16channel PC DVR w/NAS

[wvanthony 0]

I'd like to buy/build a system with the following but would love to have your expertise in assisting me:

* 16 Channel card with latest bells and whistles

* Would like to have motion sense capabilities

* 16 Alarm in and 16 Alarm Out - Reason being: I want to interface w/serial connection to my HAI Omni II controller (Home Automation lighting & security controller). Once I can ascertain which camera triggered the alarm I can then individually control lighting scenes specific to that camera area.

* Would like to be able to control recording times indvidually by camera or groups of cameras. (For instance - I may only want to turn on motion sensing and recording on interior cameras at certain times of the day or perhaps just when I put my HAI system in alarm mode.)

* Would like the card to be able to handle both IP and Analog cameras. I currently have all analog cameras but I wouldn't mind future proofing. Or do I just buy separate video cards to handle that.

* Need to have DDNS and nice mobile interface through smartphones. (Black Berry, Iphone, Android etc.)

 

I would love to use a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device w/RAID to store all of my videos, music, etc. Would this work okay for cctv video recording? What would be the best way to connect the NAS for this type of application? Is it possible to have everything including the OS on the NAS or should I have two disk drives in the PC for just the OS that are mirrored for protection?

 

What type of PC would you recommend? Win 7? How much memory? What processing power do I need? Any pre-built systems that anyone has seen that are a good value?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance! Very much appreciated.

[Soundy 1]

Vigil will fit all those requirements (mobile viewing via third-party apps). Basic 16-channel systems are available with both software-compression and H.264 hardware compression cards. Systems can be expanded to 32 channels (16 hybrid, 16 IP-only) with a software upgrade. Full scheduling and alarm support is present. Since it's a PC-based system, a variety of DDNS services can be used (I use DynDNS client with EasyDNS.com)

 

I don't believe base systems include that level of alarm I/O, but they do have add-in cards, and it will also work with a variety of network-attached I/O modules (we use Advantech ADAM-6060 units regularly, which is a six-in/six-out, but there are 8-, 16-, and 18-channel versions available: http://www.advantechdirect.com/eMarketingPrograms/L021113P1%20Sensor/ADAM6000_page.htm)

 

We also use NAS storage for one of our clients: a QNAP or EnhanceTech RAID array, connected via iSCSI, is used for all primary storage, and the DVR's internal drive is reserved as a "backup" destination, in case the array is offline. On analog-only sites, I'll just use a basic five-port gigabit desktop switch to connect the two, and tie into the network... on sites with IP cameras, I like the Cisco SFE1000P switch: eight 10/100 PoE ports for cameras and a network uplink, two GbE ports for the array and DVR.

[thewireguys 3]

http://www.exacq.com/

[wvanthony 0]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not familiar with either product lines. I looked at the links you provided and tried to familiarize myself a little. I probably needed to provide a little more helpful information as some of those products looked quite expensive. I am using this for residential security for a 3600 sq. ft. home in which I plan to use around 10 cameras. (Several may be IP but most will be Analog) I was wanting to replace my Speco DVR8TL which seemed to be too limiting for my plans. I was also hoping to stay within a price point of $1500-$2000.

Regarding Vigil, are those considered to be PC based such as the Micro-MVR series? Can you add/replace cards etc? I may not have interpreted your note correctly. I was thinking along the lines of a regular windows PC with a Geovision card. I wasn't sure of the best way to handle the software/hardware setup for speed and reliability of the data storage.

I liked your idea of the QNAP as these seemed somewhat affordable although when you outfit it with 3-4 hard drives the price gets close to $1000 which is very reasonable for what you all you get. So the question would then be can I build a PC DVR with a Geovision card that has enough ooomph to fit the bill and hopefully my price range. Perhaps its not fair to include the price of the QNAP as it would function as a host for other applications besides CCTV video. So... back to the hardware side:

If I did run Windows 7 I'm assuming I can't just run the OS straight on the QNAP correct? I'd like to at least have the OS in a protected RAID such as mirroring. Do I put two hard drives in the PC and configure with software RAID 0 or is there a way to connect the PC(without hard drives) directly to the QNAP and use the drives on the QNAP for both the OS and video storage? I guess there are a lot of ways to do things but ulitmately want the best speed/flexibility for the primary task which will be video recording.

The exacQ stuff looked very nice but unless I missed something it may be way out of my price range.

[Soundy 1]

Regarding Vigil, are those considered to be PC based such as the Micro-MVR series?

Yes, they are PC based, using an embedded version of Windows XP. The MVR is a micro-form-factor PC.

 

Can you add/replace cards etc?

Of course. What would you be planning to add?

 

I may not have interpreted your note correctly. I was thinking along the lines of a regular windows PC with a Geovision card. I wasn't sure of the best way to handle the software/hardware setup for speed and reliability of the data storage.

This is exactly the same idea as GeoVision: a Windows PC with a software- or hardware-compression capture card running the appropriate DVR server software. Only difference is, GeoVision is a DIY setup, while Vigil is a complete turnkey system, so you don't have to worry about the hardware and software. And, personally, I think it's a much cleaner, more efficient, and more intuitive interface and operation.

