rory

website is down, or link is bad..?

where do you get them from??

Interesting, never guessed barn video surveillance could be such a demanding thing, but then again, its a business like anything else. For point to point phone line transmission, check out Kalatel RSM-1600 (sarh google, they are everywhere for sale). You can use 2, 1 on either end, and just connect to a TV on remote end, no PC required. Rory

how about this: http://www.spytown.com/lovemi.html

thereare ceiling mount microphones, that connect to 2, 4 etc channel systems, with built in amps. Check this link, Ive used them in the past and they are very good. http://www.spytown.com/lourel.html

I know i can always count on an answer to a product or question from alan, dont retire yet, we need you here! )

yep, actually I have some cheap provideo cameras with purple LEDs, that have been working and still are, after over a year and a half. So they generally last a long time even the cheaper ones. I think its maybe the spot Bulbs that run out after a while?? Rory

cool, dont forget your 12v / 24v power supplies, and bnc/rca adaptors, or connectors, but they are cheap, andd can get them locally anyway. I hope your house didn't burn down! I've been there before... Here's what I've come up with for my system: Kalatel SDVR-4-40 $1495 Toshiba IK-6400A Color day/night camera (2) at $159 each 1/3" CCD 480 lines resolution 0.2 Lux sensitivity 12VDC operation accepts CS type lenses dimentions: 6.2cm x 5cm x 11.3cm (this is a spec for the IK-644A) 5.5W max power draw Tamron 5-50mm Auto Iris $127.95 Auto Iris (DC) CS Mount Aspherical 1/3" Tamron 2.8-12mm Auto Iris $69.95 Auto Iris (DC) CS Mount Aspherical 1/3" Pelco EH2508 8" Aluminum Camera Housing (2) at $61.95 each Water/Dust proof Accepts cameras with fixed focal length or "or Motorized Zoom Lens Accepts camera and lens combinations up to 15.8cm x 7cm x 7cm MLV10-WR Weatherproof 2.4GHz transmitter (2) at $299.95 each 4 channel selectable 12 volt DC 700' range total: $2734.70 shipping ground: 9.81+32.23+14.12=$46.35 shipping air (2-3 day): 30.14+53.94+31.83= $115.91 tax: 0+0+0! GRAND total: $2781.05 (ground) $2850.61 (2-3 day)

actually, pelco housings are overrated, emi has better for vandal proof. but check out this site, the best line of housings available, and unlike pelco AND others, they actually look good! http://www.videotec.com but unless I need vandal proof, I just use the manufacturer of the cameras housings, like kalatels as they look nice, and are water sealed, i have mine on the ocean here.

Video comm only makes wireless, thats their specialty, so they will be much better, but yes, more expensive. They use 12v also. gotta run, there is a bush fire next door! really, took fire truck 20 minites they just turned up.

computar, tamron, or fujinon are good brands of lens. Fujinon is my personal choice but costs more than tamron, but have smaller physical sizes. Also, make sure you get a good housing also, Kalatel has some good weatherproof housings, cost around $81 with a sunshield. Any other good brand, pelco, etc, around that price range, is good. Stay away from $20 housings, they dont stand up well against rain etc. EMI also has some good vandal proof housings, stainless steel etc. rory

hi no, just 1 receiver for 1 transmitter. You can get a larger antennas for the receivers or tranmistters if you have issues. I had some good experience with great support from that web site I listed, www.videotransmitters.com, which is VIDEOCOM.They have alot of tech support on thier site, like how to install everything etc. They respond quick also with support issues. Yeah, most day nights are around $400 for real. Get the Toshiba, see how it goes. Rory

dont know how well the toshiba is, but its a brand name, so should be good (ask AVCONSULTING, hes maybe tried them before), ive used the sanyo before in the day night area and is good. 480TVl is fine.

