odd ballz

Better solution, in my opinion, is to use a TV with composite input. You'll get better resolution on your TV (compared to the VGA monitor.) You will need to buy a BNC (male) to RCA (female) adaptor. Ebay is your friend. VGA adaptor = $40-$50... BNC-RCA adaptor = $2

I agree with Lolo Wolf. When I started my project, I started with a camera only (great specs, no brand name) for outdoor monitoring. I was impressed with the near zero light image (Lux 0). Wiki: Lux Defined You'll need a camera with infrared (IR) which produces it's own "light" so the camera can see. For comparison purposes, it's like being in a pitch black room at night; but you saw everything as if it wasn't dark... mind you, it was b/w, but you can see... almost as clear as day i.e. Survivor TV series at night. I used a regular VCR to record a timed event like a TV show, and played it back on my TV for viewing purposes. It was my "eyes" while I slept comfortably. I then upgraded to a basic hard drive DVR for low cost since I was new. I went with a AV760m. I guess I got lucky since it seems to be a good unit, but for now, it serves it's purpose. Since then, I've added other cameras and the system is grown to 4 cameras. Will I increase quality? Yes, but for now, I will continue to "play" with my system... always learning something new. Is it a toy? Absolutely not! It's a security tool to help me understand everything that happens when we aren't at home, at night, and just about every thing in between. I know exactly when the delivery guy comes (got it on video), and if anyone is snooping in my mailbox. Rest assured, the time and money spent in a quality system can pay big dividends when required (i.e. local vandalism, or loitering). Think of it as an insurance policy... no one wants to pay into a program that may never help you out, but one day, when you really need it, you'll be happy you did. Think quality. That is, if you think you'll need quality. 380 lines resolution is fine for TV... 600 lines resolution may be overkill... so why not choose something in the middle like 420 lines? What's the difference? Google is your friend... you'll see actual image comparisons with various lux light conditions and camera field of views.

Yes, it can seem to be overwhelming. But I see you are interested in learning, so the time will go by quickly. It's better to be somewhat knowledgeable, then having no knowledge especially when having to discuss your requirements to a vendor or if you plan on doing a "do it yourself" project. If you don't have a home security system, i.e. alarmed doors and windows, then I would highly suggest you start there. The DVR camera system can integrated into it (yes, it will be more for you to learn). Do these companies (ADT, etc) have knowledge? I can't vouch for them though they are trying to get customers to install camera security in my area. I'm sure you will do great... after all, we were all there at one time... and for me, well, I continue to learn from these great people here. If you want interesting reading, check out the posts on the casino cameras... talk about high tech stuff... facial recognition, tracking cameras, etc... and expensive!

eyes, No need to double post. It may have been an accident since you are new here. Users here do read posts. Having the same issue posted in different areas may discourage folks from answering. We'll answer your questions with the original post. Hope my reply wasn't too negative.

If you are "clueless", "new" or anything similar then that isn't a problem; but, you have to help us out by showing us you really are interested in this technology and to do a lot of your own research. Why? I'd imagine there have been times, when people come here for suggestions that they aren't willing to pay a company for answers to their questions. Is it a big deal? It could be. IMHO, this forum exists to offer suggestions and possible solutions, but not necessarily do the work for you (and I don't been installing it). There are many users here that own and operate there own companies. There are "brand" names we discuss, but you'll soon discover in your research that an identical item can have 4-5 "other" brand names. Brand name? Everything seems to be built in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other Asian countries so I will not suggest "brand names". I believe most of us read the specifications, hence the importance of your requirements, and I'd suggest you follow that path. Doing business at Walmart, Costco, or other retail business has advantages. But you must weigh the options on savings, convenience, and quality. I'd vote you won't get them all doing business at major retail store. You will at a local security company like some of the folks here. In addition, you will get quality and timely support... my opinion, you will not get that at Walmart. So here's a breakdown of your requirements: a. Under $1000. You can buy a system from someone here, major retail outlet, or online. Suggest you look at specs and reputation of seller (not brand name). b. 4 cameras - wireless only. The Walmart camera could work for you. I know nothing about it other than this: Link to Walmart Astak CM-906D2 . Does it allow you to distinguish camera 1 from camera 4? I don't know. Does it have special cables? I don't know. Have you googled it? c. Record time is a plus: Depends on your requirements (record 4 cameras or 1 camera), at what resolution, how often record (24/7, motion sense driven, scheduled time), size of hard drive, # of hard drives DVR can handle. d. No internet networking: Most ever DVR will have networking, email, and ftp capability. e. Night vision at 30-50': Basic rule of thumb. If requirement is X feet, then you will need a camera able to see 2 times X feet (50' reqt = 100' spec). Night vision published distances is always 50% less for usable viewing distance. Walmart camera says 45'; usuable (you can see facial feature) is only 22.5'. f. Soffit install: See other posts for suggestions or google is your friend. g. Monitor viewing: TV is better resolution picture; computer monitor requires special VGA adaptor at $50. h. BW or color: BW = better sensitivity, higher resolution; color: usually does both, but not always IR for night viewing. Usually powered by 12VDC w/500ma (or higher current). i. 4 camera recording, DVR: MPEG-4 or H.264. Most all have networking capability whether you need it or not. Can view all 4 channels at once. Motion sensor activated in standard in most DVRs. Come in flavors of 4 ch, 8 ch, 16 ch, 32 ch, 64 ch, and higher. Cost baseline: Each channel is about $50 each WITHOUT hard drive so 4 ch = $200 j. Cables: Typical cable is Siamese cable (RG-59). Typical connectors: cameras: 2.1mm for power and BNC for video; DVRs: BNC. Note: Costco systems use RCA. Easy to buy adaptors are available to change connector types. k. Position of camera is crucial. It's like hunting. Is there a corridor where people "must" walk because it is obstructed by bushes, fence, pond, etc. That's your target area where you will most likely capture your event. Does this help? Again, I you'll need to know more research. This isn't an easy task or decision. And there is LOTS for you to learn. If you have the willpower, and the time, then this forum is EXCELLENT. The people here are super brilliant. But if you want this project to be easy, then it's always best to speak with a local specialty seller some of whom you will find here. Hope this helps, Odd Ballz

