alpine0000

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The cox business account that i have *IS* at home. Thats what I was referring to. No, that address is not any address of mine. Mine starts with 98. No, this software has nothing to do with my DVR. This is the software copied right off the manufacturers CD. It never did reside on my DVR, nor does it connect to my DVR in any way. All it is capable of doing is opening a video file -- in this case a .mp4 file -- that is sitting on my computers harddrive (or some other form of hardware attached to the pc). That file player does not open and search for IP's. I have been using it for about 2 years now. Oh, and I'm not insulted. I am 100% sure that my file is fine and your software is throwing false warnings (if indeed it is referring to the file player). Better safe than sorry, I guess?

I was hoping you would!

LOL. Maybe it detected it as a threat since it has a .EXE extension? Some anti-virus software will throw a warning when you download *any* kind of executable... I can assure you, that is the file player that came on the CD with my DVR. It is virus-free. I am also hosting the file on my own web server. I have no idea what you are referring to with the 24.143.196.66 IP address. That is not any address of mine. Not to mention, I dont even have Roadrunner. I have a Cox Business Internet Account here. I have Norton Internet Security / Anti Virus on my machine for a few years now, along with this DVR software, and it has never whined about it. Sawbones -- dont worry. You're safe I am a Network Admin and Database Admin, also with some web development experience... I know a thing or two about computers One of the certifications that I hold is Security+, which specifically deals with computer threats and security. I wouldn't do you guys wrong. Haha Scruit, that file is 100% safe to open. Nothing more than a video player that came with my DVR. EDIT: I just did a search for that IP/company name that you spoke of, and saw that other people have had that issue as well. http://www.computing.net/answers/windows-xp/who-the-hell-are-roadrunner-holdco/99852.html It may be another issue with your machine. I have had at least 10 other people download the player and video and have had no reported issues. I also just tried to download and run the file on my machine from the link above, and it worked fine. Norton didn't whine a bit. Not to mention, a few others in this thread have downloaded and watched it just fine. Looks like something isolated on your machine.

I'm using very nice $400 panasonic dome cameras. Its not a problem with the cameras, its a problem with the lighting (or lack of). The cameras also arent setup to monitor the mailbox -- they are set up to monitor my truck in the driveway.

Yea, it definitely could've been a lot worse. The police left a little while ago. I'm surprised at how much effort they put into this. But then again, the officer was kind of impressed with all of the stuff I had for him. I had burned the footage, file player, some photos, and some other things that I wont go into, for him on a CD to take with him. I also didnt touch the mailbox or the passenger car door until the officer arrived. I carefully took the mailbox off of the post, only holding it by the inside of the box, to preserve any prints on it. The officer showed up, watched the video a few times, then went outside and dusted the entire mailbox for prints, and then lifted prints off of the passenger car door. He found one thumb print on the car door (the passenger side of the car never gets used, so we havent touched that handle in months), and 3 finger prints on the side of the mailbox, along with 2 foot prints that he also lifted. He said he was going to take the prints and enter them into their database system and see if he gets any hits. I was very very impressed with his attention to detail, even on a report as small as a mailbox bashing. He was here for a good hour. On top of all that, he then walked around to all of my neighbors house and talked to all of them. Not only to see if they heard anything, but to let them know what is going on. I wish all officers were this commited.

Its midnight here in the DC area and the snow storm just got started a few hours ago. We are expecting ~18" of snow by Sunday morning... A tiny screenshot of the Panasonic domes in action: I'm really happy with the way the night-time images look. It is pitch black outside -- midnight -- with a very cloudy and overcast sky. No moonlight or streetlights. Only 1 light outside on the deck, and a few lights out front by the driveway. Much better image than if IR was used instead of visible light. Happy Holidays, cctvforum members!

