My Home Setup - Qvis Zeus 8

[Birdman Adam 0]

So I finally found some time to write a little about my setup and this DVR! Upcoming are lots of pictures, of the setup and test images. Probably some videos too! I will talk about my experiences, show how I did things, etc...

 

Equipment for this system:

 

1x Qvis Zeus 8 Channel DVR (I've been told this is really a Dahua inside ), with 1x 1TB HDD

1x ESC3 TDN Vandal Dome

1x ESC3-WDR TDN Vandal Dome

1x ESC4 Vandal Dome

1x ESC1 TDN Bullet

1x No-Name Crap Camera (don't worry its a tight shot!)

1x Sony HandyCam Camcorder (big zoom was great for driveway, go ahead and laugh )

1x 1.2GHz analog TX/RX pair (for transmitting A/V from camcorder)

-CAT5E cable with passive baluns

-RF Modulator for viewing over home TVs

1x Generic Radioshack UPS

-Other odds and ends..

 

Believe it or not, I got a lot of this stuff for free... So I did quite well with cost, only like $300 total. The CAT5E is from my previous job, all the cameras I got from doing lots of testing, etc.

 

This whole system is not as 'serious' as the Cabin Job, but it really didn't need to be. I just wanted something solid and rather cheap to check up on the home, and provide a level of identification in case something happened.

[Birdman Adam 0]

Now that I think about it I am glad I got almost everything in before the holiday season! We've already had a couple (not-so-good-looking) cars drive by real slow, that always gets on my nerves!

 

Some general images:

 

The ESC3-WDR. I mounted this under the deck to watch the porch area including two windows and a side door. One of the windows was the one that the criminals entered last time! You can see the CAT5E there, the whole setup was installed to be removable rather easily. (As we may need to move it all in the near future).

 

Front door area always has lots of light so I didn't need help there. It blends in under the soffit rather well. I definitely wanted an eye on the front area, with 4 windows and the door. The walk up to the door is covered by the driveway cam, so that is why this is not pointing the other way.

 

Here's the deck cam. This one was a fixed lens, 3.6mm so it kinda had to go here in this wide, close area. It watches another entrance and some windows. At this point almost every entrance is covered! All these cameras have IR so they cam see great at night.

 

The No-Name that I hacked to work with some old pre-made cable. Its got a 6mm lens, and watches a side entrance. The resolution sucks, but because its such a tight shot it works out good!

 

Here is the ESC1 complete with a huge amount of IR! It would go out like 100', but I have it looking over the driveway/pad area to watch the garage. Unless stated all these are varifocal from 2.8-12mm.

 

So here is the little tiny closet for the DVR and electronics. Just ignore the beater Dell I have in there. All wiring comes in at the top, excess stays in back-top and comes down to DVR and power sources.

 

You can see the UPS and extra power strip in there. Everything is off of the Battery side of the UPS, except for the network switch (router upstairs would go out anyways) and power for the wireless receiver (transmitter would go out anyways). I am estimating at least 30 minutes runtime off UPS, as the DVR and PSUs consume VERY little power.

 

A fine example of the somewhat 'temporary' wiring. Its about as clean as I could get it...

 

And where the DVR hides... You would never know its there!

 

More pics can be seen at http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h350/Birdman-Adam/CCTV%20Stuff/Home%20Project/

[Birdman Adam 0]

So a bit about the DVR. By comparing to the Samsung I've installed this Qvis (Dahua) is very feature-full for its price! It has everything a basic/medium user needs. 8 channels at D1 with 7FPS on each. Audio on the first 4, lots of inputs/outputs, spot view, VGA out, PTZ stuff, great motion detection,lots of remote-viewing options etc. It takes SATA drives (only one of them) up to 2TB, and I put in the single 1TB 7200RPM drive from my Zoneminder computer.

