New to CCTV, about to install one camera residential system

[CODE4 0]

Moved into a new rental house in a sub-five year old neighborhood. Planning on installing one IP Camera on a front corner with an oblique view across the front door access and drive way. I am interested in having mobile access on my smart phone to video and notification on motion.

 

Currently on the way:

 

ACTi TCM-1231

http://www.acti.com/product/detail/Bullet_Camera/TCM-1231

 

PoE injector

http://www.rfelements.com/PasivePoeInjector.html

 

12v power supply for injector, and CAT6 running from soffit across attic and down the stud to where my cable modem and router sit.

 

Also spec'ing a HTPC to act as NVR. Been searching and reading on NVR software - seems many here favor Milestone. The HTPC will have at least a couple terabytes of storage if needed. I may expand with a few more cameras to cover the rest of the perimeter after I see how well the first one works.

 

Reason sparking my desire for front yard coverage is misc. trash ending up under my garbage can after the garbage men have taken the full can and turned it upside down. Other small weird occurrences that I wish to have eyes on, you know?

 

Any input is welcome.

[thewireguys 3]

I think you will have to go with Milestone Professional to get mobile phone support and it will be a added charge. I know the iPhone app is $999

 

What phone platform are you looking for?

 

Exacq works will them all and they have iPhone apps and soon a Andriod.

[danielsan2222 0]

Just as many seem to favor Exacq as Milestone. It depends on what features you need. Exacq will be more expensive at about $150/license. The Milestone Essential starts out at about $100 for base license(2 cameras) then roughly $50/camera thereafter. I would do some searches and you can find out various differences that may influence your decision. Other possibilities are Luxriot or Blue iris the latter being good for a home setup or so some have said.

 

2TB will be way more than sufficient for one camera. Depending on how many and what type of cameras you add you start running into potential issues of hardware durability(i.e. enterprise vs consumer class hardware).

 

Moved into a new rental house in a sub-five year old neighborhood. Planning on installing one IP Camera on a front corner with an oblique view across the front door access and drive way. I am interested in having mobile access on my smart phone to video and notification on motion.

 

Currently on the way:

 

ACTi TCM-1231

http://www.acti.com/product/detail/Bullet_Camera/TCM-1231

 

PoE injector

http://www.rfelements.com/PasivePoeInjector.html

 

12v power supply for injector, and CAT6 running from soffit across attic and down the stud to where my cable modem and router sit.

 

Also spec'ing a HTPC to act as NVR. Been searching and reading on NVR software - seems many here favor Milestone. The HTPC will have at least a couple terabytes of storage if needed. I may expand with a few more cameras to cover the rest of the perimeter after I see how well the first one works.

 

Reason sparking my desire for front yard coverage is misc. trash ending up under my garbage can after the garbage men have taken the full can and turned it upside down. Other small weird occurrences that I wish to have eyes on, you know?

 

Any input is welcome.

[CODE4 0]

I have an android OS phone. I was under the impression that an IP camera with the appropriate ports forwarded would be accessible via the Internet - and viewable by smart phone. I should have been more specific - I am not interested in control via mobile device. Only viewing and receiving email/SMS notification of activity.

 

I have read that appropriate HDDs are necessary as consumer grade are not designed for 24/7 operation. I may look into SSDs as an alternative if they can withstand that type of use.

[Birdman Adam 0]

Yes, you can forward your camera to the internet. You can also set up a dns hostname for your camera. For example, instead of going to '74.242.246.217', you can go to a domain name like 'blahblah.homeip.net'. This can be done for free (and I actually mean FREE) from Dyn-DNS.

 

Now I don't believe the camera will do email/sms by itself...

 

I have never heard anything about 'consumer-grade' HD's not up to the task of recording 24/7. When you say consumer-grade I'm assuming you mean something from like Newegg?

 

If it helps I have several consumer HD's constantly reading and writing, for about a 2 years now, and they have been just fine..

[thewireguys 3]

I have an android OS phone. I was under the impression that an IP camera with the appropriate ports forwarded would be accessible via the Internet - and viewable by smart phone. I should have been more specific - I am not interested in control via mobile device. Only viewing and receiving email/SMS notification of activity.

