Do you need DVR card for IP Cameras?

[destro_23 0]

I was just wondering if you need a DVR card for and IP system?

 

I was thinking about updating one of my clients but have never done an IP system before...

 

if i was going to switch his 6 camera system over.. Would i need just a PC, IP Software, Router, IP cams?

 

Or do i have to have a DVR card? with 8 camera system dual core intel with 2 gigs ram ok?

[thewireguys 3]

No you do not need a DVR card for IP cameras. If the system is working ok why do you want to switch everything to IP?

[destro_23 0]

I've recently installed a few systems at friends restaurants/bars and am now curious about IP as 2 of them asked me about them. I just told them they are much more expensive but much higher quality. One friend is gutting his restaurant and making a high end bar so i would like for him to add 2 IP cameras to his 2 front doors.

 

So what i'm thinking for next install is a dvr card that is analogue but supports ip too. and put an IP camera at door where there is usually more light, for a chokepoint, but i really just would like to install an IP system just to learn.

[Sawbones 0]

You're wanting a hybrid system then, as opposed to a purely analog, or a purely IP-based system.

[bchance 0]

if he's gutting the restaraunt i would go ahead and run all new cat5's to existing cams just in case he wants a full switch.

[Sawbones 0]

if he's gutting the restaraunt i would go ahead and run all new cat5's to existing cams just in case he wants a full switch.

 

That's good advice. That way you can always use baluns to run analog over the cat5 if you choose not to go full IP.

[Soundy 1]

if he's gutting the restaraunt i would go ahead and run all new cat5's to existing cams just in case he wants a full switch.

 

That's good advice. That way you can always use baluns to run analog over the cat5 if you choose not to go full IP.

 

Agreed, this is good advice. Just a word of warning, though: be sure to spec 24VAC cameras if you're using analog over baluns - I've had several occasions of 12VDC cameras having ground-loop problems over baluns, if running them all off a single power supply. If each is going to have its own wall-wart transformer, that's fine, but it gets kinda messy and cluttered that way.

 

Just to clarify, it won't ALWAYS happen, but there's a lot higher likelihood of it. With 24VAC cameras, I've never had an issue with baluns.

 

And back to the original question: no, you don't TECHNICALLY need a capture card to run all-IP cameras, HOWEVER... Iknow of at least one system where the software is fully "hybridized" (analog and IP cams within the same interface), yet the software won't run WITHOUT a capture card. It doesn't need analog cameras connected (in fact, I'm running one site with 13 IP cams and no analog at all), but the software does check for the card.

 

Kinda dumb, really, and I'm hoping they'll do away with that in future versions.

 

Oh, one other thing to note: some systems limit the software to the same number of channels as the capture card - that is, if it has a 16-channel card, the software only gives you 16 channels, period. This is a problem if you have, say, 10 analog cams and want to add 10 IP cams, and it's something to be aware of when you're spec'ing your DVR.

 

This is the same system I mentioned above, BTW, and again, I'm hoping it will be addressed soon, because this limitation IS an issue on one site of ours.

[destro_23 0]

Thanks for the replies they are very helpful..

 

One question... is there any Pure IP software that does POS txt overlay/database? do they do it with software solution? or a piece of hardware attached to the POS terminal?

 

Again this is going to be a Bar... and almost all bartenders on a busy night pad the tip jar.. good ones can do it right in front of you!!

 

I'm just asking questions as i can think of them.

[Soundy 1]

There are a few options for POS inclusion... and I've just been dealing with some of them recently, all using the Vigil DVRs from CAMACC/3xLogic.

 

Vigil has a few different database options. It can accept plain ASCII input from a number of different POS systems via a serial port, and log it to a database that's synchronized to video, and each register can be assigned to a specific camera. We use this extensively with fuel services using Bulloch POS software.

 

We're also testing a new interface for Squirrel POS systems that has the Squirrel backend pushing the POS data via network interface to the Vigil. That's kind of a beta thing right now, though.

 

And Vigil has the ability to link in and read some other types of POS backend databases - I've tried it on one site that uses a Squirrel POS and can pull data directly from its MSSQL database. The trick to this one is that for proper synchronization, the DVR and POS clocks much match exactly, so you'll want some sort of NTP server/client on the two to keep them sync'd on a frequent basis.

 

And there's the good old TVS text/video inserter... I've just recently installed the latest offering from Honeywell in a site, it's HIGHLY configurable (via web interface, nice) to work with a wide range of POS and ATM systems and overlays the text directly on analog video. It can also filter the data and feed it back out for DVR serial data capture.

 

The catch with TVS is that it won't overlay on IP video, so in this one site, I have an IP cam and a small cheap dome side-by-side watching the paypoint, with the dome routed through the TVS. There are IP cameras, however, that have realtime analog output as well as the megapixel IP feed (such as the IQEye Alliance dome series) that would work great for this sort of situation.

[destro_23 0]

if you have more then one pos do you use a serial to USB converter? or serial pci cards in the pc?

 

 

I think i might start a new thread with the POS question

[Soundy 1]

Well, since you haven't yet...

 

I've always done it with USB-to-serial adapters as necessary. The exception to this has been this recent project with Camacc and Squirrel for a client that has 11 POS stations around a restaurant, which has led to their solution of having the Squirrel backend push the data over the network to the Vigil DVR, instead of taking an ASCII stream from the terminal itself. Serial adapters would work in this instance, but would be extremely unwieldy, particularly for the fact that you'd need a wire run to every terminal (well, you could run four feeds over a Cat5, but this site wasn't wired for that anyway).

 

But in any case, I find the USB adapters work just fine - we use models made by A-Ten and have had no problems using them for POS interface, or for PTZ outputs off the DVR. Once the driver is installed, you can just keep plugging them in, and they keep popping up and more and more serial ports