UMDRanger

Thank you Si Kungs. That was informative. I can't say I've had any problems though, but I must admit I haven't had to review any video captured while being powered by the UPS. I guess the next question is, has anyone noticed any problems?

Still not understanding. Must be an electrical thing above my head.

Since it (the distortion line) is only on one camera, isn't it possible the problem isn't the card, but is the camera cable at fault? I'd try that camera cable on another input. Might be a bad connector on the cable or interference?

Definately want auto-iris on those areas prone to light changes. You can "pigtail" power. It's just a matter of making sure the current draw is not so great that it blows fuses, and you do run the risk of loosing all cameras on that power run when/if that fuse blows... as opposed to only loosing the one camera if you ran one camera per a line. Personally, I pigtail frequently due to shortages of 18-2 that are beyond my control. I only had a problem blowing fuses when I first started monkeying with cameras, and failed to shut off the power before playing... didn't take long to learn to kill the power before I start wiring new additions. Power Supply ________________ Camera 1 _______ camera 2 _____ camera 3. as opposed to Power Supply ________________ Camera 1 Power Supply ________________ Camera 2 Power Supply ________________ Camera 3 We always installed a regular UPS that cost about $80 for our power supplies and DVR when I used to install with a great company. Never had a problem with interference caused by it. But maybe I'm not understanding the question.

When I buy my next card, it will be one with the TV output. The TV image is clearer than the flat panel I have at work. A CRT will be clearer than an old flat panel, but a TV is still better IMO. The image from each camera is wider on my Geovision than on the monitor off the matrix. Let me clarify this: My main entrance camera looks at 6 doors. On the left side of these doors is a kiosk, and on the right side is a hallway to my security office. On the TV monitor view of this camera, via the matrix, all I see is the 6 doors, and a sliver of the hallway. On the Geovision I see everything from both kiosks, the doors, my hallway, and the wall going along the sales floor. With full screen option, you can view any image, or the selected view (4, 9, 16) as far tall and wide as the screen exists. Obviously the resolution is still a key factor in clarity, but it's nice to have full screen. I'm running a GV-800-4 from 2005 on a P4 1.8Ghz with I think 512mb RAM. It goes months with a restart just fine. Keep in mind this is a dedicated DVR. No internet, maybe two word documents, and of course it also is the backup for all our digital camera images.

I second the controller calibration. Might also pop it open and make sure no debris is getting caught on the buttons/scrollers inside the controller.

My friend you have made a contradition. If a fake camera is a deterent, then there would be no need to view it later. You can use fake cameras to channel the bad guy into a chokepoint with better video, but this setup is best used in retail theft in a known market with known trends. I would never use fake cameras in my personal setup. You will want video, and good video for the police, in the event that something occurs. I'm saying this from personal experience. One suggestion that I didn't see mentioned yet by a certain member: place a camera on your utilities hookup outside.

