Please Help Me....I am so confused

[NoFinga911 0]

I had 2 cameras and a dvr installed at my house a few years ago by some "security guy" lol and it is complete garbage. The dvr sucks, and the cameras suck. I have been researching cameras and dvrs for so long now and just keep getting more and more confused with all of the options. Right now I am more interested in a new dvr. What is the difference between pc based and non pc based? pros cons? Do all of them allow you to view the footage on the internet? Which kind let you transfer the saved video to a pc for editing? What specs do you look for to tell if it is good? The dvr I have now sucks and when i go to rewind or fast forward at its fastest speed it is so slow that in order for me to watch 1 hour of video while on fast forward I would have to actually have to sit there for about 50 min. I have a ton more questions but this is all I can think of for now. I would realllyy appreciate any help. Thanks guys

[Wachhund 0]

The "PC" or "Stand Alone" question is one that will cause much in the way of debate. They both have their pros and cons. Its a matter of need and likes. Most video won't let you edit it, not that you would want to from a security standpoint. Most DVRs now a days most DVRs will let you view over the internet. Where are you located? There are a multitude of dealers on this site you can expect to hear from.

[NoFinga911 0]

what is the difference between "pc" and "standalone"? I am in NY,NY

[Wachhund 0]

A PC based system uses a Linux or Windows PC as its base and the controller cards are added in. A stand alone system has the operating system embedded on a chip and its only use is as a DVR. You also have variable frame rates on each as well as motion detection. I also answered your PM.

[Smit9352 0]

A standalone is more of a "stash and forget" type of item in my opinion. You simply install the hdd in it configure it and never come back to it until you have an incident or unless you like to routinely check up on it. Ours in our office has been running almost 3 years now no burps at all and has helped the company next door to us catch people breaking in LOL!!!

 

If you need to know camera ideas/options it would be in your best intrest to go to the cameras you already have installed and take a photo of the rear of them and upload it to the site to show us, that way we will know what type of cable you have and your pre-existing connections.

 

Good luck!,

John

[richonor 0]

if the PC shut down and it will cause much trouble to the PC DVR system, while Standalone DVR is more stable

[cctv.dvr 0]

The "PC" or "Stand Alone" question is one that will cause much in the way of debate. They both have their pros and cons. Its a matter of need and likes. Most video won't let you edit it, not that you would want to from a security standpoint. Most DVRs now a days most DVRs will let you view over the internet. Where are you located? There are a multitude of dealers on this site you can expect to hear from.

 

i agree with Wachhund, some DVR even have Watermarking and Encryption features , so it cannot be Edited.

 

I would recommend you look for stand alone..its like appliance. When you plug , you play. No more complexities.

[alpine0000 0]

what is the difference between "pc" and "standalone"?

 

If you go to the forum index, and click on the sub-forum "cctv FAQ" they have a thread that specifically addresses this question right at the top!

[Soundy 1]

if the PC shut down and it will cause much trouble to the PC DVR system, while Standalone DVR is more stable

 

O RLY?

 

I have PC-based DVR systems that have been in place and running solidly for 4+ years. I also have one site where they went through four separate standalone machines, each one either having serious issues or just dying outright, before we put in a PC-based system.

 

There's no inherent reason either type of system is any better or worse from a reliability standpoint. A well-built PC DVR tends to have better cooling and thus less chance of hardware failure than a lot of standalone designs (and a cheaply-built PC will likewise be problematic). PCs have the advantage of being more easily upgradeable, especially for adding extra drive space.

 

From my experience, the most common failures of PC-based DVRs are 100% user-caused, usually because someone is using the system for something OTHER than a dedicated DVR. I've rebuilt a number of machines that were infected with viruses and spyware because someone felt it necessary to check their porn sites on it, or use an unattended work machine for their torrent downloads. Another site, they kept calling because they'd come in to check video only to find nothing recorded... because someone was closing down the DVR software in order to use the machine for DVD authoring (because his home machine didn't have a DVD burner).

 

Standalone machines have the advantage that they CAN'T be used for anything else... but a properly-built PC system can be locked down solid to the same end as well.

[Rebco 0]

if the PC shut down and it will cause much trouble to the PC DVR system, while Standalone DVR is more stable

 

Oh here we go......

All i can say is different people different stories.....

I have had problems in both arenas...

[mr.surveillance 0]

Personally I recommend stand alones, (not the cheap ones). Too many of my clients and their associates have people around the equipment resulting in a high "IF" which leads to excessive PC DVR problems and failures. Someone should develop some good software to protect PCs against "IF" and they should market it to both the CCTV and computer industry. (hopefully it would come with free updates).

[Soundy 1]

Personally I recommend stand alones, (not the cheap ones). Too many of my clients and their associates have people around the equipment resulting in a high "IF" which leads to excessive PC DVR problems and failures. Someone should develop some good software to protect PCs against "IF" and they should market it to both the CCTV and computer industry. (hopefully it would come with free updates).

 

There are lots of those solutions out there - all depends on what sort of "protection" you're after. There are programs like Deep Freeze, that will automatically restore your machine to a designated backup point every time it boots up (we used to use this when I worked in a tech school and students would do all sorts of insane things to the rendering workstations - just reboot, and the machine is back to its installed state).

 

And there are programs like Transparent Screen Lock, that's invisible until you tap the mouse or a key, and then it throws up a login prompt - I use this one DVRs regularly, instead of a screensaver (or working AS the screensaver), because it leaves the desktop visible. It can be set to lock immediately upon bootup as well.

 

Linux and *nix-based systems are much more reliable as well, because the filesystems can be locked down a lot deeper than with Windows, without causing other problems.

 

Some Windows-based systems also replace the Windows Explorer with their own shell, thus blocking user access to the desktop, drive objects, and command prompts. Capture's IDR-series systems have done this for... probably ten years now (first IDR system I worked with was running on Windows 98 and even that was virtually impenetrable without using a boot disk).

 

In the end, none of these solutions will block someone who's TRYING to do damage (and standalone systems are just as vulnerable to physical damage and the determined hacker), but they are very effective against your basic idiot just klutzing around trying to read his Hotmail.

[Rebco 0]

Just don't under estimate the basic idiot........

[Soundy 1]

Alas, this is true - make anything idiot-proof, and the universe will always come up with a better idiot.

[mr.surveillance 0]

We don't have normal idiots around here.

I think your idiots are smarter than our idiots.