Looking for help with new system idea.

[medicjz 0]

We have recently had some issues with missing items at our fire house and I am looking to install a cctv system. The good news is I have a guy who is used to working with cameras and DVRs, I also have a IT guy all in house. My idea to save money is to use a 9 camera multiplexer unit and run a single cable for video to a PC to record all the data. The problem is getting both of these guys to understand what I am looking to do and if it is possible.

 

So my question is...can I use a 9 camera color mulitplexer and then just run the video output to a PC with a video capture card that has BNC connectors and have it record all the video from that one cable? Also, if it will record the video, what would the video look like? Will it be one video with 9 little boxed videos, or will it be seperate videos from each camera?

 

As a side note, the only piece of equipment that would need to be purchased is a video card with BNC connectors...the guy has the multiplexer as an extra.

 

Also, since I'm new I'll say hi and thank you in advance for the help and also I am excited about reading up on the other information that has already been posted.

[SEANHAWG 1]

Unless you have a single channel DVR card there would be no need to have a multiplexer. If you are going to get a multi channel DVR card such as an 8 or 9 channel, there is no need to have the multiplexer really since the DVR card basically acts as a multiplexer and a recorder all in one.

 

If you do plan on going the single channel DVR card route, I question the ability for the multiplexer to demux the video when it is ran through a DVR card. I have never used a multiplexer with a DVR card, perhaps anyone else who has can chime in.

[Soundy 1]

I doubt you'll find an actual DVR card with a single input... you could use a tuner card or USB adapter with a single input, but almost all of those will be RCA (easily solved with an adapter)...

 

But frankly, I don't think this will provide acceptable results. You'll have either one of two results: either you record the main monitor output of the mux, in which case you'll get whatever display option is selected (nine little boxes, unless someone hits a button to change it), or a full-screen image that flips from one camera to the next. Either one will be difficult if not impossible to pull usable results from - with the nine-little-boxes version, the images will be too small to see much (each will be MAXIMUM 240x160 pixels), and with the flipping version, you won't have any way to control the output to watch only one or two cameras without sitting through all the others.

 

Really... get a proper DVR or multi-channel DVR card for the computer. Or just one or two cameras with built-in recording capability and forget the DVR (how many areas do you really have to cover?)

[stid 0]

just to hijack this thread slightly , if this guy wants to set up the cameras the way he says will a multichannel dvr work on the one cable from the multiplexer

[Bean00 0]

just to hijack this thread slightly , if this guy wants to set up the cameras the way he says will a multichannel dvr work on the one cable from the multiplexer

 

Yes though you get basically the same issue. You'll be recording a multiplexed view on one channel of the DVR. Image size will be too small for me to call usable video.

 

And with the difficultly in finding an affordable Mux today, you might as well just buy a low cost DVR. I've sold clearance DVRs as mux's because we could get them cheaper, and just set them not to record.

[stid 0]

but if you cant run cameras say 8 or 16 cables to the dvr card , how would you go about it?

[Bean00 0]

You should be able to get 8 or 16ch into the DVR card as long as you purchase a card with that many channels. They usually have a dongal with connector breakouts.

 

IF you can't get it back to the PC due to infrastructure reasons I'd recommend one of two things:

a) build another PC with the card in it for where you can put it, and then just connect that to your network and view the cameras over the lan.

b) Get an embedded DVR and connect that to your network and view it over the lan.

 

These options can at least give you decent quality video. Since, you can have at least one cable coming to the PC, you should be able to make that an ethernet cable and make the above solutions work.

[stid 0]

my position of the (built)pc is not that secure, i have 8 cameras at the moment can i connect them balun things up and run then down a ethernet cable or 2 rated at cat5e and would like to add more camera in the future but at different locations also via etherent cable

[Bean00 0]

If the PC is not in a secure place, then that shouldn't be your recording device anyway.

 

I'd recommend one of the two options I listed, and putting the new device(which will be where the video is stored.) in a more secure location.

 

That will make it so:

A) your video is secure regardless of what happens to the current PC.

B) You can still do all your viewing/control from the remote client on the current PC.

 

Just make sure that whatever unit you use to record has open channels so you can grow.

[stid 0]

thanks bean00 sorry i have a secure pc but the built pc would not be secure and the balun idea would that work because i can get 3 or maybe four LAN cables along route

[Bean00 0]

Ah, that makes more sense.

 

IF you can get 4 CAT5 cables to the current PC then:

 

1) Get a 8 or 16ch Capture Card

2) Get video baluns for all your camera.

 

Because UTP Video only requires a pair, you can run upto 4 cameras on a single CAT5 cable. So with 4 CAT5 cables that up to 16 cameras.

 

Use a UTP Balun hub or more individuals to bring them back into the capture card on the secure PC.

[Soundy 1]

my position of the (built)pc is not that secure, i have 8 cameras at the moment can i connect them balun things up and run then down a ethernet cable or 2 rated at cat5e and would like to add more camera in the future but at different locations also via etherent cable

Yes, you can extend your coax runs using baluns and UTP (it doesn't have to be Cat5e, or even twisted pair necessarily; any sort of cable pairs will do, even Cat3 or station-Z wire).

 

Check out using a pair of these to simplify things:

 

 

You can use Cat5e/Cat6 with RJ45 connectors, to keep it clean, or any other sort of wire pairs via the screw terminals.

 

Most other balun manufacturers (MuxLab, NVT, GVI, etc.) have similar products.

[Bean00 0]

When did GEM change their hubs? I like the new casing... very industrial looking.

 

Not that the insides changed... not really anything to change in a balun lol.

[Soundy 1]

Yeah, functionally it's no different than 8 individual baluns... it's just all neatly tucked inside one snazzy case