Woke up to about 10" of snow this morning. Had to go somewhere and the plows really haven't touched the roads yet. They are pretty bad. Thank goodness for four-wheel-drive! Expecting another 12" by tomorrow morning. I'll trade with you, Rory! It is 24 degrees fahrenheit outside my house, and I have no heaters installed in the domes. This is their first winter, and so far so good. I'm waiting to see if things are still OK when the temps hit 10 degrees and lower. They are rated to operate between 14-122 degrees fahrenheit without the optional heater. There is NO sun out today. It is very cloudy, snowy, and visibility is poor.

get the correct MM lens and it shouldnt be a problem

I bought 2 of them in the classified section here, and then I bought the 3rd one online. Check out this thread. I posted a lot of pictures throughout the thread with screenshots of the CW484. Look through all of the pages of the thread http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=18575&start=0

It cant see with 'no' light. You either need some light, or some IR. That is pretty much the case with most cameras. That said, the image looks great with IR, and it works pretty well in low-light applications as well. It also handles dark and bright areas in the same image very well. I have no experience with the Samsung camera though. I just own 3 of the Panasonics. The Samsung looks like a decent IR camera just looking at the specs, though. I think the Panasonic may be a slightly better camera overall, but the Samsung will give you performance in total darkness, which the Panasonic will not do unless you add IR. If it were me, I would choose the Panasonic and add IR if you need to see in the dark!

http://www.axis.com/products/video/camera/ccd_cmos.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor#CCD_vs_CMOS http://www.dalsa.com/corp/markets/CCD_vs_CMOS.aspx

LTS LTCMD708W IR Domes. You can buy them from Mike at Shoreview. Mods wont let me post a link to his site though, even though I'm obv not a spammer, and am just replying to your question. i am the admin of a forum myself, and with all-due respect... you guys kill me with that

they seem kind of expensive for what they are: run-of-the-mill IR bullet cams. but they will probably def give you an acceptable picture. you could probably find another IR bullet cam that would give you the exact same picture quality for $100 less.

We are talking about an onboard IR camera, right? If so, how can he possibly make such a broad statement like that? I mean, it all depends on where the camera is mounted and what region you live in. I guess if you live in the North Pole, it wouldnt be a problem. If you live anywhere near me, it definitely can be. It can be, but not always. There are variables here. For example, if the camera is mounted at the top of a 50 foot pole you will have less of an insect problem than if the camera is mounted under the eave of your roof.

great idea! i will try that ive been out of town all week so i havent had a chance to mess around with it yet.

after a quick google search, the cheapest i found the panasonic 484 domes online for was $###. any authorized retailer sells them for significantly more. I have about $4200 in the system so far, but have a few more things I want to do. [edit by mod-only msrp plz]

I would buy the best camera you can afford. Put it in an enclosure and, if you dont have some already, install some outdoor visible lighting. If you find that you still cant see anything in the dark, then install an external IR illuminator a few feet away from the camera. I would personally stay away from integrated IR for outdoor cams because insects can see IR light, and it attracts them. Before you know it, you have cobwebs. Not that this would be a problem in -35 degree weather, but when it warms up it will be... Another reason to stay away from integrated IR is glare back into the lens. You may or may not have this issue, depending on your equipment.

Thank you for the feedback

Made some fine-tune adjustments to image angles/focus today. No real choke points, just monitoring the house so I can check-in when I'm out of town. I still need to address the light problem in the front yard. I think I will try putting some duct tape over the backside of that light and see if that works. If not, I'll try some other ideas I have.

You could add the important part, like is the area well-lit at night time? I think VST's point was that if the area is always very well-lit, it doesn't matter much what camera you use, because any camera can handle that task.

Funny you mention that. Today I was just thinking about doing something like that.

LOL. I dont want plate numbers and im not as paranoid as you are i guess. This is just a hobby for me. If you read the whole thread youd know that I do have a camera at the front door already.

Whatcha mean? Could that ruin the camera aiming it at a bright light like that?

Well, I am still deciding if I am happy with this night-time shot or not. What do you guys think? The light isnt as blinding as I thought it'd be -- the camera handles it pretty well. It would be a lot better if the light was out of the camera's view, but oh well. 9:30pm, totally pitch dark sky. Scene lit only by landscape lights and post lamp automatically each night.