violator

Hello, We are looking at setting up a streaming over the internet real time (or close to real time) system that should be able to support multiple simultaneous logons and provide at least 3 fps for up to 15 concurrent viewers over the web. It will be in a daycare whereby parents can login over the web to view their child's class, so it should be able to at least register 150 or so users. The internet connection is a 768 upload dsl system. We have not purchased either a stand alone dvr or pc based. Reading up on here, it appears pc based is reccomended. I am presuming that, in order to handle up to 15 concurrent viewers, and provide them with at least decent viewing, software efficiency may be more pivotal in this than the type of video card? Please reccomend the software and/or video card manafacturer that can do this well. Also, please reccomend good, stable and reliable dome cameras that are fairly inexpensive and a suggestion to a vendor for these items would be appreciated. Thank you very much.

I am having a related problem and hope someone here can advise what to do next. I am having difficulty configuring my modem/gateway (Comcast) with my router (Linksys WRT 54G) to allow any open ports. I spent several hours on this, including over an hour with Comcast tech support who basically said it is an issue on my end now and they cannot help. After much fiddling, I WAS able to get port 81 open and GV remote viewing to work BUT only if I cable connect the GV computer directly to the Comcast Gateway/Modem (there are 4 ports) and DISABLE DHCP on it. I also had to open the ports in the Comcast Gateway/Modem using the ip address the Gateway/Modem had for the GV computer (different from the "public" ip address when I googled my ip address). I also had to use this same ip address and DNS in the Geovision computers network adapter IP4 settings under "manually set ip address." But when I do this by turning off DHCP at the modem/gateway the problem is now anything connected to my router is unable to access the network or internet. I have 5 or 6 other devices that I need network connectivity to. So it seems turning OFF DHCP at the modem/gateway allows the port open/remote viewing to work, but with it on, nothing will work from the router now. I am guessing that I need to configure the Comcast modem/gateway and router to work together somehow. Please help!

Thanks for the advice in the past. As previously posted, we were looking for a remote webcam viewer for our pre-school, that would enable parents to logon to their child's classroom. We have a 12 port GV-800 card installed in our school now. As of this time, parents do not have [web] access. We need to design a system that we are comfortable with prior to providing access. We have a specific need of logging viewers out of our web view to conserve bandwidth for other viewers. We don't want bandwidth hogs. Whats the best way to prevent this? I was thinking a timeout feature would be best. Either time based (i.e. auto timeouts after 10 mins), or inactivity based (i.e. no presence of mouse or keyboard strokes), or a combination of the two (i.e. logs out after 10 minutes, or if it detects no activity for 5 minutes). There are 3 areas that I think we can try to target this: 1) Router side 2) Webcam Server side 3) Website host side (there will be a link on our school website that parents will click to access their child's classroom view - but we outsource the hosting of the school website) I am personally comfortable (based upon my skillset and knowledge) with option 3. It would require software coding. I can create a page on the schools website that opens up a frame opening the ip address of the Geovision webcams, and code this page to timeout. So the page itself will redirect parents to the login screen again after the timeout parameters are met, forcing the parents to reconnect. This of course, is easily defeated by simply viewing the webcam ip or direct link, and opening it up directly instead of going through the website. Any other ideas? I really need to finalize this thing within 1 week! Thanks

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dell vostro 200 small business with intel dual core e2160 processor 320gb hard drive. 1gb memory, geovision 800 12 port capture card.

Further to my original post here: http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=9876 Attached are the 3 web based video surveillance proposals we have received. As we have very little knowledge on these systems, your review and recommendations is very much appreciated. * Quote I - 8 or 9 cams no monthly fees - topica cams - 3 yr. warranty only, 3 yr. support to our school only (not to users). Dell Desktop/Geovision system. http://home.earthlink.net/~dt2004/images/iquote-8or9camera.gif * Quote V - 9 cams $200 monthly fee (may nego. slightly) - Ongoing warranty and limited direct support to users - software upgrades included. Embedded, Stand alone DVR. http://home.earthlink.net/~dt2004/images/vquote-9camera.jpg * Quote W - 8 cams $100 monthly fee - no warranty - full direct support line for users, software upgrades. Dell Server - Linux based DVR. http://home.earthlink.net/~dt2004/images/wquote-8camera.gif **polls close in 3 days. [edit by mod-rk updated links] P.S. Deciding one one of these is my weekend project. My deadline is Mon/Tues then we need to go with a company. So please reccomend and vote. Thanks!

