Megapixel IP Camera Help

[serial 0]

I have a customer that currently has an analogue cam system installed. The problem now is that he desperately needs to zoom after an event is captured while maintaining quality. Of course analogue isn't going to suit. I will be installing a demo within a week or two.

 

I have been reading this forum for a couple of days now but I am still undecided.

 

I was considering the Sanyo VCC-HD4000 or Arecont AV3130. I do need day night capabilities and at night there are lights in the ground facing up that the cameras will see. I need this to work right the first time, I need to select the best camera for the job.

 

So then there is the PC. I was going to use an existing PC at their office (for the demo of 1 cam) but from what I'be been reading on here it's not going to work and I'll need to get a much better PC.

 

Also the network gear, what gear should I be using? All that is there now is 10/100 linksys router and dlink 10/100 switch.

 

The main reason for getting these cameras in is to zoom after an incident without losing much quality from the original image.

 

What should I do?

 

Thanks!

[VST_Man 1]

network should be fine unless you install 4 or more IP cams........

 

I like the acti acm-7411. Overall price, megapic, day/night, varifocal, weatherproof dome, poe, heater blower......make it well rounded for any application.

 

I also use Video Insight as my top performer IP software. Used with the 7411's you can use the digital zoom feature and get some nice details. Video Insight has a 30 day free demo at this site along with a decent webinar.........and other things to look at the below site. The Demo mode is selected during install.

 

Keep in mind that ANY camera used with a digital zoom feature will pixelize. analog cams are terrible and megapixel cams are best.

 

IMHO, 1.3megapixels cams are about the standard to use. Agree that high megapixel cams provide better pics, but, as the pix's go up the storage requirements, bandwidth requirements, price, and CPU requirements all go up with it.....

[/url]; http://download.video-insight.com/

[thewireguys 3]

If you need low light capability go with the 3130. Also I would recommend a linksys SFE1000P POE switch don't go cheap on the networking gear. The Acti 7411 is a great camera for the price but the 3130 is better.

 

VST_MAN have you had any problems with VI 4.1?

[thewireguys 3]

Also if you can wait for the 3135 you will reduce your storage cost with the h.264 support. Also one more thing to keep in mind with the Arecont 3130/3135 there are no moving parts like the 7411 or any camera with a mechanical cut off filter.

[VST_Man 1]

I have 4.1 on several clients servers and it is running fine. I just did a install onto (2) servers back in June and they have been running without any issues since.

 

Video Insight has one of the best support packages around............and when I run into any issue, and/or my clients, Video Insight support worked things out..........and the support techs are up to speed on most issues..can't say enough about this....

 

You are right about the 3130..very nice cam BUT more pix's increase everything else and you'll need a "decent" enclosure to keep it cool and safe.

[Soundy 1]

I have a customer that currently has an analogue cam system installed. The problem now is that he desperately needs to zoom after an event is captured while maintaining quality.

 

Sometimes it seems 90% of our business comes from "after an event". Like insurance, surveillance is something a lot of people don't think they need... until AFTER they need it!

 

I was considering the Sanyo VCC-HD4000 or Arecont AV3130. I do need day night capabilities and at night there are lights in the ground facing up that the cameras will see. I need this to work right the first time, I need to select the best camera for the job.

 

I'm not familiar with either of those specifically, although I've been starting to work with some Arecont AV3155DN cameras and have been fairly impressed with their low-light performance. Don't know about how they'd deal with your potential backlight situation. You might need to look into Panasonic's SuperDynamic line to handle that.

 

So then there is the PC. I was going to use an existing PC at their office (for the demo of 1 cam) but from what I'be been reading on here it's not going to work and I'll need to get a much better PC.

 

What are the specs on the PC? Anything P4-class or higher should be more than sufficient for your demo; even a fast PIII or Athlon should do the job of demonstrating the difference between analog and 3MP.

 

If you're going to be dealing more with IP cams, though, you might want to think about picking up a laptop or even a "netbook" (one of those little 10-11" devices) as it will be handy not just for demoing the cameras, but for installing and configuring them as well.

 

Also the network gear, what gear should I be using? All that is there now is 10/100 linksys router and dlink 10/100 switch.