all-eyes-open, Are you serious? Walmart has quality security cameras? I'll stop by tonight and check it out. Are you looking for quality video or just "video"? The difference is VCR quality or HDTV quality? Do you need to see at night? How far away? Is it pitch black, or do you have a lot of light pollution from the streets? Are you mounting cameras under the soffit, against a wall, on a tree? There are many questions you must consider before finding a solution. I'm sure a lot of us can give you "a" solution, but help us understand your situation. Is someone with mechanical savvy going to help install? We like to share information, but need to know your commitment level to this security project. How much information have you learned from reading the other posts? Odd Ballz p.s. $500? Buy cheap, get cheap (more or less). It'll be tough to get close to this price. 4 IR outside cameras, 4-ch MPEG-4 DVR, hard drive, cabling, power supplies, wireless tx/rx, adaptors, and tv monitor: $700-$800.

John, helpme, First thing you'll need to collect is: a. What e-mail service do you use, and what is its outgoing smtp mail server? SMTP Wiki SMTP Server List Link b. You'll need to know your user name and password. We'll take it to the next step then. It's quite easy! In fact, if I'm not mistaken, there is a step-by-step in this forum. It takes about 5 mins to configure your AVC760. Anyway, find your information... and we'll go from there. Odd Ballz

Have you contacted your vendor? First off, is the firmware available at your vendor's site? If so, then contact them explaining that you followed the steps. What support can they provide you?

If only it had H.264. Then again, this model--> DVR-470 does come equipped with it but downgrades to IDE (up to 2TB). Cost = ? I guess it's another OEM brand relabeled for "Planet", but from from AvTech. http://www.planet.com.tw/en/product/product_ov.php?id=10383

Call it crazy, but looking through the manuals... it follows the same format as the AVTech-760 (4 ch) but with SATA option. Even the screen shots of the man at the desk has been copied.

I'm game. I'll start playing with ftp this week. I have it sending me mail attachments when it triggers an event... and I can access it from work via TCP/UDP... but ftp is something I haven't played with yet. I see another post out with one person trying to pull ftp from the pc, rather than push. That sounds interesting, and one would think it would be possible. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. I'll keep everyone posted on my trials. Good luck, Odd Ballz Testing AVC760M

I think scorpion has it on his website, and he does frequent the boards so you may get an answer tomorrow. Did you back up your original firmware prior to doing this? If so, you'll need to reload the original firmware over it. I haven't played with the firmware item yet. Good luck, and keep us informed as to your troubleshooting.

Those settings look fine. Have you done a "setup" of your motion sensor to highlight areas that need to change before it records motion? I had a tree in the background that triggered my camera way too often. I eventually blocked out the icon that displayed that tree branch, and all is fine now. Got the UPS guy delivering mail on Friday... and he even looked up at the camera with some concern! So do check your "setup" on the same page you see those settings, and highlight areas where you think a criminal would have to travel before triggering it. Also, check your other settings. Did you accidentally leave Manual record on? Timer schedule record on? It defaults as "No" recording for each one, but who knows what could have changed. Give us some feedback as to what you are doing, and especially if you are leaving the "whole" screen as a trigger area. I would recommend against it, and customize your area of intent. Cheers, Odd Ballz

Hi Sauerkraut, Nothing wrong. Thanks for asking. I went to the AVTech site, and they are now selling a SATA-to-IDE adaptor for use in the IDE version DVRs. I found them on eBay (shipped from Hong Kong), and seem to be the same item. Cost is $6 shipped. Search for key words "sata ide adaptor". I'll probably purchase one since I'm not ready to buy a new DVR yet.

Rory, I successfully added a 2nd HDD to my AV760M. I used an external power supply to feed juice to the 2nd unit. I did not want to risk burning out the PS from the modular unit. Set it on CS (cable select) setting. Replaced the original single connector IDE ribbon with a 2 connector cable. The system recognized both drives, and provided access to both. Shows up as Master-1 and Slave-2. I'd imagine we should be able to push these units to 1TB using 2, 500GB drives... heck, we should be able to drive this to 1.5TB with 2, 750GB drives. That'd be nice! I'd like to add a DVD burner, but I'll have to see where that leads. I do have a couple spares, so parts aren't a problem. It's the firmware, and maybe since I got the ol' cheapo version, it doesn't have full capability. Still wondering if I could use a newer model firmware and extend the features... hmmmm..... that'd be something.