scorpion

Prices are to variable. It is like buying a car. You have your entry level ones, and then you have the cadillacs that have "leather seats, electric locks, electric windows, and so forth. I would suggest that you purchase from a security company that specializes in CCTV. You will pay more than if you found it on your own. The payback will be more than worth it. If you have a problem you can go to them for support. A year down the road when you have lost your manual, and you need to access your video, and you have forgotten how to navigate through your menu, then they will be able to help you through. If you get a DVR product directly on your own, then you have become your own tech support. The first question to ask yourself is how long of a warranty will you want? This will dictate the price, and narrow down your choices. Ebay can be your choice if price is of the essence, but you may want to read through the threads, and read on the people who have come away with a very bad taste in their mouth from such purchases. It would not suprise me if you pay in the $1200.00 to $2000.00 price range. Beware of your options. Read very carefully. You may be buying a DVR at a good price, but it may not come with a Hard Drive. You will then end up with additional purchases that you did not anticipate. If it is to cheap to believe then I would avoid such a purchase. I would highly recommend puchasing a system from the banner advertisers that belong to the forum. I am not talking about the google supported ads. You will not want to purchase from our company. We tend to be a little more expensive than our competitors, but we provide more tech support, and services than any of our competitors. If you use the remote feature, and quality of the picture is of the essence then look for the H.264 compression. These models are more expensive, but worth it for over the net video. Look for at least a 250 GB hard drive. Most entry level priced DVR will have an 80 GB hard drive. Some models will have the same specs, but one will not have the internet feature for remote viewing. Scorpion

Welcome to the forum!

This is from the sticky at the top of Computers/Networking. This is an article written by Rory _________________________________________________________ rory Moderator & Founding Member Posts: 12224 Joined: 10 Nov 2003 Location: Bahamas Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 12:44 am Post subject: Viewing DVR Remotely If you want to view your DVR over the internet, and it is behind a Router, you will need to use "Port Forwarding". -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You need to create a local IP in the DVR and port forward to it in the router. This Local IP has to be in the same Gateway range as the Router, if you are unsure check the Router and locate the Status section, or goto windows XP COMMAND PROMPT and type in IPCONFIG. Look for Gateway. If the Gateway is 192.168.1.1, then you can make the DVR's IP anything from 192.168.1.2 - 192.168.1.255. Also you will need to use the same SubNet Mask, which is typically 255.255.255.0, and also use the same gateway. Next Find out what port the DVR uses. Easiest way is to read the DVR manual. Look for the network section of it. Also, if it comes with network software, check to see if in the connection area of it, if it shows a port number. Also check the server software/Programming (Network section of it) to see if a port is listed. Alot of times it can also be as simple as just Port 80, which is an HTTP port. Now to access the Router itself, use the Gateway you just located. If the gateway is 192.168.1.1, then enter that into the Browser location and click enter. A username and password is typically required but it will depend on the router. For Linksys use "admin", "admin", for DLinks normally by default it doesnt require a user or password. Check the link at the end of this to find your router. Then, once logged into the Router, in the Applications & Gaming Section / Servers of the Router, you need to add a Server/Application. Call it whatever you like. Enter the port number and select TCP only. Where it sais Port 0 to 0 enter the same port number twice. Or if the DVR uses for example, ports 3550, 4550, 5550, 6550, and there is nothing else utilizing the ports inbetween, then you can actually just enter one line, 3550 - 6550. Enter the DVR/Cameras internal IP. Enable it. ------------------- EXAMPLE --------------------- If the port was 1024, and the Local IP is 192.168.1.200, then it would be: NAME = Anything you want Port = 1024 TO 1024 TCP/UDP = TCP LOCAL IP = 192.168.1.200 ENABLED = CHECKED OR NAME = Anything you want Port = 3550 TO 6550 TCP/UDP = TCP LOCAL IP = 192.168.1.200 ENABLED = CHECKED Set up additional entries for as many ports the DVR uses, to the same local IP. Check your DVR manual and it's networking section for all additional ports required. Also check the DVR software itself. If the router has enough free entries, then seperate them, use it like DVR_HTTP for the browser port, DVR_AUDIO for the audio port, etc. If you are going to use VNC to a PC DVR, then you would need to set up port 5900, and perhaps call it VNC_DVR, for example. ------------------------------------------------------- Using Port Forwarding, using your static IP / DDNS from outside, and the DVR/Camera software, or Browser, it will connect to the DVR/Cameras Internal IP and port. Next, it depends on the port and DVR. If it is using port 80 or you are connecting via Internet Explorer, you can goto DynDns.org and get a free account, set up a name and enter your static IP. This will be a DDNS connection. With the Linksys router for example, you can enter your account info in the Router's DDNS section, and it will update it regularly so you never need a static IP. Other routers also have this feature and support various DDNS companies. Also, in the router, some stand alones require the DMZ to be enabled for that internal IP. PC DVRs never need it as far as I know, and I would not recommend it for a PC system. To find out specifics on the type of Router you are using, visit: http://www.portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/routerindex.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Found this useful also: DLink Router Emulator: http://support.dlink.com/emulators/di614+/h_wizard.htm They have the link on the support page for the router. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have any questions please post it in the Computers/Networking Forum. Alot of DVRs will differ, if you get stuck, ask a question. Hope this helps someone. Thanks. Rory _________________ LiveVue Geo - - Geovision Desktop Remote Viewer Long Island Bahamas - Bahamas Real Estate

Disney world used to have E tickets! They must have been ahead of their time!

