Someone10101

Problem w/ Mobotix is it's too expensive and becomes very attractive to thieves. Mount it higher up and then you don't get a nice facial shot, which is the OP original goal. Do what my neighbor does, install a motion sensor flood light in the fron yard along w/ a $500 camera. If you configure the motion sensor flood light just right, anyone stepping anywhere on your front property will set off the flood light even if they are moving very very slowly. What I use to do is just get a flood light that turns on at dusk and off at dawn. Combine that w/ a camera and most thieves will stay away from your home once they see the camera and flood lights.

Anyone ever tried getting Vivotek ST7501 to work with the latest version of SQL from Microsoft or PostgreSQL? ST7501 comes with MS SQL 2005 Express/PostgreSQL but I'm trying to get it to work w/ MS SQL 2008 R2 Express or PostgreSQL 9.x database server and having some difficulty. Software installs and works fine, but I just want to test out and try out the latest SQL software out there to see if there are any improvement in speed, searches, etc... Thanks! BTW, I got my Vivotek IP8332 in the mail about 2 weeks ago. Just waiting for my RMA for my new MB to arrive from Newegg after 2 weeks.

Thansk for the link! Nice clean enclosure and fanless too. Unfortunately, I hate embedded systems because the OS is written/customized specifically for that hardware and is dependent upon the manufacturer for update. Generic system using off the shelf product, I can get better and faster support from the community. I build systems for fun and for family/friends when ask too. Only then, do I spend days researching like I'm doing now for security cameras. I'll call around later today to some shop around me and see if they carry Vivotek camers to see if I can see it in person and try it out before I buy from the local shop.

Thanks! I didn't know that. Unfortunately, outside mount wasn't a viable option given that I'll be moving out in about 3 months. After the home I was renting got robbed, I'm out. Also, I wanted to get a Mobotix or Axis that had a 180 FOV, but putting that on a one story home....I don't expect a $1400+ camera to be around that long. If I do decide to mount the Vivoktek IP8332 outside at the new home, at least a $400 loss isn't as big of a lost compare to $1400+.

I would if I can find a place that sells Vivotek locally to support the small business people. I don't care too much about taxes since it's a business expense and I have to pay taxes on it sooner or later anyways. Going to Vivotek website and looking for dealers in the USA, all I saw was Vivoktek in Sunnyvale, CA, which is about 15min away from my home. I'm sure they'll have all the cameras I want setup if they have a showroom and I can demo most of the cameras and software before I buy, but rather buy from a small mom/pop shop then the manufacturer or in this case, buy.com. Yelp search pulls up all kinds of garbage...a lot of which is related to apartments advertising they have security cameras on site for the residents safety.

I saw a comment in this forum by someone about the Vivotek IP8332 and it being the best bang for the buck. I'm reading up on the docs on this camera now. Anything else out there that is equivalent to this camera for around the same price? Exacq software supports this software. This will be great once I get the camera to evaluate Exacq vs whatever software that comes w/ the Vivotek. Update: A search on buy.com shows 3 different version of this camera. http://www.buy.com/retail/usersearchresults.asp?querytype=home&qu=ip8332&qxt=home&display=col The way buy.com describe it, it makes it sounds like the camera is manufacture by 4XEM. Going to 4XEM website, it says they are distributor. I'll double check the user manual again, but I thought there was only one version of the IP8332.

Do you mean the camera must be compatible with the software and OS that is run on my NVR? I can run either Windows 7 32/64bit or any flavor of Linux OS 32/64 bit. I believe ZoneMinder and Exacq works on Linux. Exacq also works on Windows and offer a trial edition. As for wireless...yeap..I read many stories on the wireless. Unfortunately, I'm trying to avoid running CAT5E/6 cable all over the ground in the house. I'm renting and prefer not to drill holes into the wall to run the ethernet cable only to tear them out when I move. The one camera the will be wired will be power by PoE and run from the garage into my bedroom(about a 25ft cable).

