benf

Get ready for a lot of reading, learning, and trial/error. I was in the same boat a couple months ago, have an analog based system and wanted to move to IP based for various reasons. I'm technically very proficient with computers and networks but still find myself scratching my head. I much prefer the ease and "universality" of analog based systems but gotta say I love the picture quality and clarity of my IP cam, on which I've finally hit a good combination of quality vs bandwidth usage. This forum has been an excellent resource for me, lots of good information. My advice, for what it's worth with very limited IP cam experience: Stick with name brand (don't waste your time on the ebay junk), and go PoE if possible... much easier to setup and configure. Personally I bought a Vivotek IP8332, a good combination of performance, quality, and reasonable price. Having some IR halo issues (big thread on that) but otherwise really like the features and picture.

I'm looking to add a decent PT/Z network cam for my barn area, would like to keep it below $1000. Just viewing the horses, not needed for "true" surveillance or anything fancy. Want one that's compatible with my Aver EH6108H hybrid DVR and is sensitive to IR illumination. Won't be doing a lot of manipulating with the pan/tilt/zoom but will on occasion. Most of the models I've been looking at quote a max temp range of 112F-122F. Am curious if that's a hard an fast rule, and the risk if that's exceeded for an extended period of time. Am assuming it means shortened life of the cam, and at worse potential malfunction, but am curious on opinions or experience. I'm in the Phoenix AZ area. It will be protected from the elements for the most part, will not be in direct sunlight, but could get wet if wind driven rain (doesn't happen often out there). Planning on having it in a protective dome for rain/dust, am guessing it will need a cooling fan. It will be at the peak of a 15' metal roof, no barrier or insulation on the underside, so in the summer will easily hit those max temp numbers for extended periods during the day. I've measured the roof temp, with sun hitting it, at 130+ before. Do I need a special (ie: more expensive cam) to do the job? Or am I better off spending the money on multiple bullet cams which I know can handle the heat (at least my analog ones have so far) to cover the blind spots?

Cool, please post how it goes. Mine's installed on my barn so won't be able to get to it for a few days.

I've been attempting resolution through their tech support too. After several emails and finally begging for someone to at least reply, they finally called me and agreed to send out a new IR ring (the part that's supposed to sit tight against the inside of the lens cover). They did send it right away but it was the wrong one. In fact I'm not even sure what it was they sent, it's not even close. The idea I was going to try, posted about earlier, was to (carefully) use black silicone and affix the front part of the IR "hood" to the back of the lens cover. So basically when you put the lens cover back on it will slide over the lens and eliminate IR leak, at least from the lens cover portion. The hood would have to be trimmed just a bit on the part that goes towards the inside of the cam otherwise it will fit too snug and will be very hard to get the lens cover back off again. I tested this theory using a lens cover from an old analog cam I had laying around with a similar setup (they had a small hood that went over the lens which was attached to the lens cover). The lens cover was an almost exact fit so I put it on and it indeed got rid of the IR bleed. Was wanting to try and fix it the "right way" before I start hacking in something like that, but at this point they aren't leaving me much choice.

That brings up an interesting/related question. I've been looking at other similar IP cams and ran across this one: http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelDetail?storeId=11201&catalogId=13051&itemId=474651 It's obviously missing IR illuminators but was curious if I have dedicated IR illuminators (which I do) will this cam be able to pick them up? For whatever it's worth the IP8332 IR can be disabled which is nice (and solves the halo issue), but I may not always have the room/ability to setup a dedicated IR for each cam.

I got one email from them asking for the model number and then it went silent. I'm going to call them today, not expecting much. I do have an idea on how to repair myself, I'll post pics/info if it comes to that.

Do they have to be IP cams? If you have an available CAT5 cable that's connecting you to the remote building, and distance is within a couple thousand feet, you could use video baluns (1 pair of the 4 pairs to carry 1 signal; 2 cams would require a total of 2 pairs).

With all the talk of Aver DVR's flying around wanted to toss this one into the mix. I contacted Aver sales and they said they are currently out of stock on the IR remote control for the EH series DVR's. Does anyone know of an alternative IR remote that will work, or somewhere other than Aver that I can purchase? I don't have or know the model number of the remote, and there is scant information available when I try to find via search. My EH6108 DVR is inbound and would like to have the IR remote on hand when it arrives.

The actual remote control, not the IR cable. it comes free in the box with the dvr (1) EH1004H-4 Nano unit (2) Quick Installation Guide (3) Software CD (User’s Manual is included) (4) Remote Control(Batteries are included)(5) Power adaptor (6) Power Cord * The power cord varies depending on the standard power outlet of the country where it is sold. (7) Screws for HDD installation Sorry, should have been more specific... It's for an EH6108. I just double checked the manual and it's listed as an "optional" accessory.

The actual remote control, not the IR cable.

Isn't the OS baked into the DVR's mainboard? ie: Hard drive not required to use DVR? I've been using a G4 DVR for years without a hard drive installed. Haven't tried recording to my NAS though.

