Hitch

Perfect. Thanks!

It's the P3364-VE, so no built in IR. That's built into the P3364-LVE. My theory about light is this. There are two garage doors and they both have motion sensors that turn on the lights contained in the openers themselves. The motion sensors are up close to the door going into the house. The garage doors also have sensors that turn on the lights if you walk in from the driveway. Also, one or both of the garage doors are usually open. If both garage doors are closed, then there will be no light. But in that instance, there wouldn't be anything going on for me to be concerned about. Does that make sense? Think it will work?

Many thanks! I think I am getting this. Here is the difference between the two models re the lenses/range: 6 mm: 2.5-6 mm/F1.2 12 mm: 3.3-12 mm/F1.4 Here is the difference between the lenses as far as minimum illumination/light sensitivity. 6mm: 0.1 (color), 0.02 (B/W) 12mm: 0.15 (color), 0.03 (B/W) From your comments, and looking back at the "Lens Calculator", I tend to think that the 12mm is fine as far as being able to capture the entire garage. The issue, however, is more likely to be that the 12mm model has a greater need for light. Whether that difference matters in real life, well, I really don't know. Thanks again.

For which manufacturer(s)? Are those backdoor codes or the normal/default? For what it's worth, I have (only?) three cameras installed. They are all Axis. I just installed a fourth this weekend, but I haven't run the networking cable back to the PoE switch yet. My parents wanted to add one at their house and they also picked up an Axis. All but one has been bought via Amazon. If you watch, and are patient, you can get some very good deals. I paid less than $450 for the most recent one - a P3364-VE. I can't stay enough good things about their support. It's fantastic! I hope it continues that way under Canon ownership.

I ordered an Axis camera in the 6mm version. Received the shipment today and it's the 12mm version. I am not sure if that will work for my application and would appreciate any thoughts/advice you all can provide. I am going to install the camera inside my garage. I would like to install it above the door from the garage into the house. The camera, obviously, will face towards the two garage doors. It is a pretty basic garage with two individual doors. They are not very wide at all. I would guess 9 or 10 feet. I can measure the width tonight, but there is probably 2 or 3 feet between the two doors and a couple feet on each side. I went to Axis' site and ran the following. I think the 12mm is too narrow, but I am not sure how to interpret these. Does the first one tell me that at a viewing distance of 12 meters that I will see 5.1 meters wide and 3.8 high? And the second one tells me that at a viewing distance of 8mm that will see 3.4 meters with and 2.6 meters high? I assume this is an optimal viewing distance, as the lens does have an ability to zoom. Any thoughts/advice on whether 12mm will work for me? If not, back it goes.

Unless he really doesn't need PTZ. Why would you need 12 PTZ cameras for your back yard? A "yard" may not mean a "backyard". Maybe he is using "yard" as in a "lot".

Voip - Have you ever posted a pic of yours? If not, are you willing to? I would really appreciate seeing how your Axton works with your Axis.

You will find that Buell provides a ton of help/advice on this forum. Take a look at some of StanLee's posts on here, that will give you more information. Take a look at this thread: viewtopic.php?t=33746 That thread goes through my progression of searching, buying and installing. As of now, I have three Axis cameras. Two are the P3364 and one is a P3367. I use a Synology. I had it before I bought the cams. I use it to store my video, but do not use Synology Surveillance Station, which is Synology's video software. I use the free software from Axis. Depending on where I am, I access the cams via (i) a web browser (including Safari); (ii) the Axis camera companion app for iPhone/iPad; or (iii) IP Camera Lite - which is also an app for the iPhone/iPad. Synology is not, however, a dedicated NVR. Also, check out posts by Voip-ninja. He has, I believe, two Axis cam's. I think he also has a couple Samsungs. Last, you can use the ACC application on a Windows PC to manage the camera(s). The other option is to manage the cameras by logging into them through a browser. Personally, I like to manage mine through a browser.

StanLee - Thanks so much for the pictures and info. I appreciate the effort. That's a nice looking install - and a great looking place you have there. You are inspiring me to do some tweaking of my cams. Mine are a bit bleached out. Your colors are much more rich. Buellwinkle - I keep toying with the idea of adding an IR to my system. Just haven't taken the step. I ended up getting some LED's for the front of the house. Hate to admit it, but I haven't put them in yet. I tend to leave the lights by my front door on every night. On weekends, I also leave on the 2 lights by the garage. I wish more of my neighbors would leave lights on - especially after there were a couple break-ins a few months ago. Also, do the ACTi cams do audio? I reviewed the information on the website, but couldn't find any confirmation.

