rory

did you test the cameras first before you installed them at the location, if so did they work then. Also, are you testing the cameras direct to a monitor and with a seperate power supply?

I havent seen any 24VAC cameras with a ground screw, besides the one that is on the dual 12VDC and 24VAC, in other words there should only be 2 screws, using 24VAC it does not matter what screw you use for which wire. If you are using 12VDC then the black to the ground and red to the 12V.

that type of streak has in the past for me been a problem with the cameras power board. If you plug the camera direct into a monitor eliminating the DVR do they go away? If you still get the bad image direct into a monitor then the camera is probably bad, camera power board may be bad. Which Kalatel PIR is it by the way? Ive used them in the past without any issues, but there are 2 types. Rory

Panasonic is much more expensive last time I looked. Kalatel has been in the DVR business for many more years than Pansonic. Kalatel, you can view up to 16 DVRS with up to 64 cameras in one mulit screen, remotely over the internet. Dont know enough about Pano's DVR, but I could not find any remote software demos online for it. Ive been using Kalatel DVRs for 3 years now with no issues. Plug Play and Forget about them. Rory

Dusan, just an observation, most of what you generally post, even us advanced users dont understand, let alone a beginning end user. I dont know if there is a language barrier here, but anyway. Try to keep it a little more simple for us simple folks

Everfocus EDSR-1600F ================ 16 channel, 60pps, 160GB 2 Removable Drives, CF backup Jpeg or Movie. Nice looking unit, big change from their previous units, and better US support now. Got a quick response by email. CF back up to 512MB. Browser based Network software, good clear quality, crashed a couple times though on Windows XP Pro. May have been a slow network issue though, need more testing in that side, I only had 10 minutes to test it on the network as we had to take it back to the owner. Network: Live display in IE is good quality, and its Java. You can switch to playback very easy. You can search by Segment (Volumes Recorded), Time/Date, or Alarm. Loads them quick. This makes it very simple. Unfortunatelty, no windows software available so it is not that powerful for software. Playback is useable even at 60pps. 2 audio inputs. Quality of video is good. Getting a unit on Monday to do extensive network and local testing on. Local - Quality is great. Speed is real time. Simple menus compared to others like Privideo or HiSharp. Very easy to do a search, can search by Segment, Alarms, or Time/Date, simple to find some video. One button Copy, to CF, as still Jpegs, OR VIDEO, no CDRW but the CF stil gets a good size video at 32MB, enough for most evidence. Many Muliple screen modes, couldnt figure how to go up or down while in Digital zoom though, will need to read the manual. Other than that, everything is simple to understand, didnt need the manual for anything else. It also has 4 optional Spot Monitors, totally programmable. Options: It has 2 removable HDD bays, you can buy a HDD USB Reader, to use on any PC and then examine the video from there. Also, has a server type device, that will allow you to connect to many DVRS on the network, and remotely archive video like at a central station. Havent tested this, but will next week, both of them. HiSharp 16 channel DVR ================== I wont go into detail, as there is not much. Costs less than the Everfocus. It saves only as Jpeg, no movie. It uses Windows Network Software, no browser based, and its remote search features are very shabby. But the live view is good quality (flickers in and out every so ofter but otherwise), and if thats all you want its worth it. 4 channel system is the ultimate low cost DVR, like $560 US. Local mode is high quality video, menus are simple enough, not much there to change. Doesnt have as many features as the Everfocus, or others, but price is lower. If you need a cheap DVR this will do. Once again, no browser software. 30pps recording on 16 channels, but comes with mutliple hard drives. I removable, 1 internal, and it has external ports for their external drive products for archiving. Major drawback is back up is only in Jpeg, unless you add a home VCR which you can do with any DVR. --------------------------------------- Next week when I get some more tests with them I will post some more info. Trying to get my hands on a couple more to test, some from Asia Direct, higher end stand alones though which will more than likely cost more, CDRWs built in, etc. Again, the above DVRs do not compare to DVRs like the GE Kalatel units, especially in the network software and advanced search features, but they are totally different prices. Rory

I was talking wholesale, the US List price will be in the $2000 range.

