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I've used the analog 484 pano domes and loved them. They are pricey but for a reason. I am tempted to try out the Pano MP's but I read you have to be certified or something like that in order for a distributor to sell them?? Not sure what this entails, maybe some online course of some sort? But ya, I have a customer which would have 18 cameras with 3 of them needing MP's because of the coverage area required. Was looking to use just 1.3s. I've been researching the crap out of this to the point of many many hours and having a hard time finding matching camera bodies. I just think it looks corny when you go into a place and there are different body styles installed. I mean some are ok like a dome and a ptz and a box are expected to be different. I can find dome with True D/N, WD or no WD and not True D/N etc and all share the same body but no luck with Megapixel and analog body styles. Thanks for the leads

Has anyone tried something like this. There coming out with all sorts of cool convenient cables now. http://www.amasecurity.com/1000_PowerWatch_IP_CAT5_Siamese_Cable_24_4pr_p/cat5-p-cable-1000.htm I googled Cat 5 Siamese just to see if there was such a thing.

Got a potential customer who has a large building and a need/want for 8 PTZ Cameras. He is not opposed to IP Cameras just to make that part clear. When he built the place he ran fiber to each location where he expected to put a PTZ camera. There is power available at each location. Going the analog way I need to run each video signal back to a control room over the fiber cable and I wonder if the PTZ control can be made to run over fiber as well? I am so green with this you have no idea and I have no idea where to start. There must some kind of converter requirement at each camera location to get video and data signals converted to optical and in the control room maybe some kind of fiber hub? I've read about a possible termination kit required also? If they are analog cameras I assume a regular DVR would be fine? Don't ask why he put fiber. THis is something the guy did when he built the place. Thanks

I know battery stuff has been discussed before but why not again just to refresh the bruises Got a constuction company that had some problems this past weekend in the tune of over $20k. They want a DVR and 2 cameras with a setup that utilizes deep cell batteries and they want it to run for one week. I'm familiar with amp hour calculations and the like but maybe someone has done something like this with specific hardware successfully and will save me from trying to reinvent the wheel We're looking for true day/night cameras (maybe non-IR bullets) with varifocal lenses (unsure what is specifically required for focal length at the moment). DVR needs to have a low current draw but that is tough when you have a hard drive always spinning. Wondering if there is a DVR that utilizes a low power 2.5" laptop drive (although I'm sure I could just use an adapter for this). There not interested in solar considering on the east coast it's been overcast and rain for like 95% of the summer . Thanks

Thanks for the replies. Well it looks like I have a million different paths I could take. They could go with a more inexpensive type setup which encompasses a custom built system all the way up to costly solutions. I left a few questions to the customer in regards to exactly what they are looking for. At the moment I have no real direction to go it appears. Does anyone have experience with building something like this using a mobile type DVR and low power cameras? Wondering what has been proven to work. Thanks

So I got (2) 4 cam licenses on a customers video server that we built. We built a 3TB (RAID 5) Core 2 Quad, 4GB mem (only ~3GB usable NTFS limitations). DVD burner, XP PRO all in a 3U rack mount Antec case. PC kicks butt right? WRONG!! NUUO seems to bog it down really bad and I'm not sure exactly why. We had 4 and now 5 Acrecont 3130 cameras attached to it and that is all going through a gigabit Cisco switch. Performance was sluggish with 4 so now you can imagine 5 cameras. I have a full Gigabit connection to the switch and the max BPS I've seen was a bit over 100mbps according to the NUUO software as I was looking at it. It may spike well over that at times but STILL it's a gigabit switch. By sluggish I am speaking of when selecting any feature such video playback will result in an extremely long processing time before the playback window will pop up. So slow in fact that you are tempted to push the playback button again. What can I do to the operating system or PC to improve performance? The customer does have AVG running in the background and demands that it stay there. We've disabled auto updates and what not but just can't get the performance to improve. I just setup an auto PC reboot for once a week in hopes to clear cache etc. How are people running so many MP cameras on a DVR if just using 4 is bogging down this Core 2 QUAD? Maybe decrease recording quality (right now set to HIGH) or decrease FPS (right now set to 10)? Please offer me up some suggestions as this is buggin me. I quoted out some good size projects with NUUO hardware and software but if performance is this bad on a power house PC I'm afraid to see larger setups. This current customer will be expanding this setup to about 9 cameras (not all MP) in the future. Thanks

