David Reed

Hi, I've had my 8 channel Vivotek NVR for a number of years but it's started playing up. I'm now in the market for something else but budget is a concern Replacement vivotek Nr8301 is about £800!!! I have seven Vivotek cameras from 2mp to 5mp, one being a 36x PTZ which is powered by it's own 60w injector, the rest will need poe supply, so something to bare in mind is the new machine does not supply poe. I see Vivotek do a new nvr ND8322p, which is quite cheap at £350. Does it do the same as my old NR8301? At the end of the day, I require an 8 port poe supplying machine, that will happily record and transmit over the Internet, and easily recalling historic video when events happen. Does anyone have any recommendations? Is it better and cheaper to use a PC to do run software and just buy an interface for all the cameras? Any pointers would be most welcome. Cheers kindly.

I've got a Vivotek SD8323e, which is a PTZ and states it needs POE+ to power it, or a 24v AC 3.5a power supply. I'm confused as to which POE injector to get to power this. I was considering the below model as it states it's 802.3at compliant, which I believe is the POE+ standard, but it then states something about DC power, which is different to the AC which the camera states it needs? http://www.scan.co.uk/products/eten-ps-201g-8023at-gigabit-metal-poe-injector-1x-input-(data-only)-1x-output-(datapluspower) is the AC needed when powering from the power supply, but DC used when powering it from the POE injector? Probably a silly question but I don't want to damage the camera by using the wrong power. Any advice would be great.

Just noticed that the Vivotek says it's 60w max, but the Injector says 30w max. Is that relevant? My run is only 6m. Another issue I have is that my Vivotek NVR supplies PoE, so I'll have a PoE supply going into an Injector. Will that be an issue too?

A yard I have taken over had some cctv stuff left behind, which I would like to use if possible. Firstly, There are two Samsung SDN-550 day/night cameras in housings. I don't know if the cameras work as I have nothing to connect them to. The housings also appear to have heaters as the labels mention voltages. Could anyone advise what I would need to run these cameras, both in terms of powering them and the housings, and in terms of recording/viewing etc. Would a single device handle both power and recording/viewing ect? Bare in mind I don't want to spend a fortune on a recorder/box incase the cameras are faulty and I'm chucking money away. Secondly, there is a Derwent 500 IR lamp, but the bulb is smashed so I would need a replacement. In addition, there isn't a PSU which Im led to believe you need. Where can I source these or would it be too costly to make it viable? Hopefully someone could poke me in the right direction. Cheers.

I have a Vivotek 7361 which is a 2mp cam, and its reasonably okay and the best I could afford at the time. It's pretty useless at night, so was wondering if a separate IR lamp would help it perform well at night. Budget is an issue, which is why I can't consider changing the cam to anything better so its going to be a trade off on price v performance when choosing an ir lamp. So is this a solution, and can anyone recommend one in the uk? Cheers.

Sorry, meant to add that the area monitored is 13m in distance.

I've read on the Vivotek website that these domes are only good to 0 degrees because they are infact an indoor cam they have put in a weatherproof dome. I saw it on the FAQ section. Will these survive a UK winter, where temps can get to -9 on a harsh winter? Any experience would be good cheers.

Hi. I have a Vivotek NR8201 NVR and several Vivotek cameras which it automatically detected when they were connected. I have recently aquired a cheap 2nd hand AXIS 223M which I was hoping to use, but the Vivotek NR8201 wont detect the AXIS camera when I select the Detect Devices option? Any pointers ? Thanks David.

spoke to Vivotek and NO, the Vivotek NR8201 doesn't support any cameras other than their own. I have to say they should make that a little more clear on their product, but maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough. I should also mention that Vivotek customer services have been excellent, as they have responded next day on 4 queries I have sent them. Does anyone know what an AXIS 223M is worth, or how much it was when new? Guess I'll be trying to sell it and buy another Vivotek lol.

Hi. Im trying to set up my Vivotek NR8201 and a couple of vivotek dome cams. The Nvr has detected the two cameras, and I can see what they display on my PC using the Vivotek Internet explorer interface, but I can't get them to record anything using motion detection, only by selecting manual record. I also don't see any settings listed for turning IR on, FPS settings etc. Is this because I have plugged the cameras into the NVR and then the NVR into the Broadband WiFi Router? Do I need to set up the cameras first by plugging them straight into the router first and using a different Vivotek program? Thanks

Hi. Yes, that's how they changed. I don't have static IP, so I was using Vivoteks safe100.net, which worked fine for the cameras when they were plugged directly into my router. Ive done exactly the same thing this time, except plugging the cameras into the NVR, and the NVR into the router, but it isn't working. Grrr. I've checked that I'm using the correct passwords, ip address etc, so I really am at a deadend. Can I check that I still use the IP of the individual cameras that the NVR gives them, and not that of the NVR itself?