No Votes? Okay, even if you guys hate the proposals, which is the one you hate the LEAST???

Ditto on the monthly fee. Thats why i'm on here trying to find a solution without one of these monthly fees.

It won't be 100-120 at any one given time. It may be 20. I did not understand your second and 3rd sentence.. thx

Thanks for the quick reply. I don't know if this would be an accurate simulation of real life, but I did have the Geovision guy logon to a convenience store they had installed at. Then I asked another one of our school locations to logon from their end. Then I had 5-6 computers log on at our school, all pulling the live video from this convenience store. I do not know how accurate that might be though, because the 5-6 computers at our location were using the same internet connection, I don't know if it would really slow it down as much as 5-6 connections at different locations with different internet connections. Nope it's legit, few can handle this properly. I still don't like their proposal but they are correct in that aspect, if flat out will not work with a normal networked DVR. You will have to do authentication and streaming remotely.

One company (proposal W) has really emphasized to us that handling multiple simultaneous logons well is something that companies that do not properly understand the school/childcare market fail to do. I don't know if this is just marketing, or if there is truth to it.

I have spent many hours on the internet looking for providers, and it appears that none that specialize in schools have a one time fee and do not have those monthly fees.

thanks again for spending the time to respond. this is a big investement for us. I have contacted 2 other schools. Proposal W, with the $100 monthly rate and Proposal V, with the $200 monthly rate have good reviews, but I am hesitant in getting stuck in a monthly contract deal - like mentioned before, that stuff REALLY ads up over the years. I would ideally like to get a one time purchase product that I can setup initally without being subject to recurring fees, even if it costs a bit more. Low, budget level. If you know of any other schools doing the same thing in your area, perhaps ask them what systems they are using. Most DVRs, at least PC based, will allow you to set as many users as you like, the rest will depend on the upload bandwidth.

I looked up the one you quoted. I don't think its out yet even though it says june 2007. I can't find it anywhere for sale on the internet - not even a price. I have DSL 768k uploads.

Thanks for the good advice VST_Man. Regarding the lease option, if it is 100% tax deductible, are there other benefits as well? Because I think if we paid it outright, I have heard it is considered a capital investment to the business and that can be deducted too?? i'll talk with the CPA. The Avermedia you reccomended - is that good for handling multiple simultaneous web logons? Thanks!

Rory: Thanks for the advice regarding the PC configuration. If stability is an issue, a server running Linux OS will almost always beat a desktop running a microsoft OS, so perhaps we should consider that. I don't know how compatible Geovision is with Linux though?? I have been building PCs for about 16 years. I'm 29 now, for computer ppl everyone had favorites, but Asus always seemed maintain a general image of producing some of the most all around reliable mobos. Mushkin memory, and intel cpu (and good cooling very imp!), Antec power supply. I would have built it myself if I had the time to get all the parts together and do it, but i'd rather probably just by a pre made server if stability is such an issue. Lets take out the PC's specs for a second though, proposals 1 and 3 are the PC based systems, and they don't make the PC's so thats a moot point in deciding who we go with. What did you think of the 3 companies proposals? As far as cameras, i think any of the companies will be able to get most any brand. I dont think any of them want to lose a job just because it wasn't their preferred video camera vendor if we specify a particular brand.

I had heard that IP megapixel cameras will be very slow over the internet because the quality of the images are too good. Please take a look at the proposals in the link that Rory posted above. I'd like your input. Thanks.

Thanks Rory. Appreciate it.

