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drocer

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Posts posted by drocer

  1. Posted

    1. Fix your activeX issues first. Get it to pull up in IE and/or firefox.
    2. Install iVMS-4200 PCNVR. This is the AIO package that can do recording on the computer it's running on. Set aside storage space and confirm record video, motion events, snapshots, etc can be done locally first and to just test the cameras.
    3. Once that is confirmed. Try email again.
    4. Now troubleshoot networking/firewall/antivirus/windows problems. I'm going to assume the camera's are setup correctly with new IP address, correct subnet, and correct gateway.

  2. Posted

    Respected? You're going to get tons of people directing you to sites that are tagged as unauthorized dealers.

     

    Good, Cheap, Supported. Pick two. Going by your criteria you want good and supported. That's $250+/camera and NVR's get expensive.

     

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/IP-Cameras/ci/16665/N/4045021072

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Brand_Hikvision&ci=20627&N=4045021069+4027135299

     

    List of camera makers:

    viewtopic.php?f=19&t=35868

     

    Edit:

    Grandstream fits cheap and supported. Quality may be hit or miss based on camera.

  3. Posted

    My plan is to run one camera directly to the NVR. The other camera will connect to the NVR, too but I might use a MoCa adapter or powerline ethernet adapter to avoid running a long length of cat5/6. I think the NVR would be connected to the router using the same MoCa or powerline adapter.

     

    Remote

    Remote viewing will kill your local internet depending on what you are viewing i.e. sub stream vs main stream/playback. Most are going to want the latter so, yes.

     

    Local

    If you have gigabit router and switches, you won't have any problems with 3. You could even get by with 10/100 (3 cameras =~24Mbps). My advice is go gigabit. This is for wired devices.

     

    Wireless netflix streaming, wireless general internet, and local NVR streaming to say a tablet will kill performance because of all being on wireless. You could get a dual-band wireless router if you're going that way and segregate the traffic.

  4. Posted

     

    I see no demo available.

     

    Regardless, $50(+?)/camera license is too rich for a small personal/residential that doesn't require any advanced features. I will admit the UI of avigilon looks much better from the videos though.

     

    $50 license per camera is very reasonable for good quality software that has support. Then again I get annoyed when I see people asking for high quality day/night exterior dome cameras that cost $35-$50.

     

    For a business or a person who does paid installs? $50 camera license is a steal.

    For a small home/personal use? That's a lot but could be very worth it to some.

     

    You can look at this forum how price conscience everyone has become. $400+ IP camera or flashed/purposed Costco IP camera or $125 IP camera from China's ebay.

     

    Offering a cheaper/free/"GO" version that is crippled doesn't hurt sales. I'll now recommend xprotect when people ask me about IP cameras.

  5. Posted

    I was really just sort of doing a "drive-by posting." Don't really keep up with the CCTV scene. So I didn't even know that 1080p cameras existed. You didn't mention the resolution in your first post, and I didn't look up that camera model.

     

    So, that being said, do you really need full 1080p resolution? Isn't it probably overkill? Not trying to sound snide, just genuinely asking. If you do, are there some settings that might need fiddling with? I'm glad your setup experience with Xeoma was pleasant.

     

     

     

    As I mentioned in another post, I used Xeoma on Ubuntu 11.1 and it seemed to work very nicely indeed. Two different DVR cards, about 6 different cameras. Xeoma was fairly easy to set up, and has an intuitive interface, and the publishers are always pushing some really cheap deal to expand whatever version you are using to get more features/power/scalability.

     

    An i3-2100 should be way more than enough processing power for Xeoma. Of course, I wouldn't choose Ubuntu again, but that's entirely another story.

     

    Shplad

     

    Okay. In 1.5 seconds after launch, xeoma found all my IP cameras, set motion record, and then proceeded to almost melt my G630 CPU. For setup up, it beat everything I've tried. The UI look good but performance >MP really isn't good (it brought an i7-3770 down too).

     

    1 1080p camera is 50%

     

    Blue Iris:

    1 1080p@25fps 40-45%

     

    Megapixel or less resolution/cam + lower frame rate, and xeoma might not be that bad.

     

    ______

    I would just find cameras that handle motion/ftp/nas/etc and just run a cheap linux box. Use a tablet/smartphone for access to live feeds from camera or stored video from linux box.

     

    For security, 720p-1080p (1.3MP - 2.1MP) is perfect. Tons of people on here install for businesses so higher megapixels are worth it for them.

  6. Posted

    Checked out Avigilon. Worked much better but the insane camera pricing killed any thoughts of using it.

     

    ======

     

    Fixed my issues:

     

    8 Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I.

