Kawboy12R

If they've got something to match their claims for a price less than an NVR then please post the price, company, and model. I'm interested. Hype means nothing though. Most people with something to sell will tell you that their product is the best and will fit your needs just fine.

Both videos were in colour. Hopefully shropna will chime in, confirm which camera is which, and post the settings.

304mb. Video on left had crisper static images but very blurry moving vehicles. Video on right was very good with moving vehicles. No plates visible with either camera. I assume that the Mobotix is on the left and Bosch on the right given the title??

Tell him his current equipment is giving false positives and that you want the problem fixed or you want your money back. Then and only then consider anything else from him. That'll fix him if he IS playing with you, and you don't really want his laser stuff if it works that poorly if he ISN'T playing with you, right? I'm not a security expert, but I do know what *I* would do if someone installed something that wasn't working properly. As for what your system is capable of doing as far as remote triggers, you'd probably have to tell the folks here the make and model of what you had installed.

Galaxy rebrands some Dahua stuff for sale in Canada and is fairly commonly available, at least on my end of the universe. One local place was telling me that Galaxy was all Korean until I pointed out some of the Chinese stuff in their catalog. Apparently some of their other cams are some Korean flavour though.

I'm fine with no backups of my recorded video. What're the odds of a failure between the time something happens and I notice it? When I notice something it gets copied (video and snapshots) to computer and thumbdrive. I'd like something better done automatically offsite just in case someone broke in and stole the dvr while they were at it. In-camera sdcard backup is nice though.

My CNBs point north, not west, but I was wondering if your dome was perfectly clean inside and out. Any film or dirt would make your problem greater. Also, looking directly into the light would make a cam with wide dynamic range an asset. Any detail you'd like to capture would be shadowed with sun in the background. Sun shielding to prevent physical glare on whatever lens cover there is would also be great, either a bullet with sliding top shield or something added to help shade a dome if it's looking a reasonable amount downwards. Aim down as much as you can.

He's not new, he's big stuff. http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33720

She wanted something cheaper than an NVR (?!?) though. With HDMI (budget Avers don't have that or at the least don't list it in their current specs). Plus built-in 3G and WiFi connectivity. Plus idiot-proof network setup. And the ability to run ANY format of camera. That'd almost be the CCTV equivalent of a contract-free unlimited airtime $20 smartphone with unlimited free app store access and free onsite troubleshooting. There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

Dimmer lights in your spotlights? Add a big external IR illuminator? Change cameras to something that reacts quicker?

No answer available to give you what you're looking for.

Thanks for the idea Tabster. Wish I'd thought of something like that when my grandfather was bedridden at home 20 years ago. He would've loved to watch the goings-on around his house while stuck in bed. Best of luck with your situation.

Personally, what I'm most curious about is something that is only tangentially on the list. "Big Data" was mentioned, but how about retailer video analytics in conjunction with "Big Data"? The Target chain for one does intelligent predictive marketing based on buying habits. They can tell you if someone who uses plastic for their purchases is buying items for a pregnant woman and what trimester of their pregnancy they're in and then sends "target"ed advertising to the consumer knowing that someone in that household is pregnant. If I remember the story correctly, before they got a bit smarter and less heavy handed in their advertising, one Dad got ticked at Target for sending condom and pregnancy-related ads to his young daughter who he was sure wasn't having sex and definitely wasn't pregnant. Target knew before he did. You can imagine how he felt when he found out. To combine this with cctv, imagine what can happen when you make a credit card purchase at a store using face recognition software. With enough computer power thrown at their store cameras, they can now identify you by name when you enter their store, track you by name as you walk around, note which sections you hang out in, and add any purchases you make with cash to their credit card files, air miles records, etc. If it hasn't happened yet, I bet Walmart, Target, Sears, etc are working on it. And they're getting smarter at mixing irrelevant ads in with the REAL ads aimed at YOU in their advertising so you don't notice it happening.

Now you're into "My is bigger than yours" and you think it invalidates his opinion without knowing a single thing about him or his business? Interesting. I'd love to hear some opinions from your wife and therapist on the subject.

The colours on the 8ch Lorex ECO system with 4 cameras aren't too bad. Mine was $500 at Costco and comes with DVR and monitor. I won't recommend the saved video quality at all but the cams aren't too bad for live viewing in the day as long as the lighting isn't too complex (mix of shadows and bright sunlight). Night live view isn't too hideous. The IR has a hotspot in the center of the camera view but you can see detail outside of the hotspot. Gadspot.com has better cams than my Lorex though. Look for shockwave199's posts on here. He's got a link in his sig line to his install and sample videos. Their starter 4ch system is under your $400 mark. Compare his cam model demo videos with what comes with their system. Check his stuff out here. No time to compare myself. New Year's and my wife is just about prettied up for the evening and I have to run. Have a good one!

