Boogieman

Thanks Boogieman. I will take your note. I am a little reserved about the Q-See though. I've had experience in the past with Avigilon and cannot hide that I was very impressed. So you might be onto something regarding using their software and use different brand cameras. If you like avigilon stick with it. a dell business optiplex i7-4790 haswell can be had for 500 with a 3 year next business day warranty. Here is another great option http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkServer-TS140-5U-Tower-Server-Intel-Xeon-E3-4GB-DDR3-500GB-HDD/291140796467?customid=5894133dc96347819956ba3efe4f2b35&pub=5574652453&afepn=5337259887&campid=5337259887&afepn=5337259887&rmvSB=true Hikvision is a popular brand to use with avigilon..there are several avigilon dealers on the site that can help you.

You have a large budget to work with. You can get good quality ip cameras for about 150 with full 3 year warranty, the new hikvision 2mp or hikvision 4mp cameras are a good place to start. That leaves you with 7600 for a software pc, poe switch materials and installation..i think you can easily do avigilon vms with hikvison cameras. If you simply want a plug and play system, this is a rebranded dahua product. http://www.costco.com/Q-See-16-Channel-IP-NVR-with-3TB-HDD%2c-8-4MP-Cameras-with-100'-Night-Vision.product.100213199.html

If you want noticeably better resolution but use your own coax wiring you will need to ditch the dvr and go with an hd over coax system like TVI or CVI technology and get 1080p cameras. You can buy hybrid dvr's that support analog cameras as well as hd over analog. or better yet, switch over to ip but you will need to run ethernet. How many cameras and what is your budget?

Link? Or model # + location? The seller claims that it is a supported version but I will double check when it arrives today/tomorrow. Check the hikvision website for the 4mp wdr cameras.. the seller can claim whatever they want..they are not an authorized distributor..which is fine, but not at those prices...

Blue iris only works with specific cards...if the chip is not on the list it wont work.

You will not get any support for those cameras from hikvision as they need to be sold by an authorized retailer...double check to make sure you receive US region not just english firmware as you certainly paid a premium for them. Note that the 4mp wdr versions with better low light capabilities are available for basically the same price...

If you purchased it from costco you can return it for a refund any time. Some older lorex systems were rebranded hikvision..the newer ones are rebranded dahua...some were made by other manfuacturers, so you cannot compare the brand overall..its system specific.

Forget about wireless, its not going to happen. There are units like arlo, but they are junk. Pay a professional to properly run ethernet in your walls. Then you can use any poe ip camera system you would like.

The only downside I have seen in relation to the the new 4MP series is the lack of a factory fitted 12mm lens option. True...if you really need it you can swap it yourself..there are models with the 12mm and 16mm options like this http://overseas.hikvision.com//uploadfile/image/20150705062249090.PDF

The point of the images and video was to show that on the hikvision the 4mp low light has improved over the 3mp. That is why I wrote that the new 2mp OR 4mp are a good choice and better than the 3mp units. The 2mp WDR units will be even better than the 4mp, both surpassing the old 3mp cameras in low light performance. The point of the video and photos was not to critique that particular installation. It was simply to prove that the night vision on the 4mp is in fact improved over the 3mp cams. The issue is that sunny advocates low res D1 video which is insane in 2015. Also note that on the hikvison while going from 2mp to 3mp results in very little increase in pixels per inch because much of the increased resolution goes to add vertical fov, on the 4mp its not the case. There is additional clarity that can be observed. The fact that the cams are watched on 1080p monitors is irrelevant, the extra pixels are helpful when you need to zoom in on recorded video. IP is easy and clean, with poe and not having to homerun all the cable, though ip vs analog is not the debate here.

Hi, im interested in this is as well..IS the 4mp better for night vision? than the 3mp. thanks On the dahuas I have not seen a great improvement in the nightvision on the 4mp...but I have not seen or done a side by side comparison...heck, why struggle with it, its costco, order both, test one camera from each NVR in the same location (make sure to disable the ir on the camera not being tested) and see for yourself...the return is easy as pie.

lol, how dumb do these spammers think we are?

yes its on at night - you can turn it off but you wont get any ir light..its not very noticeable but if you look at the camera you will see it.

If you dont want to replace cable you need a system that transmits HD over analog. There are server different technologies. TVI, CVI, SDI....here are a few good simple to install kits to look at. http://www.costco.com/Lorex-8-Channel-Analog-DVR-with-2TB-HDD%2c-8-1080p-Cameras-with-130'-Night-Vision.product.100218592.html http://www.costco.com/Lorex-16-Channel-Analog-DVR-with-2TB-HDD%2c-12-1080p-Cameras-with-130'-Night-Vision.product.100163008.html http://www.costco.com/Q-See-16-Channel-Analog-DVR-with-2TB-HDD%2c-8-1080p-Cameras-with-80'-Night-Vision.product.100159617.html http://www.costco.com/Lorex-16-Channel-Analog-DVR-with-2TB-HDD%2c-8-1080p-Cameras-with-130'-Night-Vision.product.100162993.html Buy a cheap 32" tv and replace that old crt.