I need some help in deciding what wireless indoor cameras will work best for me. I just order parts to build my linux based NVR and that should be arriving by next week. Newegg screwed up and sent me an openboxed motherboard and memory when I order new items. Luckily, their customers service is great. Anyhow, here's what I need from this wireless camera: 1. Video recording 24x7 through web pages remotely and 3rd party software on my NVR thats in my home. I'm guessing this is all dependent on the software and not hardware. 2. WPA2 support 3. HD/Megapixel would be nice, but not necessary. As long as I can get a clean shot and recognize the person MOVING face from about 20ft away on any given day...Ex..(s)he is walking up my driveway. 4. Decent night viewing. 5. Ability to record in 2 different mode would be nice: ex. recording in HD for clarity and also record in lower resolution for FPS. 6. Ability to notify me once it detects motion through cell or email(Hotmail & Gmail only) I think the most important two items would be ability to record 24x7(#1) and #3, ability to recognize the person face. Security cameras will be mounted indoor on a tripod pointing out through a window. Just trying to get the most out of $500 wireless indoor security camera. I've been looking and reading on Vivotek, Arecont, and Axis. I did buy a Panasonic BL-C230a, but didn't like the image quality from it and returned it and software through HTTP wasn't the best.

You can always sell advertisement spaces to other companies such as the retailer/business who sells the cameras and not the manufacturer of the camera. Ex. Mobotix ABC stinks and cost hundred dollars more then Axis XYZ. Recommendation; Buy Axis XYZ. Business Advertisments: We sell Axis XYZ for only $99.95, but WAIT! Buy within the next 1hr and we'll throw in free overnight shipping! You get the idea.

Generate foot traffic to their website and start selling advertisment spaces. I would love to see some real live photos for comparisons instead of reading reviews. Kind of like a digital camera forum, but more so focusing only on image quality for security cameras.

I believe the enclosure for Arecont's cameras is this: http://arecontvision.com/index.php?section=product&subsection=product_details&product_id=22

No problem and I agree 100%. It takes time to research and find what works and what doesn't work. I've spent most of my day researching and making sure every component I buy for my NVR computer is compatible and reliable.

Could you clarify what you mean by headless setups? Do you mean NVR systems that do not require an add-in card such as a GeoVision DVR cards? And lastly, if you don't mind, could you share the specs on your ATOM system? Ex. PSU wattage, brand, case, memory, etc... I'm debating on a very small box or a bigger box that can support up to 4 HDD total. Small Box: http://www.mini-box.com/M350-universal-mini-itx-enclosure using picoPSU power supply at 60W Pro: Very small; easier to hide Con: Room for two 2.5" HDD only. or something bigger like a Silverstone or Lian case that can handle a regular size ATX case. Pro: Easier to find replacement PSU; Room for 3.5" HDD that can hold 2TB+. Cons: Bigger case and much harder to hide. I'm still reading up the specs of the components to make sure 60W is sufficient when running both hard drive at full speed, CPU at 100%. I'm just afraid it may draw too much power and cause the powerbrick to heat up and become a fire hazard. Thanks!

Thank You! for your comments. Been very helpful. I was actually trying to see if I can boot off a 32GB SDHC card and free up the other SATA port for a RAID 1 setup. And yes, my mini-ITX will be running FileZilla FTP server. Since FTP access is all done internally on the LAN only, I'm not too concern about transmitting my username/password in cleartext. Guess I'll start ordering parts by this weekend to build my NVR/File Server. I'll take screenshots and document my work in case anyone else is interested in it.

I planning on building my own NVR system that I can tuck away up in the attic somewhere and have a few questions. The motherboard I plan on buying is this: http://www.intel.com/products/desktop/motherboards/db-D525MW/D525MW-overview.htm It's an Intel mini-ITX motherboard using an Atom D525 processor. Q1. When recording off of IP cameras, is there a high CPU usage, GPU usage, etc...? Q2. Do I need 3rd party software to record video(not sitll frame) from the IP camera to the NVR or does it record from the IP camera directly into a video file and treats the NVR as a file server only? Q3. Will this motherboard and Atom D525 be able to handle 4 IP cameras? My plan was to install a 128GB SSD HDD and a 3.5" 3TB 5400RPM hard disk drive inside the system. I'm hoping I can get away w/ using a D525 processor. If there is a high taxation on the CPU and/or GPU, then I'll probably get a mini-ITX that has a socket 1156 and throw in a Intel i5 CPU or is that still not enough? I did look at some of the NAS or NVR systems that are offered by QNAP and they are also running an Atom D525 processor. So, I'm guessing I should be ok. Here's a link to one of QNAP NVR system showing it's using a dual core Atom processor. http://www.qnap.com/pro_detail_hardware.asp?p_id=158 Thanks!