 

More than enough for doing your demo. If he goes with the camera(s), you can look at upgrading his network capability later *if necessary* - will really depend on how many cameras you're adding and how much traffic his network is seeing already.

 

For now, just plug the camera into his existing network, fire up the browser on his existing PC, and show him the difference in video quality.

[thewireguys 3]

I have 4.1 on several clients servers and it is running fine. I just did a install onto (2) servers back in June and they have been running without any issues since.

 

Video Insight has one of the best support packages around............and when I run into any issue, and/or my clients, Video Insight support worked things out..........and the support techs are up to speed on most issues..can't say enough about this....

 

You are right about the 3130..very nice cam BUT more pix's increase everything else and you'll need a "decent" enclosure to keep it cool and safe.

 

We had to pull 4.1 off from a job because it crashed the machine repeatably. I like there product but it just didn't work when we upgraded to 4.1

[DoorMan 0]

On the VCC-HD4000..

 

Zoom on motion alarm works very well in the daytime, not so well at night. There is considerably more noise at night which forces you to decrease the motion sensitivity to a point where subjects can walk right across the view and not trigger the zoom function. A fast paced walk will trigger the unit at reduced sensitivity. Sometimes too fast to capture the shot.

 

However the VCC-HD4000 does allow you to combine the digital inputs and the motion alarm in boolean logic form so as to not be soley based on the imagers' motion detection i.e. PIR Sensor/Imager combo. Switch/Imager combo and the like.

 

The HD4000 zooms very fast and focuses quickly as well. It is a good choice but be forwarned...

 

Having said this the problems only exist if you are trying for facial recognition. Adjusting to long shutter and/or sense-up will stop the spurious zooms because the noise is greatly reduced. But then you only see marshmallow men......

Edited August 20, 2009 by Guest

[VST_Man 1]

what server specs did you have it on?

 

Like everything else out here, you have to use the recommended "parts" and OS and if you go it with untested you might end up with issues....and that is with ANY software or hardware solution out here.

 

Did you use VI support or just Demo it and uninstall it?

[thewireguys 3]

what server specs did you have it on?

 

Like everything else out here, you have to use the recommended "parts" and OS and if you go it with untested you might end up with issues....and that is with ANY software or hardware solution out here.

 

Did you use VI support or just Demo it and uninstall it?

 

System was build to specs it was running fine for 8 months on 4.0 then when we added more cameras and upgraded 4.1 it just blue-screened everyday until we took the software off.

 

VI support tried to fix it for a 2 weeks and no matter what they did they couldn't fix it. My customer was fed up so we switched software and blue screens stopped. Support and developers thought it was and issue with the Arecont camera.

 

I just wanted to see if you had any problems with 4.1. I really like there software and support but something wasn't right

[VST_Man 1]

did you revert to the older software to confirm it was NOT software? It is possible that it could have become a hardware issue...........I've seen IP cameras do strange things to IP/NVR servers.......not uncommon.

 

I've never heard of a complete loss by Video Insight tech support.......everything I tossed at them, and I have some serrious clients out here that use every bell & whistle, and tech support has always solved the problem.

[thewireguys 3]

did you revert to the older software to confirm it was NOT software? It is possible that it could have become a hardware issue...........I've seen IP cameras do strange things to IP/NVR servers.......not uncommon.

 

I've never heard of a complete loss by Video Insight tech support.......everything I tossed at them, and I have some serrious clients out here that use every bell & whistle, and tech support has always solved the problem.

 

We couldn't revert back because 4.0 doesn't support AV5105 and I know it wasn't a camera issue because it works fine with Areconts software and the new software.

 

They handled it very well and gave me a refund so I am not upset with them in anyway and when I see 4.1 working I will sell it again.

Edited August 20, 2009 by Guest

[DoorMan 0]

Ooops!

 

You don't need zoom on motion at all. Sorry, my bad..

[Soundy 1]

I've never heard of a complete loss by Video Insight tech support.......everything I tossed at them, and I have some serrious clients out here that use every bell & whistle, and tech support has always solved the problem.

