Boogieman

Yes it is a dropcam, I know they are shunned here but I don't have to have a dvr either. I only have one cam here and it is $99 a year for cloud recording. With the cost of the wiring and the dvr I don't mind that cost. It also has a good picture, I take care of 5 Pelcos at work and I honestly like these cams better. Even my wife can use them with ease. Its disliked because its a perpetual tax...100 yearly for only 7 days of recording, 300 for 30 days..thats nuts. The hikvision pinhole has an sd card slot that, most likely, will get you way more storage than 1 week - no dvr needed. There is no more cost of wiring for the hikvision than the dropcam...you can make any camera wireless with a 20 dollar wifi bridge...but to each his own...there is no better way unless you place the camera outside...the fov is already severely limited... How does the image look at night?

use a hikvision pinhole camera...you dont even http://www.hikvision.com/Es/products_show.asp?id=9620 Seems like you are using a drop cam there, their yearly fees are insane...

There is no need to post your question in multiple places on the forum.

Based on this question, it seems that you have no business installing cameras - any kind.

So are we supposed to guess as to what camera you are using?

the manual is in pdf, you dont need office to open it..just a pdf viewer.. Side note: if you want a great free office alternative download libreoffice www.libreoffice.org

Forget wireless...it will just cause problems..cameras need a solid connection 24/7..no camera is wireless, you need to power it, might as well run ethernet and use the same cable to provide power - power over ethernet (POE)..pay a professional to simply run cable for you, find someone good who knows how to discretely run cable, should cost about 100 per drop.. Start reading the ip/megapixel portion of the forum..good solid cameras from hikvision and dahua can be had for about 100-150 (depending on where you buy from, US/china)... good luck

720p should be the absolute minimum..you will generally get more coverage with a 1080p camera as well. Dont even consider analog 700tvl or 960h cameras.... 1080 cameras are often better than 3mp or higher cameras for low light or night use...so a native 1080p camera is a nice sweet spot.

Did you try a blank password? Where did you buy this, Ebay? If so file a claim anyway...if the seller cannot give you a working user name and password they need to disclose that. As-is is generally a reference to no warranty, not selling you a bricked unit...

File a complaint with ebay/aliexpress or whatever site you purchased it from... Dont buy these no name NVR's you are just asking for trouble.. Have you tried the standard, user name admin, and for the password, leave it blank or try 12345, 00000, admin

Viewing angle is not only dependent on lens size...the hikvision 2.8mm is about the widest ive seen(wider than dahua)...note that the hikvision will have a different horzontal fov when you change from 1080p to 3mp...show us a photo of your area...and what the hikvision is currently capturing... You may need a fisheye or something..

No problem.. note that, if you dont setup the ntp server, your cameras will go out of sync...

Are you logging in via ivms? That is certainly not the web browser...log into the camera directly...

Dont waste your time with pan tilt unless you plan on sitting there and motioning the area 24/7, otherwise simply add another fixed camera.

Go with the hikvision...its a known quality brand.. Camera makes specs are almost meaningless.. 5mp is not always better than 3mp...for example 3mp will be better in low light (most of the time)...native 2mp or 1.3mp even better in low light.. The cheaper camera does not include POE...they will charge you more for it.. the specs are all over the place..5mp sensor but 2mp lens? what is that? Dont bother...stability and reliability is more important the specs.

Simply sync with your pc...its right there under the ntp server settings.. You can also run your own ntp time server off your pc... http://www.timesynctool.com/

That is expensive...for that kind of money you can replace your existing dvr and cameras with this CVI 720p system that will blow your old cameras away..you will be able to use your old coax cables http://www.costco.com/.product.100157889.html?cm_sp=RichRelevance-_-categorypageHorizontalTop-_-PopularProductsInCategory&cm_vc=categorypageHorizontalTop|PopularProductsInCategory This tribrid NVR is a great option as well, its a rebranded dahua http://www.amazon.com/Dahua-ESDV-OMEGA-16-Channel-Definition-Tribrid/dp/B00T3K1Z7K You can record your analog cams but also add CVI or ip cameras later..

Woops, I linked the wrong post in the thread. Go to the last post, made at Sat May 02, 2015 9:42 am. It's 3 identical outdoor photos of a grassy field with a guy walking, made with 3 different cameras. Watch in 3mp mode - there are a million other youtube videos as well There is no way your 720p camera comes even close... Look if you dont want to spend money, get the cheap camera and hope for the best.

1) you purchased this before doing any research...you could buy hikvision/swann/dahua/lorex systems for much less 2) Not having audio is the norm..you need to specifically seek cameras with audio, even those with audio, few have built in mic, most need a mic added 3)wifi is unacceptable for a security camera..(in most instances) 4) you need to look for mask settings to block motion detection 5)the hdmi is not working because you need to properly set the output resolution Due to the high bandwidth it would be difficult to send all the recordings to the cloud without over compressing it...it is VERY rare for an NVR to be stolen...avertx should allow you to ftp still images...you can use pc software that will allow you to ftp video or even record to a hidden nas in your house which is the best solution. Or you can have the cameras record to nas while also recording to the NVR. Dropcam is a joke and simply charges a stupid tax. For only 30 days of storage its 300 for the first camera, and 150 for each additional camera. Your system came with 8 cameras assuming you are using all of them, that's 1350 PER YEAR in perpetuity...what a scam..also you cannot direct live your your cameras 24/7 on a monitor/tv or your bandwidth would go though the roof.... Their cameras are not outdoor cameras..

But I am not looking for any night performance. My concern is that I'd be paying for a decent camera only to have it perform better over much cheaper cameras only at night and have no real advantage during day time. Thats not my point..my point is that the thread you linked to was demonstrating a camera that can display full color images in complete darkness among other images like 4k res... If you cannot tell the difference between a 2mp hikvision and some 720p no name brand then just buy the cheaper one...keep in mind that there is more to a camera than the image quality alone...like reliability and stability...if you want someone to reinforce buying a cheap junk camera, it wont happen here.

Montreal, Canada I only record upon detection of motion, and the NVR software handles that. When I looked at some pictures of Dahua and Hikvision, I find the quality to be disappointing considering their price and resolution. viewtopic.php?f=19&t=11322&p=270868#p270868 you are looking a video of the darkfighter in complete darkness...search yourtube for hikvision and dahua video..

if you are remotely viewing with a browser, you need to forward port 554 (rtsp)...the mobile app works because it uses port 8000...

Yes, with hikvision, unplug power, hold the reset button, and while holding apply power...keep holding for 30 seconds... remember the camera will now default to 192.0.0.64, you will NOT be able to see it on your network..you need to either use hikvisions SADP software to detect and change the ip OR, temporary change your pc's ipv4 address and connect directly via a poe switch or power the camera with 12v and connect directly to the pc.

if everything is default, the http port is 80, so simply enter the ip address.

have you tried logging in direct via the browser..not using ivms?