Harold Square

According to Zmodo, our new 8-channel, Zmodo H.264 DVR will only allow remote access via an installed ActiveX plugin and Internet Explorer. The staff has experience using RASAdmin and I'd like to configure the new system to work with that again, if possible. Intuitively, it seems to me that RASAdmin should work. Input IP Address and port, etc.... and set-up port forwarding on the router, enter account username and password and RASAdmin should work but it does not. And Zmodo claims that Internet Explorer is the only software that will work. But I doubt this. Our previous DVR (something called a "Falcon") looked and worked almost exactly the Zmodo, and I can't help but wonder if Zmodo isn't lying because they don't want to have to answer support questions. Their ActiveX control is unsigned by the publisher, and that feels wrong to me, I don't trust them and would like to see if RASAdmin or some other software can be made to work. Thanks in advance.

I need to replace a camera in an existing system that has gone bad. The camera mount position is underneath the eave of a standalone building (a Dr's office), and the purpose is to record and surveil the back parking lot area, which is used mostly by the 10 to 15 employees. Farthest distance from camera to outside boundary of parking lot is about 70 feet. The existing system is a new Zmodo 8 channel H.264 DVR I installed, which replaced a similar system that has gone bad. Research that I've done shows that 1000TVL seems to be the best resolution available, although another article said that the question of resolution is more complex than what narrowing it all down to one single specification can provide. The Business is just outside a well-developed area, and in the past there have been incidents involving break-ins, theft, vandalism etc... and what they would like is a camera that has a high-enough resolution so that a license plate could possibly be read. Research that I've done shows that they make extremely expensive cameras specifically for the purpose of capturing license plate numbers, and these are way outside our budget of about $150 (US). I've found lots of cameras that look like they should work, but the wide price variation has made me wonder if I've missed something critical. I know that we need a BNC camera, rated for outdoors use, with good night vision and the ability to show good detail out to say 50' - 60'. If there is any other information needed, please let me know and thanks in advance.

I think you should physically grab hold of the "featureless" DVR and find out what it is. FCC requires some identifying information on all electronic equipment.

I would also like opinions on GW Security. I see their cameras everywhere online.