gmark

I have had several Swann security DVRs and the BNC connectors on the back seem to e getting closer and closer together. I can't GRAB the things to install or remove or turn! Is there a tool or something to do this easily? Or a method???

Well, I've looked over about a dozen apps, and there don't seem to be any that will actually control the Swann DVR except the MyDVR application provided by Swann. The problem is that the direct control of PTZ cameras works fine from the DVR, but remote access from a my Mac using the Swann-provided "MyDVR" software doesn't STOP the camera motion -- it just spins until I hit the "Iris" command (the Swann tech tells me this sends a sort of "carriage return" or what amounts to a "stop" command for these cameras. I'm not sure latency is the actual problem, although it's possible. I can stop the camera by hitting the "Iris" command, which a Swann tech tells me sends a sort of "enter" or "return" or something instead of an Iris command. I have no idea why that would be or how something that kludgy was implemented. However, it would be great if I could reconfigure this software OR some open source program to simply concatenate this "Iris" or "stop" command onto each "unclick" or button release. So my previous question stands -- does anyone know of some other software I can use to remotely view and control my Swann DVR BESIDES MyDVR?

Well, I've looked over about a dozen apps, and there don't seem to be any that will actually control the Swann DVR except the MyDVR application provided by Swann. I'm not sure latency is the actual problem, although it's possible. I can stop the camera by hitting the "Iris" command, which a Swann tech tells me sends a sort of "enter" or "return" or something instead of an Iris command. I have no idea why that would be or how something that kludgy was implemented. However, it would be great if I could reconfigure this software OR some open source program to simply concatenate this "Iris" or "stop" command onto each "unclick" or button release. So my previous question stands -- does anyone know of some other software I can use to remotely view and control my Swann DVR BESIDES MyDVR?

Ummm… I should have spent a bit more time looking on the web for applications rather than all the stuff about the DVRs and the cameras and protocols and everything else. There are dozens. So now, I'll see how the others do…

Very good call. No, it does NOT have that problem when a monitor is connected directly to the DVR and I control it directly from there. Also, a cable length of only a foot has no effect on the problem at all. That is, the cameras all exhibit this no-stopping problem regardless of cable length -- 1 foot to 100 feet -- so it does not seem to be an electrical propagation problem. Another thing I notice is that the DVR has a selection for Camera Speed - 1 to 64 -- and the MyDVR application does not have that. I wonder if there are other differences as well, such as the DVR possibly sending an explicit "stop" command and the Mac application from Swann just sending continual move commands or a single move command and NO stop. I'll try to ask these questions again to Swann technical support, but I don't know if anyone's around who knows the internal working of the interface software or at least of the MyDVR application. Does anyone know if there are other PC/Mac-based DVR-controlling applications? Possibly some that are modifiable in control protocol?

Unfortunately, this is the prescribed solution from Swann, and you'd expect they would have tested the system for this latency. However, the three cameras are Huacam models, so it may be that this particular combination was not tested. Perhaps the Huacams expect different timing in some way. What I would like to do is tinker with the timing or protocol exchange generated by the MyDVR software. Or perhaps find another open-source solution. I do want to make it clear, however, that the request is coming from the MyDVR application over my home network, but it terminates at the DVR, and the DVR itself sends the Pelco commands from that local interface and not from my laptop where MyDVR is running. I think I'll experiment with some sort of attenuation on the control line.

Using MyDVR from a remote computer.

Pretty safely within the expected range -- all four are stock 25 or 50-foot Swann cables. But you bring up a good point, and one I asked Swann about, but I don't recall getting an answer. The start-stop protocol is a factor of the controller, right? I mean, the standard for Pelco P or D have a set pattern, and the cameras themselves adhere to that pattern, right? Does that standard require a continuous stream of "move" commands, or does it simply run on a move command and then stop when a "stop" command is received? And how does a pre-set position work? Does the camera protocol understand absolute positioning? Or does it have absolute position *in addition* to being able to respond to move/stop commands? And how precise is it? Within a degree or a tenth of a degree from whatever "home" is? I'd LIKE to modify my controller to take care of that stuff, but I can't get to those parameters or to the code. Is there an open-source controller somewhere? Thanks!

