securitymonster

Cool comparisons Rory! Every application has its needs. If your up close and personal, you may get away with a cheaper camera as your already close enough to the subject. The other end of the issue is the recording side. Anything you use that starts with a better image will end up with a better image, because remember every DVR compresses the video. So if you compress crappy video, your really going to see the artifacts afterward. But, what do you get with good cameras? Colors are true, the greens are green, the reds are red, and the blues are blue. Lines are crisp and clean. All of the shot is in focus, unlike some cheap-o cameras where only the center of the screen is clear. On Screen programming of Lens/Iris, Backlight, Masking, Etc. We run a variety of cameras, but we don't make the decision for the client, we let them make the decision. We spec in Panasonic (We are a Panasonic Gold Dealer), usually both IP and Analog, and then also spec in some entry level stuff like ICRealtime. Anytime we do a shootout, with something like Panasonic vs. ICRealtime, the Panasonic wins hands down every time, but not everybody can afford the top of the line. However, for us this is a business, and that business is providing quality security solutions. You won't catch us using a $30 bullet camera, and if a client simply can't afford some quality, we walk away from the project. I can't tell you how many Costco Q-See systems we have pulled out or Online Box Sales that a client paid $1,500 for a kit and was robbed/burglarized and the video did ZERO justice.

United Security Products has them, they have been manufacturing dialers for a long time now. Your local security guys can probably order you one and answer anymore questions. http://www.unitedsecurity.com/pages/cellular.html

We beta tested these cameras from GE and they worked pretty well initially. We installed some of them on a budget minded residential application and was disappointed in the long run. After about 3 months of use, they started showing signs of IR Reflection into the lens. We sent them into GE and they just replaced them but didn't give us a reason as to why. They also claim to be true Day/Night with an IR cut filter but some evening shots don't quite perform as well as they should. Overall, its a decent camera, just keep them clean and protected. I'm assuming that you got a great price off eBay but you probably don't have any warranty on them.

Hughes really is complicated for networking. If you look up the IP in the web browser, add 1 to the IP address when accessing it remotely and see if that helps. I'm not sure what it is about Hughes, but that seems to help alot of our clients. So if its 206.12.24.203, type in 206.12.24.204

Most any DVR has a menu option to adjust your Date/Time. Likewise, if its networked, you should have remote admin ability to adjust the Date/Time as well. The DVR is only as protected and you make it, both physically and electronically. Daylight savings just happened for us recently, maybe this had some effect on your date/time? Some DVR's have the ability to auto adjust for DST.

You don't get a whole lot for $200 anymore, the Security Market is definitely a "get what you pay for market". For that price range, I would look at the GE TruVision IR Series cameras. They make a bullet and vandal dome style IR camera in a standard resolution and for a few dollars more, you could bump up to the Mid resolution which will outperform the standard resolution by 2-3 times. I would check with local online distrubuters on this board or better yet, see if somebody in your area stocks it and support us local guys! Plus, the camera comes with a 2-Year manufacturer warranty and its always nice to buy local and get the local support if you ever need it. Here is a link to the GE TruVision Camera Line: http://tinyurl.com/ybkwpgu

Hosted service offers a lot to the client. Anymore these days you are selling more to the IT guys as it will sit on their servers. This means, you need to keep them happy and they immediately worry about managing another appliance. Hosted service, such as Brivo, which we are a dealer, and absolutely love, sits on the network but only runs on Outbound Port 443, meaning the IT guys don't have anything to worry about, and it uses SSL. That is one BIG reason, but here are a few more: - Free Software Updates - Automatic 1-Year Archive of History - XML Software Integration Tool for existing database of employees/users - Easy Remote Access, From Anywhere - Brivo is Government Approved (ANSI X509 and many others) - Awesome Tech Support - Not to mention your ability to access remotely and manage if you need Brivo offers panel based devices and the EDGE devices, both of which can use the ACS Webservice (Hosted) but can also be configured to work with the Onsite SE appliance which sits on their server, so the client has both options. And, the devices can be hosted, then flashed new firmware if the client decides to purchase the Onsite hardware. Yes, your clients pay for the hosted service, but when it gets down to it, they love it. We offer most clients the option of local access control and hosted service, and when they start talking about their wants and needs, Brivo makes it simple and the clients jumps on the Brivo bandwagon. Brivo's software is very intuitive as well. I haven't seen any other access control software that was so straightforward but also incredibly powerful. We trained an H/R lady who was very computer illiterate and she was up and running the Brivo software with no problem, she even set up all the schedules, rules, and users on her own that afternoon. Some cool features are DVR/IP Camera integration, and the ability to log in online from anywhere in the world, view a camera live, and hit the door button to let somebody in. I can go on and on about Brivo, but I will tell you this, Brivo has been a blessing for access control for us. We have been doing more access control because of Brivo and the installation process is such a breeze, we make more money on it was well. We just signed the state up for an access control system using the Edge devices, and all we do is run a POE switch, cat5 to the door, plug into the edge device, and then un all the strike/rex/door/reader off the edge device which also gives you 700mAh of 12V DC power. Your techs don't set anything up or mess with any computer, you do all the management online, creating new doors and dumping the Edge device ID number into the system and it recognizes it. Very slick setup! If you have more specific questions, let me know and I would be happy to answer them.

