DVR / NVR for Linux or Mac, not simply as an afterthought

[icansolvetheproblem 0]

Hello,

 

We have been asked to provide a free standing DVR that uses a Mac or Linux application for primary management as well as LAN and WAN monitoring. iPhone and Android mobile platform compatibility would also be nice.

 

As our firm typically provides and installs well known, mainstream products from Pe,Ho, DM, and Sp; usually these use propriety software solutions running on Windows, or open solutions such as CMS - running on Windows. All of the browser based applications seem to require Active X, (an insecure solution at best). We're zealous believers in Linux (we use a variety of Linux distro's in the following order: Ubuntu, Fedora, and Backtrack) our hands our tied as we're forced to offer insecure solutions requiring Windows OS management at a minimum, with fully featured viewing applications requiring Windows as well. Typically there are apps that may run on another OS or via a non-active X browser, however our experience with such apps have been riddled with buggy with incomplete features which don't provide full management or potential viewing capabilities of a given freestanding DVR or NVR.

 

Can you suggest a high quality stand alone analog DVR that is designed to use a Linux or Mac based management and viewing applications? I want to hear about residential, commercial, and enterprise solutions. The one I'm currently looking for has gotta be one that's robust since our applications may include datacenters and prisons.

 

We're also interested in non-Windows based NVR's for use with I.P. cameras. While the cameras usually run on a Linux kernel the control and management applications seem to be written for Windows. The comment I most typically hear from the design engineers from the major firms is "We design our product for the largest market segment, and since 95% of all computers run on Windows we focus on that market."

 

Funny, isn't that exactly why many virus authors choose to target IE.

 

I'm not looking for all the methods in which one can emulate a Wintel box, nor am I looking for solutions using Wine or any other virtual machine. While the efforts made by many to enable such possibilities are admirable, this is NOT the answer we're looking for.

 

Your comments and suggestions are most appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

P.S. We can discuss why Windows is so insecure elsewhere in this forum, please don't flame me here for my seemingly imprudent and noob comments regarding your favorite McOperating System. TY

[rory 0]

Funny, isn't that exactly why many virus authors choose to target IE.

 

Regarding this part, do the clients have to use IE?

If its going to be a newly installed OS can remove IE alltogether pre install and just use the client software, if they must browse the web use something like Google Chrome instead? Also its malware writers in general that target the entire Windows OS not just IE and not just viruses.

 

 

I havent used or seen anything for linux and CCTV to write home about, but some say Exact Vision have a decent Linux based NVR. Also Hikvision DVR cards apparently work on older versions of Fedora.

[highjoke 0]

I am a UNIX programmer and CCTV installer with NY license, using Fedora Linux for CCTV.

The machine I've build runs a webserver and can be accessible from anywere remotely to view a cameras,

can upload images with email motion notifications, the video gets archived and can be accessed based on dates.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

[Soundy 1]

Can you suggest a high quality stand alone analog DVR that is designed to use a Linux or Mac based management and viewing applications? I want to hear about residential, commercial, and enterprise solutions. The one I'm currently looking for has gotta be one that's robust since our applications may include datacenters and prisons.

 

We're also interested in non-Windows based NVR's for use with I.P. cameras. While the cameras usually run on a Linux kernel the control and management applications seem to be written for Windows.

Have you looked at using a NAS array with supported IP cameras and encoders? Check the likes of QNAP and Synology - many of their systems support direct writing by IP cameras, with management via web interface. QNAP, I know for sure, has versions of most of their models that are designed specifically for surveillance use; I believe Synology does as well, and AFAIK both are based on a form of Linux/BSD/*nix. For analog cameras, you'd just need to use a supported encoder.

 

Both have demos available on their webstites.