Sir - I understand it can be overwhelming and confusing. So let's break it down by component, and that should make it easier. 1. DVR: You can go with a "standalone" which is a dedicated DVR. That is all it is, and ever can be. Or you can make a PC DVR, which is where you put the Geovision, Hikivision, Advermedia, etc. card into a PCI slot. Personally, I recommend Geovision, since it is what I have. And, "Andy" from Geovision is freqently on this site, and many members also use Geovision, so there is a lot of free tech support here. However, just like cars, everyone has their favs, and their reasons, so keep that in mind. Geovision is loaded with features, most of which I don't use, but it's nice to know I could if / when I needed. They have this nifty little thumbnail feature that was very helpful in catching a dishonest employee. Instead of just reviewing all the motions for a certain camera, I was able to set up a specific area of the view on screen, where if someone passed it, Geovision would take a thumbnail linked to the video. This saved me a lot of time in reviewing video, since I could view all the camera's motion events, or just the events in this one smaller area. I would also go with a 16 camera DVR, even if at this time you don't intend on putting in 16 cameras. You never know when you may want or need to add a camera. I would go for 30fps on each channel, so a 480fps view and a 480fps recording rate (480/480). Resolution 640x480, or whatever the highest one you can find nowdays. 2. Cameras: with low ceilings in a store, I'd go with mini-domes. You don't need IR, but if you want, it won't hurt anything. I am ofcourse assuming that if you close, atleast some lights are left on in the store. Also, get a varifocal lense, not a 3.6mm static. With a vari-focal, you can adjust the zoom to meet the need. If you have a 3.6mm anything close will be clear, but farther out, the edges get distrorted, and the effect just gets worse farther out. Do you plan on having any cameras outside? Without knowing your floorplan, these are my recommendations for desired views: A. Entrance: A good tight shot of the face of whoever is comming in. The entrance is a chokepoint, and is the best place to get the money shot. Make sure this is a top line camera since it will experience glare, bright sun outside, dark store inside, and all that jazz. I'd aim from the top of the door frame down to about the 2' level, and be maybe 10' from the door itself. B. Exit: Maybe the DVR had a hiccup, maybe the bag guy was wearing a hat, maybe his entrance shot sucked, and frankly you'll want to see what he is exiting with. Again, a top line camera. This one can have a 3.6mm lense. And I'd put it right smack dap in the middle of the top of the door frame looking into the store, but again aimed down in the exit path. C. Registers: Get a side profile that will show the drawer, counter, and both the employee and customer. This can often be a hard view to attain, but you will want all four. You'll want to be sure all the merchandise has been scanned, you'll want to see any weapon presented by a "customer", you'll want to see your employee rolling up a $20 and palming it. D. Office / Safe / DVR: Make this a covert camera, likely a smoke detector. Then you can see who is monkeying with stuff they shouldn't. E. Merchandise isles: Personally, I like to see every isle. But then again, my job is to catch shoplifters, so I need to see every isle. Pending the ceiling height, you can usually get two isles per a camera if it's a high ceiling, if low, go with one camera for one isle. Streching it more than that and you aren't going to see what you need to see. F. Outside: I really recommend an outside camera. And dare I say, make this one a PTZ (pan-tilt zoom). You can set it up on a pattern, or make it look in one direction. But most importantly, you can move it to get a good license plate view as the car leaves. As you know, this information is vital, but having it clearly on video just makes prosecution that much easier. You can even control the PTZ from the registers (if they are a windows based POS) or from any other PC on the network. If not a PTZ, go with two outdoor cameras (either vandal mini-domes, or box cameras in outdoor enclosures. Don't go with bullet cameras, they can be manipulated far too easily). 3. Power: Go with a dedicated power supply. Altronix is a popular name brand, and has individual fused outputs. Since cameras can be 12vdc, or 24vac, be sure you buy a power supply that meets the camera's need. (Personally I prefer 24vac cameras, but 12vdc work fine too. I've just had bad luck with 12dvc as opposed to 24vac. Others have had the opposite). Run your power on 18-2 wire. 4. Backup Power: Get a good strong UPS and plug the DVR and camera power supply into it. Your alarm has a backup battery, but what good does CCTV do you if it dies with the lights? 5. Video wire: You can either run Cat5E or RG-59. Again, it's a preference thing. Since most camera runs will be to different areas of the store, I would likely go with RG-59/18-2 Siamese, where the 18-2 is bonded to the RG-59, meaning you pull one wire instead of two. Just makes things easier. If you go with Cat5E, you'll need things called baluns. They are not expensive, but do add up quickly.

Sensormatic had a device called a Sensorlink. I have the manual and the hardware (minus the all important connector needed) in my office. Since I'm missing the key component I can't tell you it's effectiness, other than it also included PTZ control.

When dealing with circuit boards it is always wise to use a grounding strap. They can be found on newegg for about $5 IIRC, or your local radio shack or computer supply store will carry them. That said, I have never used them. I just make sure to touch the power supply, a light switchplate cover, or other metal surface to discharge any static electricity I have accumulated. This has worked well for me, except for one time when I was plugging/unplugging hard drives with the PC on... that killed the hard drive quick. Don't move your feet on the carpet, and when in doubt, keep "grounding" / discharging yourself. Oh, and on the uniboard, just remember which motor wire goes where, since there are three of them IIRC. The other three connectors you can't mess up cause they are too short to go anywhere else.

