spotmom

In the manual it says "Using the Power Over Ethernet Block (I assume they mean the one on the back of the NVR) Your NVR’s POE block will power up to four cameras while receiving their video signals. This is the primary and preferred method to connect cameras to your NVR. This feature cannot be expanded through use of a network switch". Does this mean I cannot do as you suggest and put the switch right into the NVR ports? Because that sounds like the better plan to me. What happens when you plug a powered switch into a powered port on the NVR? As Klink would say " I know nothiiinnngggg"

Sounds good. Not a bad price either. Looks like I can wait a while, though, since I have only one other camera so far and I have to plug it into the wall for the heater/fan (for a while anyway). We are still in the 0 to 5 degree F range at night, 20's for the day.

No, I haven't made up my mind. I was just wondering if I ever got a full 4 cameras on it if gigabit would be necessary or just overkill. My internet connection itself only goes 2mbs(?) so I don't think I could even make use of it with remote viewing. One more thing to go learn about. I am wandering around Amazon and Newegg looking for the best price/feature for the switch with POe. I can never just go buy something. I get a Scottish cramp every time. Takes a while to unknot the fingers from the purse strings.

Is there any reason to go with a gigabit switch? Would it handle heavier network traffic? I don't have a gigabit router at the time being (at least I don't think it is), but I would prefer to spend a couple dollars more for futureproofing by going with a gigabit switch if it seems like a good idea. PS, if anybody is looking for some snow I have some I can let you have cheap.

Thanks. Just so new to this part of computing I don't know much about switches and poe stuff, even though I have been reading for the last 2 months pretty well non stop. Enough to realize my dream camera cost as much as what I am trying to protect . Suggestions for parts to buy save me from analysis paralysis on Amazon trying to figure out what I need. The q-sees are actually pretty good for my use, nothing is very far away from them so the pictures are very clear. The Acti TCM7811 is to reach out to a little farther out spot. I may sell it and get something else if I can't get it to talk to this NVR, though. I turn off my computers and router every night. I don't need to see my cams on the computer 24-7, As long as they are recording on the NVR. I just have a small a home setup. I can watch as needed by just switching the input of the tv. The only time I would want the router on all the time is if I were going on a long trip and want to access the cameras off site.

Thanks for the tip (The start page for the info is 16 not 17, though.) Well, I am feeling a bit cheated by advertising here. From reading the manual (again) it looks like I can only connect 4 cameras directly to this NVR, period. Then if I want to use the other 4 I have to run them over a network with a router? I was hoping I would not have to run my router 24-7 just to have another camera. Silly me. I thought an NVR that supported 8 cameras could, well, support 8 cameras. By itself. Either that or I am reading the manual all wrong. Please tell me I am missing something! If I have to have the other cameras hooked to the router, I am going to need a router with more ports! Or can I hook more than one camera to a port? Somehow I doubt that. As I understand it you shouldn't have more than one router in line with this system either, so it probably wouldn't work to just give the system its own router?

I just got some of the Dahua cameras in Sam's club promo and I hooked one up and all was fine for a while, then everything went white and stayed that way. Finally found that the checkbox for gain was checked on that camera and was at 80. I unchecked the box and it works fine now. How that happened I'll never know, I didn't even know it had that feature. Probably not your problem, but who knows?