     

    Then I get to the live view and 5 out of 8 cameras fail to connect again. The three that connected work like they should. 4 out of 8 show advanced camera settings so something screwy is going on with the device drivers.

     

    No firewall, user/pass, router, switch, network, PoE, etc, etc issues. Same exact camera firmware/etc. Feels like third-party cameras were just tacked on to charge for camera licenses.

     

    Auto driver search (hikvision, universal, onvif selected) within an IP range:

    3 - used the Universal driver port 80

    5 - used the ONVIF driver port 8000

     

    Auto search with only onvif driver selected within an IP range:

    8 - found and running correctly; all advanced camera settings found

     

    I'm a convert now and will likely use this. Very light on i7 with <15% recording all cameras.

     

    Anyone know about licensing xprotect GO? I know it lasts one year. Can I pay extra for a 3 year license?

  7. Posted

    ...

    The only one I know of that I would recommend that runs on Linux is ExacqVision. Their economy version is about $50/camera. Here's the download - https://exacq.com/support/downloads.php and it should give you a trial period so you can validate it works with your cameras.

     

    Not saying Exacq is the best, just a good one that runs on Linux. All the other commercial grade products run on Windows, sort of the standard for this. Yes, I know Linux is cool, it's what I've worked with at work since version 0.9 in 1990, but for some reason, the CCTV industry is not in love with Linus Torvalds and his baby, they are more on Bill Gate's side

     

    $50/camera is IMHO not "economy."

     

    Open source = scary. Linux is coming to the camera vs the camera going to linux because of that. Look at the advancements of android smartphones. IR lights, IP66 housing, and better than USB is all that is missing.

     

     

    (I'd be amazed if there were 0 GPL violations by these chinese IP camera makers; linux is already in most already.)

  8. Posted

    As I mentioned in another post, I used Xeoma on Ubuntu 11.1 and it seemed to work very nicely indeed. Two different DVR cards, about 6 different cameras. Xeoma was fairly easy to set up, and has an intuitive interface, and the publishers are always pushing some really cheap deal to expand whatever version you are using to get more features/power/scalability.

     

    An i3-2100 should be way more than enough processing power for Xeoma. Of course, I wouldn't choose Ubuntu again, but that's entirely another story.

     

    Shplad

     

    Okay. In 1.5 seconds after launch, xeoma found all my IP cameras, set motion record, and then proceeded to almost melt my G630 CPU. For setup up, it beat everything I've tried. The UI look good but performance >MP really isn't good (it brought an i7-3770 down too).

     

    1 1080p camera is 50%

     

    Blue Iris:

    1 1080p@25fps 40-45%

     

    Megapixel or less resolution/cam + lower frame rate, and xeoma might not be that bad.

     

    ______

    I would just find cameras that handle motion/ftp/nas/etc and just run a cheap linux box. Use a tablet/smartphone for access to live feeds from camera or stored video from linux box.

  9. Posted

     

    8 Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I.

    Updated device pack to 7.1 and is supposed to be supported.

     

    1. Not found in drop down list.
    2. Auto detect - failed
    3. Manual input with ONVIF - connects, accepts camera add, but fails to connect ever again.
    4. Auto detect with an IP range with ONVIF, hikvision, and Universal drivers selected - works...

     

    Then I get to the live view and 5 out of 8 cameras fail to connect again. The three that connected work like they should. 4 out of 8 show advanced camera settings so something screwy is going on with the device drivers.

     

    No firewall, user/pass, router, switch, network, PoE, etc, etc issues. Same exact camera firmware/etc. Feels like third-party cameras were just tacked on to charge for camera licenses.

    Now just for your fun

    Download Avigilon demo

    you will be running in about 5-7 min

    with auto discovery

     

    I see no demo available.

     

    Regardless, $50(+?)/camera license is too rich for a small personal/residential that doesn't require any advanced features. I will admit the UI of avigilon looks much better from the videos though.

  10. Posted

    Had to change dell order due to space issues.

     

    i7-3770

    4GB

     

    iVMS-PCNVR - full record

    8 cameras - 1080p@30fps 3-10% " title="Applause" />

     

    Blue Iris - full record

    8 cameras - 1080p@30fps 45-55%

    vs

    G630

     

    iVMS-PCNVR - live view only

    1 camera - 1080p@25fps 20%

     

    Blue Iris - live view only

    1 camera - 1080p@25fps 40-45%

     

    So that's 17MP without breaking a sweat. 4GB RAM is enough; 2GB was left unused. I have no idea why that was so light on RAM. Just want to put more numbers out there. i7-3770/i7-4770 or anything with a 9,000+ passmark should do 40MP with ease.