Well, it would seem that signal attenuation along a long serial connection would be worse and more prone to screwing up, and even worse at higher baud rates. But the original question still bugs me -- why are my cameras not stopping? These are Huacam, but the Swann had this problem, too. Do these cameras keep moving, in general, until the button is released? Or do they keep moving until they receive a "stop" command from the interface? And why would all of them be affected (all three) -- different loops, different lengths of cable, different locations, different addresses -- unless I've screwed up something common to them all? I suppose I could just keep trying combinations, but I'd really like to avoid taking each down and reinstalling them each time. Has anyone else run into this situation? Cameras that don't stop moving?

Well, the baud rate only applies to the PZT controls since the video is sent via analog. It seems to me that 2400 is much faster than the cameras could use. Also, is it possible to connect these PZT lines in serial rather than parallel? The fact that the DVR only has a small, 2-wire concoctor seems to indicate this is intended or at least considered. Perhaps it's possible to connect them with some groups in serial and some group? Anyone try this?

Forgot to add: These are all controlled by the Swann 3000 DVR. I suppose I should experiment with removing some from the configuration. Another thing I should mention is that the cameras get into a situsation a wherein the IR on the camera blinks on and off continuously at night.

All the positives are common and the negatives are common, making it a star. I was not aware it was possible to use the cameras connected in series. The distances are 100, 100 and 50 ft.

The cameras are independent and hooked up properly, settings are correct, and they respond correctly to commands. Sometimes they will operate by moving for as long as I have the movement arrow selected and then stop when I release. But many times they will go in the indicated direction and not stop until I activate another command. If that command is to move in a particular direction, it will again go in that direction and not stop. If the command is "open/close iris" (a command that the camera does NOT have and which is used as an "enter" command by MyDVR, it will stop. This, of course, is a clumsy and unpredictable way to stop the camera and therefore takes several tries before I get the camera correctly positioned. I have not tried programming surveillance points yet for the reason that it's very time-consuming to get the camera in any precise position let alone a suite of observation points. I thought it might be a symptom of the HUACAM (Huauwei camera?), but it occurs with the Swann camera as well. I asked Swann if there was some sort of protocol by which I could automatically send a "stop" (enter) after each button push, but apparently not. I can't imagine everyone has this problem, and given that I have pretty good quality Swann cable, I'm not sure what I could be doing with that. Perhaps upping the communications speed from 2400 to 9600? Adding a resistor or coil somewhere to attenuate the signal from reflections? I've got three cameras on the one buss in the back of the 83000HA model DVR, which I've reset and reconfigured multiple times.

I have a few PTZ cameras that won't stop moving. Sometimes they'll move as long as I hold the control and sometimes they'll keep moving until I hit what Swann has apparently reserved the "Iris" control for. This is obviously annoying. Folks at Swann tell me I must have some "bad wiring", but all four cameras? Even the 50 foot, the 25 foot and a 10 foot cable. I have them all set to 2400 baud, N, 8, 1. The wiring is all new. Could it be some sort of signal reflection that would be damped with a resistor termination? Is there a better setting? Is this common? I wondered if the protocol was to start the motion and then send another signal to stop it, but Swann has told me that's not the case -- that the PTZ moves until receiving a "stop" command that's sent when the control is released. Anyone know? Any suggestions? Mark

Can I change the control settings for my cameras via the web? That is, I have a Swann 4000 and I can change the control settings for cameras from the monitor connected to the DVR. Is there an application that would allow me that same control over the web? Or even from my PC so that I don't need a local monitor connected locally to the DVR itself? Are there more web viewer applications other than Swann's MyDVR for the Swann DVRs? Any third-party apps? Mark