Kawboy12R

What's your budget? What do you want to accomplish with the cameras as far as distance, field of view, and level of detail for faces and plates? You just want something to watch live or is the quality of the saved evidence of greater importance? Do you have a computer available for use?

I don't have one but memory tells me that the port number for QSee-branded Dahua clone cameras is 85. Try plugging that into and see what happens.

It's not the only way to connect analog cams to a DVR, but it's the right way (cheap with good video) for longer runs and to future-proof your installation to easily allow you to upgrade to networked IP cameras in the future. For just hooking up analog cams? Pre-made RG59 CCTV cables or rolling your own with shotgun cable works fine.

Try looking through the system info sections of the menu and Google things like firmware revision numbers. Sometimes they are unique enough to be almost like manufacturer ID numbers after you let Google work its magic.

Why avoid cat 5 and baluns? Even if IP cams aren't in the works for now, baluns will push analog video a long way and won't force you to stay with analog in the future. Seems like an obvious choice to me. The 350 feet might be a small issue for IP, but 100m isn't far off and will most likely work if you put a switch at either end of the big run in the future. Sounds like it might be under anyway.

I'm guessing it is a 12v dc PS, right? So get a multimeter and set it to the 20v DC range or close (or automatic) and find which screw gives + and which gives -. If the display reads +12.x volts, then the red lead from the meter is +. If it reads -12.x volts then your leads are backwards and the black lead is on +12v. After that run wires to your cams and connect as appropriate.

Young thin blonde jogger regularly leaves "malicious fecal distribution" in a guy's driveway... http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/2554086397001/1/Caught-on-camera-Runner-poops-in-yard

$70/pair for baluns??? I can buy baluns locally for about $18/pair. They're real baluns, too, not the empty cheapos that're basically wire adapters.

Try connecting it to a proper computer monitor instead of a tv. It's possible that your TV doesn't support the resolution and/or refresh rate that the DVR is putting out. The chances against an HDMI port being used for something other than HDMI are mind boggling. It's an HDMI port with some kind of Chinglish screwup in judgement or translation. An HDMI port *IS* a "DIGItal OUTput" port for video and audio. Somebody just chose to describe it rather than use the label "HDMI" for some reason.

Sir Flannel, you seem to be the kind of guy who would be interested in knowing that Christmas = Halloween. Do you want proof or have you already learned it?

My rule of thumb is one for every entrance plus a cam for vehicle plates in the driveway, plus one for each vehicle parked outside, and then fill in the holes around the house as much as possible to cover windows, play areas for the kids, etc. Some cams can do double-duty. 8 cams isn't a lot if you want to cover a house decently. Adding a cam or two inside doesn't hurt either. Those'll record what any intruders do, plus are a quick remote way to see if your TV etc is still there when you're on vacation without having to review all your footage to see if anybody came and went.

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, swims like a duck, and the manual says it's a duck... Plug it in and find out.

Many dvrs have settings that will send an email alert or sound an alarm buzzer if a camera loses video. If your dvr can't do this then it is probably time to get one that can. Also, overlap cameras so that each camera is being watched by another. That way you will at least get a picture of the person trying to sneak up on a camera to break it. Also, look into PIR motion detectors and dvrs and cameras with alarm inputs.

Triplecheck your wire colours with the cat5 if you made your own cable. Also, did you get a video balun or power and video balun? You said you got power to the cam but I'm wondering how. Do you have a bnc cable to use to test the cam with the dvr? Do you have a cat5 cable tester?

Yep.

Does this Samsung fit the bill? I haven't got a clue how close the menus etc are to your old Sanyo though. Available online without lens for under $500. If you're replacing your Sanyo and are happy with the CS lens on it you may as well reuse it and save some money.

Yes. http://www.geovision.com.tw/english/Prod_GV1480B.asp

Then do it up!

Got any greyed out wireless options in your menu structure? If not then my guess is that your firmware doesn't support it anyway. If you don't bave working firmware then it won't matter what that spot may or may not be for.

Read this thread- viewtopic.php?f=36&t=33070

^^^^^ But the features!

I just got a batch of the feed-through Platinum Tools connectors and use them with my standard crimper because nobody told me I couldn't. It just takes a knife to cut the protruding wires or perhaps pay close attention to how much insulation to strip off at the start. Easier to tell if you swapped the green stripe and blue stripe wires in low light but I find it harder to feed the wires in the first time because of the longer exposed wires.

I've used an analog wireless converter before. Too much interference in my installation to use motion based alerts. The interference kept activating the recording constantly. This was trying to punch out the signal with under-eave antennae. Definitely wasn't ecstatic but it worked. Wired was much better but it sounds like you've got good enough reception for it to be workable.

I had a quick look a while ago but didn't see any obvious lens swapping choices from the factory. Maybe buellwinkle has seen something.

If you can always park on one side or another of your driveway then 6mm isn't a bad compromise between zoom and FOV at 65 ft. If not then 3.6mm beats missing the action with a longer lens. You will get a LOT of false positives trying to not miss real motion events when tuning your video motion detection with a wide lens at that distance.