jdoggg1

So in doing homework for my setup. I want to thank you all for your help, even if I get frustrated and seem somewhat short with you. (I apologize, but I'm on this forum b/c I can't trust my neighborhood ) Anywho, instead of a static lamp placed in one location with limited coverage in front of my house, would something like this work for IR lighting? http://www.ledlightsworld.com/smd5050150ir-infrared850nm-trichip-flexible-led-strips-30-leds-per-meter-p-243.html It seems like it would provide even lighting if placed on the gutters, facing outwards of the house. Thoughts?

Any success stories on doing this? Any issues? I was considering doing it because the firmware version on the SWANN version doesn't seem to allow dual streaming... only high quality or low quality, but not both at the same time. (It'd also be nice to get a free jump to the 3MP capabilities too)

For some reason, I can't view the actual reviews of these on Costco's website. https://www.costco.com/Swann-1080p-2-Pack-HD-NVR-IP-Bullet-Cameras.product.100039914.html#reviews I think that anyone on here that's purchased any of the costco cameras and has had a positive experience should leave a review - I've noticed that they will not continue to carry products that aren't well received by their customers. That's all, you may now return to your regularly scheduled surveillance.

Well that's a bummer - I'm going to try when I get home this afternoon (not behind a firewall)

Weird - LEDs shouldn't be getting hot in general, warm yes, but not hot . This sounds like an issues specific to the brand/manufacturer... heat = wasted energy... Thanks for the updates, I'm really excited to see continued progress!

If you find that the mounted location(s) tend to blind the camera, you might consider using a router to create a recessed channel for the LEDs... something like this maybe? http://www.toolstoday.com/p-5239-v-groove-router-bits-w-upper-ball-bearing-guide.aspx

I'm very excited - I was going to be the guinea pig, but thank you for taking a crack at it first!

In light of my initial enthusiasm with HIK products, I thought I'd share my recent communication requesting info from the company.

An example VLC Media Player with rtsp://192.168.1.1001:554//Streaming/Channels/1 in my case for the main stream and rtsp://192.168.1.1001:554//Streaming/Channels/2 for the sub stream... just be sure to your camera's IP

Thus the reason I started looking into this Something to consider is the need to keep these out of the line of site from the cameras. With a 120* dispersion rating, if the camera has direct viewing it may be blinded by the LEDs in contrast to the desired viewing area...?

MR2, you'll probably have the ability to get moving on this faster than I can, but my suggestion would be to have these running off of a timer since it'll be cheaper and easier to do than photo-sensitive. I found a couple places that sell these with a black backing to blend better in dark textured areas, so keep that in mind too. Would your work actually go for it?

I'm not doubting your claim, but I would believe it more if they just put "IR LEDs" or "Infrared LEDs", but they did put the actual wavelength. Also, based on the power usage (3amp @ 12v) they're using quite a bit of juice for LEDs. http://www.ledlightsworld.com/datasheet/Specification-of-Flexible-LED-Strip-www.ledlightsworld.com.pdf If the output from the visible spectrum is as bright as stated on the spec sheet, if the IR version were half as bright (or at least the IR equivalent) would it not serve as a decent short distance (15-20ft) diffused light source?

I think this is the route I'm going to try. Might as well be a guinea pig for science

Buy why would a manufacturer not at least provide me with a part number or dealer list in which to purchase the part? Having worked in software and computer hardware for a long time now, when I contact the manufacturer of a part that I need accessories for, at the very least I get, "Thank you for contacting us. We don't sell it directly, but for that "ABC" mototherboard you're going to want SLI connector part #XYZ123 from your local supplier" A DIY solution isn't out of the question, but it'd be nice to be given the option for an OEM part with better fit/finish. Beyond any of those gripes, however, it's just good customer service. If I'm given this blase` of an answer from the sales team, what should one expect to see from the service/warranty side of things?

Well you were right - I've never worked with RTSP before. For dual streams, will that URL work with http/https too or just RTSP formatted addresses?

