DVR. access without monitor/keyboard/mouse

[dcam 0]

I have a couple of DVR's installed in places where they are very difficult to access ( above ceilings). I use Controle Centre to mentain / access them, but when for some reason I cant use C.C. I have to climb on a ladder and drag a mouse /keyboard/ monitor up there, or I use extensions on them and do it on the ground.

My question is. is there a way to use my laptop to connect via lan, and get the DVR's own GUI. and work directly on it.( not the webcam interface)

[brankorackovic 0]

I have a couple of DVR's installed in places where they are very difficult to access ( above ceilings). I use Controle Centre to mentain / access them, but when for some reason I cant use C.C. I have to climb on a ladder and drag a mouse /keyboard/ monitor up there, or I use extensions on them and do it on the ground.

My question is. is there a way to use my laptop to connect via lan, and get the DVR's own GUI. and work directly on it.( not the webcam interface)

You can use remote desktop

[dcam 0]

Thanks Brankorackovic , yes I know, but supposing Internet doesn't work , or there are problems with the router , or ports , or control centre , remote desktop , etc. etc. I need to connect directly to the DVR with a screen / keyboard / mouse.

I really shouldn't ask , because as far as I know there is no other way, but I thought one of you guys knows an easier way.

[brankorackovic 0]

Thanks Brankorackovic , yes I know, but supposing Internet doesn't work , or there are problems with the router , or ports , or control centre , remote desktop , etc. etc. I need to connect directly to the DVR with a screen / keyboard / mouse.

I really shouldn't ask , because as far as I know there is no other way, but I thought one of you guys knows an easier way.

I meen remote desktop to conect directly with your laptop ( you need only network cable for connection between laptop and pc with gv)

[dcam 0]

Yes but for that I need XP Pro. on the host DVR. I only use XP.

[bike_rider 0]

UltraVNC. Free remote desktop software.

[Thomas 0]

Yes but for that I need XP Pro. on the host DVR. I only use XP.

 

Why would you use XP Home for a serious application?

[dcam 0]

I have alwaays assumed that XP home was more than adiquate to run GV 600/ GV650 / GV800, I dont use cards any higher that, and I always build well above the Geovision recomended minimum requirements.

In what respect is XPhome less efficent at doing the job, I always thought XP pro was a bit over kill.

[Thomas 0]

I have alwaays assumed that XP home was more than adiquate to run GV 600/ GV650 / GV800, I dont use cards any higher that, and I always build well above the Geovision recomended minimum requirements.

In what respect is XPhome less efficent at doing the job, I always thought XP pro was a bit over kill.

 

A brief history of XP and the NT family. One day MS decides it's going to merge it's server kernel with it's desktop family of products. This was regarded skeptically at first, but in the end turned out to be a good thing. The first birth of this was XP Pro. And it wasn't horrible. And it got better over time. And then the marketing department came along and said "We need a cheaper version." And so they gutted XP Pro and came up with XP Home.

 

So why does this matter? Well they ripped out a lot of code and replaced it with a bunch of fairly hastily written code that did less. One of the major subsystems to get gutted was the networking code. XP Home has a nasty habit about freaking out when you do things like:

 

Push data through the network.

Receive data through the network.

Speak to the network.

Listen to the network.

 

Along with the other chunks of code that were altered, it means that XP Home tends to be dramatically less stable. And for a DVR application, that lower stability isn't worth the $20 savings on the OS. XP Home isn't the base version, it's the crippled version.

[Rebco 0]

XP Home isn't the base version, it's the crippled version.

 

So what would you call vista?

[Thomas 0]

XP Home isn't the base version, it's the crippled version.

 

So what would you call vista?

 

Confusing. There are way too many versions of that damn OS. On the plus side, they didn't repeat the same design mistakes they did with Home/Pro.

[rory 0]

Thanks Brankorackovic , yes I know, but supposing Internet doesn't work , or there are problems with the router , or ports , or control centre , remote desktop , etc. etc. I need to connect directly to the DVR with a screen / keyboard / mouse.

I really shouldn't ask , because as far as I know there is no other way, but I thought one of you guys knows an easier way.

 

How about a wireless keyboard mouse combo?

But the more important question is why are you installing a PC in a ceiling?

[dcam 0]

Thanks Thomas for the info. I haven't noticed any stability problems, although I'm not sure in what form they would present themselves. However I do have lots of problems with remote viewing, but I have always put it down to weak Internet connections.

I have a few clients who rely entirely on remote applications, ( they never sit in front of the DVR.). If I thought xp pro would improve fps./video quality/ smoother viewing,etc. I wouldn't hesitate to use xp pro.

By the way what are you guys doing when your stockpiles of xp / xp pro run out? how does vista run ? is it better? ( I can hear some of you growling already)

Rory... I put it in the ceiling because its a tiny "fresh juice kiosk", no room for stock never mind DVR, and its also safer , it would be very vulnerable anywhere else. I always try to hide the DVR from break ins,its no good when they take the evidence

[Thomas 0]

Thanks Thomas for the info. I haven't noticed any stability problems, although I'm not sure in what form they would present themselves. However I do have lots of problems with remote viewing, but I have always put it down to weak Internet connections.

I have a few clients who rely entirely on remote applications, ( they never sit in front of the DVR.). If I thought xp pro would improve fps./video quality/ smoother viewing,etc. I wouldn't hesitate to use xp pro.

By the way what are you guys doing when your stockpiles of xp / xp pro run out? how does vista run ? is it better? ( I can hear some of you growling already)

Rory... I put it in the ceiling because its a tiny "fresh juice kiosk", no room for stock never mind DVR, and its also safer , it would be very vulnerable anywhere else. I always try to hide the DVR from break ins,its no good when they take the evidence

 

We've just moved to 2003 or 2008 for all machines.

[stealthvue 0]

I have several small systems that are not on a network like this. What I do is assign them a static IP address, then leave a length of CAT5 wired for crossover. I can then take my laptop and do whatever maintenance needs to be done. One other idea - shich I haven't tried yet - would be to put a wireless network adapter on the system and set up a secure peer-to-peer network so you can connect and control the geo PC while in the vicinity of the unit - no need to physically access the system.

[stealthvue 0]

Sorry I forgot to mention - I use VNC to connect to these systems. On systems with internet functionality, I install logmein to be able to control those PC's.

[peskypete 0]

After trying to figure out why one system has remote desktop & not the other, I finally read that XP home wasn't supposed to have it.

 

I installed XP Home on the video server using same disk. Really odd!

 

I finally tried UltraVNC and it works like a charm!

 

I really don't have any problems with XP Home, and I've done a few installs of it on the same and different systems (due to Mobo changes and Hard drive swaps).

 

I have been using many op systems since DOS (286 machines) and I gotta say XP Home is pretty reliable.

 

My server is also in the attic and attached by a cat5 cable.

 

It also has a static IP. I connect to it through the LAN, but I could plug the CAT5 into a laptop and use it that way too.

 

I have only been running the server 24/7 for a couple of weeks, but no crashes to date.

 

I think the chances of a crash occuring would be more related to bad hardware than XP. Stay away from VIA chipsets!!!