Wetstuff

I use a gaming monitor with a Dahua NVR, PoE switch to Dahua cam connected to ~100m of cat6. I used to think - after a rain, there was residue on the exterior ball of the camera... then I thought perhaps, the interior somehow got affected by humidity. After cleaning everything, was a bit more clear but with lots of odd pixel formations if standing <1m from the monitor. It reminds me of a very clean car with a terrible paint job. Here is a tight closeup of the screen. Perhaps you have seen this before and can point me to the likely issue saving me from a further wild goose chase? Thanks. Jim

I had a torrential rain the got inside the HIK connection with the cable. (not the first time!) I opened the 'waterproof' connector to see not only water but the copper connections all blackened - corroded, I suspect. Of course, I had no monitor image for about three days. (I only run a single camera) I attempted to clean the connectors with a bit of paper towel on the end of a nail and dried the surfaces with a hairdryer. Still - no image. My suspicion: I can see within the female side and perhaps I depressed one of the connectors - that I am unable to get to rise up with a fine pin. Well, I thought; "Hell. I'm pretty good a making male ends these days. I'll just order some females." Whoops?! Any thoughts? This is a 4K cam - I'd hate to chuck in the trash. Thanks. Jim

24hrs later: There is a constant image. Do these cameras 'burn in'? The other camera before it turned into a shower stall would have this hazy gray curtain rise from the bottom, then go away with no schedule. During daylight the image is a little coarse but at night you can see fine vertical lines in the image as if the image is skipping R-L. Jim

I have a single HIK cam feeding a HIK NVR about 300' away. Everything was mostly fine until this last round of cold/warm/wet along the mid-Atlantic in mid-February. The cam got moisture saturated* to the point where it was like looking out a shower door. There were a few random times when I would lose the image: 'No Link' ..but it came back. I have a second (dry) HIK cam, so simply went out and replaced the cam. 'No Link'. There is this PITA business where the HIK cable coupler seems to want to break the finger tab on the male portion of the plug, so it often seems as if there is not a secure/complete connection. So, I put on a new male - click. Same thing. I went back to the NVR and messed with the settings - not really knowing what I am doing, but the cam is active. However, out of an hour, maybe I get half dozen views of less than a minute each. Where would you look next? Any thought appreciated. Thanks. Jim * it is not unusual for the cam to fog up during a temp change. It usually clears itself when the Sun gets higher.

1bit. Rather than a cam why not some LIGHT. I have a 100W LED up my drive that is attached to a motion sensor. The lamp on Amazon was $40 and the sensor was $17. The trick with this sensor is that it flashes twice - then the third time it comes on for whatever period you set. The brand is Defiant, also from Amazon. 100 watts of led make for some big flashing. Mine is set where the person/vehicle must enter first - they are backlit about to enter more light when they are about 150' closer. Jim

TIA Standards for Ethernet can either be 568A or 568B?! I have an inexpensive China-built, PoE NVR and want to make sure I am using the correct cable coloring pattern. Thanks. Jim

I want a pretty decent image on a Samsung TV screen of an outdoor location about 70 meters (230 feet) from my house, that is first processed by an NVR*, where do I concentrate my interest and money? Camera, cable, NVR, screen... I am not married to the Samsung TV (720p I believe) if that is a weak link. There always seems to be 'strengths and weakness' in any system, and rather than simply Gold Plate everything to cover my bet, I would prefer to do this smart and hope you can help. Thanks. Jim *Screen is more important than the recording but I need the alarm feature. If pressed, I could use an individual IR alarm.

I have been looking at frame rates and resolution. Frame rates may not be as important in a primarily static image environment, but I found this comparison interesting Jim

Negative on the IP cams, Matt. We are in an area where there is no Cable and the closest cell tower is ~7mi. My first system is/was a basic 4 channel NVR with two cams - the type not powered/imaged via LAN cable ...cameras with an individual 110v power supply+BNC connectors. A new system I want to install should include: a good screen/TV, good cabling, a NVR and at least one good cam. So far I have found the TV mentioned above ..CAT6 at a good price (monoprice.com) ..and am looking at this 5meg cam on Amazon —GW Security 5MP 2592 x 1920 Pixel Super HD 1920P. (1080p@30fps) I have been a mfr. of aircraft accessories (non-electrical) for 30+yrs so am pretty used to creating/solving problems and sourcing. My wife's idea would be; "Just call someone." ..but, I can't do that —it's not in my nature. Jim

Thanks, Matt. I should have stated first that I'm a newbie with newbie experiences. I set up a simple system with an inexpensive Chinese NVR and two cameras. 'It worked.' ..but left a lot to be desired. Its true failings came in when I hooked 30+30+10 meter cables in series resulting in an image that resembled an abstract painting rather that a quality photograph. I cannot use WiFi because I am in woods, and most of the things I would like to see are not close to the house.. To answer your question: Yes, I could use the TV as a monitor for the NVR. The concern is: if the quality of the NVR has a dramatic effect on the image, would it not be better if there was a Y-junction (my word) to send a pure signal to the TV and a second to the NVR, rather than get a possibly degraded signal from the NVT-to-TV? Thanks. Jim

Thanks, Matt. Working backward —I ordered a Vizio D24-D1 24-inch Smart TV. (1080) It needed to fit on a shelf under cabinets in the kitchen. The price for a factory refurb was $120. Here's a 2017 review in case someone else is looking in the same direction. I had considered a small iMac but it's 8X the cost if only the screen was being used 99% of the time. http://www.lifewire.com/best-24-and-smaller-tvs-1847764 Next question.. can you split a PoE signal into the screen and NVR? CAT5a or CAT6 for the distance required? Thanks. Jim