That was too funny! Reminds me of paging for Mike Hunt! Anyone seen Mike Hunt?

You have taken away all of my fun! I was hoping someone would attempt to solder every individual wire in the braid one, on one!

You would have to take the DVR video out, and you would have to modulate this video with a modulator. You would hook up the modulator output to the TV F connector. You would put the TV on the to the channel that you have programmed in to the modulator. It would be better to find a TV with a yellow video connector on the front, or the back of the TV. Hook up the video out of the DVR to the yellow connector of the TV. If you are using BNC cables you will need a BNC to RCA adapter to plug it in to the TV. Do you by chance have another monitor that has a bnc input? If you use a regular TV with the yellow connector, and you do not see video then read here.. http://www.cctvforum.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=41 Quote... On some TVs to activate the composite signal it is a simple as pressing the channel down button until you get to channel 2. When you press the down button one more time this will activate the AUX, or GAME input. This should bring back your video. If it does not, then you may have to find the remote control to the TV, and you will have to find a button that is marked as one of the following: SOURCE, or INPUT, Aux, or the button may be marked as GAME. Press this button, and it should reactivate your composite signal input. For those TVs with multiple inputs, you may have to press this button several times. You will see an On Screen Display (OSD), and it will show you input 1, input 2, input 3, input 4, and so forth. It may show High Definition 1 (HD), High Definition 2, S video, Composite 1, and Composite 2. Keep pressing your button until the composite is highlighted. On some TVs you may have to press a "select" button after you have highlighted composite. Unquote Good Luck Scorpion

There are a lot of wires in the shielding, how long does it take to solder each individual wire in the shield? LOL!

You should be able to run cable through it. How does the light bulb get its energy? You may not be able to get rg 59 through it, but you can use smaller wire and then attache it behind the mount in the J box. Look at how they do bullet camera, and mini cameras. They have regular wiring that come out of the housing with a BNC at the end. In regards to tint on the glass. Think of your own home. At night when you look out your window what do you see? I see my own reflection. I have to turn off my lights in order to see out. Tint on the glass would work during daytime, but I think it would be a problem at night. It depends on the color of the house but here is my idea. Paint the camera the color of the house. When you look at the light you see the black outline, and the camera would blend in with the house paint/color. From the street you would not notice the camera. I would use a bullet since the box cam is not weather protected.

That reminds me of a trouble shoot adventure. It appears someone used the punch down tool backward, and was cutting the wire, and not the excess lead! Visually everything looked good. The system worked at the begining of the wiring, but nothing worked at each station. I verified the input side of the block was working. It was not till later when I worked my way back from the work stations to the block that I found the wires were missed punched. I cannot believe that i missed it the first time I was standing there!

The first thing I thought of when I saw the picture of the lamp is that it is hung by a chain. I can see the camera swaying in the wind! I would get sea sick watching the video! What will you do? Convert it to hollow threaded pipe? I was thinking of what they use on lamps to run the wire, and the socket screws to the threaded rod. Do they have a wall mounted light in this version? Will you take out the panes of glass? I was thinking of reflection. This would give you the good looks, and the camera gets lost in the "clutter" as I call it.

I have seen it done in the residential for phone add ons, but I have never seen this with cameras, or networking. It is funny to see the Do it yourself mistakes that can be made. I mostly seen where the F connector has come off, and the home owner has shoved the center conductor into the back of his tv set then ***ed about the quality of the video. I have seen aligator clips attached to a set of wires then clipped on to the other set of wires. Fun trying to figure out why the whole phone system is down! I have seen people with the telephone style connectors on the cameras modify them for bnc connectors. It never seems to work out for these people!

I have done it with bullet cams. It was a great way to hide the cameras. If you came on the property, and you were looking for cameras you would lose your "night vision" if you looked at the lights. This project had them in a dog house, and birdhouses also. Have you tried the boxes that the phone company, or the cable company uses? For residential you can use those windmill that you see in the garden section. You know the kind with the cheesy fan on a truss tower. The camera is not hidden per se, but it does get lost in the clutter. I hear you on the birdhouses! I learned the hard way not to put the foot pegs on the houses! LOL! Nothing like a squirrel hanging on, and blocking the cam also! I always wondered if you could build a fake cupola to put on top of a house to install some cams.

I bought out the remaining stock of the 374 before they were gone! I think I will call the Tampa office, and see how many they have.

Attention Installers: Eclipse will discontinue black, and white cameras from their catalogs. I just found out today (monday July 23rd) from an order that I put in last Wed! It is official! It is a monday!!

SOLD FOR $250,000!!!!! I lied! Just wanted to see the look on your face! It sure was funny!