 

I'm still waiting for a printing fix from them... ever since v2.3, and current on 3.1.1.2, on certain systems, live video will print properly, but recorded video prints a black frame overlaid with an image of whatever dialog box happened to be up over the image (usually a print dialog of some kind). I'm told it will be fixed in v3.5, but that's AT LEAST a month or two away (no definite date yet). Took me forever to get that answer out of them, too (just this past week), and I've been asking for over a year.

 

Normally I've found their support to be exceptional, but this one issue has been a real bugaboo for me.

 

(And no, I won't be able to convince this client to do a paid upgrade to v4.x for TWO machines).

[serial 0]

Thanks for the advice... really appreciated.

 

I think I'll go with the AV3130 but I have a problem. I see there are megapixel cameras out there that will allow me to record via the BNC connection on the back of the camera so that we can still record the analogue signal on an existing DVR which would be beneficial if only for redundancy.

 

I haven't had much experience with IP cameras but I am familiar with analogue systems and network infrastructure. I have a service monitor for the analogue cameras but what do I use for IP?

 

Thanks!

[serial 0]

Also what about Stardot technologies, what's their reputation? Worthwhile?

[DoorMan 0]

With the HD4000 your choice of HDMI Out or Composite Out (BNC), selectable onboard.

[VST_Man 1]

wireless laptop, or a cell phone link to someone monitoring the camera..either local or remote

[Soundy 1]

Thanks for the advice... really appreciated.

 

I think I'll go with the AV3130 but I have a problem. I see there are megapixel cameras out there that will allow me to record via the BNC connection on the back of the camera so that we can still record the analogue signal on an existing DVR which would be beneficial if only for redundancy.

 

You could do that, although those outputs are generally meant for connecting a service monitor or sending a signal to a customer-awareness monitor. On some cameras, the analog output actually includes focusing aids (a 100% crop in the center 1/4 of the display). On a couple cameras I've seen, it's also only on for about 5 minutes after power-up.

 

I haven't had much experience with IP cameras but I am familiar with analogue systems and network infrastructure. I have a service monitor for the analogue cameras but what do I use for IP?

 

Thanks!

 

If it doesn't have the analog-out port, you can use just about any computer or remote browser. You can plug a laptop or netbook directly into it with a crossover cable, or I like to carry a cheap wireless router that I can plug into the network and then access all the cameras wirelessly from my laptop. My coworker does the same thing using his Archos - much more convenient. I haven't tried it yet, but I should also be able to do it with my Windows Mobile phone too.

[Sawbones 0]

I used to use a *nix-based netbook to access cameras over the network (works great with Axis)... but once I started getting into the panasonic and Acti IP cams, I had to switch to a full-on windows laptop.

 

Why don't camera manufacturers value cross-platform compatibility? The Acti cams require IE and ActiveX, and the Panasonic I-Pro cams require not only IE, but you have to use their own software plug-in (and you MUST have the right version of it) ... what a hassle.

[Soundy 1]

I'm liking IQ the more I hear - the camera first tries to load an ActiveX control, and if it can't, it loads a Java applet instead. Works with every browser I've tried it on.

[ak357 0]

I'm liking IQ the more I hear - the camera first tries to load an ActiveX control, and if it can't, it loads a Java applet instead. Works with every browser I've tried it on.

 

That very cool

Hmm should try IQ one day

[Sawbones 0]

I'm liking IQ the more I hear - the camera first tries to load an ActiveX control, and if it can't, it loads a Java applet instead. Works with every browser I've tried it on.

 

See? That's what I'm talking about... thanks, Soundy.

 

********* edit *********

 

Say what you will about Axis and Dedicated Micros, but at least they both have the option of using Java, and can be used cross-platform. I'm not trying to unnecessarily snark at other manufacturers, but there can't be that big a shortage of Java developers out there in this economy

[serial 0]

So it I guess I have to use a wireless laptop to connect to the IP camera if there is no BNC out to set up the camera?

 

Anyone know anything about stardot technologies?

[Soundy 1]

So it I guess I have to use a wireless laptop to connect to the IP camera if there is no BNC out to set up the camera?

 

Most cameras I've seen with an analog service jack actually use an RCA rather than a BNC... but aside from that, you can just use a crossover cable to plug a laptop directly into the camera as well.