chewingyu

I am thinking of installing some cameras in my home but dread the idea of the cabling. I came across this website which is promoting this Memocam which requires no cables. All the video is captured in a memory card fitted in the device. Any comments if this kind of set up is good (or not)? http://www.eurekaplus.com/spycam-PIR-colour.html

I am plagued by intermittent unserviceability of some of my cameras. According to my CCTV contractor, this is due to the many joints in the cabling works. Apparently, due to the long distances due to the layout of the buildings - stretches about 800m (that's only from plan view and not counting the cable routing up,down, left and right in the buildings) - the RG cables had to be connected with joints. The system was installed some 5 to 6 years ago. So, my contractor says that the wear and tear of the system is beginning to show and signal losses are becoming more significant. I am not sure how true this is but it is really bugging me. It would be too costly to recable the entire network with Cat 5 cables, which I am told has better ranges. In the meantime, how my contractor solves the intermittent problems is to put the soldering gun to the joints that are near the CCTV room where all the recording is done. He says, it is to "heat up" the joints. Now, this solution is only temporal. The problem will come back again after a couple of weeks and if lucky, a couple of months. Now, I do not know how scientific this method is but it sure seems odd. "Heating the joints"??!! I wonder anyone has experienced the same or can anyone tell me that I am being taken in by my contractor??

Is the following troubleshooting process enough to conclude that the problem is cabling and the solution therefore is to recable (from camera to DVR)?? 01. At camera end - replaced with a new camera and checked with the control room - no image. 02. At camera end - plug in existing camera into portable monitor - good image 03. At control room end - inter-switched suspected problem cable to other camera input at DVR - no image 04. At control room end - inter-swtiched working cable into suspected problem input - no image

Can someone share on what factors determine the quality of recorded images? How does one define the quality? Is CIF specification alone sufficient? Or monitor resolution? I am asking because I had tried changing the configuration of the DVR setting for some of my CCTV cameras to 4CIF and at 'Best' quality, yet I do not see significant improvement in quality in the recorded images. Anyway, what is the resolution of CIF and what does it stand for?

Is it a norm for PC-based DVRs running on XP to reboot itself every once in a while?? I am told this is a standard feature of XP. My concern is the compromise of CCTV surveillance when this happens because during rebooting, it would mean 16 cameras are not 'watching'.

Just googled on XP rebooting itself and there were many people who experienced the same problem. Just wondering if it is a bug or a deliberate feature by Microsoft.

Really?? Time to have a good talk with my vendor!

Came across this website. ttp://www.aventuratechnologies.com/dvr_tutorial/default.asp?index=11 Looks like a credible explanation. Anyone having different views?

Sorry, have to dig up old thread. I forgot about it until I was recently informed that it happens frequently i.e. my DVRs would occasionally reboot themselves. Checked with vendor, he says that it IS a standard feature of XP where if there is no activity in the DVR for a certain period of time, it would reboot itself, basically as a self-maintaining feature. I guess it is something like going through your attic and basically dusting off the gathered dust and rearranging the stuff so that we can throw out unwanted items. But, the thing is, is such a feature really really necessary?

I've installed both - usually the only time we go with heaters is if the client specs them. I haven't noticed a difference either way in any of the ones I've done. If you DO get condensation in the dome, a heater can help keep the view clear, but if that's happening because of warm air "leaking" into the dome, it's generally only a matter of time until the dome fills with water and kills the camera anyway - in other words, the heater in that instance is only addressing a symptom while not addressing the actual problem. How does warm air leak into the dome? Does this happen only to those conventional cameras housed in dome enclosures?

Sorry to dig up old thread but it's an area I was recently asked to look into. No, not how to steal meat! No, I am tasked to look into installing CCTV cameras in our warehouse coldrooms (temp from 5 dec C to 15 dec C). Questions: What suitable camera? Any special cabling needed?

I guess you have a point there, Soundy. Thanks. Will have to mull over it...

So, from the sound of you guys' views, looks like Raid 5 is not that 'bad' after all, eh? BTW, to all who responded, I meant no disrespect to u guys by calling out to Rory. Thanks for your responses

Say, I am reviewing the need to have Raid 5 for my CCTV systems. I think it may be an overkill. An overkill which costs much more. I am thinking perhaps that as and when one of the hdd fails, I will downgrade it to a Raid 1. Anyone with any thoughts on this? Rory??

Got to raise this topic again as I am still experiencing this problem of intermittent failures. Again, I have been told that recabling is the only way to solving it. I just discovered that my CCTV vendor is using a remote cable tester to establish if the cable is faulty. Does this device really work and is it 100% accurate? My struggle is that recabling is a such a costly option and I have to be dead-sure that it is THE only option.

Recently, I discovered that one of my Netsafe DVRs had not been recording for a couple of weeks even though there was 'live' image (means the camera is working) and the red dot indicator was lit (meaning it is in record mode). How can this be? This problem is confined to only 2 cameras in the same DVR. Has anyone experienced this?

Is this a software problem? Would it help to reinstall the software? The software used in the NetSafe DVR is called Win4net. It has its own website.

Okay, back the issue at hand. So, if what you say is happening to my DVR, then why does it happen only to 2 cameras instead of all 16?

Thanks. Pretty clear your explanation. In layman's terms, I know my bag of golf clubs in in the house somewhere but I just cannot remember where I have put it. So, while I do have the clubs to play, I cannot join my friends for a golf game. How's that??

I don't really understand how this is possible. Not sure if I will understand it but could you care to explain it technically? Thanks

My DVRs are all set to recording 24/7 without motion sensor and continuous recording (FIFO) Someone suggested that it could be a faulty transmitter (I am using twisted pair cabling) resulting in weak signal to the DVR. But I have my doubts as there were no problems with the 'live' images. So, what other causes?

One of my CCTV LCD monitors was flickering and my contractor suggesting replacing the monitor. He did replace it with a spare monitor and the problem went away. I know I should be satisfied we solved the problem but just wondering if there was a cheaper solution. I sort of felt it was akin to changing the engine of a car just because I had experience some spluttering or jerky movements. Perhaps there was some adjustments needed or so on. Any advice?

I have this 'dilemma'. I need to install cameras at truckdocks to look at activities within the truckdock container. So, the camera has be located from inside the warehouse looking at the truck dock opening. Here's the problem. The reflected sunlight from the road is causing the auto-iris to close up, thus rendering the images a too dark to see what is inside the truck. Anyone who has had a similar problem and successfully tackled it?

Thanks. Will have to look into how I can apply your suggestions. : D

Thanks for the info, ppl. So, what do I do? Get wide dynamic range with video iris lenses? Will it cost a bomb?