stroonzo

Trust me, after replacing two Dahua 2MP bullets that had pretty good IR from a "ring" of LEDs with two Hikvision cameras using EXIR, there is NO comparision. The EXIR arrays are superior. In fact, they're just amazing. I get IR at over 175 feet (perfect and ideal for my application on dedicated plate cams). See my post if you have not already. It contains screenshots - viewtopic.php?f=19&t=40972

Don't get caught up in the monitor's resolution. That is the resolution of the screen area. You should 100% consider a 2MP or even a 3MP IP camera. In short, when your current setup (consisting of a 720P (1280 x 720) camera) is optically zoomed, the FOV is just that - 920K pixels. As soon as you digitally zoom (let's say double the amount), you now are looking at 460,000 pixels stretched across your (1280 x 720) 921,600 pixel display. Now in the same scenario above, but with a 2MP (1920 x 1080) camera, when you are optically zoomed, you will have amazing clarity (just as you do now ) and when you digitally zoom (let's say double the amount again), your picture are is still 1MP total on your 720p display. I have a couple of 3MP cameras. And let me assure you - digital zoom on the 3MP cameras is stunning! At a ridiculous level of digital zoom, the picture detail is better than D1. That may not seem impressive until you realize the amount of digital zoom being used and the distance to the objects.

I would suggest you consider doing something other than what selinger is proposing until you understand what your requirements are. The NVRs used on these systems (usually Dahua) are limited in the total FPS. The less channels on the NVR, the less total FPS the NVR supports (usually). Therefore, these smaller units are actually designed to be daisy chained (for lack of better words). Essentially, when you run multiple, stand-alone NVRs you configure them to work together. In short, imagine on NVR 1 you add your four cameras and those four maximize the processing power, POE, and storage of that single unit. Instead of adding the 5th camera, on NVR1 you point it to NVR2. NVR2 then acts as a relay server (if you will) for NVR2's four cameras utilizing NVR2's processing power, POE, and storage. When connecting to the master NVR1 system, all systems are time synced, you can display all 8 channels at once, and you configure remote viewing etc from the one system. My other suggestion I would have for you (if you are only interested in prepackaged systems) - buy a more robust 8 channel HD system with an NVR consisting of 8 POE ports, appropriate processing power, and adequate storage for your needs. For the price you would pay for two of these systems you described above, for $1399.99 you can buy a Q-See 8 Channel HD NVR Security System with 2TB HDD and 8 1080p Cameras (these were Dahua NVR and Dahua Bullet 1080p HD cams just a few months back, but it looks like they may have changed the OEM on this one) from Costco. http://www.costco.com/Q-See-8-Channel-HD-NVR-Security-System-with-2TB-HDD-and-8-1080p-Cameras.product.100111530.html There's also the (Dahua) Q-See 16 Channel HD NVR Security System with 3TB HDD, 8 1080p Bullet Cameras and 1 12x Zoom PTZ Camera for $1999 now. http://www.costco.com/surveillance-systems.html?refine=30896%2b13767

AliExpress

I do not know. I wonder the same thing. My friend just ordered the 2232, so we will find out I guess. From everything I have read, they are the same. In fact, the specs for the 3232 are slightly off. It is capable of 20 fps at 3MP. All of the specs state 15.

few more pics...

Hmmm, thanks for the tip. I did not think about that. I guess that shows you how little fog we get. It makes sense. I can understand how the IR would reflect off of the vapor and shine back into the sensor (just like a highbeam headlight to a driver in a car). I took some additional pictures of the pillars / planters I built to house the street cams (if anyone was interested in seeing more detail on those). The cabling to these is run in conduit from the house out to their location. One side of the pillar is removable for servicing. The pillars have spiked feet driven into the ground, are secured in with two 4 foot sections of rebar (each), and have been weighted with 50 pounds of pea gravel contained within. Irrigation is routed up to the flower pots and connected into the lawn irrigation system. Drainage from the pots is also installed and routed in a controlled manner within the pillar (so the pots do not overflow and spill out potentially making the lens dirty or blocked). I've had these in service for about a year. They have been working very well.

I have not had any issues with IR and insects / spiders. And we never have fog (maybe a few days a year). I am not sure there is much any camera can do about fog. It must be all of the deltamethrin, permethrin sfr, and fipronil I use around my house. Two to three times a year. No more crazy ants!

Also, as stated on Cisco's datasheet for the 3560G POE: The Cisco Catalyst 3560 8-port PoE and 24-port PoE configurations can support 8 and 24 simultaneous full-powered PoE ports at 15.4W for maximum powered-device support. You can pick these switches up from many places for about $500 - $700 **used**. Well worth it. These are super bang for the buck. Not only do you get 24 ports POE, but the managed switch is a bonus if you wanted to do any network segmentation etc. The UI for the switch over the browser is good too. And if you know how to telnet and manage the switch, that is an option as well.

