopallen, There are a couple ways to power your cameras. You can use a transformer to power it, or Power over Ethernet (PoE), but that would require a switch that has power over ethernet capabilities or an injector. Also, it's been mentioned, but an IR illuminator could really help in this situation. It'll get you a more consistent picture in the dark.

Sounds like your DVR is on the fritz. I know that's not what you want to hear, and I'd give you a "real" solution if I could, but given the symptoms, the only other thing I can think of is flashing the DVR's BIOS. Maybe there are some settings in the DVR you can tweak to see if you can fix the restart issue. If you're not detecting the HDD, I'd try the following. 1.) Make sure the drive is formatted before hand. Some DVRs can format the drives themselves, but some cant. 2.) Make sure the drive works in another system. 3.) Check another drive in the DVR to see if it's the system or the drive. One of those should tell you where you problems lies. Original drive, the cable/connections, the DVR, or not formatted.

Hey NJGunner, I know that ACTi and Geovision both come with software that support their cameras and both offer remote viewing. I'd personally go in favor of the Geovision software, just as it's more popular and a little easier to configure. There are also a lot of Geovision cameras in your price range. They should come with the software inside of the camera box. Feel free to PM me if you've got any other questions.

Hey all, Ive got a little experience with IP cameras and even less with CCTV, but I wanted to join a community to see what people are doing, how they're using security cameras etc. I love innovation and I'm curious how people get cameras to do new and exciting things. I'm from Dallas, TX and I'm glad to be here! Thanks!

Hey Kathir, Geovision doesn't sell directly to the consumer. I'd check out distributors and things like that and shop around for the best price. If you want I can send you a suggestion by PM that I prefer.

Hey Mantle, I've always liked the Brickcom Cameras my self. I'd be happy to link you a camera from our site by PM that you may be interested in. It's got the mic you need to pick up your baby, plus a great picture and 30 fps. As an IP camera, you can check it from work, and I think it's an all around good solution for your needs. Seriously, I've always been impressed with Brickcom, they're really easy to use. Good luck!

Hey JASauders, First off, I think tom cctv is right that just using one camera is a bit risky unless you can just take a quick jaunt up to the vacation home if something goes wrong. That said, it's totally understandable that you just want to use what you have on hand. In my experience, for one camera a 250GB system using a Pentium Dual Core would suit your situation fine. It would also allow you to use remote viewing and you could keep an eye on it on your phone or laptop during the "away" time from the vacation home. I think a simple computer system would do the job nicely, though you'd need a capture card or something. If you want more ideas, I can send you a PM if you'd like with links, etc.

Hey sourabh.jagga, I'm not sure as you're using 3G, but I would imagine the port forwarding process is the exact same. If you could let us know your camera and DVR model as well we may be able to help you further. In essence, your cameras hook up to your DVR, which is given an IP address by your router. It will have a port that needs to be forwarded in your router. Then you have what's called an external IP address, and that's what you use to connect to your system remotely. Basically it goes like this: ISP gives your router an IP address like 129.23.25.24 Then your router uses DHCP to assign all the devices on your router an IP address. Usually it's (192.168.x.x) x being a random number 0-254 In your router you need to find out which 192.168.x.x got assigned to your DVR, then create a port forward for that address using the port your DVR uses. I noticed there was a sticky at the top of this forum. It may be enough to help you. Anyway, hope that helped.