spotmom

I am wondering if I can use the Swann bullet cam on the Lorex NVR. I read that the Swann and Lorex are both the same Hikvision stuff rebranded. I have been reading till my eyes are crossed and haven't found a difinitive answer for this. I did see that a Lorex cam could be used on a Swann NVR, so I assume it can be done. I have the Lorex LNR280 NVR and 4 Lorex LNB2151 (Hikvision) cameras, but want to add 2 more. I can't find a Lorex camera to buy (at least not as cheap as the Swanns) to add, but Costco has the Swann cameras online right now and I was considering buying those and if necessary flashing them to the Hikvision firmware. Other problem, where are people getting the firmware from? Costco has them for $380 with shipping ($30) for a 2 pack Swanns, Lorex has them for $422 with shipping ($53!). Anyone know or has tried it? Thanks!

You need to apply the promo code ZXSWTHJUNE14 after you put it in your cart. I believe you have to have an account to apply the code, I shop there a lot and it always asks me to log in to apply a code. It says on the page good till 6/16.

If anyone is interested Newegg has this PoE switch (GS1910-24HP) on sale with an extra $141 off with promo code ZXSWTHJUNE14. Comes to $328.99 retail says $700, but that is probably pretty inflated. Price without promo is $469.99. Sale ends June 16th. The link seems to always want to go to the cheaper non-PoE switch, and then you have to just click on the 24 port PoE option over on the right under the price. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?SID=7432a8ab42e749e9832dcf69cd95c4e0&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16833181232&cm_re=Gs1910-_-33-181-232-_-Product&cm_sp= • 20 x PoE RJ45 + 4 x combo SFP/RJ45 • 8K MAC Address Table • 512KB Buffer Memory • Smart • PoE ZyXELModelGS1910-24HP Spec FormatRackmountStandardsIEEE 802.3 IEEE 802.3u IEEE 802.3ab IEEE 802.3z 1000BASE-X IEEE 802.3x flow control IEEE 802.3az EEE support IEEE 802.1p CoS support IEEE 802.3at (PoE models only) Full-duplex and half duplex operation with IEEE 802.3x flow control and backpressure N-way auto-negotiationNetwork Management TypeSmartPrimary Ports20 x PoE RJ45 + 4 x combo SFP/RJ45Primary Port Speed10/100/1000MbpsMAC Address Table8KBuffer Memory512KBSwitching MethodStore and ForwardSecurity802.1x Port Security MAC authentication MAC address limit Layer 2 MAC filtering Layer 3 IP filtering Layer 4 TCP/UDP socket filtering BPDU guard Static MAC forwardingPoEYesSNMPYesQoSYesLACPYesLayer2PowerAC Power input (100 V - 240 V) 50 - 57 V output for PoE Maximum Power Consumption (Watt): 484 PoE Power Budget (Watt): 370Dimensions17.32" x 13.78" x 1.73"Weight10.36 lbs.Temperature0ºC to 50ºC (32ºF to 122ºF)Humidity10% - 95%, Non-condensing Features FeaturesSwitch Capacity (Gbps): 48 Switch Forwarding Rate (Mpps): 35.7 "Equipped with 20 x PoE RJ45 + 4 x combo SFP/RJ45 ports, the ZyXEL GS1910-24HP is a smart switch that delivers substantial bandwidth and superior ease of management for Small and Medium Businesses (SMB). Ideal for securing 10/100 and Gigabit connectivity, the GS1910-24HP delivers robust protocol support and comprehensive management tools required by modern enterprises and IT administrators. Meanwhile, the it supports smooth IPv6 migration for future expansions. The fanless design ensures you extreme peace of mind. As a result, the ZyXEL GS1910-24 is suitable for fulfilling SMB network needs with cost-effective, valuable frameworks".

I am finding with the purple drives my Lorex LNR200 is playing back much faster on the computer with less stop and go's. I put in 2 4TB ones, one was bad right out of the box so it went back. The second one was just installed and I am initializing it right now. We'll see if it picks up better with 2. It had one purple and one red previously. It came with a 1TB green which was too slow and too small. Looks like 8TB will hold about 20-22 days worth at my settings.