     

    Was going to compare against xprotect go, but that has really terrible installation/setup problems with third-party cameras like hikvision.

  11. Posted

    I rarely have it automatically find my cameras, and it may be me, but I just enter the IP address, username and PW of the camera and it's always figured it out. But I agree on the Device Pack, should be current.

     

    As for support, not really there for the GO version, but I get excellent support for my pay version. There is a support forum that's helped me out before.

     

    8 Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I.

    Updated device pack to 7.1 and is supposed to be supported.

     

    1. Not found in drop down list.
    2. Auto detect - failed
    3. Manual input with ONVIF - connects, accepts camera add, but fails to connect ever again.
    4. Auto detect with an IP range with ONVIF, hikvision, and Universal drivers selected - works...

     

    Then I get to the live view and 5 out of 8 cameras fail to connect again. The three that connected work like they should. 4 out of 8 show advanced camera settings so something screwy is going on with the device drivers.

     

    No firewall, user/pass, router, switch, network, PoE, etc, etc issues. Same exact camera firmware/etc. Feels like third-party cameras were just tacked on to charge for camera licenses.

  13. Posted

    Today I noticed that Costco is now advertising these units as "3 megapixel 1080p cameras" instead of the previously advertised "2 megapixel 1080p cameras."

     

    http://www.costco.com/Swann-HD-1080p-NVR-IP-Add-on-Bullet-Camera-2-pk.product.100039914.html

     

    You may be right.

     

    Model SWNHD-825CAM

    Firmware Version V5.0.0 130904

    Encoding Version V4.0 build 130411

     

    Confirmed above for the 2-pack shipping now.

  14. Posted

    Hey guys,

     

    Late Monday night I ordered a pair of the 3MP Swann bullets from Costco. They shipped out yesterday and arrived today (I live less than an hour away from the Swann warehouse). My units have a newer model number (825 vs. 820) and came with 5.0.0 firmware already flashed on them. They support the 3MP resolution setting right out of the box, so no need to risk bricking them by trying to reflash. Unfortunately, this version of firmware still lacks the option to disable the built-in IR LEDs. Other than that these are great little cameras (and I do mean little - they are amazingly small, about the same size as my Dahua eyeball camera).

     

    Can you post a picture of the pigtail that came with these cameras please?

     

    240481_1.jpg

     

    Costco NVR8-7200 4 cam "package" on the right.

    2-pack from Costco on the left still in plastic.

     

    Looks like the same style.

  17. Posted

    I do. They're quite popular on here. Very reliable. Full 15.4w PoE power on all of the 4 PoE ports as well, unlike many other budget 8 port switches. Many don't have the power budget to max out all 4 ports simultaneously.

     

    There's nothing wrong with the "budget switches." It's people trying to power class 3 devices with class 1/2 switches.

     

    5W bullet cuts out on my 7W/port PoE switch.

     

    5W is most likely 7W with IR. 7W PSE is actually 6.49W at the PD. There's no wonder the switch has problems when it needs 7W and gets 6.49W.

  20. Posted

    1 1080p bullet from costco (hikvision 2032)

    Intel G630

    CPU Passmark: 2411

    Windows 7 64bit

    Just playback for testing

    No settings beyond resolution changed in camera

     

    iVMS-PCNVR

    substream@30fps 0-1%

    720p@25fps 3-5%

    1080p@25fps 20%

    3MP@12.5fps 25%

     

    Blue Iris

    substream@30fps didn't even bother with ivms reporting 1% only

    720p@25fps 20%

    1080p@4fps 10%

    1080p@10fps 30%

    1080p@25fps 40-45%

    3MP@12.5fps 25%

     

    1080p@25fps is what I'm likely going to use. So that is 4-5 cam vs 2 cam If these were all 720p I wouldn't have to buy anything. Even at 1080p, you could easily use an Intel i3-i5 NUC as an NVR.

  22. Posted

    With 8 HD cameras on first generation i3 with xProtect, all at full frame rate, I run about 10-15% busy on the server. Can't even imagine an i7, some day I'll own one, in the meantime, i5 is as fast as I go. I would imagine with an i7, you should be able to get up possibly 32 cameras given you had the version that supports that many cameras.

     

    Any software that does in-camera motion detection is going to be pretty efficient, XProtect, Exacq, Avigilon. Any software that does in-PC motion detection is going to a CPU hog like BlueIris, Zoneminder, iSpyConnect.

     

    As for ease of use, nothing impresses more than handing a tablet, tap on the XProtect app and see all the cameras, pinch to zoom, playback recordings. And it's all free, which is very cool. Also the web interface for remote access works pretty well.

