My first DVR experience and review

[tondar 0]

Hello all,

 

I recently decided to invest in a home surveillance system. In my searching online I found this forum and have found it very helpful - Thank you.

 

Based on my searching and more importantly how helpful Mike is on this forum I decided to place an order with ShoreView Security. Mike was very patient and helpful when it came to choosing what to get. I ordered the following:

 

1. 8 channel XLA DVR

2. two indoor/outdoor dome cameras (SVCMD665H)

3. one outdoor camera (SVCMR603WHI)

 

Everything came neatly packed and upon unpacking I realized I had some important decisions to make. Where to mount the cameras? Where to put the DVR? I made some decisions and decided I would just try it out and therefore not make anything too permanent. Running the wires takes time to do it right so i didn't want to invest a lot of time for something I wasn't sure of. I've had the system installed since the end of January and my install is still "temporary"

 

With everything physically located and the wires connected I was ready for the actual setup of the system. Now I'm not computer illiterate but networking is not something I have a lot of experience with. This is where ordering from a vendor who provides technical support is so valuable. The instruction manual that comes with the DVR is so-so but it really didn't matter because Mike's website has all the information that's needed through various videos and pdf's. There were still some things I couldn't figure out so luckily Mike is very responsive to email/phone.

 

There's a bunch of settings on the DVR that were just set it and forget it but there are other areas that I became very familiar with because they require a number of iterations (like the motion detection windowing).

 

Once I got the DVR going with an initial setup I wanted to be able to remotely view my cameras. This requires two things:

1. port forwarding (in the router)

2. dynamic DNS so you don't have to deal with IP numbers

 

The port forwarding was somewhat router specific and required some trial and error. PortForward.com was a good resource, I needed to forward an HTTP port and a TCP port (80 and 37777 default). Dynamic DNS is a free service through a number of places. Mike's website had everything I needed to know for using NO-IP.org so that's the way I went.

 

Unfortunately I discovered that my work only allows traffic on port 80 so I am unable to access my DVR from work (Mike and I spent hours trying to figure this out). As a work around I setup the DVR to FTP motion detection video on some channels and scheduled 10s clips on others. I then use one of the free web based FTP programs (google it) to access my files. This works because the web based FTP sites transfer all data through port 80. Mike's website has the information you need to setup FTP.

 

Overall impressions:

This is my first home surveillance setup so I don't have anything to compare to. That being said I have to say I'm happy with the system.

 

Pro's:

1. The picture quality is great during the daylight and still good enough at night to see what's going on.

2. The software does everything you need it to and is still simple enough to understand and figure out.

3. The remote access interface is great

4. I'm really quite impressed with everything the DVR can do. I've had it since the end of January and I'm still finding new features.

5. Mike is extremely helpful!!

 

Con's:

1. The software can sometimes be a little quirky so when i make a change i always double check it to make sure it took.

2. Sometimes the IR LED's seem to be on when they shouldn't be as there is plenty of daylight. This can make colors look a little off.

3. The motion detection can't tell the difference between motion from snow/rain and motion from people. If you turn on the motion detection during a snow storm you will quickly fill your hard drive/FTP site.

4. The DVR has a fan on it that runs all the time and is kind of loud

 

I will continue to play around with the DVR and let you guys know what I find. I think my next plan is to setup a home computer/server that I can remote desktop to from work so I can fully access the DVR all through port 80.

 

Hope this is helpful to someone, let me know if you guys have any questions.

 

Take care

[Sawbones 0]

Very glad to hear you had a great experience with Shoreview.

 

If you're not a hard-core geek, it's very helpful to have somebody to show you the ropes with this stuff.

 

Just last week I took out my embedded DVR and put everything on an IP-based system (I've redone my own system several times now), and I've had an easier time with the IP-based stuff, simply because I'm a computer and networking geek, and have played with computers since the TRS-80 days.

 

There's nothing quite like the peace of mind of knowing what's going at home while you're away. Sounds like you're a convert.

[shoreviewsecurity 0]

Thanks Tondar!!

 

It was a pleasure working with you! I enjoyed the experience and I learned from you as well.

 

Thanks again!!

 

Mike

[shoreviewsecurity 0]

Careful Sawbones... You are showing your age

 

I too remember those days as well. Spending hours on code just to make a lightning bolt

 

Good stuff.

[scorpion 0]

1. Insert cassete tape.

2. Press play to load software.

3. Take a lunch for 30 minutes

4. Come back to find that the software did not load properly.

5. Rewind tape press play, and leave for another 30 minutes to find something to do.

 

Gotta love the trash 80!

[Sawbones 0]

Ahhh... those were the days. I'm of the firm opinion that the tape drive on my Commodore Vic-20 was the slowest thing ever invented.

 

The dawn of the computer age.