I've tried a lot of different setups and noticed when indoors the halo is either not there or bare noticeable. Outside where there's essentially no "background" for the IR light to hit it's quite noticeable. I'm pretty sure it's the rubber "hood" that goes over the lens and touches the front glass/protective lens. If I pressed lightly on that lens with the end barrel removed, the halo would appear/disappear. I'm guessing it's shrunk a bit or has some pits in the rubber that lets light through. I did hear from Vivotek support this afternoon asking me to confirm the model number of the cam, I'll let you know what I find out.

Thanks for the info, you may have something there. I noticed when the front of the cam was apart the glass lens was highly reflective on both sides, gave off a bluish hint of color when held at an angle.

Follow up: I took the front part of the camera apart and could tell the little "hood" (circled in red in picture) that separates the lens from the IR light wasn't lined up quite right on the black ring masking of the front glass (see lower half of lens in second pic). Got it aligned up and put back together but having the same exact problem. What's odd is I tested it in a dark room in the house before moving it outside and didn't notice any halo. It's really dark out there so definitely not any external lights bleeding through nor any reflective surfaces. So either I didn't get it lined up correctly, or the hood thingy isn't completely touching the glass due to shrinkage, or it's just faulty. Disappointed because I'm otherwise impressed with the quality. Still waiting to hear back from Vivotek support.

Out of curiosity do you have a proxy setup in IE, or auto detect turned on? (Tools, Internet Options, Connections tab, LAN Settings) Both of those could slow the initial load. Otherwise not sure but as you said doesn't really matter if the viewer is working. All this is good info for me too as I'll be getting an Aver hybrid very soon.

Have you tried deleting temp files from your IE cache? I know that's about as common as telling someone to restart their PC (yes, I'm in IT support - lol) but it seems to resolve a lot of issues when IE's behavior changes. Definitely as Tom said... run IE in admin mode. That one slipped by me since I'm still on XP for the most part where you don't have to do all that jazz.

I don't have any personal experience with that DVR but sounds like it may not like IE9. Have you tried setting compatibility mode in IE9 "on"? Do you have another PC or laptop you can use that has IE8 or even older version of IE on it to test with? I also don't think you'll need to worry about ports unless you want to view live/recorded video remotely (work, vaction, etc). That being the case you'll need to setup some port forwarding in your router. If you're not sure how to do that search on your router model number and "port forwarding", you'll surely find step by step instructions on how to do that.

Thanks a lot, I'll check it out

I'm likely going to buy my Aver through Provantage. There's a few cheaper places but PV has a good combination of price/reputation.

Which hybrid you looking at? I'm pretty sure I'm going the Aver hybrid route myself, was looking at the EH5108 but noticed they just replaced it with the EH6108 which is slowly appearing on retail sites. Looks to be a near exact replacement except it allows for higher resolution on all channels. I know it's "lower end" but my needs are very simple, mainly monitoring the horses. I also have a Synology NAS that I could use instead but like the options/advantages of the DVR, mainly that I can easily output to my TV's and control with an IR remote without having to mess with a PC based setup (even though I'm a PC geek).

I've done some reading and a hybrid DVR, one that can handle both IP and analog cam input, is something that may meet the needs for my setup. Aside from the usual basic DVR functionality I want to be able to hook up 8-16 cams and be able to access remotely via web browser. I'm looking for a standalone DVR but if there's something PC based with similiar functionality I'd look at that too. So far I've found the AverMedia EH2516+ http://www.avermedia.com/AVerDiGi/Product/Detail.aspx?id=194 which is very close to what I'm wanting, but before I make the purchase decision was curious if there's other brands/manufacturers out there that I should be looking at. I've done some searches here and on Google but haven't found very much in the way of information. Anyone have any comments or suggestions?

Via google I see the 5116 available from a few reputable sellers here in the states so appears it can at least be purchased here, for now anyway. Guessing they don't stock and it's a special order but if you're not in a hurry probably doesn't matter. As for the software issues in 7.7... assuming you have a unit with that on it can it be patched/downgraded to fix that? I'm also concerned a little that it's "old", at least in computer years. Then again they aren't doing so well with the updated version!

I like the specs on the SA models but probably just a tad much for what I need. I see Avermedia also has a EH5116 model which I'm assuming is older than the 5216 but not sure what the differences between the two are. Curious also if it has the same negatives as the 5216.

Try 12345 as the password, this is the default on my 16ch Gen IV DVR.

Just following up to see if anyone else has feedback on IP cams that meet or come close to the requirements Rory mentioned above (aside from the wiring challenges which appears may have an semi-easy solution). I looked at the Vivoteks (thanks wireguys) and saw the PT7330 reasonably priced, relatively speaking, at a few places when I googled it. PT7330 on the Vivotek site: http://www.vivotek.com/products/model.php?network_camera=ip7330 Anyone have experience with it and/or other ones that come close to it?