rossko

$50 each for 4 x cams and DVR, yup. I've no doubt they work, but all devices have limitations of one kind or another. For sure they won't see right across the other side of a field in the dark unaided. Very few would. Note the previous comment about the sunshade (the baseball-hat sticking out of the cam front above the lens/LEDs) being painted black underneath, can you see yours? That minimises reflected IR glare back onto the lens. Tell us about what you are trying to see. What sort of distance are you expecting, how high up are the cams? Makers seems to claim 30m night range, so realisticly a "good" picture should be expected at 15m. Note that night pictures are in black-and-white; the IR LEDs throw a circular puddle of light, not a square to match the camera field of view. Result when looking at say a grassy lawn ... a grey circle. You may be seeing pretty much what is expected, depending what you are looking at?? Did you look at the customer reviews in that Amazon link? One has posted piccies of his nighttime views, to give you an idea. Fakespot - looks for faked "reviews" of products. http://fakespot.com/company/ANNKE Score 40% - they think that half of the "customer" reviews of Annke products are falsified. Doesn't mean it is garbage, but does mean be wary of "Wow great!" buyer feedback.

There is the possibility that a new device has come along with a duplicate IP. If WiFi is involved onsite, that could even be a neighbours device (even when your own DVR is hardwired).

I would guess these are looking onto wide open spaces. There is very little (IR) light reflected back from the distant scene, and the image is overwhelmed by local reflection of the IR light source at the camera housing. Low cost "Night" cameras with a ring of LEDs around the lens are really only short range units, good for seeing who's at the door. Turn one around to look at something closer and see how it performs. For serious range you'd want separate IR illuminators. You got what you got now, but you could probably disable/remove the internal LEDs and try out a separate floodlight style unit with one cam.

Look into hardware solutions - a remote KVM accessed over broadband or from onsite PC example http://www.raritan.com/eu/products/kvm-switches/dominion-kx-ii-101 Seems to me though, that what you really need is a better remote app?

I believe it is unlikely that you can record directly to USB. The port is provided to take backup/copy of video already recorded onto the internal hard disk. I think you'll have to fix it properly. Have you tried the DVR BNC out signal directly to one TV (no splitter)? You should be plugging to an AV input, not the TV aerial.

Some Dedicated Micros PTZ camera models allow you to select different protocols. You should be able to choose something it has in common with the DVR, usually Pelco-D is the lowest common denominator.

Install white-light flood lighting. (Colour vision requires lighting)

Use a multiport fibre switch at the central location (not cheap). Get one with ordinary wired ports as well, to connect to more local devices, and you can then save a bit by using a router without fibre.

Yes. So long as everything plays by the rules, PoE provided (by the new switch) where not wanted (your old cameras) will not cause problems. Are you sure your NVR would actually look at 8 cams though?

In a situation like that, also talk to the intruder alarm guy. Many alarm systems are capable of "mirroring" an input contact onto an output wire or spare output relay. You get your door contact indication without wiring or contact changeout; the intruder alarm is not compromised by messing with its existing parts.

Could you use wireless IP cameras configured on your own home network? ("your own internet") It's only got to get across the street, and presumably the whole point is that you have a clear line of sight..

Almost certainly; you've nothing to lose trying it. Commercial systems with big old fashioned steel cases are less susceptible than all-in-one style compact cameras. Lightning is funny stuff. You have to accept you cannot protect from a direct strike. But in reality you are more likely suffering from the strong electric/static fields that come along with it, which is where the earthing helps. We might expect the cameras to suffer, being things that stick out into the storm. But how does this HDMI device fit into the picture, why is that dying? Understanding that may help to eliminate some root cause. Feeding static back from the TV aerial?

Simple GSM dialler, wired triggers send text or pre-recorded voice messages to groups of target phones. http://www.gjd.co.uk/products/speech-diallers/gsm-communicator-gjd710

Is the DVR networked? Set up remote viewing or CMS software on an old laptop or desktop PC

I will relate my experience .... Last year, Remote Console stopped working for me on more than one Windows XP PC. (being used to view old NV5000 systems and EB1504). Much head scratching and router tinkering etc. As you noted, the webviewer in IE8 browser still works fine. Chance rebuild from scratch of a Windows system .. RC found to work OK. Antivirus added ... RC no longer works. Tried various combinations, and sure enough the AVG antivirus that had been in use for years had changed in some way that now prevented RC from logging in. Switched to using a different antivirus - Bitdefender - and that co-exists with RC happily. ---- Not quite end of story though - Bitdefender on Win XP has its own problems, giving occasional "delayed write" failures on idling systems --- such as one being left running only as a Remote Console viewer for many days. Grr. Tried Avast antivirus - it, like AVG, obstructs RC from logging in. I am now using Panda antivirus, which seems to tick my boxes - Free version; lets RC work; host system remains stable unattended for weeks.