 

Bottom line is, if you want a cheap DVR don't think for a second about going to Wal-Mart/Costco/BJs. Buy this thing and you will be very happy!! For under $200 I don't see what else I could ask for. What I think is really cool is this feature advantage continues up-the-line with Qvis, you can get real-time D1 DVRs up to 16-ch for great prices as well.

 

The Qvis line certainly is not as robust as the Samsungs, (remote viewing is not quite as intuitive), and the DVR interface is not as full-fledged. But hey, its such a deal.

 

So after installing the HDD, I booted up and set up the basics. Everything was easy to find. I have found the motion detection to perform very well. I currently have it set up to jump to the camera with motion inside a 8-view (1 big, 7 small) so that when I tune in with my TV I can see whats going on easily. Then after 8 seconds of inactivity, it goes back to a 9-view (1 screen shows recording bandwidth). I achieved that by enabling a Tour after 8".

 

For recording settings, all channels are D1, with 2 unused channels at 3FPs, the Driveway cam at 10FPS, all others at 7FPS. CBR is set, at max quality. Two channels have audio, the Driveway and Garage via a small microphone board I ripped out of a no-namer. Its nice because I can hear everything going on outside while sitting on the couch!

 

I have to go for now...I will edit this with more to come!!

[Smitty 0]

I recently bought the same DVR. I'm glad you're pleased with yours as that makes me feel better about my purchase. I bought a lorex system last year from Costco and the dvr died 3 months in. The Qvis (Dahua) seem to be well regarded on here.

 

Do you have any nightshots using the ir? My playback is a little fuzzy at night on a couple cams but I'm almost certain I'm expecting too much out of the cameras I'm using in certain areas. I'm brand new to this so every bit I can learn helps.

[mike_va 0]

Now that I think about it I am glad I got almost everything in before the holiday season!

Nice post thanks!

[Birdman Adam 0]

So I have a question for anyone familiar with the Motion Detection. Is there a way to have it switch to the motion-view faster? What I mean is, when there is motion, the red symbol pops on/off, but it will not jump to that camera unless there is a rather significant amount of motion. I remember seeing a setting for like 'dwell' time or something, maybe that can help it jump faster? This is basically so when watching through my TV it is more responsive.

 

Here is a clip of the Web Service for those who want to get a feel for what the interface is like. It works quite well, but is of course slow if used over slow internet connections (mine is only 30KBps upload). The overall organization and quality of the web interface is not up to the Samsung's level, but for the cost it is amazing:

 

Watch in 720p to see full details! (Hey I like the new Youtube embed feature!)

LlEnPrI8wkg

 

And a clip of the PSS software. I honestly like the browser interface better, because it is easier to preserve the aspect ratio of the cameras. In PSS, with my widescreen computer, it is a bit annoying as it likes to stretch out the cameras. Also, having to open a task is sort of silly. Again, Samsung's software is better, but hey the price on this is great. The Zeus line really is a great budget DVR:

 

KNG24BR97ek

 

Lots of camera shots upcoming...

[rory 0]

And a clip of the PSS software. I honestly like the browser interface better, because it is easier to preserve the aspect ratio of the cameras. In PSS, with my widescreen computer, it is a bit annoying as it likes to stretch out the cameras. Also, having to open a task is sort of silly. Again, Samsung's software is better, but hey the price on this is great. The Zeus line really is a great budget DVR:

 

to preserve the size on wide screens use the Switch Menu Item in PSS.

 

Also, why do you "have" to open a task?

Tasks are used to load camera groups, sequencing cameras, etc.

But you dont have to use tasks to use PSS.

[Birdman Adam 0]

Oh, well I don't 'have' to use tasks, but I guess i find it slightly odd to have to create a task, then set it to open at launch to view cameras which (IMO) should all come up at once anyways. All in all, I guess tasks are a pretty good solution... I jsut like the web interface better.

 

Some afternoon shots of the 6 cameras I have. Camera names are in black next to channel names. FrontDoor is missing as I have not completely focused it yet... Will edit that in soon!

