CSG

No, that's what the grocery bag was for!!

I was wondering how you switch the coax feed from the BW cam to the color cam, through the relay?

I would think that an Ademco product, even if it isOEM, is more polished that most of the other stuff out there. Better software, better documentation instead of Chiglish and buggy software. I would think they test their DVRs on a wide variety of OS's & PC's. Can't say for sure as I haven't tried one.

aww schucks!

After drilling with the hole saw I bevel the sharp edges & burrs with a Dremel tool and grindstone. Then I put electrical tape around the hole to protect the coax. If would be better to use a short piece of vinyl tubing or hose as a short conduit past the sharp edges, and run your coax in that. I don't seal the holes since I haven't done a fireproof safe for DVR use. A fireproof safe is usually lined with a gypsum like material in the walls. In the event of fire the gypsum releases moisture that helps to cool the safe contents, and it acts as an insulator too. If the fire gets so hot the safe is ruined, I think that's the least of your worries. Ideally the safe should be installed over a concrete footing poured with 3/4" studs inserted in the wet concrete, bolted to the interior. That way the crooks don't cart the safe off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CSG when you install a dvr in a safe do you keep the holes open? Or do you use grommets or seals? Most safe doors have a plastic looking gasket. Doesn't look like it will seal the door, but during a fire the heat makes the gasket expand and completely seal the door from smoke. Usually if the gasket expands the safe has been exposed to too much heat and you need to get a new safe.

You can get a decent gun safe for under $1200.00. Some of the lightweight ones (gun cabinets) cost around $300 and are sturdy enough. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0034768227718a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnString=hasJS=true&_D... http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jhtml?id=0032744227405a&type=product&cmCat=cchart_gun_saf_cabs

awwww comon, i didnt look that bad at the show

Actually some gun safes come with a 110v little heater to keep moisture off the guns/prevent rust. The DVR will do that task!

Had a doberman jump me once, a shot from my .380 pocket pistol corrected his attitude. As I fired the shot off a draw it struck low and the bullet mowed the grass between his paws. The dog retreated and a second shot wasn't required.

I want to try some more GE's (I used a Digia-4 and was very happy with it), just that Corporate GE is user unfriendly. If they came out with a Digia-8 priced at $1000-$1500 that would be awesome. I went to ISC East last summer and GE wasn't there (neither was DM for that matter). I might have to look at Ademco stuff again, at least they take dealer support seriously.

I've installed DVR's in gun safes, its a great idea. If a crook sees cameras, he knows there's a recording device somewhere, just have to find it and steal that too. A weak point in any CCTV system is theft of the Tapes/DVR/recordings, or tampering with the recording device (like dishonest employees). Safes keep the DVR/VCR secured. Haven't had any temperature issues, there is enough air volume inside for the DVR to stay cool. Plus, the steel of the safe naturally conducts heat to the outside. I use a 1" hole saw and a 1/2" electric drill to make a few holes on the side of the safe to run cables in. Most gun safe safes are mild steel about .250" thick or less. You can also use a DVR lockbox provided it is properly anchored to the wall or floor.

Rory, In the States Dedicated Micros are priced competitvely with GE stuff, and the DM Ecco 9 is substantially less than anything from GE in the 8-9 channel category. Also IMOP GE's website and dealer support suck when compared to DM. I've been asking the GE local rep for assistance for months and keep getting ignored. Can't even get some cutsheets from them. DM's local rep will do trade shows with me, help with a job, and provide on site tech support for a problem job. I don't abuse the privilege but it's nice to know they are there if I need it.

DVR's work their harddrive intensely because they are constantly writing to the drive, unlike a PC where the drive is idle most of the time. So it's the drive that usually goes bad, and many DVR's will require factory service to replace the drive. If Phillips considers that DVR "end of life" they may refuse to service it. DVR's depreciate rapidly due to the release of newer models with bigger drives and better features. So the value of the DVR your considering would depend on the amount of channels, and the drive capacity, relative to what's available on the market new today.