     

    Was able to score a refurbished dell. Upgrade CPU+new SFF case+having another power cord/box+having worry about failures vs:

     

    23" touch

    i7-4770s

    8GB / 1TB

    3yr on site warranty

    $585

     

    Now I'm covered from all angles. Thanks for help.

  23. Posted

    I thought the cams were the same (mp capable) but limited by the NVR' s ability to record 2 vs 3. At least that's what Swann told me.

     

    Yes, these cameras would be limited by your NVR's capabilities...however...when using these cameras in "networked IP stand-alone mode" they run at either 1280x720 (1MP) or 1920x1080 (2MP) or 2048x1536 (3MP) resolutions (whichever resolution you have the camera configured for).

     

    These cameras are re-branded Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I cameras. Previously, these cameras were advertised as "2 megapixel" units. However, it now appears that Costco is marketing them as "3 megapixel" units which means to me that they are shipping with an updated firmware.

     

    A lot of us are using these cameras as stand-alone units (I run 8 + 3 additional cameras of another brand) which run over our local area networks and which are connected to our VMS software such as Blue Iris which is what I run.

     

    That last $899 package from costco (NVR8-7200) can do 3MP. 2048x1536@15fps is in the drop down box.

  24. Posted

    BI doesn't have the ability to use different frame rates between live and recorded views, so that's not an option if it's a critical requirement for you.

     

    The typical low-CPU system is record only, with client viewing on remote systems, as it's the multiple stream decoding that contributes to a lot of CPU usage. With Xprotect Go and other record-only NVRs, you'd have to run both the NVR and the client on the same box to use a single-box solution, which will increase CPU use. Xprotect users would have to tell you how much, as I don't have it installed any more.

     

    You don't mention how long you'll need to keep recordings for; Xprotect Go limits you to 5 days, I believe. To get more, you'd have to upgrade to the paid version, where the software costs need to be compared against hardware costs for other systems.

     

    Best bet is to install demo versions of the NVRs you're thinking about. This should make it clear which one works best for you.

     

    5 days in fine. The problem with the demo is that I don't have an i7 laying around. I either have to buy in completely or not.

     

    I have four Swan 820's to test but I know that's going to absolutely kill the g630 without even trying it.

  25. Posted

    You have to take heat and electricity costs into the equation. The i7 uses about 50% more power and gives off much more heat than the G630. Also, when using even 50-60% of an i7 24/7 the machine is going to run hot, meaning the fan will be on full speed most of the time, a problem I ran into.

     

    But consider more than CPU and money, consider functionality. For example, being able to view multiple cameras during playback. For example, recently I needed to view a sequence of events from multiple cameras where the suspect (my kid), parked her car (driveway cam), enter through the front door (front door cam), went to our guest bedroom (indoor cams). Trying to coordinate the 3 cameras by looking one a time would be very tedious in BlueIris, especially realizing that there's no timeline to scan. This is just one example of features that are lacking in BlueIris.

     

    Swann NVR8-7200's fan runs constantly so noise isn't an issue. 80-125W at load for an i7 system. I was already leaning towards Xprotect Go. I was under the impression only Blue Iris taxes the CPU that much. Xprotect Go - 8 camera live (10-15fps) with 30fps record @ 50% load on an i7 is acceptable.

     

    5 day record time is fine as this system will be used more of a CCTV with a few playbacks. 30fps motion record is the only absolute.

     

    1. PC NVR --- i7 PC as client and server (Xprotect Go)
      +
      POE switch
      +
      8 Hikvision or Dahau 1080p cameras (lower quality is fine if it taxes the system less)
      $1800
       
    2. Swann NVR8-7200 + 8 1080p cams
      $1599
       
    3. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dahua-ION-Series-ESDV-NVRION-8-8-Channel-1080p-Onvif-NVR-for-IP-Cameras-/251350907108
      (rebadged Dahua NVR2108H)
      +
      8 POE switch
      +
      HDD
      +
      8 1080p dahua only cam's
      $1350
       
    4. 2x http://www.samsclub.com/sams/qsee-4x4-secrty-sys/prod11570578.ip?navAction=push (don't care that it's only 720p|quicker/cheaper/safer then buying from china)
      +
      http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dahua-ION-Series-ESDV-NVRION-8-8-Channel-1080p-Onvif-NVR-for-IP-Cameras-/251350907108
      (rebadged Dahua NVR2108H)
      +
      POE switch
      $1247

     

    I originally skipped the PC NVR because I thought #2 would be "easier" to operate for the person I'm buying this for.

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