Okay, this is how I solved my problems but now have another one.... doh! Putting the NVR to one side, I inserted each camera directly into the router, adjusted the settings, and was able to view the camera on my Ipad accross the web. Done this for both cameras in turn (as I only have one spare socket on the router). I then disconneted the cameras from the router, plugged in the NVR in its place, and connected both cameras to the NVR. Adjusted all the relevent settlings, and now both cameras are viewed at the same time, and are recording on the NVR HDD fine. Only issue is that now I cannot view the cameras via Ipad? The IP of each cameras has changed, so Im guessing the NVR attributed a different IP to each one, but I updated the IP's in the Ipad app, and it still wont view them? Any ideas?

cheers tom, you really are a gent. thanks. okay, so lead kits are wrong and I need a multi outlet with Cat5. I think I'm starting to get my head round this. I was thinking about the 8332 as two of them plus the nano4 is pretty close to my budget. Could you suggest any better cameras without going over say £300 per cam, or is my budget too small to be realistic here?

Hello all. Im doing some research into choosing a CCTV system to cover my home, and looking for some guidance. My budget is upto £1000, possibly more, but preferably less. I want as clear and detailed view as possible for the money. If it means less cameras to begin with, then I am happy with that. Max of 4 cameras (or 2 HD ones as I am led to believe they cover a greater area due to increased detail) but I am reading mixed reviews about HD and not even sure if its within my budget anyway ? As well as the DVR recording what goes on (I will only need a few days on record at any time, so I dont need a huge Hard-drive), I want to be able to view the cameras on my HD-TV in the lounge while at home (If I hear a noise outside for example) and I would also like to view them on my Ipad over WIFI (also while in the house). It might be nice to view on my Andriod Phone while out and about, although not fussed about this. I dont think I need PZT, and I need around 20m-30m of IR I guess. Again, I'm looking for detail and clarity of picture, and will that mean I need full D1 across all 4 channels? If a £1000 budget is not really enough to push the quality much past what I would get with a £400-500 system, then perhaps I might as well save myself money and comprimise on detail etc, and stick with a more budget friendly set-up. Could anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks, Dave.

Hi Tom, yes good points. I see what you're saying. Okay, so a multi out if they way to go. Just curious, you mention 2 analog cameras, but I thought the Vivotek IP8332 that I mentioned were mp cameras, and not analog? Is there a big diffence in quality between the duhua unit you suggest and the nano/Vivotek 8332 that I am currently looking at?

Would this work? http://www.rapidonline.com/Electrical-Power/Extension-cable-kits-300468/?sid=b4985792-fb76-4ff5-b9c5-30bf3fdeaaa5 Edit. Found it here too. As I only want 2 cameras would I be better off buying this, then I wouldn't have to do so much wiring etc? http://www.rfconcepts.co.uk/cable%20BNC-DC.jpg

Oh, that's annoying. So it's either buying that box, which looks like its about £50, and then running Cat5, or I need a nearby plug. Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier to just run an extension lead to near where the camera is? Are there any downsides to that? Cheers

bump. So does anyone know if I wire up the cameras using cat5 and then use CNB connectors on the ends to plug them into the Aver Nano, whether this will power them? thanks. Dave.

Hi, been reading up on cameras and now thinking of getting 2 Vivotek IP8332. They appear to come with short cable, so I'm guessing (as I'm rubbish with computers etc) that an option is to use POE, which handles the signal and the power in one. This is using something called Cat5 cable, right? However, my broadband box only has one spare socket on it, and the Nano 4 doesn't appear to have a whole bunch of cat5 sockets either, so now I'm lost as to how I will wire these things up? do I need to buy a special POE splitter box that will power all the cameras and then a cat5 cable from that goes into the nano?

Hi, this seems to be a nice cam, but cannot find it in the uk. Can anyone tell me what it's called? http://surveillance.aver.com/Model/vandal-proof-dome-camera-SF2012H-DV

Cheers Groovy, excellent, my tv has VGA so the nano is perfect. Thanks for the indepth review. Thanks to Tom for suggesting it initially too. This forum is wonderful, I'm now off to find some suitable cameras. Does anyone have any suggestions around the £150-200 mark? Regards, Dave

HI NN - Im in Essex, so sadly a bit too far I think. Tom, the Nano4 is exactly what I need, a couple of quality cams, with one or two lesser quality domes that I can use in doorways - excellent! Are these new Nanos with HDMI out currently, or is it worth waiting till they come out? Other than the Nano and some cams, I guess all I will be needing is a reel of CAT5 and connectors ? I suppose as I am intending to do most viewing on my Ipad/TV... I can do without a Monitor for setting up etc, as I could just use/swap over my normal PC monitor when needed.

Hi, thanks for the heads up. IP system is something I hadn't considered. Using that example you gave me, I could add upto 4 cams to it, and the nano would record the data. I then connect it to my Broadband WiFi box so I can view it on my IPad over Wifi, or over the Internet on my android Phone when I'm away? How does it connect to my TV though as it doesn't appear to have a HDMI output? Can I only use it with a proper PC monitor? With this system, do I need anything other than the Nano and 4 appropriate cameras? I'm not very computer-experienced, as you can probably tell, so are these IP systems easy to set up? Thanks in advance, Dave