An alarm system tells you when and where you are being broken into the moment it happens. A video system is after the fact, and it still doesn't tell you who did it. (Or some guy with a hooded sweatshirt, or ballcap & sunglasses). At my house the police response is 5 minutes. If I accidentally set off my alarm I sit out on the front stairs because that's how fast they come. I have clients where the burglar alarm went off and the police caught the guy in the act. I dispute the notion of 98% false alarms, because they are not false alarms when in fact the system functioned properly but detected someone other than a burglar. Police departments like to throw out that number when they try to calculate how much it is costing them. But they don't take into account how many more patrol cars & detectives they would need if there were no alarm systems at all, and burglars could enter any building undetected. If folks don't think burglar alarms work, then why do most local, state, & government buildings have them (like FBI field offices, and DOD.) That the infectiveness of them helps our industry alot. Because most of the time the person is never caught. Because what is an alarm going to tell you besides the fact that you had been broken into? If the suspect is gone. You have no video. Pretty much they were able to tell you that you were broken into. You would have figured that out. When we had to go through the NBFAA certification the guy that heads the Arkansas BFAA said and I quote, "the national average is not measured in minutes its measured in hours. We are allowed to call the police once an hour. And we will call 3 times to ensure they have responded". Thats real assuring. You might say that that is the polices fault for the response time. Well if the alarm industry did not have a 98% false alarm rating they would respond faster. What other industry can you think of that you can fail 98% of the time and still be in business?

If I was a defense attorney I'd take the same camera and DVR and record a lineup with 6 individuals at the same distance, and see if the jury could pickout the defendant, beyond a reasonable doubt. It takes more than video footage to get a conviction.

Alarm systems are a very important part of security. What good is reviewing video footage of a break in unless the burglars have their social security number tattooed across their forehead? And you can't monitor your DVR 24/7. Motion sensing functionality from a CCTV system is not as reliable as contacts, PIR's, shock sensors, and beams. With alarm systems, yes, some areas have slow to non-existant police response. But some areas have very good police response. For instance with my building, the central station can always reach me on my cell phone, and tell me which zones were tripped. If i'm near a computer I can log in to my DVR and see what's going on. If I verifed a break in and called the local precinct, they would respond even faster.

This is a webpage from a large security company in the northeast. They claim they can archive 2 years worth of customers video. Even with a 4 camera system, thats a lot of gigs. Is this marketing hype or is it feasible at a reasonable cost. http://www.slomins.com/forbiz/biz_video.asp

Rory, What that plug a crimp or twist-on?

I came across these bullets. http://www.cctvdealers.com/Integrator.htm They are hi-res daynights, with built in IR and split glass. I am thinking of testing one. The price is reasonable, and a lot less than the Speco version. What do you guys think?

I can't post price here, but less than half the price of Speco.

Was looking at this model ISC-B9248EX

I don't use heaters in my housings, they don't seem to do anything except blow fuses in the power supply, causing service calls i really don't want. Never had a problem here in NY, with cold weather affecting the camera, or frost on the window, so I don't see the need. My question: Can you put together a ex view box camera with external IR, weather proof housing with heater, auto iris IR lens, mechanical IR cut filter for $289? If so what ex-view camera, housing, lens and IR would you use?

For $80 more than that Speco, I can have a Sony D/N hi-res (real Sony cam not some oem with "sony" chip), Pelco housing 15" , mount, and 3x8 F1.0 lens dc-auto. With any halfway decent area lighting I will get a real good monochrome night picture with no Ir. Sidenote:I think its funny about how prices are deleted. Anyone can look them up on Spytown, or stumble across them on google. Every tom dick & harry selling cctv equipment.

Getting back to the origianl post, the Speco HT-7815DNV looks like an interesting camera on the surface. But it comes with a steep price for a bullet cam (--mod remove--), I'd rather use a high performance box camera for that money.

Camera looks interesting, but i'm trying to stick to my pledge of not using combined camera's and IR elements.