Just for accuracy, the ~3GB RAM limit is a function of running a 32-bit operating system, not NTFS. That's right the limit with NTFS was the 2TB partition size I believe. I had considered going 64 bit with the OS but that would not have added any value with the partition size so I left it at the 32 Bit as I figured 3GB would be plenty. I didn't install a separate drive for the OS as I probably should have because the 3U chassis only held 3 drives so I opted to put (3) 1TB drives and RAID 5 them. Having the swap and video recording all on one drive probably is not helping matters as hindsight seems to be showing me. The customer is supposed to be adding a SAN shortly and I told him to allocate space for video as the 2TB only hold about 2 weeks with the 5 cameras. The cameras are on motion record with a 5 second pre-event and 10 second post-event. He had it set to 60 second post and we just lowered that to 10 this past week so I'm anxious to see what adds to the recording time. I'm not familiar with the NUUO, but I have seen similar symptoms with Vigil DVRs. In their case, you have to allocate an amount of RAM to the MSSQL database that it stores all its search tables in... if the size of that database grows beyond the allocated memory, it has to swap it to disk, and that REALLY bogs down searches. The solution there is to allocate more RAM to the database (and add more to the system, if necessary). Of course, if you've JUST put this machine together, something like that SPECIFICALLY shouldn't be the case... but it's an avenue to look at: memory and resource allocation to certain processes? I'll let it ride a bit as I'm not sure if this will help but it will be on my list of things to look at in the future. As you stated it is a new install (about 3 weeks now) and it has been like this since day one. Have you tried adding exceptions to AVG, for the video data drives, video file types, or anything else related to the NVR software? I have a home PVR built around SnapStream's BeyondTV software, and one of the first things they recommend to improve performance is to set exceptions in your antivirus for the video folders and video file types (*.AVI, *.MPG, *.WMV, etc.). I found it didn't have much effect for SDTV, but making those tweaks to Avast! Antivirus made a HUGE difference when recording HDTV. I haven't thought about exceptions. That's a great idea to try and I'll try to remote in this week when the customer is in the office in order to try this out. Funny, I've used SnapStream in the past. I really liked that piece of software! Maybe I'll get a NUUO rep to respond to this issue as well. They hopefully have some ideas for me also. Thanks

The RAID card is a HighPoint RocketRaid 1740 Thanks for the reply. The Mini is built specifically for for this though and I don't think it is comparable but I could be wrong. Mini doesn't have microsoft services in the background running for nothing probably and a slew of other microsoft back ground junk to bog the system down if that is the case with me. Nothing else is loaded on this system just the NUUO Software and the Arecont configuration software oh and the AVG.

I have a customer with 5 Arecont 3130 cameras. They got 4 currently installed and they want one more installed next week. I used NUUO NVR IP+ software installed on a Core 2 QUAD. The final project for this customer will be a mix of analog and IP cameras and spanned over 5 sites. They like NUUO so far for it's simplicity. There not having to call me whenever they need to do a simple search and they are really happy with the picture quality.

Funny....I actually find that Ganz cost me less than the identical CBC one. Not sure why it's different for me.

Has anyone had any experience with PIR sensors in really cold (sub -30F) temperatures. I am currently replacing an Optex beam sensor for a customer because the posts he has them on keep moving and the sensor fails to work all the time. I selected another Optex sensor except a PIR LX-402 but it goes no where near the cold temps I need it to be. Reading the specs of the unit that I replaced it was not speced that low either but appeared to work in the cold. I may find that this one might work as well at that cold but I'm not sure. Any other rugged outdoor sensor MFG you can point out. The Optex europe company has really cool microwave hybrid sensors but there not available in the U.S. Thanks

I ended up buying a Crow EDS-3000 which has the microwave technology. I've heard the Optex beams work good in the cold as well but I couldn't find what I wanted from them as a replacement. We'll see how the Crow works.

I am also waiting for the 7004 and 7008 card. I was told mid June for availability through distribution so I have already started quoting them. Now I'm hoping there will be no delay in release or no major issues. Let it be known that I have had great experience so far with NUUO support. My customers appear to really like the interface and I find it much easier to explain than the GV systems I used to build.

Great links. I have an argumentive question for debate. What determines each category? What determines how many pixels it takes to read a license plate? Is there a clarity filter of some sort or is it just that someone sits there and keeps increasing the pixel density until they could read it. Once they read it do they keep increasing the density until it becomes clear? I mean I just don't understand this very clearly I guess. Is the pixel density listed the least recommended for each category?

Software seems to be very useful. A couple questions regarding object size calculation to determine whether identification will be possible. Does it take into account the camera resolution? Using a 3 megapixel camera with a 6mm lens you may be able to get identification from a long distance where a 530TVL analog camera will not. Wondering if this software can help the selling feature of megapixel versus analog. It's in the amount of pixels present in the video which will determine if identification is possible. Don't mean to threadjack, maybe this belongs in another thread but I saw it here so be it Thanks.

It may be because of a very early start this morning to go do a site visit but I could have sworn I saw on here someplace where someone left a link to a balun that allowed the adaption of an IP Megapixel cam over existing CCTV Analog RG59 cable. For the life of me I can find it but then again maybe I stumbled across while sleepwalking!!! There is such a device right? I know I saw it someplace. Basically a customer has Siamese installed and instead of ripping everything out of his nicely finished house he wants to use the existing cables to upgrade to megapixel cams. Has anyone used these before? What has been your experience and which MFG did you find lived up to the quality expectations of the right balun? Thanks

YES! That's where I saw it......I wasn't sleep walking Thanks a ton G-MEN....It is now bookmarked

