Don Stephens

You're going to be asked for the date your DVR is set to next.

Your monitor has no bearing on your recorded video. You could be playing it back on a 480p monitor and you'd still be looking at 1080p recorded video during playback, it just wouldn't look very pretty. Should you actually find yourself needing to back it up to turn over for whatever reason, it will still be in 1080p. If you really want to see what it looks like, take a snapshot from the GUI and look at it on your computer. You're probably getting a better picture than you're even aware of.

You're asking a lot for someone to professionally publish something like that. It's a big time/money investment for a company to publish results in video form of a torture test. Privately, you have all the time in the world, but no one wants to burn their own money up by purchasing a camera knowing they're going to beat the crap out of it. We torture test everything we sell. For us to put those tests in video format would potentially mean editing hundreds of hours of video down to a 3-5 minute time lapsed segment for the sole purpose of making someone feel better about buying a camera that they're likely going to buy from someone else anyway if they're just stumbling into the video on YouTube. A review like the one you posted isn't worth anything. It's fascinating that it can withstand blows from a rubber mallet and a 2x4, but there's nothing related to operating conditions whatsoever. I could care less about IK ratings or vandalism tests; if someone wants your camera disabled, they'll find a way...like spray paint... Edit: This is the closest thing to a torture test I've ever seen someone publish. It was done by a forum member:

The hard drive is either broken already or isn't compatible with the DVR. Not being able to access the main menu is a typical, albeit unpredictable, action of a hard drive that's not playing nicely. Return the drive, try a different one. If the hard drive is brand new, there shouldn't be any reason to format it and if you do, it's not going to help. What model WD HDD is it?

+1

You need to decide on a reasonable budget for this. You can spend as much money as you want. You're looking at Axis cameras that cost $500-$1000/pc and then talking about adding IR illuminators for another $300/pc. Now there's suggestions being made for PIR sensors, which the cheapest working outdoor model that I've found are another $300/pc. I'm inclined to tell you to spend the money on Axis if you're willing, but I also happen to think that putting an Axis system on a private home is a tragic waste of money when something cheaper could do the job to your satisfaction. I'm honestly surprised that hasn't been a thousand people in here suggesting Hikvision by now. One of the biggest benefits of going with Axis is knowing you won't have to worry about it working.

Super Circuits' Alibi line is re-branded Hikvision. There's plenty of discussion on here about Hikvision you can dig into if you don't know about it already. Edit: Having just gone through their Alibi line a little more, some of it might not be Hikvision. There's a couple things I don't recognize.

Is the v2 the version that has the ugly PoE brick on the pigtail like the other v2 models? The 4300S cameras we have all have the reset button on the IR board. Yes, the V2 has the weather proof POE pigtail and no reset button. I have another IPC-HFW4300S with no reset also. Could it be different Gen boards? There was some discussion yesterday about another v2 model. I think we decided all the v2 models are like a discount version of the original. Not only is that PoE block on the pigtail, but there's some other hardware differences as well (can't say for sure) in an attempt to make a cheaper version. Some of them are even lacking in features that the original has. From what I remember, those features were usually related to light compensation (DWDR, HLC, etc...). It makes it hard for the end user to know what they're going to end up with unless you specifically ask about that PoE block. All of the v2 models seem to share that obvious feature. From what I've seen so far (three models), the v2 versions are worth the money as long as you're not getting robbed, and only if you can get passed the obnoxious PoE block. My biggest concern with these is that I don't know how long they're meant to last with those cheaper components. From what I've seen and heard, there are a lot of Amazon sellers selling the v2 model for the price of the original and not being very forthcoming about it.

To begin with, in any case you have to disassemble the IPC Adapter and the cable connected to the PC, you need to control. You should have two buttons, one reset, the other magic !!! In 4100 series it's present in 4300 it's should be! There is no reset switch in the IPC-HFW4300S and V2. Is the v2 the version that has the ugly PoE brick on the pigtail like the other v2 models? The 4300S cameras we have all have the reset button on the IR board.

I tend to agree with this but I'd be a little paranoid about people tampering with things locally. Depending on the models, my other fear would be potentially downgrading them from Axis cameras to Dahua cameras (if anyone there would even notice). I don't know how difficult it may be to crack Dahua's algorithm, but with them not handing over the password tool to everyone who asks for it anymore, things are getting slightly better for them.

That second picture isn't an image from any camera...It's computer generated.

Is your existing system analog? What's your budget? Standalone DVRs have compatibility lists. Whatever you decide on, check to see if your hard drive is on the list for that DVR. If not, don't plan on being able to use it.

Thank you for not giving him that backlink.

I think that's the boat most people are in if they're purchasing for themselves. Upsides and downsides to both.

I tend to believe the hype that it was all about making a cheaper camera. Seeing as how a lot of your cheaper IP cameras are coming with this train wreck attached to the pigtail now, I can't see them caring about longevity half as much as they care about shoveling as much product out as they can as cheaply as possible. I'm also a "negative Nancy"

My suggestion would be to drop the NVRs with the built in switches and get a dedicated PoE switch. Other than that, I think either system is fine. Stay away from those white NVRs from Dahua. They discontinued them briefly because they sucked, but they just started bringing them back (redesigned). Who knows what you'll actually end up with if you purchase one right now, especially from Amazon.

Yes, Agree Hik "caps" are OK My paranoid nature still has me wanting to add sealant to them, but we submerged a few of them for 3 days and none of them failed (the connection, not the camera).

I don't doubt you, but I have never seen this lead to an issue in my own experience. ...I also would have done this completely differently to begin with.

Hmm, this rg45 end looks like HIK Hi . AK. Yes the twist waterproof .... Been getting them on both dahua and hik the last few months Do you still get the cap that twists onto the RJ45 connector with Dahua cameras? We were told by a couple different people they weren't shipping with them anymore and I haven't seen one included with a Dahua camera for about a month or so. Seeming as how it was nearly useless without adding sealant, I'm not too upset about it. The Hikvision caps are actually effective on their own.

What cameras are these? What are the specs on the cable you're using? What kind of connectors are you using? How long are the cable runs? What are you using to power the cameras?

I haven't seen that square shaped network connector since they originally released the model. I don't know if they made multiple versions of it or not. I know the PoE portion of the cheaper model wasn't the only thing that made it inferior, but I can't say for sure anymore what other parts they cheaped out on. The best advice I can give you is to find a reputable seller of Dahua products who isn't going to stick you with somewhat of a knock-off version of the product. That will likely mean moving away from Amazon type sites and paying more to guarantee you don't end up with garbage.

I edited my last post and added this: "I'm also told that what you have is something referred to as a "v2" version and is basically just a cheaper version of the camera. Supposedly they were meant to stay in China. I guess a lot of them got spread around by sites like Amazon and Aliexpress." This is typical of Amazon sellers.

That piece of junk is a cheap cop out that manufacturers occasionally use. There was (maybe) a 1 month period last year where I saw those on Dahua cameras. I've never seen one on a Dahua camera since. If it were me, I'd return them and try again. There's nothing you're going to be able to do about that thing. Where did you get the cameras from? I'm also told that what you have is something referred to as a "v2" version and is basically just a cheaper version of the camera. Supposedly they were meant to stay in China. I guess a lot of them got spread around by sites like Amazon and Aliexpress.

I've never heard of alternate pigtails being available for Dahua cameras. When you mention a "large rectangular plastic box", are you talking about the network connector being square-ish in shape, or do you actually have a PoE attachment on the pigtail that's roughly the size of a pack of gum?

You doubled the gauge of the cable when you decided to use two pairs instead of just one. Your signal problem is related to the gauge of your copper wire being too thin.