 

I liked your idea of the QNAP as these seemed somewhat affordable although when you outfit it with 3-4 hard drives the price gets close to $1000 which is very reasonable for what you all you get. So the question would then be can I build a PC DVR with a Geovision card that has enough ooomph to fit the bill and hopefully my price range. Perhaps its not fair to include the price of the QNAP as it would function as a host for other applications besides CCTV video.

They are nice units, especially if you're looking for a complete home storage/backup/server solution. They include webserver, ftp server, "cloud" accessibility, UPnP media server, are accessible via standard Windows networking, and most if not all support iSCSI. Most also have dual GbE ports, so you could keep your DVR and network cameras on a separate network from your home system, to minimize traffic impact.

 

So... back to the hardware side:

If I did run Windows 7 I'm assuming I can't just run the OS straight on the QNAP correct?

The QNAPs are also a turnkey system running embedded Linux. You install the drives, fire it up, and either perform basic RAID setup through the front panel display, or do full configuration through the web interface. One the drives are configured, it's ready for use.

 

I'd like to at least have the OS in a protected RAID such as mirroring. Do I put two hard drives in the PC and configure with software RAID 0 or is there a way to connect the PC(without hard drives) directly to the QNAP and use the drives on the QNAP for both the OS and video storage? I guess there are a lot of ways to do things but ulitmately want the best speed/flexibility for the primary task which will be video recording.

You would NOT run your OS off the QNAP, or off any sort of network storage. I wouldn't say it's impossible to do, but regardless of the storage you use, it would be terribly complex to set up, and I don't think you'd find it very efficient. You'd need some way for the system to connect to the storage before you could even load the OS (a PxE-capable adapter would support this, but you'd need a PxE server somewhere on the network to receive the requests), and I'm not even sure Windows can be configured to boot over a network.

 

My experience, RAIDed OS drives are a PITA to deal with if something goes wrong. My suggestion is a smaller OS/software partition (20-30GB), and once everything is configured and working, make an image of it to another drive with Acronis or Paragon or similar disk-imaging program. If the system drive goes, you just swap in a new drive, and restore the image. As long as you have good cooling for your machine, you should get years out of the drive anyway. Or go with a smaller (32GB or so) SSD drive for your OS. I've even seen Vigil setups that boot off an internal CF card.

[edselrt 0]

I'd like to buy/build a system with the following but would love to have your expertise in assisting me:

* 16 Channel card with latest bells and whistles

* Would like to have motion sense capabilities

* 16 Alarm in and 16 Alarm Out - Reason being: I want to interface w/serial connection to my HAI Omni II controller (Home Automation lighting & security controller). Once I can ascertain which camera triggered the alarm I can then individually control lighting scenes specific to that camera area.

* Would like to be able to control recording times indvidually by camera or groups of cameras. (For instance - I may only want to turn on motion sensing and recording on interior cameras at certain times of the day or perhaps just when I put my HAI system in alarm mode.)

* Would like the card to be able to handle both IP and Analog cameras. I currently have all analog cameras but I wouldn't mind future proofing. Or do I just buy separate video cards to handle that.

* Need to have DDNS and nice mobile interface through smartphones. (Black Berry, Iphone, Android etc.)

 

I would love to use a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device w/RAID to store all of my videos, music, etc. Would this work okay for cctv video recording? What would be the best way to connect the NAS for this type of application? Is it possible to have everything including the OS on the NAS or should I have two disk drives in the PC for just the OS that are mirrored for protection?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What type of PC would you recommend? Win 7? How much memory? What processing power do I need? Any pre-built systems that anyone has seen that are a good value?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance! Very much appreciated.

 

I am using Netvision PC dvr integrated with my HAI omnipro II. All of the functions you stated above are supported except for serial communication of alarm I/O board to HAI. I use alarm output relay from the I/O card to trigger HAI auxilliary inputs. With this method I was able to create a rule so that whenever my outside motion activates and HAI auxilliary input becomes unsecure, outside lighting turns on.

[wvanthony 0]

I'd like to buy/build a system with the following but would love to have your expertise in assisting me:

* 16 Channel card with latest bells and whistles

* Would like to have motion sense capabilities

* 16 Alarm in and 16 Alarm Out - Reason being: I want to interface w/serial connection to my HAI Omni II controller (Home Automation lighting & security controller). Once I can ascertain which camera triggered the alarm I can then individually control lighting scenes specific to that camera area.

* Would like to be able to control recording times indvidually by camera or groups of cameras. (For instance - I may only want to turn on motion sensing and recording on interior cameras at certain times of the day or perhaps just when I put my HAI system in alarm mode.)

* Would like the card to be able to handle both IP and Analog cameras. I currently have all analog cameras but I wouldn't mind future proofing. Or do I just buy separate video cards to handle that.

* Need to have DDNS and nice mobile interface through smartphones. (Black Berry, Iphone, Android etc.)