 

I have read that appropriate HDDs are necessary as consumer grade are not designed for 24/7 operation. I may look into SSDs as an alternative if they can withstand that type of use.

 

SSD's will not work well for recording video. ACTI requires EI to view video so it will not work with Andriod or any mobile phones with out a app.

 

Also I would not recommend sending emails based on motion detection because you could receive thousands of emails based off of light changes, weather, among other things.

 

Consumer grade drives will work fine for recording video but Enterprise grade drives will last longer and should be more reliable.

[danielsan2222 0]

Go to any major hard drive manufacturer site and you will see that they have both desktop and enterprise class hard drives. You can find both types of these drives at places like newegg.

 

Enterprise class drives often use interfaces other than SATA but there are SATA based enterprise class drives as well. For example, the WD Caviar Blacks are considered consumer drives whereas the RE3 and RE4 are enterprise class drives. The enterprise drives are designed to last longer and have better reliability in terms of errors, etc and ,without getting into to too many technical details, WD consumer drives are not designed to work with hardware RAID(real hardware RAID not motherboard based "fake RAID"). You can refer to this article as an intro on that point

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-Limited_Error_Recovery

 

Can you use the consumer drives to record 24/7? Of course! I have and still do. They may even outlast an enterprise class drive but on average the enterprise class drives are designed to last longer. So just saying on a bigger system with lots of activity the OP may want to consider that point. Budget, importance of reliability, etc obviously would need to be considered.

 

 

I have never heard anything about 'consumer-grade' HD's not up to the task of recording 24/7. When you say consumer-grade I'm assuming you mean something from like Newegg?

 

If it helps I have several consumer HD's constantly reading and writing, for about a 2 years now, and they have been just fine..

[CODE4 0]

Thank you for the input gents! I appreciate it. I am happy to hear that some of you have been using consumer grade HDD for recording. My intent is to record only on motion activation.

 

I need to look more deeply into how certain recording software will interact with the ACTi TCM-1231. I downloaded the user manual and firmware manual from ACTi and apparently the camera has three zones that the user can adjust the dimensions for motion activity. How that activates the recording I am not sure - like I said I will need to look into that when the camera arrives and I can play around with it.

 

Regarding the use of IE only as per ACTi - I think that is pretty crappy that it requires the use of a single browser but I have found an IP camera application for android OS.

[thewireguys 3]

 

Regarding the use of IE only as per ACTi - I think that is pretty crappy that it requires the use of a single browser but I have found an IP camera application for android OS.

 

All comes down to price and and options. ACTI is a lower end cost effective system. Look at Mobotix and Axis for multi-browser support.

[Helheim 0]

If you set the format to MJPEG and use this URL you don't have to use IE:

 

http://ip:port/cgi-bin/cmd/encoder?GET_STREAM

 

That's what I've been doing to watch it on my iPhone.

[Soundy 1]

For a single camera, not only is 2TB *way* overkill, but I think an HTPC is as well. You're not really dealing with "multimedia" here, so something oriented to "home theater" is hardly necessary.

 

Warnings against "consumer" and "green" drives are also more directed at multi-camera systems that will be writing constantly... a single camera writing only on motion detection won't realistically be accessing the drive any more than any other home activities like gaming, watching PVR'd movies, or working on your finances.

 

Honestly, if you really want a PC-based system, for just a single camera, something like this would be more than sufficient:

http://a-power.com/product-16307-457-1

 

In this case, you may even be better off with something like this:

http://qnapsecurity.com/pro_detail_feature.asp?p_id=114

or this:

http://qnapsecurity.com/pro_detail_feature.asp?p_id=115

 

Ready to go, just install a drive and configure it!

[CODE4 0]

I appreciate the links, sir.

 

I should clarify that the HTPC is not only for the camera surveillance recording but also for movies, media, etc. for the house. I wanted it to double as an NVR. The 1 - 2 TB is not solely dedicated for footage recording.

 

I agree, too, that if I record on motion that the write time will not be any more than normal use.

 

Power supply and PoE injector arrived, still waiting for my CAT6 and the camera & bracket.

