rory

it points to the Iris. When the Iris is stuck open to a point it will let in too much light, so in the day it is whiteout. Ive seen this many times. First thing to do, if the camera has Electronic Iris change it to that. If it still does it then there is something wrong with the camera and it needs to be replaced. As you said you changed the lens and its still doing it, if its an Auto Iris lens, with the Iris mechanism built into the lens, it would be rare that 2 lenses would be sticking, so could be the Auto Iris module on the camera is bad, meaning bad camera. Or its just not providing enough power to the lens.

and other types of cameras also experience this, or just this camera? Seems like a bad or inadequate camera. If it has any settings try switching it to Electronic Iris (EI or EL)

Looks good Seems like you will be busy. I have a client who likes to do alot of his own work, just gets me down to ask alot of questions mostly or some DVR stuff. He started with just a few cameras, now he has 2x DVRs (1x16 and 1x32) and over 30 cameras plus a couple DVRs sitting under a pile of boxes waiting to be put somewhere and a box of various cameras gradually being installed over time Tip. Regarding the multi client software, try dragging the group name to box 1 to connect to and load all cameras ... works for other software so may work with that one.

as they switched to digital here and a client had issues with their HD channels even before they switched, I just ditched the old RF modulator and ran a separate cable to each TV's AV input. I dont get paid to troubleshoot their Cable HDTV ... Im a CCTV Tech!

yeah im not a browser fan myself, at least for apps ... funny really since thats what I started with back in 1996 writing code for, and have made alot of browser related apps over the years ... but being stuck inside another program, the browser, just limits things too much IMO. Example, here is a small custom app i created for the dahua DVRs I use right now... ofcourse this still does not compare to my livevue app (still in re-development) but this was put together to be fast for slow connections and had to be done quickly ... so its like super simple and super quick to load. for example i have a folder on my Jump Drive with a copy of this of different DVRs so I can demo it on any Windows PC I goto .. but more importantly I have a copy of it on my desktop and click the shortcut and I am viewing my cameras in less than a second. Runs on XP and Win7 without installation. Now if I need to make changes I have a copy of the latest manufacturer full software with all my DVRs already setup in it.

example of CNB VBM-24VF Shows dark area - Color without AGC, Color with AGC, BW only, BW with external Infrared Then Area with light - setting to Auto D/N.

anywho ... This software works fine on my old P4 3.0Ghz BTW it changes the encoding for each channel on the DVR to what you set it to in the software! thats a function in the SDK by the way, not sure why they would alter it though.. actually it changes it to 30fps each channel which is D1 on channel 1 and CIF on the rest with a 4 channel. Also changes the camera names on the DVR. this is their "intelligent search" feature

downloaded this from dahua's website to see what it looks like. was surprised to find out that when I searched for IP devices it grabbed each channel from my DVR, and now it is recording that as an NVR on my PC ... software is called Linovision - NVR+. More info here: http://www.linovision.com/en/featuredsoftware/nvr.html The NVR+ software can be working in trial version for hours, with some functions limitation, for example, can not cycle recording, stop recording after several hours, etc. The trial version software is for evaluation purpose only. If you want to install the software in real projects, please register software to ensure features availability and technical support. So its important to note it is not free software like PSS and DSS.

IP what? I dont order anything ...

no man i was weeding ... ps. guns are outlawed here, meaning all the criminals have them.. yeah thats my old Asus EEE PC .. works good for this kind of thing.

use one of the alarm outputs on the DVR, to a relay connected to the siren then you trigger that alarm output using the DVR remote software.

Did a new test tonight of the cheap Color IR bullet ... 1-cheap 1/4" color only bullet 2-cheap 1/3" color IR bullet 3-b/w bullet 4-TDN bullet with external IR lights on VS lights off - its a big area for the small IR to cover. and a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOQSO8N3YLc sorry i couldnt resist Comparison of IR Bullets: A = cheap, B & C = 3x cost of A, D = 2x cost of B & C Your results may vary between brand of camera used and location. Distance is approx 50' to the white truck in (B) I got this cheap Color IR camera free, so i could also test it - actually all my cameras were free or 2nd hand brought back from the dead. So yeah the cheap Color IR and Cheap color camera work fine in my case also, I know how much better it could be but I cant afford it (plus it will probably just get stolen anyway). I just click on the shortcut to my custom program and in less than a second I am viewing my cameras and can see if anyone is there ...

What I used to do with the average smaller home at least, drill hole in eave then push snake through until it reaches near to the attic hole inside the house ... didnt always work as planned though due to beams or storage items here and there.

I spent 6 hours out in a hot yard the other day on top of ladders and crawling through the bush ... i prefer the attic to that sunburn and heat stroke ... even though i got 2 nails to the head from attic work in the past (with permanent skin/nerve damage from them).