On my desktop with their viewer I can run 8x and it scoots pretty good. I can also go to the web interface and it is OK. Just the mobile app is bad. I have Ok upload speeds, but not like other people can get in the lower 48.

On the mobile app mine is the same way. If you knew when something happened it is useable, but if you have to search, forget it! 10 seconds per second playback speed. I never really used it so I never worried about it, but it would be nice to knw if there is a fix.

let us know when they stop working, your location suggests some very cold winters! Confirmed working to 21 below zero so far! No insulation yet.

I bought this new. I have tried to get this camera working with my Qsee and then Lorex NVR and even though it is ONVIF compliant it just doesn't want to stick around. It works fine as a stand alone with an SDHC card and/or with a computer based system. I was able to view it over the internet using contacam or a DDNS address when it was hooked to the computer so that works fine. It has been hooked up outside through snow & rain this spring and fared fine, although we made a cover to keep the bulk of the weather off of it. It is fully submersible. It has pretty clear pictures once you get it focused, which takes playing with the dome on and off, it is all manual focus and zoom. It works fine indoors, too. Records to a micro SDHC card. I had a 32gb card in it. Can be viewed with free software from Acti and run strictly using a computer as a recorder or DVR if wanted. That's what I did with it while I used it, but I don't want to leave my computer on 24-7 so that doesn't work for me. I can't seem to get the fine tuning down for the day night changeover so it winks back and forth between IR/night and non IR/day. Once it decides where it should be the picture is good. I had contacted Acti about that and never really got a good answer on how to make it stop. It has just been sitting on the shelf gathering dust since I got 2 more cams for the Lorex system. Might as well get rid of it. I don't really want one in the house right now and there is nowhere for it outside now. They are still advertising them here and there for over $700. I would be happy to sell it for $350 plus postage. I don't have the drive with pictures on it right now and the movies are all raw so I will post what I can tonight and if there is any interest I will try to post movies or other images. I was messing with the contrast and white balance so things are a little off. This is the bird feeder as viewed behind 2 panes of dirty glass and an old window insulator kit. It is just sitting in the window looking out. A snowy day. Captured snowflakes fine. I need to round up some night shots, too, but it is too late for me to work on this anymore. Let me know if you have any questions or need more information.

If anyone was wondering (I certainly was) even though the cameras are only rated to -4 F I have had mine working at 18 below so far. I was going to wrap some foam insulation around them, but haven't done it yet. It will get colder, I wonder how far they will go?

I have the Lorex (Hikvision) set up and it records to MP4. I can download, save, open and look at the files in any player, but I want to open a file in Sony Vegas to edit it and it says file format corrupted or not supported. I know MP4 is supported in Sony so I have to assume there is some sort of security somehow embedded in the files to prevent tampering. My guess anyway. I have also tried it in Corel Video Studio 14 with the same issue. Does anyone have a method or program to edit these files? They are not security related, just stuff going on with the animals I want to edit and condense down to the best parts for posting on YouTube for friends. Stuff like the moose getting zapped by the electric fence and a fox playing with the horse. I have copied just the clips I want to stitch together, but I can't open them in my programs to do so. I can't figure out how to recode them into something else, if possible. Any program I have tried lets me navigate to the folder where the files are, but the folder is "empty" as in nothing that the program can work with. Any Suggestions would be helpful.

Seems I finally found my answer. Even though I ask for help I never stop Googling, studying and testing. I found the FreeMake Video converter here http://www.freemake.com/ and convert the video into a compatible format and then can open them in Sony Vegas 11 Pro.

yes they will work, you just have to manually change the PW on the cameras to match that of the LOREX, i believe lorex factory set PW is 00000 or something like that. someone correct me though, i haven't checked in a while. Yes, Lorex is 000000 (six zeros)

oh boy, have this mounted ~25 up on a ladder, corner of the house on the soffit. guess i'll have to go up there and radio a helper to power cycle. I had to do it twice on a couple of them because I apparently didn't hold my mouth right or something while counting to 30...... I did have my iPod in my pocket though so I could see when the camera went live again. At least I didn't have to climb down and go inside to find that out!

