Trimyr

Well, thewireguys just answered pretty much everything while I was typing, but here you go anyway: I've never used QNAP, so part of my response is just based on what I just read from their website. First, it looks like a pretty good little system. I'm not sure, however, how easy it would be to add additional storage. Looks like you might be tied in to using their hardware for any NAS or esata. It also states up to 36 fps at VGA for each channel. That might drop significantly for megapixel cameras, but if it's listed somewhere, I can't find it. Maximum simultaneous playback is 4 channels. For small systems I doubt you'd need more than that. It might work out pretty well, but I'd really want to try it out before installing one. About exacq - Yes, it has 'smart search'. Works pretty well too. If you're having trouble finding out more about it, check out http://www.exacq.com/blog/tag/release-notes/. Look through the rest of it too. They also have some videos on youtube. It is more expensive than LuxRiot, but considerably easier to use (personal opinion). It does use less resources than a lot of NVRs, but I'd be hesitant to put it on an atom system (the N280 is still below the minimum requirements for an exacq server). It's the client side that will need a beefier computer. Decoding h.264 or mpeg will use a decent amount of the cpu and memory, which is why the client requirements are usually a little higher. Features like the smart search are done on the computer running the exacq client software and not the server (unless you're running both on one), so doing a smart search from a netbook or something with an atom could take a little longer to give you results. Playback as well might be a little shaky as it tries to process the video as fast as it's coming in. I like Luxriot, just not nearly as much as exacq. One of it's big benefits is being an affordable hybrid system. Compatible analog capture cards are pretty cheap when you compare them to an exacq hybrid server. Luxriot's a little more difficult to set up, and its search is really cumbersome. The ability to set up a lower resolution stream for remote viewing is nice, but that's something that exacq just added to their web server. Nuuo and milestone are both really nice, and the price reflects that. They're much more targeted towards larger mission critical installations though. I'd talk to some dealers and look at some demo servers running exacq and luxriot, and see which one would work better for you.

Auto Iris - camera controls the iris in the lens to keep the same amount of light coming through. Imagine walking out on a sunny day when you've been in the dark all morning. You squint your eyes to block some of the light. Now you go back inside. If your eyelids were manual iris lenses, you'd sit there all squinty until someone came by to open them back up. The lighting will be dark, but constant, while the bar is open. All the lights come on after closing to clean, count, etc. They're both constant light sources, but very different. If you set a manual iris lens wide open to capture enough light during open hours, when the lights come on at 2 or whenever, it would completely wash out the image. Auto iris lenses are a little more expensive, but worth it in many situations. Varifocal lenses can be adjusted from wide angle to zoom (more or less, depends on the lens) so you can get the right coverage without having to move the camera around everywhere. It's not automatic - you still have to get up there and change it if the view's not right, but it's a lot better than fixed lens-if the camera's here you're stuck with this view-situations.

That's right. With the GV-2008, it'll be just like you've got another program going in the background. It'll take up a chunk of memory, but not a lot of the CPU cycles. Watching the cameras will take up more, so don't go searching through old video while recording with a 10 page Excel document open. You won't hurt anything by doing that, you just might notice that the PC seems to be a little slower, and the recording framerate might drop somewhat. Keep the 2TBs though. Going from H.264 to MPEG will probably double your storage requirements. I can't say which would be better for outside. Are you looking at just the entrance and exit? Or is it more like the parking lot and back alley? If it's close range, the cameras have pretty low lux ratings. I'd just put a light out there if it's dark. For long distance, like watching a whole parking lot, the infrared on those cameras won't reach that far anyway. The thing to keep in mind is that the IR range listed is the maximum (i.e. useless at that point) distance the IR will reach. Usable range is about half of that. If it's close or medium range and dark, IR can brighten a picture, but not always the way you want. Often you'll notice you get a clearer, more even picture by turning off the IR and letting the camera deal with only the available light, be it streetlights or anything else. Sawbones posted a lot of examples of IR illuminators in this topic, http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=13935, and this shows a discussion of what to expect with IR LEDs on the camera - http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=11387&start=0. I feel like I just confused you more, but hope that helps.