[Soundy 1]

I appreciate the links, sir.

 

I should clarify that the HTPC is not only for the camera surveillance recording but also for movies, media, etc. for the house. I wanted it to double as an NVR.

This is generally not recommended. Security recording should have a dedicated system, not only for performance issues, but for stability. Video processing, especially of megapixel video, can be processor and disk-I/O intensive. The camera recording can cause pauses and dropouts in your gaming and HD playback; likewise, gaming and HD playback could cause dropouts in your camera recording. A game crashing the system means your recording is offline until the thing reboots, and a virus invading can also affect your security recording ability.

 

Now that said, with only a single camera, you may not see the two purposes affecting each other much... but the possibility is still there, and will only get worse if you add more cameras later.

 

The 1 - 2 TB is not solely dedicated for footage recording.

You'll want to either create a separate partition dedicated to surveillance recording, then... last thing you want is to go look at some video from a few days ago and find out it's been recycled because the drive is filled up with movie downloads or something. This is another reason it's generally recommended to have a dedicated system for surveillance video.

[akelley 0]

I've posted before that consumer grade Hard Drives are not intended for 24/7 write operations, which is true. That said, can you use them? Of course. It just depends on what your appetite for dealing with a HD failure is, if it should happen. You don't have to go the Enterprise route to get more robust drives; look for consumer models that are designed for PVRs (they may AV in the product name), as these are designed to run 24/7 (for example, Tivos are constantly recording a 30 minute "rolling" buffer all the time - two, if you have dual tuners). If you read some of the forums or feedback on the latest crop of larger (2TB) drives, you'll find quality is hit or miss even with the big names (Seagate, Western Digital, etc.). I just purchased 4 Seagate 2TB drives for a NAS and after running diagnostic tools, found 1 to have problems. This has never happened to me when using enterprise (or server) class drives. So, if you go the consumer route, just test the drives before using them (all the manufacturers have diagnostic tools you can use).

 

Also, keep in mind that heat shortens a HD's life, and running a drive 24/7 will generate more heat (especially in those not designed to run constantly), so make sure your enclosure allows enough air flow around the drives.

[CODE4 0]

My TCM-1231 Arrived and I have had plenty of time to dink around with.

 

I am not a networking guru and am having difficulty passing on the ports through my Linksys E2000 wireless router. ACTi camera is accessible via the Web Configurator but I am unable to access the port to stream the video. After attempting to reach 10.0.0.17:6002 (default port for stream) via LAN I get a connection error. When looking though the log on the ACTi Configurator I find this message:

 

Starting Streaming Server...

[sTREAM] Accepted 10.0.0.12:18693, failed auth (GET / HTTP/1.1

Accept: image/gi).

[sTREAM] Accepted 10.0.0.12:18949, failed auth (GET / HTTP/1.1

 

10.0.0.12 is my Windows Laptop that I am attempting to access it with. I have attempted my external IP with the same results so I know my port forwarding is working accordingly - I enabled DMZ to see if that would work but I get the same results.

 

Again networking is not one of my strengths - if someone can help me out I feel that I am missing something simple.

 

EDIT: I am on latest firmware. Again I can get the feed through the Configurator but not via the streaming server port. Am I missing something in my url syntax?

[hardwired 0]

Take a look at this Acti document (with links to specific configuration scenarios), this may help you... http://www.acti.com/file/KnowledgeBase_UploadFile/Different_ways_to_get_Video_Stream_from_ACTi_Camera_20100826_002.pdf

[Soundy 1]

I don't know Acti cameras at all, but I'd say the problem is that the stream isn't meant to be viewed directly in a browser. Normally you'd access the web interface, which would load some sort of ActiveX or Java viewer applet that then displays the stream. You might also be able to view the stream directly using something like VLC Media Player.

[CODE4 0]

I don't know Acti cameras at all, but I'd say the problem is that the stream isn't meant to be viewed directly in a browser. Normally you'd access the web interface, which would load some sort of ActiveX or Java viewer applet that then displays the stream. You might also be able to view the stream directly using something like VLC Media Player.

 

Appreciate the replies!