I have the 8 channel system with just 6 bullets and it has started dropping a camera from view. It hasn't shown all six in a long time on the TV, but they all show on the computers and the ipod and asus tablet. Everything but an HDMI TV hook up (two different TV's, too). Is this a common problem and is there a solution? I am barely nipping the bandwith limit. Every time I reboot the DVR a different camera drops out. Eventually they all come back as far as being available, but only 5 of the six show on the TV. If I double click on the one not showing it shows in full screen on the TV, but not the smaller 5+1 preview. I can always log into the cameras themselves with my laptop and confirm they are all working so it is a DVR issue. Is there something wrong with this DVR? I only have 6 of the available 8 ports in use. How can I ever add another 2 if it is choking already??

I had a bunch seem to "die" this summer, no amount of rebooting would bring them back. Because of the convoluted way to reset them, and doing it alone, I had to go up on a ladder and remove the cameras from the j boxes, do the power cut by unplugging the cable. Because you have to do something like hit the reset, kill the power, return power (while still holding reset) and hold it for another 30 seconds. I was not impressed, especially since the 6th one was on a second story roof. That did bring them back to life, though. Look in the manual for the reset proceedure as I don't remember exactly what it was. It might bring it back.

Just got this in an email today, Trendnet has a new PoE switch, all you need is some $$$. From TweakTown newsletter: "Today, TRENDnet announced that it has began shipping its new TPE-1620WS 16-Port Gigabit Web Smart PoE+ Switch. The company says that this all metal, rack-mountable, managed PoE switch features 16 Gigabit PoE+ ports and two shared SFP slots" "Each of the 16 ports automatically support PoE+ (30 Watts) and PoE (15 Watts) power-connected devices. Featuring the company's GREENnet technology, the TPE-1620WS is capable of powering down the ports when they're not in use, which offers up to a 70 percent increase in power savings. TRENDnet says that the TPE-1620WS is available online and from participating retail partners at an MSRP of $529.99". Read more at http://www.tweaktown.com/news/32455/trendnet-begins-shipping-16-port-gigabit-web-smart-poe-switch/index.html#mCzRMxzfLqLr51qg.99

Thanks. I do have an Acti TCM-7811 outside. It does do IR reflection, but I think it has a defective upper ring on the dome. I am working with them right now on getting a replacement. It has beautiful crisp pictures until I put the dome on and everything goes fuzzy. It is spotlessly clean, but there is a 1" or so area of the top of the dome that is just not real clear, almost warped looking, and it seems to be what is reflecting the light and messing up the focus. I tried it without the lights the other night, and with all the snow it didn't do too bad. I have a separate IR light on the way to light up the area I have it looking at anyway, so I can probably leave them off. That and it soon won't get dark at night anyway.

Has anyone ever seen these cameras? They are expensive on most websites, but cheap through other sellers. Knockoffs or just too out of date? They claim "Military Grade" With infrared LED range up to 80 meters / 263 ft. Weatherproof design, high die-cast aluminum casing, protection grade IP66 Super shockproof, Specially suited for car surveillance 360°Continuous Rotation, Vertical angle up to 180 6 cruising tracks, each cruising track with 16 presets positions, Total128 Preset Positions Input voltage: DC12V or AC24V They state Picture Elements Approx, 380K Pixels (NTSC). Is that OK or bad? Are they worth it compared to a regular PTZ? They come without lenses, I wonder how hard they are to come by? Here is a page I found on it http://www.pcsurveillance.net/cd56nvir-36s-432x-outdoor-16x-analog-12x-digital-ip66-shockproof-4g-ir-ptz-520tvl-0-01lux-0lux-w-ir-on/ Looks like kind of low TVL (520) for that price? Just curious.

Yeah, there are some really great ones on my wish list, but $1500 to $4000 is a little out of my league. I have seen these Hammerheads on eBay go pretty cheap, part of me is interested, part of me is very, very leery. WHY are they so cheap?? Granted it is huge and ugly, but I could afford one. However if it is only 520TVL is the picture even worth it? I like the Dahua, but I am not sure how that open face SD6923 would function in winter. Seems like it would be iced up all the time as snow built up in it or blew into the lens. I would have to build a wider brim for it to keep the snow off. I need a camera that can do at least 20 below for extended periods and lots of snow (I just plowed and shoveled another 18" new snow yesterday )