I like the ability to keep people honest and to prove who was doing what when they start being dishonest. I've got a home and a business that both suffer from trespassers and thieves to one degree or another. Turn your back for a few seconds and you can lose a grand worth of stuff easily if someone's quick. Give them 5 minutes at night and it's like Christmas to some people. Not putting a camera over a cash register these days is almost foolhardy. I also like videoing prowlers who try to get into my locked vehicles so I can give pictures to neighbours who forgot to lock up that night. It also gives you a chance to see the honesty of some people when it counts most- when they think they're alone. I've got one neighbour who not only pooperscoops his dog but he prebags his hand and catches it before it hits the ground. Not even any crap smears on the lawn to get on your feet or the kids' toys or whatever. Awesome! All people should be as considerate as this guy. Add in the fun of watching the local wildlife and it is enjoyable as well. I laughed pretty hard the other night watching footage of a fawn eat an apple next to my wife's car. She had hit the car starter and the fawn's face popped up next to the hood when the parking lights popped on for a sec and the horn tooted. Then the headlights came on when the engine started and by the time the camera adjusted to the extra light (under a second) the fawn was nowhere to be seen and the apple was laying on the ground. Poor thing.

That's actually not too bad for analog video at night, and you couldn't ask for a better place for him to park his car. He even turned off the lights so the camera could get a good look at the plate. It's still useless for a plate or a face and you'd have to be familiar with cars to tell what make and model it is. Typical wide-angle analog camera footage that'll tell you what is going on but not who is doing it. I'm an amateur cctver but I like looking at my analog videos and keep asking myself if they'd be good enough at night for a plate or a detailed face shot. Much of the time the answer is no except for closeups, which is why I have a couple of nice Axis IP cameras with their Lightfinder technology sitting in a box waiting for a few more cams so I can complete an IP cctv setup. Heck, if it were up to reviewing saved footage from my front door analog camera, I don't know if I could scrape up a good face shot of my paperboy and he comes daily before sunrise. The cam is off to the side of my front door by about 3-4 feet and hanging from the eave. Add his hat and the hoodie he always wears and it is tricky even with the porch light on. It'd be easier if saved footage were as good as live though.

I chose that link because the cam doesn't have any IR LEDs built into it but can still see IR and uses CS mount lenses for a good selection (you didn't mention what you wanted from the camera or at what distance). The "ICR" in the specs means it has an IR blocking filter that is automatically placed in front of the sensor during the daytime so that the massive amounts of IR present during the daytime don't screw up the colours. If the sensor in the cam didn't see IR then it wouldn't need the filter. You want the camera to be able to see it so you can put an IR floodlight outside but still have the camera inside. If you've got lots of white light (motion activated floodlights or whatever) available then you won't need IR sensitivity. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it though. Add a lens like one of these to provide good zoom at the distance you want and you're set. Remember the more zoom the brighter it'll have to be. You can get this one for a bit under $400 delivered from China plus lens. I'd recommend finding a place that'll sell it with a good quality lens pre-installed though. Save you some hassle if you just want to throw a cam in your window and have it work. What are you trying to do with the camera, facial ID, license plates, or just generally what's going on? What distance?

Scroll down this post to compare a Mona Lisa CNB to a proper nightvision camera (KT&C) with no IR. If you have very low light levels and can add an illuminator then the CNB is a much better all around camera though. If you've got good white night lighting then the CNB is again a better all around camera, but when the light is very low and you can't add more then the KT&C is an excellent specialty cam for looking through windows. Googling ".0003 lux exview KT&C" will bring up some useful hits. I'm sure there are other makers that might make a better cam based on the same chipset. If you want good forensic detail and a broader useful field of view then start looking for an IP camera with IR you can turn off or something like this if you have reasonable light or an illuminator. Axis makes some nice night IP cameras if your budget isn't scared of a $1000 camera.

The cam will be blind at night. Been there done that. I got a KT&C B&W Exview cam with excellent light sensitivity and variable zoom for that job. It works well with minimal light so if you have any streetlights or external lighting it works fine without IR. Either that or get a TDN cam with mechanical IR cut filter and no built-in IR and put an IR illuminator outside. One of the CNB Mona Lisa bullets would probably work better through a window than their domes if you're looking for analog. My CNB VCM-24VF dome sees 940nm IR (invisible IR) quite nicely and works well with my CMVision 940nm floodlight. Looks like an LED floodlight that isn't turned on during the day so folks probably won't think it's a camera accessory.

With 4 cams running on motion detection and the quality cranked up high on my D1 8ch analog dvr the 500gb drive lasts a loooong time. Months. That said, the price difference between a 500 and 1.0 or 1.5 isn't that much. Your new DVR might save better quality and larger files than mine as well. Depends also on if you're putting it in your home and only need maybe a couple of weeks back for vandal protection if you go on vacation or whatever.

Just curious, but if he's way off the mark then why did you edit your original post shortly after his comment and then wait 12 hours to call him a jerkoff? He has an interesting point and you're acting suspicious and defensive. Hmmm?

Wonder if the focus is a bit off on one? The fuzzy cam might be just a smidgen off. If there's no external focus you might be able to open it up and turn the lens to help. Might void your warranty though.

Can the IR be turned off on the HDBW-3200 and 3202? Do you have availability on the non-IR HDB-3200 (NOT the C model) and HDB-3202? I prefer day/night cams without builtin IR that I can use external IR illuminators with. I asked a couple of times on EBay a month or so ago ago but have yet to receive a reply.

Excellent first post.