jlk 0 Posted March 7, 2012 Some time ago I switched out our old analog 16 channel bosch dvr for a hybrid Averdigi IWH3216. We slowly switched out our old cameras to IP from Sanyo, Axis & Vivotek and have the unit recording to an 8-bay QNAP via iSCSI, we have everything connected through a cisco SFE2000P switch. We were very happy with the performance at first with just a few IP cameras but now with 16 1-2 Megapixel cameras recording it is having a little trouble. Most of the issues arise during playback. It drops frames or quits recording altogether during playback. I have tried lowering the frame rates and resolutions of the cameras to help smooth things out but I just don't think this unit can handle a full load. Part of this could be user/setup error, I'm not sure. This is my first experience with IP surveillance but I do know a fair amount about computers and networking. I decided to do the install myself when our local security company said they could upgrade us to a system with more "giga-rams" (we're located in a small town in California close to the Oregon border). Anyways, things are working OK right now but we would love to be able to install more cameras and have a smoother running system. I'm interested in looking into Avigilon, any others I should consider? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted March 8, 2012 can i ask why you have gone recording via qnap. this will slow your playback. how have you done your network ??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlk 0 Posted March 8, 2012 We wanted to have the data recorded in a secure spot in case of a burglary, with the qnap we can have that data hidden away as well as a lot more record time. The IWH3216 has dual nics, I have one connected to the switch with the cameras and the qnap (the cameras are on the 100 Mbps ports, the Qnap & Averdigi are on the Gigabit ports) the other is connected to our router for remote viewing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ssmith10pn 0 Posted March 8, 2012 I have a few questions. What drives are in the qnap box. What is the model number? I would like to look at the specs. The ISCSI transport should be a problem. I'm just wondering what that box can handle for read and write. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlk 0 Posted March 8, 2012 First of all, Thanks everyone for their help! The QNAP is a TS-859 Pro+ loaded with 8 hitachi 3tb drives, I believe the model is 0S03086. The array is configured in raid 5. We need our footage to span several months, ideally we'd have 6 months to a year but we're lucky to get 2-3 months with this set up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted March 8, 2012 Hi. are you using any drives in the DVR ??? and when you call up footage are you also playing it though the dvr?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted March 8, 2012 I doubt the RAID is the problem - we're running a very similar setup on several sites (more than a dozen, now that I think about it) with no issues. We're using Vigil hybrids with a variety of four- and eight-bay QNAPs (several TS-809Us), as well as Enhance Tech and Promise arrays (it's been something of an evolution ). Sites have anywhere from 16 to 31 cameras; mostly analog, but some with several MP (one has four 5MP Areconts and two 1.3MP IQs, another has seven 2MP HIKs). Even using the same family of switches (SFE1000P and its successors) with the same connections (RAID and DVR on the GbE ports). Lately we've taken to setting the arrays up as RAID6+hotspare (get about 11TB usable out of eight 2TB drives), and using that as THE primary storage - the DVR's internal drive is configured as an "alternate" that's used only if the RAID is unavailable. Frankly, I think about the only reason we stopped using the QNAPs was because of their support (or lack of it). When we had a power supply fail on one TS-439+, it took two days to actually get ahold of anyone... three more before they got back to me with a diagnosis. Once I finally got the box sent off to them, it was another two weeks before I got it back, and trying to reach anyone for a status update in that time was nearly impossible. We started using them in the first place because they customer wanted something cheaper than the Enhance Tech arrays we'd been using (the QNAPs were about 1/3 less), but after that issue and one other in a short time frame, the customer decided it wasn't worth it if problems couldn't get resolved in a timely fashion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlk 0 Posted March 8, 2012 Yes, we do have drives in the DVR as well, originally I wanted to use the internal drives as a "backup" if the qnap went down but I couldn't find a way with Aver's software. Could that be a problem? We call up footage mainly on the DVR but I have noticed it runs a lot smoother using remote console on a difference computer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted March 8, 2012 We call up footage mainly on the DVR but I have noticed it runs a lot smoother using remote console on a difference computer. This is probably your clue, especially if you're using H.264 compression, since some H.264 implementations can be extremely processor-intensive to decode. I'm assuming the Aver works like most other NVRs in that for playback, it simply reads the video stream and sends it over the network, and leaves the actual decoding to the VMS and the computer it's running on. In this case, decoding on the Aver itself may simply require more processor than it has to spare with everything else it's doing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlk 0 Posted March 8, 2012 So we really shouldn't be using the DVR for anything other than configuring & set up? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted March 8, 2012 So we really shouldn't be using the DVR for anything other than configuring & set up? you should have no problem at all with the aver touch if everything is set-up right. are you using the H/drives on the unit ??? or are you recording to both at the same time ? do you have 1 or 2 monitor connected to your dvr. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlk 0 Posted March 8, 2012 We are recording to the internal discs as well as the qnap, sounds like this could be a problem? We have one monitor connected to the unit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlk 0 Posted March 10, 2012 So I came to the conclusion that there was something wrong with our Averdigi dvr and for some reason I did a reboot... then it would just not load back up. The unit would never get past the "system starting up" box. I tried the USB recover several times and was finally able to get to the aver software but the unit would crash every time I pressed the system setup button. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe this is a memory problem. I was able to get to the system usage info and memory usage was at 59% with nothing connected or running. The problem with this unit is it seems to me that the RAM must be embedded in the unit, there is no way to add or remove chips. I've talked with the tech support at Avermedia and it seems like we have to send it in for repair... we don't have a backup unit and I just hate to be without surveillance for that long. Any ideas of a way to fix this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ssmith10pn 0 Posted March 10, 2012 I was thinking Aver Software will load on a Windows PC correct? Since your all IP now just go to a regular Windows platform and shelf the DVR after repair. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
