i have 6 ip 2.1mp Cameras what Software to Use ?

[datawires 0]

i have 6 ip 2.1mp Cameras what Software to Use ?

 

This is For My Home

 

What Do you Guys Recommend To Handel All the Recordings ? Milestone, NUUO ect.

 

And will a New Intel i3 3.3Ghz Sandy bridge Can handle this ?

 

Thanks

[thewireguys 3]

All depends what VMS support your cameras. What manufacture are they?

[datawires 0]

Sorry ACTi

[Soundy 1]

How about ACTi's NVR software? Don't their cameras come with a free version?

 

http://www.acti.com/product/category/Video_Management_System

[mike_va 0]

You can always try out Milestone Xprotect Go, limits you to a week recording and local client but free. Also check out Vitamin D, which is my favorite just in terms of easy review and finding out what is going on (1 channel is free, but limited to CIF).

[mike_va 0]

Just today got an email of these two running through the side yard. They are under the impression that if they run they will not be noticed - they know the cameras are there. Anyway just nice knowing what is going on, this example is not a big deal of course.

 

I don't see how people have the patience for normal software and motion detects...way too many false trips and who wants to spend their life looking through footage?

[buellwinkle 0]

I use ACTi's free NVR Enterprise software. Works well, uses very little CPU (was running 6 cameras, all 1.3MP on an Atom processor NetTop and it was running 10-20% busy). I moved it to an i3 I got cheap on ebay, maybe overkill with two 1TB drives, but works nicely. Along side this, they provide a free IOS app (iPhone/iPad). When I want to look at the cameras from my Android phone, I use IP Cam Viewer, free with ads, or pay a few bucks for the pro version.

 

Their new (free) software they demo'ed to me at ISC looks amazingly good and slick, it should be out in a few weeks, mid May timeframe.

 

I tried BlueIris, had it for maybe a year, CPU hog was my #1 complaint. Has some nice features and it's cheap, $49, but that's $49 more than the ACTi software which is better.

[akelley 0]

Buellwinkle, what other cams does the ACTi NVR software work with?

[buellwinkle 0]

The OP has ACTi cams, but you can use any camera as long as it's made by ACTi. That's how vendors lock you in with their free software. Decent NVR software for 6 cams can cost several hundred dollars at minimum. I use other brands of cameras like Axis, but at other locations without an NVR.

[camera-newbie 0]

You can always try out Milestone Xprotect Go, limits you to a week recording and local client but free. Also check out Vitamin D, which is my favorite just in terms of easy review and finding out what is going on (1 channel is free, but limited to CIF).

 

Mike -- what's the max number of IP cameras you've used in conjunction with Vitamin-D on a single machine? Seems like there'd be a sweet spot, that if exceeded, would cause your system to be CPU bound trying to analyze too much incoming data.. I've got my 1.3Mp Basler that I'm hoping to put up this weekend and since it's not ONVIF compliant (and never will be) I'll probably try out Vitamin D again since I can't use it with my Avigilon setup that the other cameras are attached to.. The last time I tried the Basler+VitD, it seemed to use a fair amount of CPU to run their demo version with hard-wired ethernet (no wifi involved).. I'm hoping it'll be better this time around..

[mike_va 0]

You can always try out Milestone Xprotect Go, limits you to a week recording and local client but free. Also check out Vitamin D, which is my favorite just in terms of easy review and finding out what is going on (1 channel is free, but limited to CIF).

 

Mike -- what's the max number of IP cameras you've used in conjunction with Vitamin-D on a single machine? Seems like there'd be a sweet spot, that if exceeded, would cause your system to be CPU bound trying to analyze too much incoming data.. I've got my 1.3Mp Basler that I'm hoping to put up this weekend and since it's not ONVIF compliant (and never will be) I'll probably try out Vitamin D again since I can't use it with my Avigilon setup that the other cameras are attached to.. The last time I tried the Basler+VitD, it seemed to use a fair amount of CPU to run their demo version with hard-wired ethernet (no wifi involved).. I'm hoping it'll be better this time around..

If you have a decent CPU that is not the limitation. I'm running an i7 with 13 cams (4 of them MP) and CPU is below 20-28% (just went and checked) - also running 12ch Axis ACS and 8 ch Milestone Go on the same machine. This thing is a monster, much better than an Athlon quad core. Issue is more HD throughput with VitD, added a seperate esata drive and it CRANKS. I can literally hold down the arrow key and race through the clips! Incredible.

 

It's a Dell XPS8300 that I got on sale from Costco $800.

 

Now on the other side of the spectrum is an old Mac mini core duo which can handle 4 cams max...

 

FYI, they let you run the license on as many machines as you want. This is their policy as stated by tech support.

 

Just for kicks was trying a striped RAID software array a few days ago with Seagate but it kept crapping out sending the Seagates back and going to try again with Caviar Black.

 

The other advantage not often mentioned is that if you set up the rules good, you can literally have MONTHS of saved clips on a 1TB drive with this many cameras...you do this by setting up a rule as what is saved - e.g. person in certain area. Then other clips are not saved - erased after you hit the user defined limit.

 

Here are those kids cutting though again today...try spotting that on Milestone or ACS, without spending your life looking at footage.

[mike_va 0]

Also, if it's not obvious you can run the stream to multiple VMS (which is what I do). Axis cameras are good in that regard, in that they have a more than adequate frame rate.

 

MJPEG to Vitamin D, 264 and MPEG4 to ACS. MJPEG gives the best picture, but full time recording eats up a lot of storage.

[buellwinkle 0]

I like the idea of VitaminD, but it's limited to 1.3MP resolution. Not a big deal for me as all my cameras are 1.3MP but someday I may want more. I would imagine the limitation is their ability to process that many bits, don't know.

[mike_va 0]

I run 3MP cameras on it, for example Axis you can set up a view area of lower resolution. Most cams I've tried you can pull a lower res stream for Vitamin D, and record the high res stream using another program.

 

A few times I've gone back to ACS just to get the higher res stream. Attached are examples saved by Vitamin D 640x480 and ACS at 3MP (both cropped, although one is a png converted to jpeg). Random guy leaving a flyer in the front door.

 

At some point manufacturers are going to catch on to the idea that people like the idea of having cameras, just not the usability/functionality of the software - for a homeowner at least. But maybe this is to small of a market? VideoIQ looks interesting also, but Vitamin D is so easy to review (and save) clips.

 

I've not seen much of an advantage with above 3MP, perhaps after they get the dynamic range/exposure issues worked out. Arecont is especially poor in this regard - certain areas just do not get exposed right, on wide scenes.