mirak

I'm looking for a good motion-activated LPC camera with built-in storage. My non-gated neighborhood would like to keep track of vehicles entering and exiting the property. This would not be actively monitored. Instead, the idea would be that if there was a crime committed, a neighbor could give us an approximate time and we could then go back to check license plates entering and leaving around the time of the event. We have two entrances to the neighborhood, so we'd likely need 4 total cameras to monitor entry and exit at each entrance. These cameras will not be located within range of internet, but we will have access to electricity. There is some landscape lighting and street lighting in the area, but none specifically designed for LPC. I know there are really fancy, really expensive LPC solutions that interconnect to an NVR, have internet, record plate numbers to text files, etc. I don't want any of that because it is going to be way too complicated and expensive for our neighborhood to set up, plus establish and maintain a remote internet connection! I'm looking for a standalone solution that can operate more like a motion-activated trail camera and record to a local SD card. If an event occurs, we pull the cards and review the pictures taken around the time of the event. Compare any license plates to a spreadsheet of neighborhood plates. Yes, reviewing the surveillance would be more leg work than a more integrated system, but it would also be way simpler and cheaper to set up and maintain. This is the closest product I've found: https://www.supercircuits.com/reconyx-license-plate-capture-camera-sm750#qa[cT0xMjQz] But it doesn't get great reviews re night plate capture, and the battery-only design would be a nuisance because the volume of traffic and pictures would likely require frequent battery swaps. Can anyone recommend other motion-activated LPC cameras with built-in storage that might meet my needs?

The goal by the way is a simple cost effective system where we don't need a costly remote internet setup to review hours of video we don't really need. The thinking is that if we have an incident, we pull a card and review the pictures.

Here's the situation. Our neighborhood has two entrances. There are large stone monuments (4 in total) flanking each side of each entrance. These monuments actually have cutouts for security cams that were never installed, but I presume the niches are least wired for electric. Importantly, these entrances are not very well lit. We want to record vehicles as they enter and exit so that we can go back and review if there is a crime, etc. I think a motion activated camera system that simply captures high quality still photos is going to be better suited to our needs than a video system? if we've got a picture of the back of each vehicle as they enter and front of each vehicle as they leave, that would be very helpful and we wouldn't need a complicated DVR setup - just record locally to SD cards. We'd just be checking time_stamped photos around the time of the incident. But it needs to be good enough quality to read license plates from 40-50 feet and probably have some sort of flash to work well at night. Is this feasible? What are best products for this sort of solution?

I'd suggest shopping on Amazon for cams, DVRs, and packages that get good reviews. I'd spring for cams with at least 2mp sensors and 1080p. You're probably looking in the $200+ range just to get a DVR with a decent interface, plus the HDD which you usually have to buy and install separate (easy). You might consider both IP (Cat 5) and HD-TVI (BNC aka coax) systems, because I hear they're comparable in image quality. The HD-TVI gear is generally cheaper and may be easier to set up. Finally, keep in mind that you'll probably want an internet connection for remote viewing or email alerts. If the DVR is too far from your router, a cheap ethernet-over-power adapter works really well.

Installed a TP-Link Ethernet-over-power adapter and the thing works like a champ! Thanks for the suggestion. So I went ahead and set my Zosi DVR to view remotely using the 365secu iPhone app. I won't say it works great - it's slow - but it does work. I'll still likely upgrade at some point to a nicer DVR and cams. What I have is really pretty good for a $300-$400, but it's certainly not HD.

Hmmm. Well that would certainly make the network setup a heck of a lot easier if I'm just running more traditional BNC wiring straight into the back of a DVR. I bough an ethernet-over-power adapter, so I'm going to try hooking up my current DVR (Zosi) to the internet before I upgrade anything. I'm not sure how well it will work because the Zosi DVR has a really crappy interface and instructions, but worth a shot for the time being. I suppose the other issue is whether my existing BNC cable is sufficient - I'm reading about it needing to be "solid copper" but I have no idea what I have - it's likely pretty cheap because I got the 4 100' runs included in the kit. What DVRs do you recommend that are relatively inexpensive but have an easy interface and easy internet connectivity? And what are the recommended HD-CVI or HD-TVI brands for outdoor bullet cams? I'm reading Dahua or Hikvision?

I'm currently running a cheap $300 4-cam analog BNC setup. The video quality is ok, the DVR interface is terrible, and no internet viewing. I'd like to consider stepping up to an HD IP cam setup. I'd just be replacing my BNC cables with Cat5, plus the new cams. I'd run these to a router and NVR. The trick is that the cam router doesn't have internet connection. I've got an AT&T U-Verse modem/wireless router on the other side of the house near my entertainment center, and I'm not interested in moving that, or the cam router, so they can be physically connected. If I used a second wireless router for the cam router, will it be difficult to get that connected to the U-Verse router? Would they run as two different networks, or one? Basically, I don't want the cams bogging down my home network (except in the rare instance that I'm using the internet connection to view video). I just need to get an internet connection to the cam router. Suggestions on simplest approach? Suggestions on hardware I should consider? Thanks!

Fixed it. Had to install Firefox browser and now it works. Won't work with IE11 or Chrome. This is a "know issue" so maybe it'll be addressed with a new firmware release in the future.