Eclipse Branded OEM ECL-605 No heater/blower/IR ON box Size: 373X140X115m/m Inside measure side to side 4 1/4 American inches. Top to bottom 4 inches Front Glass to back 12 inches This has a "mansured" Like an a frame with the top cut off. err it is not square.

Thanks!

I would def like to learn more! I do alot of covert surveillance for P.I., and law enforcement. Your feedback would be valuable. I go through hand helds like candy. My sunglass kits will not even make a month in my environment. Cheesy cords on some models, or bad internal connections, or all kinds of problems that I seem to run in to. I have not lost any valuable footage. I have to keep a lot of back ups just in case. The $2000 hand helds are at least durable, and can take the abuse!

I have never used this one. I would like to know more about it. It does not look very robust for law enforcement use. It looks like a regular mobile DVR in a metalic box. Let me know how it works! It may be stronger than it looks. I would hate to judge a book by it's cover. Thanks Scorpion

Hello from Florida! Looks like we dodged another hurricane! Dean looks like a mean hurricane!

For entry level DVRs I highly recommend the AVTech / CPCam / Nubix DVRs! If budget is the essence, then AVTech is the way to go. Where in Florida are you?

So busted! Caught on tape!

Close your eyes, and use the force! Sorry!

I received this email from a friend of mine. I thought I would share it with you all! He works for Blockbuster. Here is his email: ___________________________________________________________ Forget moron of the day, this character might be moron of the quarter. So I'm on my way back from the bathroom, I see a long line and only two employees at registers. I try to hurry to my register, and I'm intercepted by an old man who tries to hand me a VHS tape. "Here," he says. "My rewinder is broken, rewind this for me." I apologize and explain to him that we no longer have rewinders, as we haven't carried VHS tapes for rental or sale in quite some time. "But I purchased it HERE!!!" he insists. When I first started at Blockbuster in May 2005, we had a small handful of VHS rentals, because certain new releases still had 1 or 2 VHS for about every 100 DVDs, which stopped happening around that same month. There were also a few in the kids section, for Disney movies not yet released on DVD. Those were soon gone from the rental shelf, and joined the rest of the leftover VHS tapes on sale for like $3 or $4 each. Not even that was enough to move them off the shelf, and they were basically just taking up perfectly good space, so they soon found themselves in the dumpster. Anyway, I again explain to the man that we haven't sold or rented a VHS tape in two years, and therefore there was absolutely no need for us to keep the few rewinders that we had had left at the time. "But the Blockbuster in Vero Beach has rewinders!!!" he says, perhaps expecting that this statement would cause a rewinder to magically appear behind the counter. It was probably not even true to begin with, he probably hadn't been in that store for two years either. Even if it IS true, good for the Blockbuster in Vero Beach. We don't have any. Why are you still arguing with me? What exactly do you want me to do, make a rewinder materialize out of my butt? Or perhaps you think I'm lying to you, maybe as part of a crazy scheme to save myself the trouble of rewinding your tape? So I once again calmly explain that since DVDs have completely replaced VHS, and there is not a single VHS tape left in the store, there is no reason whatsoever for us to have rewinders. "Well that's pretty poor policy!" he angrily pouts, and begins to walk out. Poor policy?!? What the heck are we supposed to do? Keep a rewinder readily available just in case some lunatic comes in two years after we sold our last $3 VHS? That's taking customer satisfaction just a bit too far. It won't exactly be devastating if he boycotts us. Do you expect an electronics store to fix scratches in your vinyl records? Do you expect a local car dealership to have parts for the discontinued model you bought there in the 70s? And what the heck are you getting mad at ME for? I'm not responsible for inventing DVDs, stopping VHS manufacturing, or throwing away our rewinders. I can't resist as he's opening the door, and I say, still politely: "I really have no idea why you'd expect us to still have a rewinder in here." He pauses like he's going to say something, then leaves. Go ahead and complain about me you crazy old bastard, I hope you do. Give the district manager a good laugh. I doubt you'll be able to though, since I'm sure you've probably never even heard of the internet, and I have doubts about your ability to use a telephone. Here's a novel idea: go join the 21st century and drop $30 at Walmart to buy a brand-spanking-new DVD player you cheap bastard. Or better yet, get a VCR/DVD combo. That's got a rewinder built in! I actually plan on getting one since I don't own a VCR, my DVD player is really old, and I have some home movies on VHS. Then again, a new VCR/DVD combo might not connect to your black and white TV. And what exactly was your plan anyway? Were you seriously going to journey to your local Blockbuster every time you wanted to watch one of your own VHS tapes? I suppose that would be a new twist on going to Blockbuster when you want to watch a movie. Anyway, I later went up to the office to tell my manager the funny story, and I realized that we actually still have a rewinder for our security tapes. Then I looked and saw the two rewinders from summer 2005 sitting on top of a file cabinet. Oh well, I still don't feel bad. He was a rude crotchety jerk who was making an absurd request. But as always, I'm glad he stopped by, because my favorite part of the job is getting these stories about stupid customers to share with you all.