I never use the built in CDRW or printer option myself. But it is great for remote video, and the software is great. Its the only one i sell for remote video live and playback. $1495 is wholesale price, like everything on the internet, wholesale pricing is available to end users nowadays, same can be said about japanse import cars. SDVR 40Gb 4 channel standard is Retail $2990. I sell it for that cost, here in the Bahamas, then I have to pay 27% import taxes, so they can sell it for less in the US. The difference of a seperate DVR and Mux, if it is wholesale pricing, your better off with the StoreSafe, or similar, with full features. 55 foot night vision, hard to say depending on light you have installed. IR light wont be any better, just cost more. 55 feet is pretty far, you wont catch their face, no matter what resolution you get. Though for outside I would definately get a high res camera, 480TVl if using color, 570 min if using BW or day night with color/BW. Get day night, so you can always add IR lighting if later you need it. Varifocal lens zoomed in at the exact area, will be better than a wide angle lens. Just look at what you need to see, unless you want to add mroe cameras which can then use wide angle. Id concentrate on using the cameras to actaully get the best picture on the areas you need to watch. Buy a viewfinder, not expensive, it can give you an idea of what lens you will ultimately need, though it is only used as a general idea (in other words, if you need a 2.7-13mm lens, or a 5-50 mm lens). I would do what I can to stay away from wireless though, as it not only costs more, but is not 100% stable. Try to put the cameras where you can wire them if possible. Cat5 / twisted pair, will get a better image at longer runs, but not needed if only short distances, plus it costs more. If using Caox and image is not great, same as direct at the camera, then you can always add a video amplifier which is cheap. Use a varifocal lens and just manually zoom it tothe area you want to watch. Im installing a 16 channel StoreSafe, 160Gb with 14 Extreme CCTV EX82 day night cameras Infrared to 100+ feet, and 2 kalatel Mini Rugged Domes with Wall Mounts, keyboard, 19" 850TVL Color Monitor, and views on RF moulator to multiple Plasma and Rear Projection Tvs throught the house. Waiting deposit now. I wouldnt sell it if it wasnt worth it. I coulfd have quoted a DVMRe instead, but this is a home, so the storesafe will suffice. I have some storefaes in for example, a local bank here, which is the Bahamas head quarters for a worldwide canadian bank. Anyway, its worth the extra couple hundred dollars, but its totally up to you. I dont make anything out of the deal either way. I even rather let my clients pay wholesale for better products, then me make the money on the parts, and sell themsomething cheaper because they couldnt afford the better product. But thats just me ) Vitek has a 4 channel DVR also, with Mux, AVConsulting can give you more info on that, less remote video options such as playback, but lower cost. I just love the simplicity and compact size of the storesafe, and all its features. Rory PS. some great info can be found here: Plus they have a book or video you can buy, I have their book, tons of info in it for CCTV tech support & installation: http://www.ltctrainingcntr.com

i dont do anything these days, unless its done the best it can be, thats why I called my company X-treme CCTV. Like i said though, for a home user, basic is fine. Its not overkill, from what I can tell, he wants to pay for the best, at least the best that is at a cosumers average budget. A quad is 'almost' useless for playback, though it can work, but if he wants great quality, he needs a DVR with a built in mux. Its over $2000 retail, but its worth it. If he can get it at wholesale, then even better for him. It seems he is getting more involved in it than a regular consumer would so hands up if he wants to buy at wholesale price, he is learning the industry right now anyway. Overkill would be a 1000GB DVMRe, with PTZs, with Dual Extreme CCTV UF500 Infrared LEDs on each camera But heck the image would be very impressive! If he doesnt need Remote Video Access, then 1 Kalatel VDR 40Gb (retail $860) 1 4 channel ATVColor Mux (retail $890) then add cameras and wireless txs & rxs.

good reading up though, Im impressed! they also come in sizes from 40, 80, 160, 250Gb for Storesafe, 40, 80, 160, 320, 500, 640, 1000GB in the DVMRe, and 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2000Gb in the DVSe, and 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, and 1000GB in the DSR-2000, and 40, 80, 160 in the DSR-1000 & VDR. All come in 4, 10 or 16 channels, except the DSR and VDR. They have a 16x5 Matrix DVMRe also. 640 or 1000GB. they have a Bus DVR system called Bus Secure that comes in 80, 160 & 250Gb. They also now have a system called Video IQ, a PC based 4 channel Human Object Detector. Rack Mount kits are available for all DVRs. ok, i dont have stock yet, so not sure I nedd to know all of this! )) if 8x8 is the streaming video server 8 channel, they are discontinuing development on it. also have 320, 500, 640, 1000GB versions. Aswell as the Ez version whith less features, auto install, but lower price, lower drive size also, 500Gb being the largest. they do have one of the largest lines of muxes I have seen yet. other brands also now use Triplex, not sure if this is trademarked by Kalatel or not. yes, StoreSafe is a series of a DVR/Mux. Its embedded software is somewhat different from other Kalatel DVRs, such as the edges of the multi view video is grey, and some other differences, though it has all the features of the DVMRe, and some more even. absolutely not, its good to read up on products before you buy them. Rory