Going back to the first post, the specs for the PC may be a little high. You'll do fine with just a halfway decent dual core. Even a P4 at 3Ghz would be plenty for 8 cameras. A Geovision 1240 card would be better suited to that as well. They're a little cheaper, helping you stay within the budget, plus they support H.264 compression. You could easily keep a month and a half or more using only 1TB and H.264. Aside from the compression, the main difference is that the GV2008's use hardware compression, while the others use the software and CPU to compress and process the video. If this computer won't be used for anything else, it's not something to worry about. Most IP cameras, especially with your budget, do not handle low light very well. I'm guessing low light, since, well, you did say it's a dive. They'll work, but the video will have a lot of extra noise as the cameras try to balance the picture. You wouldn't need a DVR, per se, as the computer would act as that (just as it would with the PCI card). You would, however, need the NVR software installed on the PC. Something like Exacqvision, Luxriot, or others. A lot of IP cam manufacturers also provide recording software, but it only works for their brand of cameras. If you mix and match, you'll need separate commercial software that supports all brands you're using. If you're worried about bandwidth, that's not too big of a concern. Lets say you get standard VGA resolution (640x480) IP cameras. At that point, remote viewing will be comparable to Geovision, or any other analog system. With megapixel IP cameras, you'd have to watch them at a reduced resolution. I mean you'd blow your budget with those first, but theoretically. The Geovision software is essentially the same for all of their systems. The Multiview program on one card is just like any other. I haven't used those particular cameras, so I can't comment too much, but the specs look good. For the outdoor cameras, the lux rating is the same because the cameras are the same. You're right, one just has IR. Having someone else install and set up the system is a good idea. Just make sure you save enough for it. Since you're providing all of the equipment (minus cables, connectors, etc.) you can try calling some nearby companies and saying, "I've got this system I need installed. Can you do it for x?" I doubt they'll warranty your equipment, but you'll get a cleaner install.

It's possible that the program uses other ports they forgot to mention. First, you could try expanding the port range in the router. Go ahead and forward everything from 8950-9100 to that computer, and see if that helps. If it doesn't work, or you'd like to get more specific, try this from the remote PC: Open the command prompt and type netstat (don't press enter yet), then switch back over to the remote software. As soon as you try to connect, switch back to the command prompt and press enter. You'll see a long list of protocols, local hosts (should be the name of the computer you're using), foreign addresses, and states. The foreign address column is what you want. Scroll through the list looking for your IP address followed by your home ISP's servers. The numbers after the colon are the ports that the remote program is trying to use. If it's still just 9000-9002, then the problem's probably with your home router configuration. Good luck!

It's exactly the same thing. Just as all those gamers on a LAN or wireless LAN are constantly sending and receiving data streams, so too would your cameras. The only thing to worry about is the total bandwidth those cameras would require. For instance, four 1.3 MP cameras at 30fps would use on average about 30Mbps total (a little more including ping and general inter-device network communication). If your 54Mbps wireless is set to full duplex, then it should be no problem. Half duplex, then you'd notice some slowdown in the framerate, very slight inaccuracies in time signatures, etc. You seem to be worried about all those cameras sending signals one time. The IP cameras are all sending packets rather than a constant analog signal. This is the basis of all IP communication. As long as you have the available bandwidth, a properly set up network will take care of itself. You mentioned the Axis 207W's. Even at the highest quality MPEG-4 settings (jpeg is a different story) in a complex scene, you shouldn't use more than 24 Mbps total for four of those at 30 fps each. On a 'normal' small (i.e. 5-8 computer) network, you shouldn't notice any difference. Any larger than that, and just run them on a separate wireless switch connected to the main router. You'll be ok.

The night shots took a while to get right (although I apologize for blurring the clearest part of the license plate). The wide dynamic range on the IP7142 lets it pick up all the ambient light at night, making nighttime LPR very difficult. Luckily, you can set a schedule for Day/Night mode. Once that was set, image quality at night jumped tremendously. One complaint with this camera is the incredibly high sensitivity of the AGC and white balance. It's adjustable, but doesn't change much. As soon as the guard walks out to remove the traffic cone (taking up approximately 1/8 of the screen) the gain shifts dramatically. This often makes is difficult to grab a plate during the day. You have to go frame by frame hoping for the clearest shot of the license plate. The other problem is that you have to remove the front lens cover to adjust the zoom/focus. There are a number of (well, analog) camera models that feature external knobs or sockets to adjust the picture without exposing the interior to the elements. If you need to adjust something in the rain or high humidity (which is pretty much every day on Guam) it's going to have to wait until you have an extra silica gel packet to throw in. To sum up, it's a budget outdoor IP camera. If you're after license plates, it takes some work, but that's true for any camera.

Just to add to this, we installed a Vivotek 7142 recently at a condo entrance. It's quite decent for what it is. In an ideal world, they would pay for an AV3130 and a separate IR illuminator. Sparing that, I wanted to try out the IP7142. It works, but it took about a week of adjusting to get something that actually gets plate numbers. The focus range on this camera is very limited. It's currently focused just over the speed bump. Seems to be working pretty well.

I don't think you'd be crazy. You're right, Geovision cards are great for PC setups, but unless you've setup a full access control system in your house and thrown in a cash register for good measure, it's a little overkill. The NV5000 would work nicely with that setup, as they've been continually adding to their list of supported IP cameras. Keep in mind though that you'll need to get a 4-port extension with the Avermedia in order to use those other two cameras. Even though they're not directly connected to a video input, the card will only accept 4 channels without it. But that's a $30 upgrade instead of $250. You'll probably end up losing a little bit after selling the used card, the trade off being an easier to use system. I say go for it.