depends where you buy it from but wholesale it ranges from $1000-1300

With Professional Cameras (Box/Traditional Type) when using a wide angle lens you get better clarity then you would using a wide angle on a board type camera such as a bullet or dome. Exview Color Profesional Camera http://www.spytown.com/ktc-840ce.html B/W Profesional Camera http://www.spytown.com/ktc-515.html http://www.spytown.com/ktc-540e.html Lens http://www.spytown.com/ktl-2-5-10vm.html

both can offer the same or less quality, depends on what brand you purchase.

do you have a budget? That will determine what DVR you go with. Any DVR will work with a wireless network. You are in the UK so as far as stand alone probably DM or Baxal. I personally prefer Kalatel Storesafe over any DM, have used both 4 channel versions, though not sure you can get it there, and may cost more than the DM there, while DM cost more here. Do you prefer clicking a mouse or using a jog dial?? Rory

Well from extensive testing of various high end brands of low light Color cameras in a night club situation, yes, Black & White will outperform any low light or regular color camera. The owner stuck with the B/W cameras in all instances for better clarity. But, they were not the cheapest BW cameras. they were the B/W IR Bullets CVC-325 from Provideo listed on Spytown. They have cheaper CVC-130R but those are not as crisp an image, they are half the price but trust me, I just installed a bunch of them and they dont compare. The cheaper ones are just like any brand of cheap ones you find on the web. Rory

Ok, well ones I have used: on the low end: Provideo: ======= BULLETS:: Exview Color. depends on lighting, but it is a low light color camera. Bullet Camera (tested) http://www.spytown.com/provcvc637ex.html Dome Camera (not testd yet) http://www.spytown.com/provcvc724ex.html DAY NIGHT BULLET (not tested but specs are great) http://www.spytown.com/spcvcodaweca.html B/W with IR BULLET, good quality in low light nightclub applications: Bullet Camera (tested and if you need real life images PM me) http://www.spytown.com/cvc-325wps.html DOMES:: Dome Camera without Infrared (havent tested any of their BW Domes yet) http://www.spytown.com/cvc-385tp.html ALL Provideo DOMES: http://www.spytown.com/search--by-part-number-speco-technologies--dome-cameras.html NOTE: Their cameras under $100 are not really worth it, I have used them, and they are not that clear a picture, will probably be the same as the Radio Shack ones, stick with the ones over $100 ea and you will have a good clear camera - just FYI from my experience. If I were you unless you need vandal resistant Id look at the 2 Bullet cameras I mentioned.

brisbane is in the house! Hey my parents had tp run clear from a bottle and rock fight on a main hotel strip here today when they were out walking, even the police were ganged and beaten, and it was right next to the police station in that area! Government here just got a donation from the chinese for $30 million to build a sports stadium, while people go starving, and crime increases, gangs on the rise, along with many other 3rd world issues, and $200 million in hurricane damages from the last 2 hurricanes! What are my thoughts, they need to spend more on video surveillance, but properly, and get the right equipment, and dont take payoffs. I know a local alarm company here that paid off a gov worker to get a $100,000 job, he installed 10 merric lim PTZ cameras and a uknown PC DVR with Cat 5, there was some construction work involved but still $800 per PTZ and maybe $1000 for the DVR, the rest was gravy .. or was it, we all paid for it through taxes. They dont have a clue how to run a country over here! Well they may think they do since they are driving a lexus, BMW or Mercedez from corruption and payoffs, but since there are hundreds of kids still out getting drinking water for their family with buckets, from community pumps which are full of rust and desease ...let alone them having to beg on the streets for their drug addicted or lazy parents .. thanks rory

Hi Well, when you are talking CCTV:: #1 forget about Radio Shack/KMart cameras. #2 For low light apps you need Black & White cameras, or Day/Night, but since you mention cheap then your best bet would be Black & White only. Questions:: Do you intend to record these? How many cameras do you think you need? (How many rooms) Do you want Discreet Cameras? (like mini domes) Do you want Hidden Cameras? (like smoke detectors, motion detectors) Do You want Vandal Resistant Cameras? Do you want cameras that will put off Infrared Light that see in pitch dark? Where will these cameras be viewed from? (TV, Office, Remote?) Do you need Remote Video? If you do need Remote Video, do you have broadband, or Telephone? Do you have a budget? Rory

Who's Alex? Boy, Americans really love to sue dont they! j kidding.... Since we are talking about Kodicom, anyone here sell the 4 channel version with the built in LCD? Also, how is that 32 channel DVR? Do you have a demo you can PM me on please? I have a client that wants more than 16 cameras and looking around at alternate solutions to using 2x 16 channel Kalatel DVRS. Rory