 

At this point almost every entrance to the house is covered. Will do some more shots at night time to show IR, and set some license plates around so you can get an idea of detail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDIT: FrontDoor camera added!

 

Edited December 29, 2011 by Guest

[rory 0]

PSS is designed for use with hundreds of devices and to have everything automatically come up on startup could be annoying in that case Example being I have dozens of DVRs in one of my PSS setups, but to load them all takes a while plus I dont want to always do that. I rather wait until PSS loads, then I just load the sites I want to at that particular time. I guess a nice feature would be for them to add in a setting in device manager for a "default device" and in the config options to have a selection for "load default device on startup" .. might make that recommendation.

 

But there are other choices ...

 

1-Select "Save Last Monitor Status" in "Config", "Options". This will bring up the previous multiview you were watching when you closed out PSS, and connect all the cameras. So in this case you can create your custom multiview (with multiple devices if you have any) then when you start PSS each time that will load.

 

2-Select "Login all devices" in "Config", "Options". This will simply auto login to all devices.

 

3-Right click on the Device in the device list and select either "Main Stream" or "Extra Stream" to load all cameras from that device.

 

4-To get rid of that annoying status popup, go to the PSS skin path and delete "tasknoticbg.bmp"

 

5-Select "Auto login PSS" in "Config", "Options". Then wont have the login box come up.

 

6-To remove the need to use a password at all including on exit, goto the PSS data path and edit PSS_Config.ini, under "[Version_Info]" remove the value for the field SUser_PSW, eg. SUser_PSW=

Then goto "[Login_Info]" and remove the value for "Password"

 

The webrec activeX is pretty unstable which is one reason I dont use that.

Plus PSS gives me more options and multiple sites.

But other than that I use my own software more than anything.

[Birdman Adam 0]

Good info! I will definitely be removing the password protection! And saving the current config is nice - didn't know that existed.

 

So a bit of info on Modulator... Here is the one I used. It is a single-channel, analog modulator with audio and video. It is rather high-power, and can easily be split into 6+ TVs like I did. There is a WIDE option of channels, not just like 2,3,4. More like 14-64 for UHF antenna signals. More for CATV:

 

http://www.linearcorp.com/product_detail.php?productId=224

 

Then I used a simple splitter/combiner to combine my antenna's amplified output with the modulators signal. The output of these combined signals is a single cable that goes to the input of my 8-way splitter, then to some TVs. (I dont have anywhere near 8 TVs!! )

 

http://www.linearcorp.com/product_detail.php?productId=160

 

A pic of the output:

 

 

Result is a crystal-clear composite video+audio signal. The way I have it set up in the DVR is with the combination of a 9-view Tour after 12 seconds, and a 8-view (one enlarged) view when motion is detected on any particular camera. So when someone walks by it jumps to them (with the other 7 small), then after 12 seconds of no motion it returns to 9-view. When channels 1 or 3 have motion, the audio is put through as well. (I may split the audio to be heard constantly however).

 

The modulator and combiner cost under $60, and I think it was well worth it. Now when people come up the driveway, I just flip to channel 33 (which I chose) and watch them all the way in!

[Zohan 1]

The way I have it set up in the DVR is with the combination of a 9-view Tour after 12 seconds, and a 8-view (one enlarged) view when motion is detected on any particular camera. So when someone walks by it jumps to them (with the other 7 small), then after 12 seconds of no motion it returns to 9-view.

 

So that is setup in the dvr...?

Also, I was thinking of using qvis dvr's but just couldnt get the demo iphone app to work to my liking....I tried dmss, idmss, dmsspro, and 1 or 2 other apps.....none of them come close to the supercam app, which is why I have been using tvt style dvrs....

I'd like to try the qvis, but not without a good iphone app

[lowpro 0]

Nice job on the review! I noticed that you have a few different models of the dome cameras. Which one do you like better?