some good info, I didnt even know 'all' those details. Kalatel was just purchased last year Spring by GE, before that they were on their own, making cctv products, for years, and one of the leaders in sales of DVRs. Since GE bought them, they have pumped a ton of money into new design & technology. The storesafe for instance had a different design and less features, until GE bought them. I orignally found them when lookng for remote video products, and found their RSM-1600 product, which is great by the way, but like everything it has its limitations. ..anyway.. The embedded OS of all DVMRes, Storesafes, etc, are written by another company, and its not cheap, and not a part of GE or Kalatel (as far as I know). Its used in alot of different machines or devices that use embedded OS's not just video surveillance. I located the companies web site once, cant remember it right now. Wavereader is the same software used for all of the DVRs. Originally written by a secondary company also, and was also used in Phillips DVRs. Kalatel's DVRs have lasted for me, 2 of them in some very harsh enviroments, for almost 2 years, and still going. Others I have installed since then have also lasted well. None have required ANY maintenance. One I did upgrade the EPPROM when they came out with 16 live users, instead of 1 live user, by logging on through a web browser and updating it with a new BIN file. They are simple to use, and even easier to install, and tech support is supperior to other security manufacturers I have dealt with (including Ademco whose alarms I have installed for approx 6 years). If you want something that is low in maintanance, simple to install (plug & play), then this is what you want. Ofcourse there are other brands just as good, such as Dedicated Micros (software is not as good, only provides quad views), and after little more time on their own, maybe Phillips (they havent been in the DVR business as long as the other 2 mentioned, but have some good products by specs on their site). There are a ton of PC card brands out there, Geovision being the most widely used or advertised one Ive seen, even before joing up here. Though I like to stay as far away from PC based for my cleints, for now anyway. Thats just some general history from what I have encountered over the last couple years. Oh yes, and StoreSafe is a series, now owned entierly by GE (if it was outsourced for development in the past). Another thing, I found a company in the UK that have the same products, except for the StoreSAfe, with their name on it, diffeent colored push buttons, etc., like they are leasing it from Kalatel. Could get no reply when I emailed them though. after a half a year, I was able to get hold of the control from Kalatel to make my own custom software, take a look at my web site for more info: www.BahamasSecurity.com Still need some more deveopment time on it and some others in the planing stages now, including a multi site version, and a Kiosk type touch screen.

Kalatel Triplex StoreSafe and DVMRe units have dynamic IP hosting, as of last year spring, and have capability for a USB Robotics External Telco Modem. Also, looking at the specs, it appears to be a quad recorder, not a multiplexer? correct me if im wrong, thanks, Still an interesting product, never heard of the company though until now. Rory

Kalatel 4 channel will cost more than $1110, but its far superior, simple to install, maintenance free, and full of features. It would be your best choice, over a DVR PC card. Personally, Id cut the road, and run cat5, with NVT 4 port Active hub on the receiveing end, and, use Kalatel Cam Plus Day Night cameras, with the Plus Packs which provide UTP transmission for the cat 5. If the disctances are not that far, then even coax RG59 would be ok in siamese cable for power run also. Either way, if you go wireless, you will need a seperate TX from the camera, like Alan said, and as far as inteference goes, you wont know until you install it. You could buy everything else, and then just 1 wireless transmitter, and see if it works, testing it from one location to the next, then if it does, buy the rest. They sell larger antennas for the receiver also, and for the TXs incase you dont get a good signal. The wireless Id recommend is www.videotransmitters.com (Video Com), and they have alot of installation support on their for you to look at. Also, just buy Varifocal Auto Iris lenses, from 2.7-13mm for the ones you need in that area, or from 5-50mm if you need 16mm or above. When you install it you can manually adjust it. I have a viewfinder, for quoting jobs, its like a varifocal lens, but still I normally sell them varifocal lenses anyway as they arent much more than a fixed lens. Rory