Thanks. I gave it a try last night and had no problem locating the NVR's IP address. I just plugged the NVR into my router, pulled up my router's configuration screen, and the "unidentified" NVR was listed with its IP. So then I accessed the NVR's IP and the fun began. I get past the login page no problem, but whenever I try to access video, I either get runtime errors that crash Internet Explorer 11 (running on Windows 8.1), or I get a popup in Google Chrome telling me I need to install 2005 Microsoft C++ SP1 x86. I've installed, uninstalled, and reinstalled that service package to no avail. I have the same exact problem using a different PC on the same network. I've also upgraded the NVR to the most recent firmware. No luck. D-Link told me to try running IE11 as an administrator. I'll give that a shot tonight when I get home. What a pain in the rear. Based on Google searches, I found a thread describing the same problem, but it's from 2014 and no definitive solution was reached. Some got it working - some didn't. If anyone else has suggestions, I'd really appreciate it. The NVR is a D-Link DNR-322l. Thanks!

By the way another, maybe an even easier option would be for me to just disconnect the DNR-322l and plug it into my home network with internet connection anytime I need to review video, right? When I finish, I could plug it back in at the pool house. Would this cause problems? Would I need to change any configuration for that to work?

My neighborhood HOA bought a D-Link IP security camera setup for our swimming pool a few years ago. Nobody kept a manual or has a very good idea how to use it. The system is three IP cams connected via Cat5 to a D-Link router, which is in turn connected to a D-Link DNR-322l video recorder and a cable modem for internet access. We can sorta view live footage of the cams using the D-Link iPhone app, and apparently the mydlink.com website allows us to rewind/review video. Anybody know how to connect directly to the NVR without an internet connection to review video? I'd appreciate some instructions. It seems pretty stupid for us to pay $50/mo for an internet connection at the pool house for a pool that is closed 8 months out of the year just so someone can maybe review video once in a blue moon. I'd like to suspend the internet service and if some vandalism occurs over the winter, just trot down to the pool house with a laptop to review the video. It almost never happens. Thanks for your help!

I've been running the system for about a week, and here is my take: I had pretty low expectations going in based on the price - 4 cams and DVR for only $180. This system has exceeded my expectations. Daytime video quality is not great, but not too bad, either. Details like faces get pretty blurry after 20 feet or so, but it works great for watching the front porch and also for surveying the yard if you don't need the detail. Color is pretty darned good! As the sun is nearing the horizon and shining more directly into one of the cams, that cam's image goes to hell, but not much to be done about that except slightly re-angle the camera. Nighttime quality varies dramatically based on distance and ambient light. I get a really nice image of the front porch because it's close up and I've got some ambient light from the landscape lights. The cams looking over the front and back yards are pretty much worthless - you could make out a person walking out there but no discernable detail. Not a big deal to me. Camera build quality is quite good. Easy to install. I wish these cams came in white, but I suppose the more conspicuous black cams against the white trim can't hurt. The DVR is certainly no Tivo. Setup was quite easy, but the actual recording and reviewing interface is pretty clunky. Recording at the highest D1 quality, I've logged a full week of continuous recording on the supplied 500GB HDD with no recycling. All in all, I'd say that this package is a hell of deal for under $200 depending upon your needs. Certainly better than the horror stories I've heard about the Sam's/Costco packages. If you want HD quality and you're prepared to pay at least twice as much for it, this isn't the setup for you. But I'm pleased with what I got.

Wow, no advice. Anyway, I thought I'd give an update. After doing a lot more research, I came to the conclusion that wireless cams on that budget were probably going to cause a lot more trouble than they were worth. So, I decided to purchase a very inexpensive wired solution that will give me better cameras with better resolution for less money - I just have to run the wires. But that's Ok, I've found a couple of locations I can wire pretty easily. Went with a Zosi (China) system. 4 800TVL 1/3" CMOS cams with a 500gb full D1 4-channel DVR, plus 4 60-foot runs of BNC+DC cable for each cam. So everything I need to get set up, and if the quality stinks, I'm only out $180. But the amazon reviews seem quite promising. Here's the link for the cams: http://www.amazon.com/ZOSI-Security-Surveillance-Weatherproof-Resolution/dp/B00J21DFGE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429582680&sr=8-1&keywords=zosi+security+camera And here's the link for the complete kit I bought: http://www.amazon.com/ZOSI-4Channel-Outdoor-Cameras-Security/dp/B00LHK2NJ8/ref=pd_cp_p_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=1C6NM16ECRSVAXG4P1M3

I'd appreciate some advice and recommendations for a budget wireless security camera system of acceptable quality. I don't need super resolution or anything very fancy. I just want to set up a few wireless cameras outside my house to hopefully deter break-ins, porch theft, and vandalism, and also keep an eye on yard maintenance crew, and I'd like to do it on a pretty tight budget. Here are my needs: 1. Wireless Cams. As it turns out, I have perfect exterior locations for the cameras under the eaves of my house which have easy access to power. But I do not want to run video cables, so they need to be wireless. At the same time, I've heard that 2.4ghz wireless security networks often interfere with home wifi routers, so I'd like a security system that runs on a different frequency if possible, or otherwise doesn't have significant interference issues. 2. Decent resolution. Hopefully at least 520TVL. 3. Acceptable Range. Cameras will be located outside a brick & wood siding house, no more than 50-60 feet each from a centrally located receiver. 4. Wireless receiver and DVR. I don't need a whole lot of storage or channels. I'm only wanting 2 to 3 cameras. I'm looking to save maybe 48-72 hours at most before writing over. Anything more is just a bonus. I want a simple solution that makes it easy to transfer segments of video to a card so I could easily show it to police if necessary. 5. Remote connectivity. Don't really need it, but I guess it would be a nice plus if it works. 6. Budget. I want to stay under $400 for 3 cams plus the DVR/receiver. What would you recommend?