Daycare camera hosting for 80 parents... needed some help

[kwelhand 0]

My wife owns a daycare and a lot of parents wanted to view our classroom CCTV camera via internet.

Currently, we've Samsung SHR-5162N MPEG4 500GB DVR w/ 16 Pelco 3mm 480TVL dome cameras setup for realtime viewing on our lobby and recording.

We've DSL connection w/ 6mps donwload and 512k upload.

 

Unfortunately, Samsung DVR only allows less than 8(?) client access per session and we need way more than that.

Right now, we've about 80 parents wanted to access video of their kid's classroom like other daycare centers in our area.

 

How to enable about 30 ~ 80 parents to view each classroom's camera over the internet?

Should I get IP camera and start over or upgrade my DVR?

Do I need a hosting company to host my video so parents could login?

I need some sort of limited access so I could add or delete users or limit their access (like during the night).

Do I need to upgrade to T1 line for 1.5mbp upload speed?

I would like to stay with DSL but I need you guys opinion first.

Please guide me where to start....

thank you guys in advance!

[thewireguys 3]

My wife owns a daycare and a lot of parents wanted to view our classroom CCTV camera via internet.

Currently, we've Samsung SHR-5162N MPEG4 500GB DVR w/ 16 Pelco 3mm 480TVL dome cameras setup for realtime viewing on our lobby and recording.

We've DSL connection w/ 6mps donwload and 512k upload.

 

Unfortunately, Samsung DVR only allows less than 8(?) client access per session and we need way more than that.

Right now, we've about 80 parents wanted to access video of their kid's classroom like other daycare centers in our area.

 

How to enable about 30 ~ 80 parents to view each classroom's camera over the internet?

Should I get IP camera and start over or upgrade my DVR?

Do I need a hosting company to host my video so parents could login?

I need some sort of limited access so I could add or delete users or limit their access (like during the night).

Do I need to upgrade to T1 line for 1.5mbp upload speed?

I would like to stay with DSL but I need you guys opinion first.

Please guide me where to start....

thank you guys in advance!

 

You will never get 30-80 people to connect to a NVR or IP camera simultaneously. You will need to setup a streaming server and/or a website site for people to log into with this many and it will not be cheap.

 

You could look into something like http://www.ustream.tv/ or http://www.usrelay.com/

[kwelhand 0]

Thanks for your reply!

IC... so I need some sort of streaming server/website solution.

Do I still need to have 6 seperate IP cameras & T1 to connect say avg 20~30 people at a time (avg 5 client per camera)?

 

How much budget should I expect?

thanks!

 

 

You will never get 30-80 people to connect to a NVR or IP camera simultaneously. You will need to setup a streaming server and/or a website site for people to log into with this many and it will not be cheap.

 

You could look into something like http://www.ustream.tv/ or http://www.usrelay.com/

[thewireguys 3]

A T1 is only 1.5MB most business class cable modems are a lot faster. You will have a admin nightmare setting up 6 IP cameras and letting 6 people log in per-camera and we haven't even discussed resolution and FPS.

 

 

http://www.usrelay.com/products/eLiveStream/

[thewireguys 3]

OK maybe this will help convince you.

 

Axis bandwidth calculator.

 

80 Axis P3301 h.241 D1 cameras

 

6FPS 640X480 30% compression = 155 Kbit/s each X 80 streams = 12.1 Mbit/s upload needed

 

6FPS 320X480 30% compression = 39 Kbit/s X 80 streams = 3Mbit/s upload

 

This is just a minimum it could be 10X this depending on the movement.

[CCTV_Suppliers 0]

Samsung DVR is restricted to maximum 8 simultaneous connection and not much more available from this manufacturer.. even though it is great DVR for security recording purposes.

 

Recently we had a similar request from a Daycare Center in our area. This school had roughly 100+ parents that shown an interest to view classrooms during school sessions...

 

What we came up with was a DVR solution that allowed up to 20 remote view connections using Internet Explorer (no need for any proprietary remote client software) and then school provided a time schedule for 5+ groups of parents (20 parents per group) that will have access. The way it worked was that they allocated time slot to have for the first group to view the first school hour, the second group the second school hour, etc... and then rotate again...

 

Another major consideration was the available bandwidth, which was capped at 512K up speed - and we had to select very specific DVR that accommodated all above requirements.

 

The DVR that we used for this application was American Dynamics Intellex series DVR version 4.3. It allows up to 20 simultaneous connections using Internet Explorer for viewing purposes only and due to their compression technology called ACC (Active Content Compression, which compresses the video files 9 times better than MPEG-4 or MJpeg based systems), its requirements for upload speed is much lower than most...

 

So, instead of changing everything that you already have in place, the solution will be to change just the DVR and keep all rest of your existing camera equipment.

 

If you need more info, please advise.

 

Good luck.

[kwelhand 0]

Thank you very much for your help Wireguy and CCTV_suppliers!

I really appreciate it.

 

I think CCTV suppliers has a very good point and that's probably what we're planning to setup with.

It's just too complicate to setup a streaming hosting/website and unfortunately, business cable modem isn't available in our commercial location (We probably need to keep our 512KB upload DSL).

 

CCTV_suppliers, how much is that American Dynamics Intellex series DVR version 4.3 cost?

Do you have exact model#?

Is it something like this? http://cgi.ebay.com/AD-Intellex-4-3-ADD6R0DVD050-500GB-REMANUFACTURED-/330450038662?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf05b6f86

 

Is there any other alternative DVR that you could recommend?

 

How do you limit access of parents in case some parents ignore the sharing rule and wanted to watch the video ALL day long?

