gambler

so I finally got done with the install, and have had the system up and running now for about a week. The hardest part to the install was running the wires, especially the ones outside, other than that, it was fairly simple. Now my opinions on the hardware... all the Pano camera's are great, and the guy who I hired to do the install, took one look at the cameras and said "wow, these look expensive". which they were, but the build and picture quality are definitely worth the extra cash if you ask me and knowing that these cameras have a 3 yr warranty gives me assurance that these cameras will last a long time. as far as the dvr goes, i think i may have made the wrong decision on going with Aventura's pc based system. I went against some strong recommendations regarding the reliability of pc based systems, but seeing as some of those posts were made 2 or 3 years ago, and with the way technology has advanced since then, I thought how could I go wrong. Well, within the first few hours I had the system freeze up and had to reboot the system, and so far out of the week and a half I have been using the system, it has held up on me everyday. I would say it has run without a reboot for maybe 2 days w/out any problems. I am thinking about returning the system, and getting a Pano dvr, but lets just say Aventura's customer service is in par with calling the IRS. Just wanted to thank everyone for their input on the camera's and the dvr. at least i made one right decision, but I will keep you guys updated and let you know how things go with Aventura. I hope I come back with a positive review on them.

I'll definitely keep you guys in the loop, as I've gotten so many great recommendations and personal experiences on this forum. Really don't know what I'd do, or how much I would've spent without people's gracious advice and knowledge. You'd be surprised what some people wanted to charge me for some really outdated products.

In that case, all you need is 16 channel 24VAC power supply... recommendation is Altronix ALTV2416... unless if you will be running more than 250' of 18/2 power cable, then you will need higher amperage power supply and there are many to choose from. the longest run that I have is probably around 100', all the other camera's are, i would say, within 50'-75' so I'm just going to stick with your original recommendation.

I'm not sure what brand the Coax cable that I'm getting, but it is a RG59U/18awg with coper braiding on the power side. CRT's definitely have the better color resolution, but due to space, I'm just gonna go with a wide screen LCD, possibly 22". I'll let the electrician know about your recommendation using the ac current. Thanks for your input, really appreciated.

my bad... the old cameras that I was looking to get were 12V, and for some reason that just stuck in my head. Having everything 24V will definitely make things easier now. Still going with the Panasonics.

Rory and CCTV, sorry for all the questions, but I am doing this install myself with the help of a low level electrician. I am responsible for getting all the equipment first so I just want to make sure I am getting what I need. What amp ratings should I go with? There seem to be a multitude of choices: 1.2amp, 4amp, 5amp, 6amp, 7.25amp, 10amp Rory, I'm gonna take your advice and get a 24V for 4 cameras (3 box cameras in a housing with heater and blower), and 12V for 16 cameras (for my 10 inside dome cameras).

now since I have 3 outdoor cameras with housings that require 24V and 10 indoor cameras that use 12V, what power supply would be best in this situation? Would 2 supplies be the way to go?

I just hope that this won't be overkill as the camera's alone cost just as much as the DVR. CCTV, from your experiences do most quality Dome's cost around the $300 mark?

sorry... but yes they are the POC254L5 and L2 models. I thought it would make the install alittle easier.

So I am upgrading the security system at my retail business and after doing some research on this site and others, I have put together the following system. I would like your thoughts, opinions, criticisms, and or recommendations on the following: PC DVR: Aventura Commercial H.264 DVR 16 ch video & audio 500GB HD DVD Burner Intel 965 chipset, Pentium Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz RAM - 1024MB DDR2 Video - ATI 512MB Dual VGA Indoor Cameras: Panasonic WV-CF294 Outdoor Cameras: Panasonic WV-CP254L2, L5 The inside of the store has a height of 8'6" with drop tile ceilings, w/no insulation. The lighting is powered by fluorescent lamps. There are no windows in the store, and the only natural light that comes in, is from the front foyer/entry way. I need to monitor 4 cash registers, and that is why I went with the vari-focal lens so that I can get the exact shot that I need. For the outdoor cameras I took into consideration the night lighting and weather. My store is located in the city and the lights for the outside of my store are on timers (fluorescent lamps under an awning) and don't go off until 3 am, and there are street lights that are on all night as well. The weather in Maryland can vary from 15F in the winter (maybe colder) to 100+F in the summer. At first, I was going to just by some camera's from Aventura, but after reading some posts regarding camera performance, I thought going the Panasonic/name brand route will help me in the long run. The main features that I am looking for in a camera is Clarity and Longevity. The Aventura camera's only have a 1yr warranty (opposed to the 3yr from Pana), and they told me that they "manufacture" their own cameras. Just wanted to see what your thoughts are on this setup and if you can recommend any other camera manufacturers that maybe alittle cheaper than the Panasonics, but from what I've read on other posts and generally with all electronics products, you get what you pay for. Thanks in advance...

Does anyone here have any experience with this company and their PC based dvr's, cameras, and lenses? and if so, how do you like the system? I am looking to purchase from them a 16 ch pc based commercial dvr system, dome/bullet/box cameras and lenses.