A better place than the white circle to put that outside camera would be in the corner near that door. If you were to put a camera on the outside location where you have the circle it would be very easy to bypass that camera by entering from the opposite side of the entrance there. Put yourself a vandal proof dome in that corner or right above the door. As far as the inside goes it's hard to tell from pictures where the ajoining walls are. Your lucky it's just drywall and it's in a stock room. I've had installs where the ceiling are knotty pine etc... Look to where you want to locate the camera and find where the ceiling rafters are with a stud finder. It's very easy to cut yourself a square hole inbetween the rafters and then put up a new piece when you're done, tape it, mud it, sand it and paint....done. Just need to get yourself a decent hole to work through so you can snake your cables from one side of the wall to the other. If you put the camera in the corner of a shared wall and you could get to the attic space on the other side you may also be able to drill up at an angle with a long bit from the location of the camera in order to get in the space above. Once you're there you can use techniques that Scorpion has on his site for snaking cables from the outside soffits to the inside attic space. A few more thoughts for you.

I've dealt with Extreme CCTV cams, Panasonic, Arm and various unmarked cams. I'm not trying to find alternatives to an all Pelco solution that a customer has received a quote on from someone else. I know there are very good alternatives out there but not with a few caviats that make me shy away. I've looked at Nuvico, Panasonic and even Ganz. The cameras I'm looking to find alternatives to are the IS90-CHV9 and the IS111-DNV9 as well as a DVR DVR5108DVD-500. I'm concerned with the cameras. These cameras appear to have WDR functions as well as high res and Day/Night functions. Prices are OK for them but I am not a Pelco fan. I looked at Panasonic and the prices are higher although I do love those SDIII cams! The problem I found is difference in the dome appearance from a 484 dome to a 284 dome. I don't want the different domes outside appearance to be so obvious. SO.....I looked at Nuvico and honestly could not really find what I wanted there. I then looked at Ganz which bang for the buck appears to be a decent camera but I could not find a good Day/Night camera that also has WDR plus I'm not sure about there WDR performance. I'm back at the drawing board. I guess I could look into Sony, Samsung or even Toshiba but I've had bad experience with Toshiba cams in the past. Basically....sum it up. Looking for a MFG that has different model domes which look the same on the exterior. It's for a health center and some locations are bright due to windows and some have no natural light at all. This potential project has 5 locations so they want all remote connectivity. Pelco not the only cat in town and I know there are lower cost alternatives with probably better quality. Thoughts?

Where the entrance is...is there a vinyl ceiling there? If there is maybe you could remove a few tiles of the ceiling over that entrance to expose the rafter of the overhang. Can you get do that? It is possible that the rafters on the main building and roof of the over hang would allow a through way for a cable to pass. Another way not recommended in my book but could get you by in a pinch is to pass the cable to that one camera behind the vinyl siding if that is what you got there. Get the cable to at least the crawl space of where you can get to. Or you could run some conduit.

Thanks Guys. Have you tried the 4000 series WDR cameras? How do they compare to the, IMO, number one Panasonic SDIII CP484? This customer wants to have a camera in the waiting room that has windows nearby and by a loading dock with a large garage door. I'm pretty sure I could beat Pelco priced equipment with a Ganz solution but I have not really used the Ganz so this is sort of an experiment at the same time. Thanks

Hey Folks, We're doing a trade show this weekend and have had some strnge requests for installations. One in particular stands out and is really the only one I want to look into. I have one guy that stopped by and they have a large lake organization. They have had a number of breakins and want to be able to capture vehicle license plates for all traffic going into their lake front road. They have a choke point where the road forms a T and this would be the best spot to place a probably LPR. Now the difficult part there is no power or no way to pass cables. I suggested they try a game camera and they already did but the problem was that the IR flash lit up the plate. Does anyone know of some specialized camera that I could maybe suggest to them where it could record a photo or video locally and run independant of power? Thanks, Chuck

survtech, great maybe you can give me some idea of how good they are. Have you used there 5000 series domes? Wondering how good the WDR is. How about a camera that is true D/N and WDR? I did not see one on there site. Thanks

RickA. Ya I took a look at what you had to offer. I don't see what I am looking for on this install. Thanks for your suggestion.

Thanks for all the great ideas. The customer states that the camp organization has money for a solution but fails to tell me how much they have. They have no power at all there and really want to capture license plates. I've suggested LPR but that is as far as I go due to power issues. So I was back at maybe figuring out the inexpensive game camera solution. I thought about the IR Filter approach and wondered if it would help. I would hate to purchase only to find out it doesn't work as I hoped. I have no experience with going a solar powered route with battery and honestly wouldn't know where to start here. Has anyone used a solar panel and battery for no power situations? What kind of system do you need and how long will it operate without sun (granted you need to know power draw to accurately answer this). Any cameras with maybe local recording such as with a memory card of some sort? So the solution is of figuring out maybe a low cost game camera solution or a high cost solar power solution. Since the choke point for this install is at a T intersection getting the angle right may be difficult do to an infinite number of angles the vehicle could be sitting at when they arrive at the intersection. The road here is gravel. Thanks, this is a fun one and I'm not sure if we can do it without it costing many thousands of $$.