Rory: The first company said that they will pass the PC cost to me, so it is dependent on how much we wish to spend. We were thinking Dell Vostro 200 since you can get one with monitor for approximately $400-$500 bucks. I have viewed [siSoft Sandra] benchmarks between 1.6ghz Intel DualCore quoted and the base level Intel Core 2 Duo, and the differences in various computation times was small. Our need for recording and looping is at 2 weeks at a time, so I thought the 160gb should be fine. Cameras are Topica [they are a distributor them]. I can ask for another brand - we prefer unobtrusive ones like dome cameras - please suggest another brand that is not too much. 2nd one will be able to record, but i do know that company uses stand alone (non-pc based) systems. Cameras are JVC RDX cameras (box). He says they offer better quality for the price. We prefer domes for aesthetics. 3rd one has the best references for our business at hand - they specialize in daycare web surveillance for parents. The 2nd quote and 3rd quote however have monthly fees, which adds up pretty quick over the years. I ran some calculations and we would be near $19,000 in 3 years for a system that had $8k in hardware and installation. This will keep adding over the years, so the first quote was a bit attractive since we are done paying for it after install. I figure it would be more cost effective to pay for maintenance on a need basis rather than to sign a monthly agreement. The 3rd proposal is a Dell server, running Linux, and, although they won't divulge their DVR system supplier, I believe they use Axxis (sp?) technologies. Indoor cams are www[dot]vitekcctv[dot]com/SpecSheets/VTD-C410_CMYK.pdf, outdoor (1) cam is an everfocus EHD350. I did speak with references for the first company (using Dell desktop and Geovision), and they have not had problems nd they are evening using XP Home (not Pro). Photosys: I have spec'd the cameras in the above para. I have seen demos for all of them. They all look the same, all seem to be in the 3-5 fps range. The 3rd company has really emphasized to us the need for these systems to be able to handle the unique requirement to us, that it should handle multiple users effectively. The first two don't tout that need as much - do you guys feel this is a definite concern for our application? The way I look at it, the $100-$200 a month we save if we DONT go for proposals 2 or 3, we can put towards a T1 line bundle (some run like $400 a month with 3-4 phone lines included). If we do keep the monthly fee, we won't be able to budget for a T1, and will be stuck with our existing DSL line with 768k up. UMDRanger: Do cameras really 'crap out' a lot? Is there a price difference between the 12VDC and the 24VAC cams? Is it one of those situations where it is better to get cheaper cameras so that if they crap out we can replace them, or spend more upfront on cams? I do know the first installer mentioned that he will put fuse boxes at each camera so that if there is a surge in voltage, we can replace the fuse (i think that's what he was trying to say). Companies 2 and 3 have that level of support, their ongoing maintenance monthly fee (which, again, really adds up over time) takes care of that. I have spoken with end users though, who state that their systems (even dell desktop systems with xp home) run for many months and MAY require an occasional simple reboot. I should also mention that the first one (w/o the monthly fee). typically includes a 1 yr warranty. He made it a 3 yr warranty per our request. He said that if we go back to 1 yr warranty, we would save appx $500. I should also mention that we will be doing this for multiple schools, so we want to really make the right decision on this one. Whatever prices you see here, multiply by 3 for 3 locations. Finally, proposals 2 and 3 also include some basic website assistance. Both of them are catered more towards daycares, whereas the first company puts them in hotels, convenience stores, etc. Where do you guys see this pricing stand? High? Moderate? or Low? Which one seems like the best deal? Thanks!

i need some help too. I'm trying to post some proposals we have from some video surveillance companies, and wanted to get users feedback. I cannot post attachments though because it says i'm too new and didn't hav 5 posts. so i made some posts and i still can't post! i can't even PM anyone. please help

is avermedia or geovision products better?

We will have 8 cameras. 5 will be in classrooms, with a maximum of 21 potential unique users per classroom. (Highly doubt all 21 sets of parents will log on at the same time). 3 cameras will be for internal use only, not really needing a fast internet connection. Internally, we would have the ability to monitor and record all 8 cameras. Parents will be restricted to only viewing their child's specific classroom + 1 (common play areas). So each user would have access to two views: 1 classroom, and one playground. The users will need to be activated fairly easily as new students start school, and deactivated when they disenroll. Thanks I have several proposals that I am not against sharing here, if you guys want to take a look at it.