alpine0000

Thanks Mike. Do you like that better than Exacq? I'll take a look at the website and poke around.

Hey guys, I've been running Exacqvision for about 10 years now. My server is getting fairly dated, and my exacqvision licenses just expired again. I'm looking to build a new dedicated Windows server for my VMS, but before I renew Exacqvision again for another year, I'm wondering what else is out there that I should consider? I don't mind sticking with Exacq, but I've been outta the game for a while and just wondering what else is on the market now that might be worth considering. But -- Here is my one restrictive requirement: I'm a Mac guy (aside from the one dedicated Windows server running the VMS itself). I need it to have a client for Mac; I don't want to fuss with a web client. I love Avigilon, but, you know... The Mac thing. I'm running 6 Axis cameras over POE and have 4TB of HDD space, if that affects your suggestions at all.

Not sure if you have already figured out the problem or not, but it sounds like you forwarded the proper port for the client itself, but perhaps there are more ports (control ports?) that also need to be forwarded to handle the login credentials and some other stuff? I had a re-branded DVR in the past that required multiple ports to be forwarded before I could login from outside of the network. Sure sounds a lot like you have the same issue. Look into it and see if there are other ports that need to be opened up/forwarded on the router

I'm a DIY-er with a system at my house consisting of 5 Axis and 1 Vivotek cam running on Exacq... They aren't crap, and I've posted plenty of screenshots of my system over the last few years. In fact, if you check the "MegaPixel Cameras - Images and Demos" thread, I just posted some last month. We are still out here, but like other people have said, this forum is mostly filled with people who just want a $100 camera to throw up real quick at their house. They come here looking for help on the install, and once it's done, they never return to the forum again unless they have issues with the camera later on down the road. For better or worse, that's how it is.

Q-See is generally regarded as entry-level stuff sold at big-box stores, but will most likely get the job done for basic home surveillance. Those do look nicer than the Q-See stuff of yester-year that I've seen. Although, if you get really into the hobby, you may find yourself wanting to upgrade rather quickly, as I did. I'm on my third or fourth system now at my house. You'll probably need a monitor connected initially to set up everything (I'm not aware of those DVR's being able to be configured remotely from scratch). Once you're set up and running, you can unplug the monitor. BUT --I wouldn't recommend putting a DVR in your attic unless your attic is air conditioned. Otherwise, it'll overheat in a hurry and you'll be buying a new system much sooner than you expected 16 Channels is a lot of cameras for a house!

If budget was no issue, like you say, then get Avigilon VMS and a handful of either Avigilon or Axis cameras... They cost a lot, but you get a lot in quality and VMS features, too. I think the point of diminishing returns would be anything more expensive than that. If there is any technical reason why you can't use Avigilon (for example, if you HAVE to have a Mac client with no exceptions, or you HAVE to be able to trigger digital output triggers from the smartphone app, or you HAVE to use Vivotek cameras and also need the motion-sensing to work, or you HAVE to export as a .MOV file type), exacq is another great option that fills those voids. But exacq's search isn't as good as Avigilon's. I'd love to move to Avigilon, but I'm tied to exacq for the time being due to the reasons above, plus a few other minor reasons too. But yea, if there is no budget, that's what I'd do... Avigilon VMS and Avigilon or Axis cameras. You could spend approx $4-8k (depending on the exact cameras you buy, and the server cost to run the VMS) and have a great system. I think I spent around $7k for everything, including the Dell server, a couple 2TB hard drives, Windows 7 pro, five Axis and one Vivotek IP camera, the exacq licenses, the Netgear router, CAT6 cabling, etc...

Axis M3007-P panorama 5mp camera. Axis P3346-VE 3mp camera at 12:15am. Completely dark outside except for my porch light that is on a photo-sensor and stays on all night. There is enough light that my camera never switches to B/W mode -- it stays color all the time -- which is fine with me with this picture quality. I'm recording H.264 at 5fps on exacqvision. My exposure settings are all left at default. The only thing I did was install the camera, zoom all the way out, and then remote auto focus it.