In the under $75 category, anyone have any suggestions on an IR illuminator for a small front yard? Attached images show the area(s) I'm trying to illuminate. The headlights from cars coming straight at my place tends to trigger the motion detection so I'd like to have the property bathed in a decent amount of light to minimize the contrast when someone pulls up. (I use BI motion detect the areas starting on my property, behind the curb)

Not directly related, but I've been eyeing this for a similar use: http://www.getdoorbot.com/ Can't wait for the reviews to start rolling in!

Oh man, you got short changed. You should have gotten the Hikvision ones because they definitely dual stream. It's defined under Configuration --> Video/Audio --> Stream Type --> Sub Stream. Both options are available, however it seems to be capable of only one or the other. That's actually why I started the thread about flashing thr SWANN firmware to the Hikvision. In your review on your site, were you able to get the costco swanns to dual stream? I purchased them primarily based off that review/video. (Love your site, by the way)

The swanns don't dual stream, AFAIK. I've not found any documentation on how to do it. Looking at the footage on my Galaxy Nexus, I can tell you with certainty that it's not using the sub-stream by default on the swanns. I've not set-up the Hikvisions on IP CAM since I updated the IP addresses, so I can't speak to those yet.

This. In my experience the difference in viewing remotely via the BI app vs IP Cam Viewer is huge. IP Cam lags like crazy - it streams the full resolution of the camera vs BI sending compressed jpeg images. When I view on my phone, BI has about a 1 sec delay and boost the cpu usage about 10-15%. IP Cam will have no effect on CPU but will be anywhere from 1-30 second delay.

I hope that was a typo and you meant to say $1.5k or 30x$400 cameras. Everything below is from the perspective of a residential install: I have to say, I'm very glad I found this forum. I've learned a lot and it's the largest reason i was able to do my own installation successfully on the first attempt. Even if you're not a DIY, I strongly suggest anyone willing to spend any amount of time on forums learn the basics of doing the software-side of IP cameras on their own. If you can't do your own port forwarding, DNS setup, and surveillance software adjustments, it may be a nightmare if things get screwy and you're at the mercy of a potentially flaky installer. I'd say if the budget is there, go with an installer (just know the basics of what he's doing or SHOULD be doing). If you're on a shoestring budget like I was, give it a shot yourself. You may screw up at first, but you'll learn a TON in the process!

I currently have 2 of the swann 1080p bullets and 2 hikvision 3MP domes running on blue iris. So I guess that's about 10MP or so... I've tested it on 2 of my machines: Machine 1: i5 2500k 8GB RAM 80GB SSD OS drive 1TB 7200rpm storage With all cameras on max resolution and highest quality, with motion detection enabled on all of them in BI, it maxes out at 35-45%. RAM usage will spike around 1.5-2GB usage by BI. Machine 2: i7 4770k 8GB RAM 256GB SSD OS drive 3TB 7200rpm storage With all cameras on max resolution and highest quality, with motion detection enabled on all of them in BI, it maxes out at 15-35%. RAM usage will spike around 1.0-1.5GB usage by BI. I think the RAM usage is reduced by the increased throughput of the rest of the system.

Anyone have luck changing the lens on one of these? I got a couple of these and a couple of the Hikvision domes, but the dome isn't as clear as the bullet, but I like the wider field of view. I'm thinking that I'd like to go ~3mm lens for a happy medium between 2.6dome and 4mm SWANN. If possible, any tutorials on where to get the parts and how to make the swap? Thanks much!

I just bought a pair at $349 about 10 days ago. I know Costco has a first class return policy, so I presume it shouldn't be too hard to get your money back for the price difference. Does anyone know if you have to actually return the cameras of if you can just walk into a Costco with the receipt and get credited for the price difference? last time i tried that, they told me i had to return it because they dont do adjustments. This is the correspondence I had with costco regarding the price difference on these:

Does it offer the higher resolution and dual streaming with that flash?