Virge

Yep - three 2.8mm DS-2CD2132-I domes and one DS-2CD2032-I bullet. I'm pretty sure that you're right and that it's the foam gasket because I have a fourth dome sitting in my basement for testing purposes and it's never been opened and adjusted and it looks just as good as the bullet (see attached), but I'm genuinely not sure how to adjust it. I've tried fluffing the foam ring with my finger and it just curls back into position and doesn't snug up against the glass. =/

Just finished setting up multiple cameras for a new security system. Anyone want to take a guess which one of these is the bullet? Suggestions/ideas? DS-2CD2132-I 2.8mm's.

I'm currently configuring a system with three S-2CD2032-I's (back den entry-way, back deck entry-way, and side walkway/pool gate entrance) and two DS-2CD2132-I's (inside garage and front door). I'm considering replacing the front door dome with a PTZ PoE, and possibly adding a second PTZ PoE to the inside living area. Two requests: 1) What would be the best camera to pair with this configuration for PTZ? 2) What would be an ideal Hikvision NVR to order for this setup? At this point I'm considering the DS-7608NI-SE/8P as I foresee a maximum of 7 cameras being used for this house. Thanks! Virge

..or, if I just decided to go with three DS-2CD2032-I's and three DS-2CD2132-I, what NVR should I pair them with?

Okay, fantastic. This makes things easier for me. My current media server utilizes a hardware RAID card with a 256GB SSD cache. The entire thing is running on Raid6 over SATA-III, so I get roughly 900mb/s read, 600mb/s write. It's primarily used as a media server streaming video/audio over the network to TV's and the projector in the theater room, and really never caps out over 100mb/s so I've got a lot of extra I/O overhead to utilize it as the DVR. This changes my needs a bit. I really just need a PoE switch, the software, and the cameras. Budget-wise, I don't think I need $500+ cameras. Low-medium is fine, especially since three of the outdoor cameras really only need a range of 5-10 feet maximum. Ideally I'd like some cameras with strong IR, as 3 of he outdoor cameras won't be commonly exposed to lights, just the front door which has a motion-activated 100w LED, which the camera will be mounted directly above (and out of the direct LOS of the bulb itself). I suppose a silver bullet would be the following: - 4 Outdoor cameras with IR. 2 cameras with very strong IR because they will be in areas without motion-detecting lights, but only need to see 5-10 feet. 1 camera with very strong IR that will be positioned 20 feet up that needs a strong IR for about 30 feet. 1 camera which will be mounted directly on-top of the entry-way light (outside of direct LOS of a 100w motion-detecting bulb) which does not need to be IR at all, though it would be a nice perk. - 2 indoor cameras. Preferably dome, 1 being PTZ with IR up to 20 feet (main living room), the other being fixed (garage) with IR up to 30 feet. - Software to run the setup If I was to do this, however, I would need a small bit of customization that I'm not entirely sure the best way to configure. I was initially going to get a DVR and rack-mount it in my basement server room, and then run the video out to a TV mounted in the kitchen on the main level so you could see all six cameras displayed (marqueed with only the front door being the main large image for relevance). If I install the software on my existing media server I still need a good way to get the camera feeds to display to said TV on a different level. As it stands my media server had no need for video and only has the on-board IB video.. is there another way to get the visible display upstairs without using the media servers vga out extended 80 feet?

Greetings, Long-time tech aficionado and am for the first time venturing into home security. I'm finding that I'm being presented with far too much information in this emerging area and don't know the good from the bad first-hand. Needs: - PoE 8-channel system (HDDs not required, I've got a few dozen 3TB AV-GP's sitting around) - Good recommendations for 4 outdoor PoE IR cameras - Good recommendations for 2 indoor PTZ domes I'm looking for mid-range. 1080 is not a requirement, bare minimum of 720 preferred. PLEASE feel free to educate me since even with a good knowledge of A/V I'm sure stating resolution requirements for security cameras sounds pretty ignorant as it's become clear they're rated very differently. Camera budget is flexible. DVR system (including a PoE switch if the unit is not nativly PoE capable) is between $300-$600. Thanks, Virge Edit, supplementary: I currently run a full-tower media server with 20TB of Raid6 storage. If intelligent enough, I would be open to the idea of adding an 8-channel capture card to accomplish my needs, if I would be getting the same degree of flexibility and reliability as a standalone DVR. If anyone has experience with exactly this type of configuration, I would also appreciate insight here as well.