Hello from the frigid north! I have lurked and read for quite some time and I can't find an answer to my question (at least not how I am searching for it). Probably simple for you, but I am new to all this. I bought the Q-See kit from Sam's club, the QC808, 4 camera system with an NVR that supports 8 cameras. They only have 4 ports on the back. How do I add more cameras? I have 5 at the time being (a separate issue is the 5th one is an Acti TCM7811 and I can't get the NVR to see it or get an answer out of Q-See so far as to whether or not it ever will). Anyway, can someone tell me what I need to add more cameras? I assume a poe device, but how do I make each of the 4 ports on the back accept 2 poe cameras so I can have 8 (eventually) as per what the NVR supports? Q-see's website has been a dismal zero for information. Nothing in the manual as far as I have been able to see. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

It was QSee, got it right off their website. Now my next issue is the night picture outdoors (we finally put it out today) is AWFUL! I have played with it for a while, but have to go to bed and read more tomorrow.

Good News! I found a firmware update for the NVR that supports more Onvif and I finally got a picture from the Acti on the QSee NVR! It's odd that I could not get the firmware to update with their instructions via a USB drive in the front, I ended up going through the config tool and running the update through that through my computer/router to the NVR. Now to get that puppy outside and see if it can do a better job then the stand in QC bullet holding its spot. Thanks for all the suggestions.

I did try manually adding the camera, with its 192.168.10.xx, port 80 as it shows up in Acti's NVR3 and it just shows up with an orange not found icon through the QSee NVR. I know the bullet cams I got with the system don't have heat, but they are mounted under the eaves near the house and they produce a lot of heat so I was just going to wrap them with insulation come winter and figure that they would stay warm enough. The dome cam will be on a pole above the roof, no protection at all. What does too much cold do to them anyway? Stick the IR filter, kill the electronics (which would seem unlikely), or just stop working till they warm up?

The Acti is ONVIF Compliant (according to the spec sheet). Do I need to give it an IP in the 10.1.1.xx range for it to be seen by the NVR like the other cameras? My goal is for it to be on the NVR and not the computer, but not sure that is possible. This camera was such a good price and it has everything I need (short of PTZ), especially a heater, I really want to make it work. Dahua does not seem to make any cameras that go the temps I need to (way below zero), or I would buy one of them and sell this. My needs are IR 60-100ft, Day/Night, Outdoor and subzero to at least 30 below F. PTZ would be icing on the cake. Does Dahua have anything like that? It seems like every one I look at is missing something (normally the IR) or its $2k and up. I guess I could buy an IR separate and get the invisible ones to boot. I doubt I would have any problem at all selling this camera if needed. The picture is great and it is sitting in a window looking through 2 panes of filthy glass, one layer of window insulator kit and its own dome. It must be amazing outside with only its own dome to look through! I really appreciate you following up on this with me. I do believe in Karma as I have spent countless hours helping other people with their computer issues, this is just not my field (but I get smarter every day!)

I finally got my extra Cat5 cords so I could get my router hooked to the QSee NVR again. I can now see the NVR and all 4 Qsee cameras on my computer with the PSS (POS?) software, barely. I have the Acti TCM7811 hooked straight into the same router and am powering it with it's own plug in so there is no PoE or switch involved. The router is a TP-Link TL-WDR4300 Dual band gigabit. The PSS software will not talk to the Acti camera at all. They are on the same IP/Subnet (192.168.10.xx and 255.255.255.0). I think I have everything set up good. However, while the NVR is on the same IP/Subnet as the Acti, the QSee cameras are showing a different IP (10.1.1.xx) via the switch in the NVR. Do I have to have the Acti on a switch to make it work with the QSee NVR, rather than just straight into the router? I have a feeling this is never going to work and I will have to buy a different camera to take the place of the Acti unless I want it to be hooked to a computer all the time. I have photographed all of the QSee on screen NVR settings if a picture of it all would help further clarify anything. Or, can you suggest some good 3rd party software that will talk to both of the brands and ditch both Acti's NVR3 and QSee's PSS? I have tried the Blue Iris trial, but it does not seem to like the Acti, either. It is also not on their list of cameras, but neither is the QSee cameras and it saw one of them. I really am trying hard to not ask a bunch of questions, but I have beat my head on this for nearly 2 solid days and am making no progress.