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Dave, Thanks for the reply. I am a little bit confused. On this unit (the one I am now leaning towards): http://www.swann.com/s/products/view/?product=1541 , I do not seem to see any input explicitly labeled as PTZ. Here is a direct link to the image of the back. http://media.webcollage.net/rwvfp/wc/cp/10739091/module/swann/_cp/products/1361313949579/tab-4c195ec8-04d5-40fb-99c9-04fe3a6feab1/5686e027-a2e9-47cf-9d42-8f355dbd992e.jpg.web.v1.jpg Are you saying the green rs-485 is not the alarm input on this unit? Can the port(s) that is labeled as alarm be used for PTZ? Also, can you confirm by visually looking at it if it has 1 or 2 alarm ports? It looks like it would be 2 to me, but I'm not positive. Also, on the SDI unit, it does have an explicitly labeled PTZ input as well as an alarm input. http://media.webcollage.net/rwvfp/wc/cp/10402081/module/swann/_cp/products/1359752952773/tab-d0b4726a-b29d-4f1b-b313-820ca0000694/58ba64d0-5f95-4437-b1fb-8925f0f4e345.jpg.web.v1.960.jpg Thanks for any clarification that you can provide!

Thank you again for the reply and for correcting where I went astray in my understanding. Are PTZ cameras the only thing that can connect to the rs485 port(s)? (I do not know if it is 1 port or 2 on this unit?) I thought I heard others mentioned PIRs and motion detectors working with the unit, but I could be mistaken. If I were to connect the cameras to the NVR, set everything up through my router, and then disconnect the NVR from the router, would it still function or is the NVR basically just a bridge with built in POE? Thanks again!

SectorSecurity, Thank you for taking the time to reply. I truly appreciate it. The image you provided for the power is basically what I was expecting. From the image of "whats included in the box" at costco, nothing similar to that appears to be shown. Do you have any idea if the system comes with one? Also, if you have the time, I have a few more questions specific to the Swann NVR system. 1.) The system only comes with 60ft cat5 cables. While that will likely be long enough runs for most of my cameras, do you know if the quality of the cat5 cables that are provided are worth hassling with or should I seek a better quality cable? If I am upgrading the cables, is there any sense using cat6 cables? 2.) There is only 1 audio in port. Does that work with basically any rca type microphone? Is there a "go to" outdoor microphone that would be suitable for a frontdoor application? 3.) Do you happen to know if there is anything in particular that is commonly connected to the rs485 ports? (Am I correct in my understanding that there are 2 on this unit?) 4.) This is more of a general NVR question, but I have read about issues with over saturating the network etc. Most of what I have read has said that for a typical home application, that will not be an issue; however, my question is, are they mainly talking about IP cameras that plug directly into the home's router? It would seem that the NVR creates its own mini network of sorts, so even if it was 1,000 cameras, it would not affect the home network at all, unless it was streaming all of those cameras at once. Is that correct? Thank you again!

Also, I was looking at Costco and I see this version being offered as well: http://www.costco.com/Swann-8-Channel-HD-SDI-Security-System-with-2TB-Hard-Drive-and-8-High-Resolution-Cameras.product.100037980.html It looks to be very similar to the 4 channel version that I posed above but, it has 8 channels and 4 extra cameras. I assumed that the 4 bullet cameras that were included were the same as the 4 channel version; however, it appears that the bullet cameras in this 8 channel version are an inferior version (based on IR distance and number of IR LEDs). Am I correct on this judgement? Thanks again!

Hello all! I have read a bunch of the posts on this forum, as I attempt to upgrade from my cheapo $20 Walmart cameras to something a little nicer, and I have learned a ton. Sadly, I know I have only scratched the tip of the iceberg, so I am hoping that someone a bit more experienced can chime in. My basic requirements are: 1.) At least 4 cameras. 2.) Decent image in day and night settings. 3.) Outdoor safe. 4.) Can be remotely accessed. 5.) Motion sensor with ability to email snapshot. 6.) The higher the resolution, the better. 7.) Goal of around $1,000. Less is better (of course), but I could handle a little more as well. I am considering two systems from Swann, but I have a few questions. http://www.swann.com/s/products/view/?product=1541 http://www.swann.com/s/products/view/?product=1525 From what I have been able to gather on my own: 1.) Both systems are listed as 1080P (so the image quality should be the same?) 2.) The cameras appear to have very similar specs, but the SDI system appears to have slightly better cameras. They have an extra 60ft of night vision range (maybe because of the 18 extra IR LEDS). 3.) One is a NVR and the other is a SDI DVR. I am not exactly certain on the difference though, since they both allow remote viewing. I understand that the NVR uses 1 cat5 cable for each camera and the SDI DVR has a power and signal cable. Is that the main difference? Which system would you recommend and why? Also, in the SDI DVR version, does anyone know what the power cable plugs into on the non-camera end and is it included with the system? I do not see anything pictured in the "what is in the box" image that I immediately recognize as fitting the requirement. Thank you for any input that you may have. Cheers!