Superfluous

Hi, In my last home, I had a simple 2 camera setup and used the local storage to record. I had the Hikvision 2532 for the front door (with audio, which was great) and the 2732 for the side of the home. The local storage made it easy, but at 64gb, limited how long it could record. New house is prewired cat6 to central location. I'm planning for 8 cameras, including 1 at the front door. What I really liked about the Hikvision 2532 was that it had a built-in microphone. I can't seem to find any others that do. The 2532 seemed to also have better picture quality than the 2732, which shouldn't be the case. 1. Is Hikvision still a good option? 2. Are there other cameras with built-in microphone like the 2552? 3. If not, do I go with the 2552 all around the house? 4. Any suggestions on an NVR for this?

My camera was working and recording fine for about a year, but when I checked on a recording recently there was nothing recorded on the local hard drive (64gb micro SD). I tried reformatting the drive but it gives me errors and it says "Status = Uninitialized." Should I assume the SD card is fried and I should replace it?

Got them installed. While I put 64gb of local storage in each, I'm thinking of buying a mini pc for storage as well. In the mean time, does IVMS work for Mac Yosemite? It didn't seem to work for me.

I've done some searching around and read reviews on networkcameracritic.com and I've become confused. I'm looking for a small 2/3MP outdoor dome camera to put in the upper corner of my front door jamb. The max diameter of the unit can be about 4.5 inches, preferably less. Looking to spend under $300 or so. The Dahua IPC-HDBW2200E looked promising based off of this review (http://www.networkcameracritic.com/?p=2418), but the linked store (http://wrightwoodsurveillance.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_16&products_id=395) to buy it doesn't mention "outdoor" and I can't find dimensions. The camera also doesn't seem to be listed on Dahua's website... Can anyone confirm that they are indeed outdoor and what the dimensions are? The Hikvision ds-2cd2532f-i looks like a decent option as well based off of this review (http://www.networkcameracritic.com/?p=2158) and the dimensions appear to be just under 4 inches from the Hikvision website. Any thoughts? The Hikvision 2CD2132 seem like decent options as well, but it's pushing it size wise (4.5 inches). http://www.hikvision.com/en/products_show.asp?id=7330 I'm leaning towards the Hikvision CD2532F. Any alternatives, comments, or suggestions?

Sorry for the million questions but the search feature is pretty poor on this site. What's the max distance that the camera can be powered over ethernet using a PoE injector or a POE Switch? Is a 50 foot cable okay?

Which height/location is better for monitoring the windows/doors to the left?

The trickiest part for me is the wiring. What do you guys use on the inside wall where the cable will be coming out? like one of these?

So... how problematic is the fact that the mounting surface is bumpy and uneven? What could I fill the gaps with? For some reason it got flipped on its side. It's actually a wall it's up against

So the side plug outlet doesn't matter in terms of weather?

Thanks, found it. When mounting it on a wall, would you mount it with the logo upright? It puts the side plug on the bottom. Any issues in terms of weather/water leaking in? Are there any write-ups on wiring through walls from exterior to interior? I'm going to have an electrician do it, but want to make sure everything is prepared and covered.

So the 2732 arrived and it looks like a nice camera. I'm a bit confused by the varifocal, since I thought it would change the point of view/degree angle, but there seems to only be one spot that is focused properly. Shouldn't the camera be automatically focusing/adapting to the change?

I'm thinking of also putting a Hikvision 2732 on the backside of my townhouse. Where do you recommend for placement to monitor the french doors and the left window? I was thinking under the right light fixture pointing to the side (how high?). Keep in mind, my home ends just after the furthest left window. Thoughts? As a side note, do you guys have any worries about only recording to the micro SD card in the camera? Someone could destroy the camera and therefore take your footage too, right?

Ok, as long as putty and paint is acceptable, then I should be good.

Thanks, I'll take a look. Do you guys have any issues with drilling holes into things? I want to mount it in the door jamb of my front door, but I'm hesitant to put a 2 inch hole in the frame. Is it a concern when you go to sell the house?

Yes, your review shows it's outdoor but it seemed strange that it's never mentioned on the store page. Either way, I think the camera is a bit too large. I'm unlikely to go with an NVR, but why are they limited to a certain amount of channels? I'm assuming you can link cameras that aren't directly plugged into their ports like a computer. Do most people only record on motion or 24/7?

I have 3 HIK running on the same comp no problem at all Are you on the i5 or the i3? They also have a Celery Stick version. Would that not be good enough?

Would a mini PC like this Asus VM60 be enough for a few Hikvision cameras? http://www.amazon.com/VM60-G072R-Desktop-i5-3337U-Processor-Windows/dp/B00J2FA7TS/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t

"Dahua IPC-HDBW2200E 1080P HD Outdoor IR Mini Dome Review" "IP66 Rated Outdoor Dome" http://www.dahuasecurity.com/es/products/ipc-hdbw2200e-705.html Φ110mm×81mm (no idea on how that translates to inches) Those two are nice units, I have them both. Image quality wise I would say they are exactly the same. 2CD2132 probably has better vision at night (IR). 2CD2532F is quite smaller than 2CD2132, and you have it with audio, alarms, maybe it even has micro SD card slot? You will be fine with any of them. Thanks, I forgot to include the store link where it doesn't indicate whether outdoor or not. While it should be if it's the same model, it's strange that it's not mentioned. http://wrightwoodsurveillance.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_16&products_id=395 The link you provided seems to be a similar but different model. However, I'm guessing it's not any smaller than the dimensions you provided. So I think it may be too large.

I'm looking to have a system setup for around 2-4 cameras total for my home. I was planning on buying an all in one computer (monitor attached to computer) with a terabyte hard drive (big enough?) to leave in my kitchen as the main recording computer for the cameras. Is an NVR a better route? None of the cameras will be able to connect directly to the computer due to the locations. So how do I do this? Do I need to buy an access point and have each camera feed in wirelessly? Do I want to keep these separate from my main wireless router? I'm a bit lost. Is there a guide anyone can point me to that will point me in the right direction?

I just got new ones so far impressed getting about 70-80 mbps I have 4 of them running How do you measure the mbps?

Thanks for the replies so far everyone. Someone mentioned I should use a third powerline adapter for the computer too. Are they not directional in terms of one being for the router while the others are on the receiving end? http://www.amazon.com/ZyXEL-Powerline-Wall-Plug-Adapter-PLA4215KIT/dp/B006L6X7PM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1382497182&sr=8-7&keywords=gigabit+powerline The link has about 10 different options. Which ones would I need? Gigabit with passthrough kit at 500mbps? Then one extra one? I notice there's one with a switch, could that handle multiple inputs then? Are they PoE by any chance?

To confirm: Camera-->PoE injector-->powerline adapter-->house-->powerline adapter-->Router Then computer connects to router wirelessly to get video and record. Is that the optimal way?

Can someone explain why directly connecting doesn't have the same bandwidth issues as wireless?

So all I have to do is plug it into a direct outlet in the wall, then plug it in via ethernet to my router? Also, I ran out of ports on the back of my router (Cisco/Linksys EA4500). What's the best device to create more ethernet ports?

What you are suggesting is technically possible, but in my opinion you might have bandwidth issues running four cameras and internet via wireless network. Would not be a problem with a wired setup. I'm not sure how to avoid going wireless. Router is on the second floor while the cameras are on the first floor with no way to get a wire between them. How could I setup wireless without causing bandwidth issues? Would a second router do anything?