Have you tried different addresses? Made sure the +/- connections are correct? And can you see what the three LEDs on the PC board are showing and looked them up in the manual? It may be as simple as the wrong wire, or a damaged wire. Or the PC board may be bad, but since it boots and does the boot self test I'm inclined against a bad board.

.... Another "Reality" show?

Well it all depends on your unique situation. Are there trees, bushes, birdhouse, mailbox, etc in the vicinity of the most likely chokepoint? If the vandalism has been centered on the vehicles in the driveway, the suspect is likely staying far from the house. Yet if your goal is to cover the house, obviously a choke point in the vicinity of the house makes sense... all the reason why people start with one or two cameras and quickly realize "what if they go to X?....." and want more cameras. You could hide a camera in a custom home made enclosure at your mailbox, birdhouse, or other yard decoration. You would need to provide a path for the cables though, but it is an option. As the homeowner, you have the benefit of being able to visualize whether the camera's view and location are in your interest. We can only provide ideas for locations. If you do a bit of searching here, there have been a few good threads with homeowners doing their own installs. One guy made a mailbox enclosure, and posted pictures. Google Earth images showed us his unique situation; but thats a whole nothter personal privacy concern with posting your home's location on the net. In short, you could get a covert camera pretty much anywhere on your propertly, it just depends how much work you want to put into it, and whether it is worth it to you.

In my opinion, you need two cameras to fulfill your goal. One camera is a wider shot, viewing the total driveway and vehicles. This camera will capture the actions of the vandalism. The second camera is the identification camera, zoomed in with a 12-50mm lense, aimed at a choke point where the suspect will pass. If he is hitting both cars parked side by side, I'd zoom in on the area of space that is between the cars.

Really? I stand corrected then. I guess I never left it sit by itself for more than 5 min before.

Sure it'll work. Get a simple RCA to BNC adapter (all of $3) and you're good to go. The question of how well it will work depends on what you are expecting / wanting to see. That will be determined by trial and error. You may find it works well as a temp solution and need to buy a dedicated CCTV camera, or you may find it works great for what you want.

What have you tried to correct the problem? Or did the Sensormatic Rep tell you to send it in?

Actually Klingons have disruptors, not phasers. [/Trekkie]

Hook it up to a monitor and try to access a menu. Hold down, push, etc. buttons until you get a response. It's not like you're gonna break it. Once you get some information on the screen, it'll help you find more helpful information. Sorry, but all I see of use is a "PAL" sticker, and what I assume is the serial number bar code. That leaves any markings inside the case, or in the menus.

I haven't posted for two reasons. 1. I won last month, and wanted to give others a better chance by reducing the odds. 2. I don't have a need for any of the monitor mounts. If the prizes were something I have a need for, and there were no entries yet, then #1 would no longer apply. The questions are good in my opinion.

Thank you for the correction. Learn something new everyday.

All four pairs are identical for the twist rate, so any of them will carry the video. The company I worked for used blue/white and green/white as our video, and orange/white and brown/white for power respectively. Just be sure the blue is on the positive terminal on both baluns, likewise for negative.

I have had poor results using a T-connector and Geovision. So I would not reccomend that option. Maybe it's just my card, but it demands a good solid signal. I haven't narrowed down what the reason is, but it won't recognize video from a good number of cameras in the store. If I run them through a switch, then the signal is better and some will be recognized, but others are still never accepted. Maybe it's because the same cable is connected to other equipment, frankly it's above my current understanding.

Malls typically have **** for CCTV from what I have seen. Likewise for Office Depot... least the ones near me. Had you gone to a Target store, you'd have been impressed by the CCTV. And I can't believe you saw "The Wal-Mart", the icon of American consumerism and world conglomorate corporations.... and didn't partake! Beach looks nice, except for the big rain clouds. Miami... not so nice, too many damn people, way to crowded. Glad you had a safe trip Rory.

Don't get me wrong, I love the ease of the twist on, and when done properly, they will perform well. But when I'm making 30 jumpers for the head end, and my buddy is putting the twist-ons on while I wire everything... better to have him check his work, than me try to unplug one wire at a time after they are all connected to troubleshoot the "no video".