gemini420 0 Posted January 9, 2009 Would anyone be able to recommend a DVR brand that allows networking that is NOT restricted to Internet Explorer! I am installing a CCTV set up for monitoring my home. I am also knowledgeable with computers and networking. I wanted to buy a DVR (as opposed to building a PC as a dedicated DVR) for the convenience of having an 'all-in-one' recording device. BUT I can not seem to find *any* DVR that allows for an open network connection !?! Many DVRs advertise remote network administration and viewing, but they are all secretly dependent on Internet Explorer (ActiveX.) I am interested in being able to use my PC & networking knowledge to stream data to my iPhone. I.E. It is late at night and we hear odd noises, I want to be able to see our live cameras from my iPhone.) Would anyone be able to recommend a DVR brand that allows networking that is NOT restricted to Internet Explorer! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Monitor Your Assets 0 Posted January 9, 2009 Mobotix has paid attention to this and their web server works well with Safari, Firefox, Safari iPhone and others (it's even well documented). It support 4 modes: server push, jscript, java or ActiveX. ActiveX (IE) is required for only two special features: two way audio & viewing MxPEG, their proprietary video compression format. The only other alternative is to use their free software (Windows only). I have found that a series of JPG images is extremely useful as it can easily be viewed as an email or in any browser (I seldom use Windows). With a VGA Mobotix camera, each still image is ~100KB in size which provides adequate detail (for home monitoring, at least). You can configure how many frames to capture and how many seconds pre/post event. If I need more information, I can use a PC to view the recorded MxPEG video that also includes audio. The live viewing via an iPhone works very well too - both over WiFi and 3G. I use it often. You can set the frame rate you wish to view with. The Mobotix websever also has special PDA sized screens available. Just append /pda to the camera URL and you can view optimized screens in three sizes - 160x120, 320x240 or 640x480. If you really need two way audio, you can install a SIP client on your iPhone and connect to a Mobotix camera. It can also call your SIP phone when an event is detected, but now we're getting fancy... -- Marc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Monitor Your Assets 0 Posted January 9, 2009 Sorry, just noted that this was posted in the "DVR" section. While Mobotix cameras are not DVRs, they do contain a full DVR feature set. And then some. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gemini420 0 Posted January 9, 2009 Hey, Thanks for the suggestion. I can always build a PC based DVR equivalent, but I was hoping to find an out of the box / all-in-one DVR solution. I have not purchased anything yet, so my options are open. These camera systems look promising and offer greater resolutions. I will have to research the night vision capabilities a bit. Thanks again, Shane Metler Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