Actually this one looks good, depending on the price of the transmitters, this could be what I am looking for. www.indigovision.com

the alarm monitoring software only accepts certain IP cameras. What we need is something that is totally seperate from the alarm monitoring, preferably receivers with HDDs that are machine type that then talk to seperate PCs which have the video monitoring software. The receivers do all the central station recording, seperate of the monitoring. I guess it would be IP receivers with some sought of embedded software that manages the incoming video streams and records it to the HDDs. HDDs can be added and replaced at any time, hot swap. Or maybe the recievers would be seperate of the HDD systems. The receivers would have a small LCD on each one which would give basic info like IP config, speed, etc. Seperate PCs running Windows would give GUI of all info from the reciever and incoming video streams, multiple PCs can be used. Basically we need a ready built and tested system, these guys are hard to sell to. Like I said the idea of keeping the receivers seperate of the GUI PC software, is that it acts as a second back up, incase the PC software crashes. Actually I have witnessed the Alarm Receivers crash once or twice also, but its rare. They are basically just boards with embedded RTOS and power curcuits, so nothing is 100%, but in the security industry with insurance prices and legal fees in monitoring companies, it needs to be the best it can be. They cant tell the casino it never crashes, this was a rare time! But then it does happen ... Ofcourse in the case of some businesses such as the casino they dial to multiple receivers in case one does not work or those number lines are down on the monitoring side, thats using telco lines though. We have also set up other monitoring locations at security guard stations, so it dials to them and the monitoring station, and in one case, the police central station (911) via pager. Down here for example, Alarm Monitoring staff would not be adequate to do video monitoring (only a couple of them I have met/trained would be able to do this), salaries are low and they are really not that literate and normally under educated. They are barely adequate for the alarm monitoring, and that is the same with most companies down here! Salaries are very low, so they get what they pay for. Thats whay we would have to keep it totally seperate, different staff and different machines, different rooms also. Does the GEO central station only work with GEO DVRs, or can it work with other web servers? kalatel is out of the question for an app like what Im talking about, too pricey. Rory

reason I have been hessitant about this, using any DVR including a standalone as they are all the same in that respect, is most of the alarm clients you will find, at least here in the bahamas, dont want an extra PC in their home, or more importantly, wont pay for it. The Kind of PCs they still have down here in many households, most wont be able to run it as a DVR, you know, 300mhz, etc, win 98. Basically from an extensive 6 year alarm history of sales, service and installs, in anything from ghetto homes and retail to multi billion dollar homes, to casinos, jewlellery stores, etc etc, and set up of alarm central stations here in the Bahamas. What I would see that would be good, is some sought of server IP recording system, with raid, etc, rack mount and preferably not PC on the receiver side basically a receiver like the Alarm Receiver boards, which then talks to the PC, this means when the PC crashes, or more likley the actual software which they do even in the alarm monitoring on winXP pro, or if it for some reason needs to be rebooted, signals still come through, and are temporarily stored until the PC connection is re established to the PC software. Then at each location you have a choice of a server box, 1, 4, 9 or 16 channel, 16 channel. That way any cheap or any CCTV cameras existing or new can be used. As far as the server boxes looks like Axis can cover that, and I think they are pretty cheap? Havent looked lately. But then its the other side, the central station hardware, and software. I have seen something that came close to this from someones link on this forum, cant find it right now though, but it is IP based and can use any network servers like axis. So if someone can come out with that, Im sold and can sell it to our monitoring stations here in a flash!

Does anyone know who sells this brand of cameras in the US. They only have a telephone contact for a rep in Florida, no email or web site, and I cant dial long distance right now. My florida distributor only sells Samsung Cameras, not Samsung Techwin. Thanks Rory

oops, sorry thought it came with the camera ... no dont know about that lens.

as far as I know Vitek is simply OEM products with their label on it, such as Provideo, etc. So for another $20 or so you can get a well known brand like phillips, GE, etc.

Well, we are not manufacturers, so we have to buy ready built products, and Loroue is one of the few that sells audio mics etc for CCTV.

no you dont need the base station if you dont want it. Basically the base station lets you switch between zones by push button.

does that mean they will work with the Louroe mics? I never though to try one in my PC..had one sitting here for weeks until recently. Rory