I run a Cisco 3560G POE-24 for my home network in which 14 of the ports are running POE IP cameras. The other ten ports run to APs, smaller desk switches, point to point radios, VMWare server (which runs my NVR, file server, firewall, etc). This is all housed and home run into a custom media cabinet I built. It is nice having everything running on a single switch. The VMWare server, Switch, and subsequently all of the IP cams are on a UPS. The cabinet is power ventilated as well (through the top - behind the TV). The doors are also secured and locked.

You have just confirmed my suspicion (the Hikvision cameras do not play well for lens swapping) and what I recommended to myself (make sure you buy the camera with the focal length needed). However, I would still question what one is supposed to do if they either wanted or needed to refocus the camera. Also, this is where I originally had 8mm Dahua cameras. I really only needed a 12mm for the north facing camera (where the street curves in / opposite side of the road from the cameras), but the IR in the Hikvision was so much better I went ahead and changed out the other one. I have not had any issues with them being blocked by parked cars (yet). We have a good mix of long driveways, detached garages, and wide lots. Most people on my street park in their garages or at least in their driveways.

Buellwinkle, you are exactly correct. Milkisbad, the way plate reading works (in a nutshell): fast shutter, proper angle, lighting (day time), IR reflection (night time). The camera is set to a constant 1/2000 shutter. The IR is very strong on these cameras which is perfect for plate reflection and recognition at night. These cameras are purposed solely for plate reading. Therefore, at night that is what they're doing and that is why you see just that detail of the plate and the headlight. During the day, even though they are picking up other details, that is not the intent (only an added bonus). I have overview cameras on the house which are used in conjunction with these (as seen in the one picture taken showing the IR beams from the plate cams). Those overview cams, by the way, are soon the be changed out with IR cams too. Right now they are non-IR domes (modified with lenses with removed IR filters). I have the IR cams waiting to install.

more pics (compressed further to allow for the 500KB file limit)

Some additional shots. Keep in mind these pictures had to be compressed to allow for the upload limit of 500KB per pic:

Pay the money and use Digifort.

How about starting with your state laws for licensing (if your state has such requirements)? You may want to check that out. For example, in Texas an offense under the state licensing laws carries penalties up to and including Class A misdemeanor, $10,000 fines, or a felony of the third degree if the person has previously been convicted of failing to hold a license, registration, endorsement, certificate, or commission that the person is required to hold.. For this work in Texas, one must have a Class B – Security Contractor License (Alarms Systems, including camera/closed circuit television systems (selling, installing and monitoring)). There are exceptions to this, but for what you are describing you would be needing a license here. Also in Texas, a person (your customer for example) commits an offense if the person contracts with or employs a person who is required to hold a license, registration, endorsement, or commission under this chapter knowing that the person does not hold the required license, registration, endorsement, or commission or who otherwise, at the time of contract or employment, is in violation (an offense that is a Class A misdemeanor).

I tried a 12mm and it just bottoms out (runs out of room to screw it in before coming into focus). I'd love a 12 or 16mm M12 to fit on this and maintain the original body / front of the camera. I was wondering if there is some sort of calculation I could use to determine if a specialized lens would be able to come into focus (based on the characteristics of my 3.6, 6, and 8mm lenses being able to focus). I wasn't sure if using a larger or smaller aperture would affect the ability to focus (or if there was another property to look for). I know for sure this 12mm lens did not work: http://www.m12lenses.com/12-0mm-F1-8-Mega-Pixel-CCTV-Board-Lens-p/pt-1218mp.htm

Does anyone happen to know the BFL on the IPC-HFW3200S or most of the Dahua cameras? I am in contact with Marshall who is researching this issue for me.

Great info. Thanks. Just what I was looking for. I'll stick with the 8mm, but I will keep all of this in mind while I continue to browse.

I would not try it if it isn't specifically listed as a supported model.