As per the moderators instructions to you, please stop directly attacking every post i make. My association with ip cam talk is irrelevant. Why are you trying to change the subject. Your association with a junk camera maker that you promote is VERY relevant. You said 4mp is not better than 3. I showed that it is. The question was not whether 4mp is worth the money (it is). They issue was whether 4mp can produce a better image than 3mp. IT CAN. I showed you evidence. STOP LYING. You are a china scammer. The 1080p camera is even better. It has excellent night vision. 720p even better night vision. The only people installing analog are suckers who get swindled by you. Its 2015. STOP PROMOTING JUNK. Analog is not better at night because the ENTIRE image is a blur. You have not shown ONE good analog capture outdoors in pitch black. Analog images are useless since they are so blurry you need a zoom lens that covers very little are to get a half decent shot. I challenge you to show us a good analog capture with one of your 30 dollar junk analog cameras. ONE. You cant. I will keep challenging you anywhere and everywhere you lie. Those 4mp shots are better than ANY one of your companies junk analog shots. Until you post a video of YOUR companies junk cameras showing a better image I call you the liar that you are. If you can show me your junk 30 dollar cameras night vision outside in pitch dark (on grass with very little IR reflective surface is in those images) with no added IR is better than this 4mp camera I will paypal 1000 dollars directly to you. YOU CANT. You are simply full of it. You have lied twice in this thread alone. First you claimed that 4mp is not better in low light. I have shown that it is. Second, you claimed that I recommended counterfeit cameras in this thread which I did not. SHAME ON YOU. You also completely missed the point of my comment. The 2mp and 4mp are better than the 3. The 2mp is cheaper than the 3mp...The users already wanted HD cameras and is not interested in your companies analog blurry fuzzy low resolution, low build quality, junk. Here is the 4mp with some decent lighting...beautiful You cannot lie to us Americans anymore. We have youtube, yay.

Look at the 2mp or 4mp WDR cameras http://overseas.hikvision.com/en/products_159.html 200 feet? forget about it..you will need a serious ptz if you want anything usable at that distance. You are kindly advised not to promote 4MP or Hikvision's Counterfeits. Again, the Moderator has asked you to stop attacking my posts. Please follow the forum rules. Nowhere did I promote a counterfeit in this thread. STOP MAKING STUFF UP. You are nothing but a chinese SCAMMER. You have not seen the new 2mp or new 4mp cameras so dont comment on something you know nothing about! Its pretty evident that you simply dont understand ip camera technology. Sad. Now go learn something about technology. You should apologize to all the users you lied to. In that link you can see CLEAR evidence of the improvement. Those images are taken in pitch black. The image will be even better with a little light. What kind of lie are you going to make up now you china scammer. You are kindly advised to stop promoting the junk D1 analog cameras your company sells. Only an idiot would install analog in 2015.

Look at the 2mp or 4mp WDR cameras http://overseas.hikvision.com/en/products_159.html 200 feet? forget about it..you will need a serious ptz if you want anything usable at that distance.

There are no such DVR cards for Mega Pixel Cameras. Forget. Buy much cheaper 720P IP Cameras and its accompanied software for your PC. Then, you do not need worry about performances of PC and HDD size. You won't believe that 3MP or 4MP are based on the same image sensor of 720P. No theoretical gain, but ripping off the innocent users who think more pixels would give the more clearer video images. Simply expanding pixel counts do cause more issues: More powerful CPU or back end NVR, more HDD, more network bandwidth, more latency, more lagging, bad night vision with a lot noise, complicating softwares, all things. Of course, these could be welcome, if 3MP is at least giving you 2.5 times more contrast / detail/ true fidelity than 720P. But the time is not yet to come. There is a gain. The image is clearer..there is a much higher pixel per in count going from 720p to 1080p We have youtube here in the US. You chine sellers of junk cant lie to us anymore. The 720p will also have less FOV than the 1080p. The technology is here. We use it. Im surprised you havent seen it in china yet. Strange.

Absolutely, you need to explain the reason why the night performance of 4MP should be better than that of 3MP's. If not, I may believe that you live on commissions from 4 MP. Stop attacking my posts. The moderator has warned you. I dont need to explain anything to you. You are a china scammer who claims 960h is as good as 4mp - pathetic, we have youtube we can see the difference. I also recommended the 2mp. So explain why I did that? If the OP wants an explanation he can ask me. I have seen images from both and the new 2mp AND the new 4mp are better. So who should the OP trust, a china scammer who promotes D1 analog junk cameras that his junk company sells or someone who has seen images and INSTALLED 2mp, 3mp and 4mp hikvisions?

If you dont need the extra functions available on the dome, the turret is the best choice. Note there are new 2mp and 4mp versions of both models that have better night vision performance over the 3mp units.

Your best best is a trail camera..fix it to some tree nearby http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Atrail+camera&keywords=trail+camera&ie=UTF8&qid=1442014178

The turret has better slightly night vision and is more resistant to spiders causing refection issues. It is also less susceptible to IR reflection from improper mounting. The dome is slightly more vandal resistant and is available in with sd card and alarm/audio in out..the turret is not. If you plan on wall mounting the dome you must get the Model with an F in the name so that its 3 axis adjustable or you will need a special wall mount.

is there are power source for the camera? How far will the camera be from the sign?

You have not done the proper research..a dvr card is for analog cameras. You have no need for that. The cpu requirements are directly related to the type of VMS software you are using AND the resolution of the cameras. Stating you have an i5 processor without the exact model is meaningless as there are many variants of the i5 whose performance vary greatly.

If you are happy with blue iris and your pc has enough power for the extra cameras you will be fine. Blue iris is much more flexible than a standalone NVR. How much is enough power for my PC? We talking CPU speed or vid card or ? Seems to me a call to Dell for a new box is money better spent than a NVR. The Seagate HD will be remote in a 700 pound gun safe a few feet from the desk the PC is. The safe is currently where the DVR resides with a nice 4" box fan sitting on top of the case. BTW thanks for the input. I was starting to get bummed that I was going to have to drop another few hundred for a NVR. Depends on the total number of cameras and resolution. Dell outlet optiplex 7020 haswells go for 300-350 for the i5-4590 or 430 for the i7-4790.... If all u need is basic recording than an nvr is fine...if you want custom options, lots of alerts and schedule options than blue iris is the way to go. Personally I could never use a standalone NVR...I like options. Remember to set blue iris to record direct to disc for each camera.