Billy_ICU

Things like CCTV, alarm systems, central air conditioning controls (for thermostat), etc. are intended and designed to run constantly. My CCTV system is always on.

Go to Amazon.com and search for Surveillance Camera Cables

Two joysticks on the same camera [for this particular camera/joystick only) would work so long as only one joystick is being used at a time. They work by shorting the two wires mentioned above going to the camera - to get into/out of the menu. Then by moving the joystick various directions, place different resistances on the two wires. If a joystick is not being used, then there would be no short or resistance placed on the two wires by it. Note one of those two wires runs only between the joystick and the camera (white wire).

FYI - The following document REALLY explains all these OSD settings quite well. It has explanations and pictures to go along with those explanations... http://www.seco-larm.com/pdfs/Mi-EV-2726-NxxQ_OSD.pdf

I have both Swann PRO-642 and PRO-760 cameras. I read in the instruction manuals that the advanced OSD instructions were on their web site... So I went to www.swann.com/us/ and downloaded the documents. The menus in their OSD documents DO NOT MATCH the menus on the above cameras!!! Totally different. Does anyone ever read their documentation and update it? There are settings in the documentation which are not on the cameras and settings on the cameras which are not mentioned in the documentation. Anyway I did some poking around and it seems the OSD menus change depending on which Sony Effio chip type/version a camera is using. So you can search google for the following as an example... pdf Effio-S OSD ...and find OSD instructions which match the PRO-760 camera. For the PRO-642 camera, I searched for unique words in its menu like... pdf exposure "image set" OSD ...and found a couple of documents which are quite close to the OSD menu in that camera. FYI - Following are the various Effio versions I have found so far. Search for OSD on each of those and the documents will all have different menus! Effio Effio-E (Entry) Effio-S(Standard) Effio-P(Professional) Effio-V Effio-DSP Effio-P DSP

I did not use the Swann wiring cable for each camera! I ran my own cables... -One for video from the camera. -One for 12 volts DC power to the camera. -And one 2 conductor cable for the OSD for the camera. (Wired into the camera pigtail as described above.) It sounds like you did not modify the wiring to each camera and run your own wires - you are using the Swann provided cables? If that is the case, there would be no wire to connect to at your DVR.

Many RS-232 to USB adapters do not implement the RS-232 functions properly. For example the hardware "break" signal does not work. I spent $40 U.S. for a couple of different adapters which did not work, but the Parallax USB-RS232 adapter (much cheaper) works perfectly. (Does not look pretty, but it works.) The key is the use of FTDI chips and drivers (for those which work). Search google.com for... parallax usb-rs232 adapter Or here is a U.S. link... http://www.parallax.com/product/28030

Leave up the old cameras/system and keep that running. Install a new DVR with the future capacity you initially intended, but don't buy all the cameras now. They can buy more later. Install the new cameras where crimes have been happening recently. They can add more cameras later. And/or... Maybe there are "choke points" where people must walk by to get to the other areas? Maybe a few cameras there (for identification) used along with the old system would do the trick?

Electronic things "know" when you are watching! They will behave perfectly when you pull out the multimeter. Then misbehave again as soon as you are no longer looking!

Newer camera systems have a "schedule" and you can set certain things to happen at certain times. I suppose you could have the cameras recording only at certain times. Older camera systems had "alarm inputs" for each camera and you could set them to do anything your little heart pleased. That was called a "CCTV quad sequencer" and they still sell these. That was used along with a time lapse recorder. I don't know if any newer DVR's have alarm inputs for each camera? Anyway a motion sensor or alarm would turn on a camera or switch the recorder to constant high quality recording. I suppose you could use that to also turn on/off cameras with a key or whatever? Look for DVRs with alarm inputs. Then download a copy of the instruction manual and see what all you can do with the settings. Many things sold these days are "dumbed down" so everything is done for you and you can't change much of anything. (Be SURE you can change settings before buying.)

A UPS will pass through power company electricity while power is on, but generate it own power when the power is out... But what is called an "Online UPS" will always generate its own electricity. Also a "true sine" UPS will create the best electricity. So best would be a true sine online UPS. Although a voltage surge could still fry the UPS. I have a surge protector for the whole house in the main electric panel as well as outlet or power strip surge protectors at each location where something electronic is plugged in (everywhere). Not had anything fried in 15 years. As for your power supply... Many times voltage regulators will go out. Sometimes diodes or bridge rectifiers. I would check the AC voltage after the transformer, then the DC voltage after the bridge rectifier. Then the voltage after the voltage regulator. P.S. Of course always first check main AC power and fuses!

Walk around outside at that time and see if it records you. It may be set to only record activity. And if there is no activity, then there will be no recordings. Also read the instruction manual cover to cover. That will tell you all about these various settings and also how to record continuously if you want to do that. If you do not have an instruction manual, get one!

Then haul the monitor connected to the DVR into the elevator and connect there, try at the roof elevator room too. Also try using a UPS for a power source for the monitor and/or the camera. Maybe power the camera with a UPS and have the monitor connected in the roof elevator room.

Try connecting a monitor inside the elevator. Good picture? Then try connecting a monitor up in the roof elevator room. Good picture?

I searched amazon.com for the words... Infrared led light And that search came up with a lot of different IR lights.

FYI - I like to confirm my diagnosis by taking the camera to the DVR and connecting it there - be sure it works (bypassing the suspect cable). Or run another cable along the ground for testing (also bypassing the suspect cable).

I'm wondering if the cable had a splice in it somewhere in the conduit? Sometimes installer will do things like that and not tell anyone. Anyway I prefer Quad Shielded RG-6 Coax with compression connectors myself.

Search google.com for the following words... dvr lock box Then click on images. That will show you various lock boxes and how many have fans mounted in the back.

In my area, outdoor cameras are stolen sometimes. A good design for that is to have additional cameras pointing at the other cameras. Then if one is stolen, one camera or the other will get a video of the thief! As for signs or no signs... One way of thinking is to discourage crime and place signs all over the place. Another way of thinking is to "catch them" and have hidden cameras and no signs.

What are they needing protection/surveillance for? What has happened at their facility or at other riding facilities for which they need surveillance? Is there an insurance company requirement for a surveillance camera system? If yes, what does the insurance company require?

First of all that is going to run the car battery down to the point where the car will not start. Just leaving a car radio on for a couple of hours is enough to wear down weaker car batteries to where a car will not start. Look at trucks for camping which have 2 batteries. That is just for this sort of problem - one battery is reserved for starting and running the vehicle only. Also with a camera mounted inside the vehicle, you are going to need at least 4 cameras to cover all sides of the car. If you have a cell phone with a video recorder built in, set it up inside your car to record and see how little of the outside of the car it actually covers (and why you would need multiple cameras). Better would be a camera or two mounted on a building nearby looking at the car (better coverage). And you would need a battery charger plugged into a power outlet to keep the car battery charged. So might as well just use a non-automotive camera system plugged into an electrical outlet and forget about anything to do with using the car battery (if installing in the car).

You may want to hire an experienced electrician or off duty "old time" security system installer. Both would have experience at running new wires in existing construction and would be able to hide the wires if at all possible. They also have tools to detect existing wires/pipes so they don't drill into them and have special wire running tools like 5 foot drill bits, fish tapes, etc.