I think that's why it is the first step, rather than the solution? Canyouseeme.org immediately tells you if the port is available. If yes, troubleshoot connection to the port or map the device to the port; if no, troubleshoot connection at the port or change the port. If the web can see the port, it's different than if the port is blocked or not configured, then move down the appropriate line(s) as though it were a flow chart. Still new at this stuff, but that's been working for me. It just doesn't work that way. Forget about the "Router" which is most likely a combination Router, Firewall, Switch, Access Point.... A firewall does not have any services running on open ports. Therefore opening up ports just on the firewall doesn't mean a port scan is the first step. A port scan will determine if the entire infrastructure is correct (from firewall to device). From the original email, it sounded like the poster was very certain the Port Forwarding was configured correctly on the firewall. If so and no matter if it was, a port scan will still fail and the camera will still be unavailable. A port scanner does not check the firewall. Let me say this again - a port scanner does not check the firewall. A port scanner checks for an open port on a computer / server that has services running on it. The pinhole in the firewall has been placed to allow direct internet access into an internal network to a specific device that has services running on an open port. That is the hit the port scanner is looking for. I'll check out of this discussion now. I have helped all I can. This is all basic networking and I am surprised I have to go to this extent to back up this advice. Maybe it has been some help.

Buellwinkle, this is not so. The port scan will fail if the destination device / IP address is not configured to the gateway, if the destination IP address is wrong (erroneous) or misdirected to a firewalled device, and many other situations. The port forwarding function of a Firewall simply punches a controlled hole into a specified IP address or IP address range inside of the network. If the Gateway on the destination is not configured, there's no response back (because that device doesn't know through which path within the internal network to access the internet to send a reply). Therefore the port scan fails. Trust me. This is a very common oversight on static IP configured devices that are not used to access the internet. On static IP configured PCs, an incorrectly defined gateway is instantly detected due to the lack of internet access. Most people never realize the gateway configuration error on cameras or DVRs since they're not an endpoint used for web browsing. Also know the port scan will fail even when all configurations are correct and the destination IP / device (say a windows 7 PC) has an active firewall on it blocking the port. CanYouSeeMe doesn't look in your router and say Yea or Nay. It sends data out and waits for a response once it reaches an IP address / port combination.

You need to make sure the default gateway setting of the device you're wanting to forward matches your router's/gateway's internal IP address. This is usually 192.168.1.1 but can certainly be different. U-Verse, for example, sets their default gateway to 192.168.1.254 sometimes. If you're not sure, go to a command prompt and type ipconfig. It will indicate your default gateway that computer has established. And if you have internet access, it is probably the right one (especially if it configured for DHCP). Without the device's (camera, DVR, etc...) default gateway setting (within the device's Network setting's tab) matching your actual gateway, the port will not appear to be open (because that device doesn't have internet access if it doesn't know where the gateway is on the internal network). Also be sure you set these devices up with static IP addresses. Making life easier would also include using a router that allows port translation. With port translation, you would be able to maintain the default port setting on each device (for example 80) but set the external port to something else, say 3000. For example, you'd configure your router's port forwarding like this: Device 1 Internal IP (static IP of your device)=192.168.1.180 Incoming port= 3000 Internal Port= 80 Device 2 Internal IP (static IP of your device)=192.168.1.181 Incoming port= 3001 Internal Port= 80 Once you establish a DynDNS account, you then will be able to map directly to each camera via the port number identified at the end of your DNS. For example: Device 1 would accessed by resolving MyCreativeName.DynDNS.org:3000 and Device 2 would be accessed by resolving MyCreativeName.DynDNS.org:3001. Hope this helps.

I think there is some value to cameras standing out slightly. Certainly you don't want them to look bad or odd, but being visible to the thief or scout ringing your doorbell to see if anyone is home is worthwhile. Part of the reason to have CCTV Security cameras is to never need them, in my opinion. I think these elements eventually fit into the facade of the home or building in which they are installed (when done correctly). This is one of the reasons I like the Dahua mini-domes so much. They're just the right size. My house is a lighter color, so the white mini-domes blend a little better. I could imagine white on dark brown maybe being a little more contrast than usual, but this also depends largely on the physical size of the camera and how well it is installed / positioned. I would only paint if absolutely necessary. That just seems like more trouble than what it is worth. If it is that concerning to you, consider replacing these cameras with something in a dark grey finish.

Taking a lens out of a Dahua 3200 dome (which is an electronic day night camera) I find there to be a reddish thin filter attached to the back of the lens. Is this an IR filter? If so, then doesn't that completely negate the electronic day night functionality? I mean, I understand the difference in electronic vs mechanical (where you here the filter kick into position). I read that electronic day night was supposed to not use an IR filter lens and compensate for this in daylight hours by color filtration: ...However, digital day/night cameras (or electronic day/night cameras) are also available, which electronically adjust colors during the day, instead of using an infrared filter. This allows the digital day/night cameras to deliver similar benefits of true day/night cameras, but at a lower cost. Without the need for a physical filter, digital day/night technology can also be leveraged for smaller form factors, such as bullet cameras. http://www.supercircuits.com/resources/blog/day-night-cameras-the-best-of-both-worlds