Thanks! Where do you recommend shopping for ACTi cameras? Also, what would you recommend? I tend to think that a 1MP is sufficient. EDIT: After posting this, I remembered that you have mentioned a specific website in some of your posts. I found the website. I have to admit that I'm fairly confused with the whole IR illuminator thing. On the one hand, I read that the internal ones can bleed into the cam view. Or, that they tend to draw in bugs or spiders, which can affect the view of the cam. It seems like more people recommend a separate IR, slightly away from the camera. At that point, you can stay away from the cam. manufacturer's illuminator. I've also read that people recommend just using the regular lights on the front of your house - LED lights in particular. I guess that I am sufficiently confused about IR that it doesn't end up affecting my decisions.

Thanks StanLee! Would very much appreciate hearing what mic you have and seeing a pic or two of the installation.

yes except that price is not right ...... around 200. Is $200 wholesale? The best I can find is $325 from Newegg.

As referenced in my other posts on this site, I installed a system at my house. It was, at times, fairly frustrating, but between your help here and calls to Axis I was able to get it done. Fortunately, I was able to grab some Axis cams by waiting for price dips on-line. In the end, I feel like I now have very good quality cameras. I am pretty happy with it. Obviously, fumbling through the install by myself saved a chunk of money. I suspect, however, that if I paid for a professional install that I would have better pictures from the cameras, as I really don't know how to tweak them. With that as background, my parents need to install a system at their place. They really only need to install a camera or two for the front. Probably two cameras. They also want audio (which is something that I have no experience with). Unfortunately, I'll be the tech on this install. I looked at Costco's website and read a number of the threads on here regarding those systems. On the plus side, they are all-in-one systems at a very good price. On the bad side, it appears that there is not much support and some tinkering ensues. I've also been unable to find information about adding audio. To me, the other option is to buy them a couple of Axis cameras and a PoE switch. I was thinking that I needed to buy them some sort of an NVR, but I don't know that is necessary at this point. With the Axis, I could buy a 64GB and not use an NVR. Again, simple. When ever something goes wrong with the system, regardless of whether their tinkering caused it, I'll be the one to fix it. I tried to use the Axis design tool. Unfortunately, the camera that I would like to get for them is not included in the tool. Using what appears to be another 1MP camera, it looks like I can get a solid 7 days out of the 64GB card (using event recording, assuming 30% usage, 18 fps, 1280x800 resolution, H.264 compression type and compression of 30). Actually, the tool shows 40.3GB. Bumping the usage up to 40% still shows 53.8GB after 7 days. Seven days should be plenty of storage for them. For my parents, I really need something that is reliable and hardy. My mom won't mess with it, but my dad thinks that he knows how to do stuff. He tinkers and tends to leave a path of destruction.... As a result, I am kind of leaning towards the Axis. It will very much help that I have some understanding of the product and their software. Also, the on-board storage will (should???) avoid the need for a separate NVR. How much ongoing tinkering do the Costco systems require? With regards to audio, can someone give me some suggestions on something that could be used with the Axis? How well does that work? I think they are hoping to pick up to the end of their driveway, which is only about 30 feet. Can I add audio (just receiving - not a speaker) to the Costco systems? Am I heading in the wrong direction? Any thoughts/comments would be appreciated.

3mp and 15 fps can't be that much more then 2mp and 30 fps. The bandwidth is determined by the bit rate setting on the cams. The resolution and frame rate don't affect it directly, but can affect the image quality at a given bit rate. Can you explain this a bit (no pun intended) more? My parents are looking for a security system. Four cameras would be plenty for them (they may not even need all four). I was thinking about recommending this package to them, but I don't think I understand what you are saying. Also, is it possible to add audio to this system? Thanks!

Cam - Thanks for sharing your experience. My parents had a lot of trouble with their install as well. The guy would show up late, not show up at all, would not respond for several days, etc. It was a real pain in the arse. Fortunately, the system did finally get up and running. Also, the hardware installed was good quality stuff, so it continues to work properly. Hope you get your systems up and running without too much more trouble.