[shockwave199 0]

Glad you got this setup and posted! I've been waiting! Setup looks nice. I'm particularly interested in the modulator- looks like a good one. I just can't bring myself to climb around and run more cables to three tv's...or even one!

 

Tell me- what's your favorite cams, in most to least list and why? The patio and deck cams look great to me.

 

Congrats!

 

Dan

[nDAlk90 0]

deck cams look great to me.

 

I agree! The Deck cam looks the best.

[lowpro 0]

I like the deck cam too!

[Birdman Adam 0]

Well an update on getting DMSS to work on a BlackBerry Bold (very recent version)... I installed the app with Blackberry Desktop Software, after downloading the app from Nelly's Surplus website. I could not get it to work at first. Then I realized I needed port 554 open as well. From then on I tried a few different versions until I found one that worked. Rory I think it came from your website - Thanks:

 

Both Nelly's Surplus and Rory's site (Bahamas Security) have been a huge help. " title="Applause" /> Answers to your Dahua questions are most likely there!

 

I am currently playing with RTSP streams and VLC.

 

Oh, and yes - I like the ESC4 (deck), ESC3-WDR, and ESC3 the most. My favorite is the little ESC4, it is a very compact dome, but built well. I am not a fan of the huge ESC1 bullet. These cameras are quite cheap, and offer quality (arguably) near but below Monalisas. I will get some night shots up soon as well, and some more identification shots!

 

Here is a pic of my port forwarding. Not sure if the 37778 is required, all i know is 37777, 554, and 80 are required for web viewing and rtsp streaming:

 

[SEANHAWG 1]

Thanks for the Update on the Blackberry thing Adam. I havent had much BB customers to test this with and Blackberry updates their OS all the time its hard to keep up and guarantee operability.

 

37778 does not need to be forwarded but its not going to hurt anything if you do have it forwarded. 554 only needs to be forwarded if you plan on using a blackberry. So for Android and Iphone users, 554 is not needed.

[rory 0]

554 is the RTSP port also ..

[SEANHAWG 1]

Yeah thats the only way to connect with it through the blackberry

[Zohan 1]

Just a silly shot in the dark here, I have to try....does anyone have a working dvr they will give me the settings for so I can check it out....

 

It also seems silly to me that you have to manually open each camera in the idmss app.....

but i'm willing to check it out, just haven't been able to do so....

[rory 0]

Yeah i used the iDMSS today and I must say .. I wasnt impressed.

They need to really fix it so you can load all cameras into the view, or at least SAVE the view.

maybe they will have an update to the iDMSS next month.

Im pretty sure when I used the DMSS for the iPad a few months ago it saved the video when it was reopened? Or maybe that was the Android phone I used.

 

Anyway I dont use mobile phones so .. handling that iPad today I was so thankful I never wasted money on one of those .. made me really appreciate my Netbook alot more ..

 

BTW @ Zohan, PM me and I will send you a link to test.

[SEANHAWG 1]

The android app has saved views. They r making an iphona app that is supposed to be like the gdmss app.

 

There is even a newer android app that came out a month ago that you save multiple views. They say they will have an Iphone app just like it in a month. Apparently the android API is alot easier to work with than the Iphone API for developers.

[Zohan 1]

thanks rory, just sent u a pm....

 

I'd like to add that I do like the tvt based dvr's i've been using a lot...very simple to network and to use....i'm interested in the qvis because of the good things I hear, but the main reason is because it seems their pro and pro lite dvr's are rack mountable where the tvt's are not....they could always be put on a rack shelf but that is an extra cost and doesn't look as nice...

[rory 0]

Dahua is so easy to setup, even a cave man can do it

[Zohan 1]

Dahua is so easy to setup, even a cave man can do it

 

Lol...

Sent u a pm....would love to check out the app...I'd also like to find out if there is a demo dvr I can log into via pc to check out the networking....might have to go read the manual...