pounce

It may not be an issue for you, but our HOA ended up not adding entrance cameras at the advice of the HOA lawyer. I'm not a lawyer, but the gist of it was that it created additional liability for the HOA that didn't exist without the cameras. I argued for them due to constant damage to the gates, but they got scared. There was also some issue with video in a public area. If you have an HOA I might recommend bouncing it off the attorney. Others on here would probably know better or have more detailed advice. Many manufacturers have pole mounts for dome cameras. Its going to depend on how high you want or need cameras on what type of mount you get. I've seen ones that can mount on the side of a metal pole and some mount on the top. You will find that any tall pole is going to have to come from a local yard. Metal or Wood. Wood will probably be more cost effective, but we don't know where you are located. Check your city ordinances or local laws for height and location.

Does anyone have any experience with the new Hikvision pano/fisheye DS-2CD6362F-I or the 3mp version? I'm designing a system for my new home and saw these. They look pretty slick. I was all set to go with some turrets and a bullet or two, but thought I might think outside the box and consider what a design might look like with these for the perimeter. I'm concerned about distortion if these are mounted on a wall that is exposed to rain. A normal concern with domes, but because of the way these work I wonder if its just a much more pronounced issue. I'm also undecided on NVR/Storage at this time for the system. Its either Milestone, Hikvision NVR (7600 series) or possibly even a QNAP Viostor or NAS (I have one already). Not having had any experience with these pano/fisheye cameras I'm not sure how to ask good questions, but I'm hoping for any friendly comments or advice on issues or recommendations for use with NVR's. Thanks in advance. FWIW: I'm buying from an authorized US Hikvision reseller to ensure I have warranty. So far prices are not that far off from importing gray goods.

That's good advice. I had considered some of the things you mentioned and ruled out the 3mp version of the camera and was only considering the 6mp version to capture the most resolution to play with. 6mp over a 360x180degree view isn't high resolution esp if there is any distance involved. I'm no more than 40 ft from a 2 story house to the fence line. For the most part the house is rectangular crackerbox. It may be I'm trying to make one of these work due to the geek factor and should really stick with a proven meat and potatoes approach. Maybe on the front near the entry door makes sense from a coverage and aesthetics application. Its also covered so less chance of water on the cover distorting the view of the despherification of the image.

Thanks for the speedy response. They are a pricey item, but because you can have 5 streams from them giving a different view its potentially possible to cover more area and thus potentially use one of these instead of maybe 2 or 3 other camera types. Theory obviously. I did see in the specs though that there aren't any substreams. I suppose that could be a disadvantage depending on use. I used the wrong term and should have said distributor. Its AVSupply. They are listed on the Hikvision site as authorized. Its not THE most important thing to me to have good warranty coverage, but I think if the cost delta from gray market is less that 15% its makes sense. Especially when it comes to the higher ticket items. Yes for a $500 camera. Maybe not for 10x $100 cameras. I read on your blog you use Milestone. Do you see any features there for using panorama or fisheye cameras such as this one? I may just take the risk and buy one of these and just see how it goes.