 

It is an ActiveX plugin that is required via use of Internet Explorer unfortunately. The TCM-1231 IP Camera did come with ACTi NVR software - I need to install it and play with the settings but from what I have gathered the video stream can be accessed via the NVR software.

 

I have found instructions for QuickTime and VLC use - further configuration is necessary.

 

On a side note, the PoE injector I bought is not working Not sure if it is a bad crimp job on the ethernet cable but it is not passing the network connection through. Contacted the vendor and manufacturer so I will see how soon I can get a replacement enroute.

[rory 0]

I have never heard anything about 'consumer-grade' HD's not up to the task of recording 24/7. When you say consumer-grade I'm assuming you mean something from like Newegg?.

To add to this, i used a Western Digital Audio Video drive recently for a Geo Install, it tested out fine, it was brand new, but after pulling my hair with stuttering video on recording, i hesitantly changed the drive for a basic one, a Western Digital BLUE Drive, in fact I first tested recording to my USB hard drive, and those gave no problem. So it seems those Audio Video drives may not be all they are cut out to be - also i might note they are advertised as GREEN drives .. need I say more

[thewireguys 3]

I have never heard anything about 'consumer-grade' HD's not up to the task of recording 24/7. When you say consumer-grade I'm assuming you mean something from like Newegg?.

To add to this, i used a Western Digital Audio Video drive recently for a Geo Install, it tested out fine, it was brand new, but after pulling my hair with stuttering video on recording, i hesitantly changed the drive for a basic one, a Western Digital BLUE Drive, in fact I first tested recording to my USB hard drive, and those gave no problem. So it seems those Audio Video drives may not be all they are cut out to be - also i might note they are advertised as GREEN drives .. need I say more

 

Roy I have had good luck with the WD Blacks for my low cost storage solutions. I am also trying the Seagate CCTV hard drives in my DVRs and WD RE4's for the high end stuff.

[rory 0]

Roy I have had good luck with the WD Blacks for my low cost storage solutions. I am also trying the Seagate CCTV hard drives in my DVRs and WD RE4's for the high end stuff.

Yeah i read about the blacks on here, maybe from your posts actually, ordering those in the future. Only could get the blues down here though at the time to replace that drive. Thing is the drive worked fine other wise, outside of that problem with Geovision recording, but it was slower than the blue on speed tests, around 90 max compared to the blue which was around 130, but even my slower USB 5400rpm drive had no problem recording with Geovision

[CODE4 0]

On a side note, the PoE injector I bought is not working Not sure if it is a bad crimp job on the ethernet cable but it is not passing the network connection through. Contacted the vendor and manufacturer so I will see how soon I can get a replacement enroute.

 

So after reading a bit more on the ACTi TCM-1231 Specs, it lists the power requirements as PoE(IEEE802.3af) or 12volts - it comes with its own power brick and block connector. As I am not well versed in PoE and such matters, I assumed that getting a PoE injector and feeding it with a 12 volt adapter and appropriate barrel plug would feed the camera appropriately. As I mentioned the camera would not power up - after looking up PoE(IEEE802.3af) standards the input voltage should be around 44 volts.

 

I assumed the camera would pull the voltage out of the CAT5/6 and use it directly rather than regulate/step down on its own. So I need to feed the injector with 44 volts if I want to continue to use it, otherwise I need to find a product such as this:

 

http://poeinjector.com/

 

Thoughts? Am I on the right track?

[CODE4 0]

How are you guys installing the ethernet/power cables to various IP cameras? After inspecting the back plate and compression fitting on the TCM-1231 I thought the compression fitting would supposedly tighten around existing cables run through the back cover. Obviously that was not going to happen as the hole is just big enough to pass an ethernet cable through.

 

I measured the opening of the rubber grommet and it is pretty close to 0.5". Is it expected that an installer run a flexible conduit to house the cable(s)? If that is the case my train of thought is to run a 12" length of conduit, aluminum or non metallic, as available from Home Depot to another compression fitting assembled on my roof soffit to tidy it up.

 

Suggestions or comments on this?

 

[thewireguys 3]

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=22719

 

Push the cat5 and other cables thought then terminate.

[CODE4 0]

Thank you, sir!