Some DVR's will allow you to change the screen resolution will will drastically help when running higher resolution LCD type monitors. I also suggest looking for a DVR that adapts to yours and the markets needs. The ICRealtime DVR's we run have an HDMI output for the monitor, and it rocks!

I agree that this should end the discussion. I no longer have the proposal that was sent to me by my client. The reason I have not released this information is due to the fact that I'm still working with them to be my exclusive client. At any rate, if you have sold in the past and no longer do, I will take your word for it and wish the best of luck. Just know.........not only have I been burned by distro's and manufacturers, many others have as well. If your truly no longer sell to end users, thank you for that.

We use Commercial Equipment Lease here in Oregon. They won't finance anything under $5K

The Panasonic would be my first choice and the CF284's are good interior domes, however, they have Black Stretch Technology and if your front doors let any natural light through them, the CF284 might not perform enough in a high/low contrast shot. Our goto front door camera is typically a 484 series from Panasonic which offer the SDIII Wide Dynamic Range Technology. The cashier shot may or may not require a WDR camera, and if not, the CF284 would be a great choice.

Of course, because you went direct with the end user and the price quoted was darn near half of my quote. Of course your quote didn't include installation as you supplied equipment only. The real issue here is that you sell direct, which from an integrator standpoint, is not ok. And I've called numerous times, I just didn't let my company name out of the bag.

When did the monitor stop working? Was there a power surge? Is the DVR protected by a UPS or some sort of surge protection?

Is the video already on the USB flash drive? Most times there is a flash drive compatibility list that requires you use specific flash drives when backing up video.

UStream is an app for the iPhone. You load it up, give your friends/colleagues an IP address, click the "Go Live" button on your phone and you can stream live video from your iphone to the web in real time. Pretty handy, great for my techs when they have questions, they can get ahold of the engineer or project manager and show them first hand the issue!

Yup, run Parallels with Windows XP

I did all kinds of investigative work and then finally talked to Northern Video about it. Some reps ignore you, some respond with "NO", but my 3 reps I've been through have agreed! The CEO of each company are brothers. Go figure...

Even if Northern Video will not sell to the end user without a resellers license, they will just refer you to their sister company Security Cameras Direct @ www.scdlink.com And like AK said, along with my mom and dad, don't believe everything you read or see on TV.

Still doesn't make it okay for Northern Video to send out catalogs with wholesale pricing.

Yup, RG-59 is used 99% of the time.

I have no problem with OEM cameras, but USAG cameras are junk, I've seen them first hand. And how did a supplier take my business? Its because they employ a sales team. They sold to an end user direct. I'm not bitter about losing the sale, I'm simply informing the forum so other people don't lose out on what could be vital revenue for a striving business. This was only $35K, I know of $100K plus deals that were lost from Axis. So yes, it does happen everywhere, but simply put, be very careful with whom you share your client information with. We did a big camera job for a Chevron gas station, we drop shipped some items from Northern Video and guess what, not but a week later, there was a Northern Video catalog sitting on my clients desk and he asked my why I was charging more per camera than he could get from the Catalog. Another bad practice is when your distro or supplier asks for the clients name/address so you can "LOCK" your pricing in and get a 1.5% discount on your order. Why the heck does it matter who your client is in order to receive a discount? I don't care if I'm bidding on a $5K job or a $500K job, I never give out my client information, its not worth it.

OEM cameras, they don't manufacture a thing. Plus they will sell direct to the end user (no matter what they say). I lost a $35K job to these guys.

Panasonic puts out a good product and their Auto Tracking is one of the better ones out there. However, auto tracking is only so good. Most auto tracking does not zoom in on the subject, it simply follows a subject at its current focal length. Panasonic does have a few products that will zoom in as well as auto track. Another great feature of Panasonic is the "hand-off" feature. When a person is walking around an object, lets say the corner of one side of the building to another, the system can be setup where Camera A hands off to Camera B located on the other side of the object. The other place to look depending on the scope of your project is analytics.

Run a separate cable, do it right the first time! We normally run Loroue mics, and they call for a 2 conductor with a drain.

We run tons of VSI Pro units. Great units, the only problem I have is when there is an extended cable run, the Pro Overlay box just has a pass through, it does NOT amplify the signal. At any rate, call AVE or check their website for the correct cable. Be sure to get the part number as your distributor probably has their own part number that they will need to cross reference. Chris Moya at AVE is the know all if you need technical help.