 

I would love to use a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device w/RAID to store all of my videos, music, etc. Would this work okay for cctv video recording? What would be the best way to connect the NAS for this type of application? Is it possible to have everything including the OS on the NAS or should I have two disk drives in the PC for just the OS that are mirrored for protection?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What type of PC would you recommend? Win 7? How much memory? What processing power do I need? Any pre-built systems that anyone has seen that are a good value?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance! Very much appreciated.

 

I am using Netvision PC dvr integrated with my HAI omnipro II. All of the functions you stated above are supported except for serial communication of alarm I/O board to HAI. I use alarm output relay from the I/O card to trigger HAI auxilliary inputs. With this method I was able to create a rule so that whenever my outside motion activates and HAI auxilliary input becomes unsecure, outside lighting turns on.

 

I apologize.. My integrator did the same thing. It wasn't a serial port. He used the I/O port (RS-485-I forget the two pins he used) and tied it into one of the zones in my omni II pro controller. He used zone 15 and in automation i check if zone 15 not ready and if dark I turn on outside lights. In the new system I'd like to get I want to be able to control alarms individually. Have you been able to do that? For instance, I'll have 8-10 different cameras so if the dvr senses motion off of Camera 2 I'd like to turn on the light(s) that are just for camera 2 instead of all the outside lights. What kind of I/O card do you have and does it have isolated alarm out for each camera channel?

[Soundy 1]

If the DVR supports external network I/O modules, like the Advantech models I mentioned, you don't need to do a bunch of hinky stuff to hack stuff to work...

[edselrt 0]

I apologize.. My integrator did the same thing. It wasn't a serial port. He used the I/O port (RS-485-I forget the two pins he used) and tied it into one of the zones in my omni II pro controller. He used zone 15 and in automation i check if zone 15 not ready and if dark I turn on outside lights. In the new system I'd like to get I want to be able to control alarms individually. Have you been able to do that? For instance, I'll have 8-10 different cameras so if the dvr senses motion off of Camera 2 I'd like to turn on the light(s) that are just for camera 2 instead of all the outside lights. What kind of I/O card do you have and does it have isolated alarm out for each camera channel?

I can assign an output to each cameras..ie camera 1 to trigger output 1 then trigger zone 15 of HAI, cam 2 to trigger output 2 etc etc.

Where are you from?

My I/O card connects to the serial port of my PC DVR.

Edited May 16, 2011 by Guest

[edselrt 0]

If the DVR supports external network I/O modules, like the Advantech models I mentioned, you don't need to do a bunch of hinky stuff to hack stuff to work...

The Advantech models you mentioned doesn't interface to HAI home automation controller serially which the original poster was asking. I think most PC based dvr's support integrating to I/O cards serially (COM port). AFAIK, I don't know of any PC based DVR that can integrate to HAI thru serial connection.

[wvanthony 0]

If the DVR supports external network I/O modules, like the Advantech models I mentioned, you don't need to do a bunch of hinky stuff to hack stuff to work...

The Advantech models you mentioned doesn't interface to HAI home automation controller serially which the original poster was asking. I think most PC based dvr's support integrating to I/O cards serially (COM port). AFAIK, I don't know of any PC based DVR that can integrate to HAI thru serial connection.

 

Great info supplied by all. Anyone willing to throw a brand/model and ballpark cost to accomplish the summarized below:

* PC DVR to allow for future proofing, upgrades etc.

* 16 Channel Hybrid (analog/IP)

* Ability to record on schedule, motion, continuous (INDIVIDUALLY per channel)

* Ability to interface alarm output to HAI Omni Pro II INDIVIDUALLY per channel) I'm not as concerned about the interface (Serial, RS-485 as long as I can pass the relay output per channcel over two wires per channel to a separate zone on my HAI panel)

* Rock solid software interface as well as Smartphone software for BB, Droid,iPhone

* Rack mountable would be nice as I already have components in Dell enclosed rack.

* Video analytics would be cool but not necessary if it drives price way up.

* Modest hard drive space as I was thinking about gangstering up a QNAP

* Although not necessary it would be nice to utilize the system for light duty PC work (internet browsing)

* Although not necessary - I know HAI has a 4 port camera server to serve up analog cameras over IP to display within the HAI software framework. Is there any other way to interface the cameras to work within HAI home control software (Home Control, SnapLink etc.)

 

I'm from the USA-WV. Thanks again to my northern friends.

[Soundy 1]

DRX-16-CO-500 or PRO-16-CO-500 will meet all your criteria (I/O add-on card or network module not included, works well with Advantech ADAM-series modules, also available from 3xLogic). The "CO" models are 4U rack-mount cases; the "500" spec refers to 500GB internal data drive (again, I've found it works quite well to use the NAS for primary storage and designate the internal drive as "alternate" storage in case the NAS is offline).

 

Video analytics are built-in to the software, as well as several other functions you may find creative ways to tie into your HAI system, like POS interface and people-counting, plus dewarping for panoramic cameras. All modules function on a 30-day trial basis that activates the first time you access the module, so you can test them before you have to register. You're right though, analytics module is a little spendy: MSRP is $400 per camera.

 

As far as using the cameras with your HAI, any analog cameras, you could just split off with T-connectors, or preferably active video splitters, regardless of the DVR