Alot of times, least with the jobs Ive done, have no choice but to use IR, if they are dead set against installing additional visible light and the area is too dark - even with the Monalisa that will see in very low light, as in that screenshot I posted in the link above, its still not good enough to identify them as its just too dark (can barely see to walk). Also same goes for alot of retail, though sometimes you can convince them to leave at least one light on, or use motion lighting. BTW I clean all my outdoor cameras the same time ... water drops matter even without IR. Its the darn spiders that are the problem with some IR cameras, not all locations though, for example at a home here with 15 outdoor IR cameras, only 3 of them seem to be an attraction to spiders, and in that case a little bug spray around it helps (until it rains). Separate IR is always better though, better for adjusting the IR beam as well.

its a steel stick, cant be too careful! the machetes are hidden in the bushes for quick access

some samples viewtopic.php?f=5&t=26595 viewtopic.php?f=5&t=26595&start=15 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0hv1T_RIo4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9w_KYky3BI follow suggestions on right side for more example videos ... And its generally difficult to find 900nm range IR bullets.

dependent on the model, Dahua DVRs support up to 8x 2TB internal SATA HDD. Ive personally installed 6x 2TB WD Black into their 32 channel unit (dvd takes up the other 2 spots but can be removed). Plus they have record to NAS. its no samsung or panasonic but still worth mentioning.

Re that program: From their readme. ------------------ So, how does it all work? 1) Your DVR detects motion, and after setup will email a picture of that motion to our server 2) Our server grabs the picture, puts it on your own private ftp account and sends an alert link via skype. Note - even if you do not use the client, you will still get the alerts via skype. They come in as simple links to your picture and you can click on them to open them in your default browser 3) Our client watches for those specific links and displays them on your desktop - and keeps track of them so you can page through them in chronological order Legal goo... Your pictures are automatically deleted after a few hours. ------------------- so basically they just setup an FTP account and folder for your DVR to send snapshots to (in this case its sent using email then they dump it in the ftp folder), most DVRs have the option to do ftp and or email, in this case they are providing the FTP hosting for you (alternatively you could run your own FTP server but then have to open ports). I doubt they will provide the FTP account unless you buy a DVR from them? Sounds like they let you use their SMTP server also.

(A) TDN IR Bullet 3.8-9mm vs (B) Color IR Bullet 4-8mm Same Price Range, Different Brands. BTW this has no smart IR as most do now: VS © TDN IR Bullet 2.8-11mm - cost approx 2x the above cameras.

Standard TDN IR 1/3" Bullet VS Cheap 1/4" and 1/3" Color IR TDN IR Bullet is approx 6x the cost. External IR cost more than the camera in this case. TDN VS Color IR Cost difference can be x2 between cameras with all other similar features. In this case I just manually removed the IR cut filter from the lens.

Cheap Color IR vs Cheap Color IR 1/4" from brand (1) vs 1/3" from brand (2)

Lets compare Color Bullet Cameras - these both have Fixed IR Cut Filters, so no Infrared. (A) Cheap Color Bullet 380TVL 3.6mm 1/4" vs (B) KT&C 550TVL Color Bullet 3.6mm 1/3" KT&C model is approx double the cost. NIGHT DAY SUN

You pay another $30 for the Q-See name Seriously though the quality difference between a $30 and $60 camera isnt much different, and neither can typically handle any glare very well and time as you resell it to the end user and pop on a warranty of your own then that $60 camera is not a cheap camera anymore .. thats why they still sell the $30 cameras actually I bought a $20 IR bullet off Amazon just to see what it was like ... Plastic build ... had a mic not sure how that worked .... worse image I ever saw ... had to be a $5 camera plus markup Ok so here is that Amazon "toy" (camera 2) Now same area from a CNB Monalisa camera (no Infrared, camera 2)

To be fair to the distributors selling the cheap cameras to dealers ... they do offer pretty good warranty also, least 1-2 years. Not so much when buying from online distributors but from strictly brick and mortar ones they do. Also, Ive had alot more, I mean WAY more expensive cameras go bad than cheap ones. At least thats been my experience, it can differ from one person to the next. That said I had these EX82s on the beach for 10 years now, one finally gave into the elements but it lasted that long through multiple hurricanes. Ofcourse at a nightclub which is also on the ocean side I had $100 Speco bullets (aka, $50 camera) there for 10 years, still working though its under an outdoor roof and the image is next to useless now. Actually hold that though the owner already changed some of them out for $10 bullets he got from somewhere and those went bad within a couple months .... oh well .. yeah thats the ones with all the lines through them