Also, did you come up with a solution to disable the client access at night for security reason?

We don't want parents to watch our facility outside of classroom hours.

 

I think your DVR solution is just awesome...

[CCTV_Suppliers 0]

kwelhand, you are welcome...

 

Here is another piece of information about this unit... 20K per connection requirement is for the worst case scenerio and dependent how you program the system, it can work with as low as 10K per connection... so, just in case if you want to implement this option, this is a valid info.

 

The unit you are referring in e-bay seems the same, but I am not familiar with anything from e-bay. I never bought nor sold anything through e-bay. I hear some horror stories as well as some decent ones from buyers through e-bay.. I guess it is just a gamble... you may win or loose dependent who your supplier is and what you are buying.

 

I will consider several facts before I buy anything from anywhere - warranty for an example for such units must be at leasts 3 years (up to 5 years warranty is available), the technical support in case if you need it (most likely you may need it at one point), setup issues, warranty repairs if needed, etc.

 

Price points for this type of system is dependent how many days of recording you need, which interprets to how much internal storage such systems come with.

 

Here is (5) models that vary in specs that are available: http://cctvportal.com/dvrs/9-16-ch-dvr/16-ch-dvrs?dir=asc&intellex_series=68&manufacturer=133&order=price - This is brand new equipment that comes with (3) years warranty to start.

 

Regardless which direction you choose to go in purchasing this type of unit, make sure you have the proper support and reputable company behind it. This solution is not for a short term fix, rather a long term and it has to work.

 

As for bandwidth control on how many people can get in at the same time and timeline for how long they can stay... that could be the function of your router (dependent which router you have) - or better yet, with Intellex system... you can give parents log-in information based on username and password (you can create them per parent) and then you can restrict what they can see (how many cameras they can view at the same time or you may choose to have specific parent to view only one camera) or when they can get in. It is one of the powerful functions that this unit has and there are no limits how many users you have... as long as the users are connecting to Intellex using Internet Explorer, you will be fine..

 

Good luck and let me know if you need anything else.

[kwelhand 0]

Thanks again for your detailed & knowledgeable reply...

Yes, I think I should get it from a reputable seller and not try to take a chance on this type of equipment.

 

I think we only need about 7~8 rooms to be connected via internet so most likely we only need 8 or 9 channel Intellex DVR.

Could you recommend 8 or 9 channel Intellex DVR (version 4.3? perhaps)?

I want the same features as your recommended 16 channel Intellex DVR has but in 8 or 9 channel configuration.

As far as thr hard disk size... I could live w/ 250GB or 500GB max.

 

How's the video quality & frame rate when parents watch through their browser?

Is it comparable to that really bad webcam quality with choppy motion?

 

Does Intellex has capability to limit their login time? I would like to limit parent login for 3 min.

After 3 min they must relogin to watch... I hope this limits their usage and conserve the bandwidth.

 

Please recommend 8 or 9 channel Intellex DVR model since $5,000 is out of our reach at this time.

Thanks again!

[CCTV_Suppliers 0]

kwelhand, please find some of the answers below.

 

Thanks again for your detailed & knowledgeable reply...

Yes, I think I should get it from a reputable seller and not try to take a chance on this type of equipment.

 

I think we only need about 7~8 rooms to be connected via internet so most likely we only need 8 or 9 channel Intellex DVR.

Could you recommend 8 or 9 channel Intellex DVR (version 4.3? perhaps)?

 

Intellex comes with 8 channel version as well...

 

http://cctvportal.com/dvrs/1-8-ch-dvr/8-ch-dvrs?manufacturer=133

 

I want the same features as your recommended 16 channel Intellex DVR has but in 8 or 9 channel configuration.

As far as thr hard disk size... I could live w/ 250GB or 500GB max.

 

How's the video quality & frame rate when parents watch through their browser?

Is it comparable to that really bad webcam quality with choppy motion?

 

Quality is decent - it is not D1 or CIF4, but you can program the unit lets say CIF1 or CIF2 and outcome is very good.

 

Does Intellex has capability to limit their login time? I would like to limit parent login for 3 min.

After 3 min they must relogin to watch... I hope this limits their usage and conserve the bandwidth.

 

I am not sure about this feature... I am going to say no for now. However, by having very specific schedules for group of parents, it should work.

 

 

Please recommend 8 or 9 channel Intellex DVR model since $5,000 is out of our reach at this time.

Thanks again!

[kwelhand 0]

Thank you again for taking your time to answer my questions.

I called our local broadband company to visit our building and perform a site survey for possible addition of broadband in our area.

I think based on this outcome, then I will decide to order 8 or 16 channel Intellex.

Again, my sincere appreciation...

[stermaat 0]

Hi there,

 

I noticed this thread just now. We offer a possible solution for your problem - up to four ip cameras, with a connection with our servers. This is where data is recorded, but also the hosting for broadcasting is situated here. Therefore, your own DSL connection will hardly be stretched to the limit - only one stream outgoing. Our servers handle the broadcasting to the parents. The system has the potential to broadcast live streams to hundreds of viewers at the same time, so 80 parents should be no problem. Of course it's possible to regulate the viewer's rights regarding time and access to the system. At the moment we only offer this service in the Netherlands, but I might be able to point you to some partners abroad if necessary, I don't know where you're situated..

 

If you'd like to know more about this system, please let me know.

[ZeroLove 0]

Any update on what happened? What did the broadband company told you? I may have to set up a system like this in the future as well.

[ice5 0]

Hello,

 

Our organization had a similar project on hand. What kind of solution did you finally employ ?