Need an idea on the following example -16/32 camera system -Standalone non PC DVRs -Non PC Multiplexer -1 channel dvrs, real time, 1 for each camera, 60pps -remote access in 1 screen for all cameras -1 IP address can view all cameras live or playback on LAN -removable HDs in each DVR, to change every so many hours for storage -back up raid storage -PTZ control -50" Monitors for operators, High Resolution, Ultrasharp Plasma, or RearProjector -optional matrix output to multiple operators, each individually display and control video live and playback -Fiber / UTP transmission -Cameras are non IP cameras, but have UTP/Fiber options -computer software for operator workstations, for layout design of each camera, and more options such as auto tracking in each video image, video editing, etc. any ideas, design examples, etc. Got to get thinking deep for this one. Thanks

good answer. Also, if they really wanted real time, like a casino, they would need single channel DVRs for each channel, so if they had 10 cameras, thats 10 single channels DVRs: If you dont need audio recording, you could do this: 10 Camera Triplex Multiplexer 10 Kalatel DSR-2000 1 channel 60pps DVRs 40GB Then to access the video, though, you would need 1 IP address for each DSR2000, and you can use a custom multi site software to view on a PC, all in one screen, live, playback, etc. I guess you could split the video signal, from the 10 DSRs, to go into the 1 VCR input on the mux, then just hit play on the one you want to play from. There is probably another way to do this, with another device suchas PS based to play back or view the video stream from all DSRs live. You could use a DVMRe DVR multiplexer, but then you wouldnt be able to access the recorded video from the DSRs, but you would be able to view all live with 1 IP address... Any ideas?? They also have a 1 channel Video Digital Recorder, that has removeable hard drives, but no LAN, but they cost same as a regular time lapse VCR.

yes, 23 feet is a short enough distance. Get a varifocal lens like a fujinon Day/Night Lens, 2.7-13.5mm, f:1.4 for IR , you would need 840nm (some led glow) probably, as some BWcameras dont respond well to 950nm (fully invisible). It gives BW at night. Check out this link for some good infrared LEDs: http://www.spytown.com/search--by-part-number--extreme.html

also,they are calling a mini dome camera, an undercover camera! Shows their vast cctv knowledge!

Varifocal lens, then you adjust it when you install it. $1600 for a 4 channel DVR, embedded OS, standalone. - we charge $2990 for a 4 channel DVR here. I wouldnt touch the PC cards myself, even though I service and build computers for a living, too much maintenance, a embedded DVR, you never have to go back! Then again, on the swing side, if it was just for me, i could use a cheap PC card, but definately use a seperate computer otherwise welcome to frequent OS freezing. Also, beware with Wireless Video, you can end up with frequent loss of video, or depending if not installed right, will not give you a good image at all. You need to mount it over 15 feet, or at least above any kind of objects, keeping a direct point to point, from tx to rx. Id get an additional antenna for the RX to be safe. I have several TX and RX's sitting around here, that we could never get a good image from, or would occassionally loose video from cell phone interference, etc. Definately get a day night, or just BW camera, as from those images, you dont have enough lighting for color. Kalatel has an inexpensive exview Low light bullet camera, with built in IR light good to 20-30 feet. Unlike most bullets, its high quality. One thing, if you have any twisted pair (telephone or cat 5 etc) already run where you want to put the wireless, instead use that for transmission, with some UTP TXs and Receivers ($30 each approx). Kalatel has a day night camera, with a plug in transmission pack, that you can use to connect the twisted pair to, and wont need a UTP tx For a good 4 channel DVR, not cheap, but one of the best ive seen around, Kalatel StoreSafe: http://www.geindustrial.com/cwc/products/ge-interlogix?pnlid=9&famid=63&catid=1088&id=StoreSafe&lang=en_US Good luck Rory

Whats VDI cameras? There are alot of cameras that you can use other than traditional cameras (box style?). If it is pitch dark, then they need Infrared, and the only one i use now for IR is Extreme CCTV, but they are not cheap. Light bulbs are cheaper. Yes, eventually you will need to replace the IR. Some of their IRs last 5 years.