I've been using the Netgear GS110T for a few years now with no issues. I currently have 6 IP cameras on it. A mix of 3mp and 5mp Axis cameras. Happy with this POE switch!

I'd go with more megapixels over IR for an outdoor camera, and then I'd put a photo-sensor on the lights outside so they are always on when it gets dark. I don't have the M3026, but I have a handful of P3346 and 3367 cameras at my house, which are similar (I think mine have a larger sensor than the M3026, and remote focus and zoom, which I love, and maybe a few other minor details?), and work great. If you're looking at Axis 3MP cameras for outdoor use, def check out the P3346VE. Just make sure you have some 'visible' light outside at night time, and there's really no need for IR. Some day and night screenshots of my P3346VE

Isn't 5.2 the current version out? What happened to version 5.3? Who cares about 5.3 5.4 around the corner LOL. I like the way you think I just got my M3007-P camera last night. I agree -- it's awesome. I only wish the lens was Day/Night.

Isn't 5.2 the current version out? What happened to version 5.3?

Ohhhh. OK. So Avigilon *can* take the single warped stream and de-warp it? I was under the impression that Avigilon couldnt handle de-warped or warped streams coming from the camera... I must've mis-understood. So sending a warped stream to Avigilon from this camera and having Avigilon do the de-warping works fine? Also, can Avigilon handle motion detection from this camera?

Let's pretend like Avigilon *could* handle multiple de-warped streams from this camera... Could you view/record all the streams of this camera in Avigilon with just a single license for that specific camera, or would you have to purchase a different license for each stream you want to view/record?

You'll probably get asked a handful of questions, most important being 'what is your budget?'. There are a handful of threads on the first page of this sub-forum already about which IP software to choose, and I have a feeling you'll get most of the same answers (milestone, exacq, avigilon, etc). Here are two recent ones. viewtopic.php?f=19&t=33118 viewtopic.php?f=19&t=33253 I would check out the VMS companies websites to see if your cameras are compatible, if you have the hardware requirements necessary to run the server software, if the software has the features you want (pretty much all of them allow you to record and view locally/remotely, so if those are your only requirements, you should have a lot of choices in VMS software), and if it's within your budget. You can find a lot of people who love Exacq, a lot of people that love Avigilon, and a lot of people who love Milestone. They are all good in their own ways. What is perfect for one person may not be perfect for another. I love Avigilon, but I CANNOT have software whose web interface uses activeX, so I went with Exacq, and I really like Exacq. However, even though it offers a web interface that can be used with ANY browser, unlike Avigilon, it also has spots where its weaker than Avigilon. For example, Aviglons search function is much faster and the license doesnt have to be renewed every year. Scour their websites, talk to reps, and figure out which one is best for your needs/budget. Good luck!

Axis P3367-VE (click for full-resolution). Here is a difficult shot, I think, for a camera. Night time, very little "scene lighting", people walking, and a car's headlights shining right into the lens of the camera. The camera looks 100x better during the day, but I figured I'd post the worst shot that I could so you guys could see. I don't recall the exact settings I am using on the camera at the moment, though. One of my trouble-neighbors had a party a few weeks ago. The street fills up with cars of college kids (usually there are no cars on the street because we all have driveways and garages), who hang out along the street, drinking and being really loud, on OTHER PEOPLES property, after midnight, and disposing of their empty beer bottles where ever they see fit. I was watching my cameras this particular night and was on the fence about calling the cops, and saw them disposing of their empty beer bottles in my mailbox and drinking in my driveway (I dont know a single one of these people!!), at which point I called the cops. They had been partying for a couple of hours, and somehow ALL 20+ cars were gone by the time the cops showed up 10 minutes later, and I looked like the crazy one. Haha.