Sawbones

I haven't tried anything larger than a 300 Gig drive... but I did manage to upgrade a failed 80GB DM DVR to a 600GB by using two 300 Gig drives in a master/slave configuration. I had some of the same trouble you did, but if I remember right, I booted off the CD drive with an upgrade ISO image, and had it overwrite the drives. Worked well, and it's been working ever since. Another alternative to consider.

Love the Raytec...

I've used one of those... actually works pretty well.

Yeah... I think they were BSing you, or just being lazy. Alternatively, their system may have been non-functional, and they didn't want to disclose that to you.

Unless you have some need for the stealth of IR illuminators (in my case, my Homeowners association doesn't like large floodlights), you're almost always better off with visible light. Just get motion-activated visible-spectrum floods... you'll also save a TON of money compared to decent IR illuminators.

I'm across the pond (US), so I have no idea what's actually available in your area, or the relative cost (with VAT).

What kind of network card are you using on the Milestone machine? If it's an on-board NIC (eg. motherboard-integrated), consider replacing it with a PCI-E gigabit NIC (preferably an Intel Pro/1000, 3Com gigabit NIc, or similar). I've had that issue with on-board ethernet controllers on several occasions. Unfortunately, unless you're using a full-on server motherboard (Tyan or similar), the NICs included with many motherboards are garbage. Some of the "gigabit" NICs are even attached to the regular PCI bus instead of PCI-E. PCI at 33MB/s maximum bandwidth cannot deliver the kind of bus bandwidth a gigabit NIC needs, and will bottleneck at the bus speed limit. A lot of on-board NICs also greatly increase your CPU utilization.

Depends on the beam throw of the Illuminator, and the distance it can cover.

didnt know they were the same, 123 is in farmingdale and they are in Manhattan, also prices can be much different between some products. But I see for 123's RMA it is the same address .. strange. Never had a major problem with 123 yet and I send some clients there. Here is the canal street location: Here is the farmingdale location: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=123+Security+Products&sll=40.836043,-73.065291&sspn=0.000539,0.001313&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1055+Portion+Rd,+Farmingville,+Suffolk,+New+York+11738&t=h&cid=2942946733413895175&ll=40.835986,-73.065291&spn=0.000539,0.001313&z=20&iwloc=A There is a little shopping mall in the demo videos on Surveillance-Video.com, and it is the same exact one as in the google maps street view for 123's farmingdale location Once again, I havent had any major issues using 123 yet, no more than I had using distributors in the past. Hmmm... seems like they're the same company... but maybe they're not. It's interesting that you'd have problems with one and not the other. Maybe they have more competent staff at a particular location.

I thought that name sounded familiar. I also had a problem with them. http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15694 I had ordered a DVR card (Nuuo), but they didn't have the item in stock (contrary to what their website claimed). They had to order it from Taiwain, and the shipping was going to be $72, so they simply canceled the order... but didn't tell me. After two weeks, the card hadn't arrived... so I started calling. I found out about the canceled order, but they hadn't refunded my money. It was only after I called to find out where my card was that they actually sent me a refund. They did make it right, but communication was poor, and I had to chase THEM for THEIR mistake. I've avoided them ever since... and that same company operates off of a number of different websites: http://www.canalalarm.com http://www.123securityproducts.com http://www.surveillance-video.com

Wow... that's really poor

If you have an extra PC and a couple of network cards laying around, you can use Smoothwall and have a rock-solid, full-featured Linux-based router for free. And it can be a VERY old PC... I've firewalled entire networks with as little as a 75MHz first-generation Pentium.

I've taken out virtually all of the Intensifiers I've used... the slow-shutter-blur makes it impossible to see anything moving, and renders the video unwatchable/unusable except to say "yep... something was there." Not a fan. You're far better off going with a dedicated B&W camera/imager, or a true day/night camera with some sort of infrared source. Just my $.02

Way too cute... gotta be a hoax.

Just out of curiosity, why would you want that? I've gone away from camera-integrated IR almost entirely, and use separate illuminators. You can adjust the power more easily, and going separate provides a VERY wide selection of illuminator beams/wavelengths/models/etc. Not to mention the bug problem...

Milestone recently came out with a budget-range software suite for small business, etc. It's about $50 per camera license (the main software comes with a 2-camera license, and additional channels can be purchased for about $50 each IIRC) I can't remember what Exacq is getting per-channel. Luxriot can get you a 16-camera license for about $500 bucks or so. ********************** Edit *********************** I have an Acti 1231 deployed, and it's a good camera. It did fail once during the warranty period, and Acti fixed it with no hassles.

As far as budget software suites, start looking at Luxriot, and Milestone. Also consider Exacqvision. Luxriot has been a lower-priced underdog in the commercial NVR-software market. It's bargain-priced, but it works, and is very reasonable compared to some of the other vendors (on the higher end, you can spend up to $200 per channel). Milestone is a big commercial vendor of NVR software, and has some very high-end management suites for large corporate/commercial installations. However, they recently released another version at a price-point comparable to the Luxriot range. Exacqvision is another choice, and even runs on Linux. Ask around... there are several dealers here who could help you out on the Milestone/Exacq software (do it by PM... openly doing business in the forum is frowned upon). Luxriot licenses can be purchased online, and the software downloaded from Luxriot's home-page.

I took a camera module out of one of my Mobotix D12 cameras and put in a 135mm telephoto lens module that focuses directly on my mailbox. Works great for "mailbox baseball" too.

I remember those pictures. Were those dome cameras still functional?

I've gone through them all... Nokia, Palm, Windows Mobile (6). I'm now on a Droid... and it's great. Seriously... I can view all my cameras on it, with the exception of my Acti models.

Yep... and wouldn't THAT be a nice surprise when you go to service the camera some day... I've avoided the housing issue by sticking to domes... though that does restrict your use of longer zoom lenses somewhat. The domes are generally all sealed, so I can't see the harm in sealing up a housing the same way.

Now THAT must require a serious PoE switch !

You're so suspicious, Soundy...

Four D22 lens modules would do it easily

I agree... it's a good move on their part.