Don Stephens

Assuming it's not a system reboot...I would guess temporary loss of video. Other than that, you'll just have to go through the entire list of why a DVR beeps. Does your DVR keep a "Log"? That would indicate times when alarms or reboots occurred.

You can purchase pre-made cable that will do power, video, and audio. The distance those pre-made lengths come in is limited to 150 feet...i think. If you need anything longer, you'll just have to run audio cable separately from your Siamese cable. I wouldn't recommend a hardware store for RG59 cable as most of it I've come across is not solid copper and the quality control has been all over the place the last few years. Direct burial cable is very common and what you want, but I don't think anyone on here is going to advocate burying the cable without the use of conduit (PVC, etc...). This all only applies if we're talking about standard def or HDSDI setups. Other HD analog types (AHD/HDCVI/HDTVI) run audio thorugh the same coax that's transmitting your video feed.

Can you please explain why HD-SDI are not better than IP and HD-CVI/HD-TVI? For home, around 4 cameras would fit and cabling distance is not that long. As to cable condition, HD-SDI is more robust than HD-CVI, or TVI for 1080P. My own personal experience with HDSDI has taught me to hate it because of it's unfathomable poor reliability. I am sure their are models that exist out there that work just fine, but I've never found one. The fact that manufacturers are dropping production of it, and distributors have been trying to offload it at a severely discounted price is a pretty strong testament to how the industry, as a whole, feels about it. Even if I could see them as a reliable option, IP cameras are just more versatile. I only lean towards the AHD/HDCVI/HDTVI systems when IP isn't in someones budget, and I've all but abandoned SD analog.

The newest version of SmartPSS installs PC-NVR whether you want it or not. Dahua's PC-NVR does exactly what you're describing though. It's just a basic recording platform so there aren't many thrills there, but it gets the job done. My only issue with something like that has always been the fact that they tax most processors to the point of not being able to multitask on the computer anymore. If you want a dedicated PC based NVR, there's definitely better options for software. I view this as more of a temporary or momentary solution for recording.

Do you have model numbers for the NVR and cameras (or links...)?

I would also suggest trying this before you get into it any further.

Any conventional bracket will fit the threads. Unless your totally set on getting the exact same bracket, I would just find something from somewhere else that works for you. Some outdoor rated silicone based waterproof sealant will help to avoid this problem in the future. Just glob it on anything you want protected.

Dahua's Hybrid models seem to be getting phased out by Tribrid models. I've never really been a big fan of the Hybrids. If you want a single unit solution, I can say that the Tribrid DVRs are fantastic. Personally, I wouldn't waste my time on Dahua's Hybrid DVRs anymore. A separate DVR and NVR wwould work fine and can be brought in to mimic a single unit using software. As long as no one minds that, that might be the more economical option.

Model?

It should be able to be done from the DVR. I've never seen a video recorder that required the HDD be removed in order to format it.

Dahua or Hikvision

My only attempt with this was with a Dahua NVR, but it was successful.

I've seen apps be the cause of issues like this when they're in need of an update, but I've never seen cases where resetting the NVR fixed it for any length of time. The only other thing I can come up with is faulty firmware. A firmware update might be worth the time if there is one. What bitrate are you running the extra stream at, and what is your upload speed?

The router and modem will require power if that's what you're asking. You may not need a router depending on your other hardware.

It looks to be a basic box camera. I guess it depends on exactly what it is you're trying to control but a pan-tilt motor and motorized lens are the only options I'm aware on. I don't have much luck with pan-tilt motors lasting too long when it constant use and motorized lenses seem to be more of a rarity now.

Anything is possible, but sometimes it's just more complicated. I think you have the right idea with solar panels being the way to go for power; the most difficult part will be selecting those of the appropriate size and quantity that you'll need. Access from you mobile phone can usually be done effectively with certain 3G/4G hot spot devices. Verizon carried something called a Jetpack that you could get working with a CCTV system as long as you had the appropriate router to go with it. There have been some recent threads created regarding these hot spots; just search for them on the forum. Other than getting those two details ironed out, the rest is just shopping for the CCTV equipment that you want.

I can't say I've ever noticed them to be any more quiet or loud than any other drive. I've mainly just been satisfied with their low failure rate and high performance.

It's a decent 8 channel NVR for the money; it's made by Dahua. I've hard very good luck with this WD purple drives thus far, so that's a big plus. I'm not familiar with the cameras, so as long as they don't have a horrible failure rate, I'm sure they're fine for fixed lens cameras. Overall, the system seems to be a pretty good buy for the money.

Removing the bad sections and using a coupler would be how I'd do it. That's certainly not weatherproof, so I usually get creative with small junction boxes, or heat shrink wrap in a case like this.

Dahua's newest version of the Smart PSS software automatically comes equipped with what they call "PC-NVR." That will give you the recording capability you're looking for. I haven't used it a lot so I don't remember if it's equipped with scheduled recording, or if it's strictly manual. You'll have your remote viewing capabilities after forwarding all of the appropriate ports that you need. By default on Dahua products, this will be port 80 for browser access and 37777 for mobile apps and software (SmartPSS/PSS). If you're accessing your cameras one at a time, you'll need to be using different ports for each camera. Like I said, I haven't played around with the PC-NVR feature enough yet to know if you can just port forward the PC and use the software like a typical standalone unit.

You can easily get a very decent HD system with that budget; I would recommend and IP camera system if you're already committed to using Cat6 cable. I think the majority of people are going to recommend Dahua or Hikvision as far as the manufacturer/brand is concerned. They both have plenty of options to offer you in the 3MP range.

I would second the decision to just purchase an IP PTZ camera. Just about anything from Hikvision or Dahua is going to be a good choice. An IP camera would just make life a lot easier for you based on how I think you plan to use it.

I would say Dahua or Hikvision for the manufacturer. An IP camera system would be nice from either, or and HDCVI from Dahua, or HDTVI from Hikvision. Supposedly AHD is big in Europe right now but I've heard nothing but rumor to confirm that...

Not all HDSDI cameras have both, but a lot of them have a female BNC connector for both SD analog and HDSDI; some just have bare leads for analog instead of a BNC connector. If I had to guess, I would say the big reason for this is for installers to be able to continue using their standard testers with HDSDI cameras. I don't see why there'd be a problem with using both simultaneously. That's virtually the same thing that's happening when a tester is being used with them. I have no idea about your cable. I'm not familiar with it.

As these are analog and not IP, if you don't have a DVR, you'll need to find another way to get the PTZ on your network if your end goal is to view and control via your smartphone. A DVR might be your easiest solution even if you don't want to record; just don't put a hard drive in and turn the recording off for all channels.