tysonn 0 Posted October 31, 2012 Hi I'm pretty new to all this so please dont laugh at my improper names and descriptions trying to get this across.I have a couple of Tenvis 1/3rdmp outdoor cameras in my garden and use them to watch foxes and badgers that visit at night.I record when motion sets them off and have made them available online for friends.I even put up a small ir illuminator that made a vast difference to what could be seen in the darkness. I then decided I would like a camera with better resolution bearing in mind I'm watching animals.I narrowed my choice down to a Vivotek or Aviosys camera.If I had found this forum earlier I know I would have had other suggestions.Was just about to buy an Aviosys from a seller on Ebay UK when I found someone selling a used one still in warranty.It turned out he had two after an upgrade,his feedback was good so I bought them.Been messing about with them for a couple of days and am struggling to get an image anywhere near as good as my cheapies! Indoors the image has a purple tinge,I found that if I took off the glass cover and put my finger over a small sensor there was a click and the colour appeared to become more realistic.If I took my finger off it was back to the purple tinge.Outside in daylight the image has an eerie green tinge.Outside in the dark theres nothing,its totally dark with lighter patches but you cant actually see anything.If I turn on the ir illuminator it doesnt make it any better.The ir leds are on because if I look at them I can see the tiny red pinpricks.Another factor if I turn an outside light on I can see everything and in colour.The cheap cams are wireless but these use POE.I'm pretty sure that there are so any options image wise that I must be doing something wrong but for the life of me I dont know what.Any suggestions would be great.These are the specs: 1. Tri-Mode Camera (MPG4-1/MPEG4-2/M-Jpeg) 2. Advance Motion detection trigger AVI /Jpeg save on FTP / SD card or Email 3. 3 layers (Admin, Operator, and User) Password protected 4. Resolution from CIF 352x192 up to HD 1280x720P 5. Supports NTP protocol to get correct time schedule. 6. 1/2.5” Advance CMOS sensor, with highly sensibility for quick response insufficient lighting. 7. Infrared for Indoor / Outdoor use 8. Water Resistant Design 9. Supports HTTP CGI command set. Easy for system integration 10. IP Service Search utility, to find the IP Kamera on internet with ease 11. Watchdog / Event log design 12. Adjustable frame-rate, bit-rate, rate-control type, quality factor for best image quality and speed. 13. Supports date and time marking on the captured video, and also inserted streamed data. 14. Measured End-to-End latency is less than 150ms 15. Supports adjustable backlight, brightness, contrast, saturation & sharpness 16. TV Output capabilities 17. Automatic alarm recording buffer 18. CNT Technology – Just Plug and Play no need to port forward 19. EPTZ – Electronic Pan, Tilt, and Zoom 20. SD Memory Storage – Add convenience and storage 21. Scheduler recording capabilities 22. Email Capabilities (Supports Gmail, Yahoo, & Hotmail) 23. Alarm Recording Buffer 24. Supports: HTTP Web Server (HTTP), SSL, FTP client, SMTP client, NTP client, DHCP client, UPnP client, RTSP over UDP, RTP TIA Mick Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tysonn 0 Posted November 5, 2012 I can only assume nobody reading this is acquainted with these cameras.Thats fair enough,would anyone have any suggestions as to how to establish whether the ir isnt working?I have tried an ir illuminator which floods the nighttime area with light on my cheap cams but still cant see anything with these.Tech support is worse than useless,UK vendor hasnt responded to my emails.I bought them with 6 months warrranty remaining. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kawboy12R 0 Posted November 5, 2012 Sounds like the mechanical IR filter is staying on if it doesn't see IR from another source. The IR LEDs should glow at least a bit red in the dark and you should hear a click when the filter moves. Test this easily inside or out by either smothering it with a blanket when it is light or shining a flashlight on it when it is dark. No clickee no workee. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tysonn 0 Posted November 5, 2012 Thanks for the reply.Just done another cold start with a metre of cable into the router,indoors in daylight.Can see the red from the leds.No sound at all throwing a towel over it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vin2install 0 Posted November 5, 2012 Check the camera settings with a web browser, there might be a place to adjust how the ICR will react under certain conditions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kawboy12R 0 Posted November 5, 2012 I was thinking the same thing as Vince. If you can't figure it out through the web browser, you might try resetting it with the button on the cable sticking out the back of the camera. Push and hold for ten seconds to reset. I doubt they would have shipped it night-blind. The "click" you hear putting your finger over the sensor should be the IR cut filter moving to switch from day/night mode so it looks like it DOES work, just not apparently when you want it to. Some cams can have night mode turned on by a timed schedule instead of by photometer, but I bet that it's shipped by default to switch when the light level drops below, say, 5-10 lux or so. If that doesn't work then I'm stumped. Time to try to get it fixed under warranty. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tysonn 0 Posted November 5, 2012 Yes I've tried it in a browser.I have attached a few pics. First was taken outside in the dark 30 minutes ago. Second in the daytime,third virtually same place the day after. Fourth a pic in the same area same day with a £50 Tenvis 1/3rdMP IP cam. Aviosys are a waste of time.Technical support is a joke.They take ages to respond and the responses arent helpful.I thought I would see if there was a later firmware available.You have to email them for a link to the firmware.They didnt bother to reply.The UK reseller hasnt responded to several emails requesting support.Dont buy one! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tysonn 0 Posted November 5, 2012 Forgot the last one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tysonn 0 Posted November 5, 2012 Its outside now and the ir leds are showing red pinpoints but they arent making the cam see in the dark.Yes it looks like I'm going to have to try and get a number for the supplier. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tysonn 0 Posted November 5, 2012 Just shone the torch on one indoors in the dark and its clicking but the image doesnt change. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vin2install 0 Posted November 6, 2012 From the looks of your pictures, it looks like it isn't a true day/night so it doesn't have a ICR. That is probably why you see the green colors as brown. The last picture was probably taken when it was overcast, that is why the picture has green in it. Try using it inside the house when it is dark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tysonn 0 Posted November 6, 2012 As I said in the previous post the last test was indoors in the dark.If you look here they advertise them as indoor/outdoor,day/night cameras. http://www.aviosys.com/products.html I got a reply today from Taiwan inviting me to send them back to the factory for warranty repair.I checked the cost which was £60.Arent prepared to pay anything like that and my main fear would be never getting them back again. After 3 emails to the UK supplier plus a futile phone call to an answering machine I received a reply email saying they had been busy but promised to get back to me this afternoon.Nothing so far!Apparently the procedure is the reseller sends them to Taiwan under warranty.This takes around 2 months!!!!Can anyone advise if this counts down on the remaining warranty time?In theory if this is the case the warranty could expire on the way bacK!Not a very good setup for a £200 camera having no technical support or repair facility outside Taiwan in my opinion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tysonn 0 Posted November 6, 2012 I just found some sample short videos on their website.This is a still I took from the indoor movie.I have resized the image from 1.2mb to 80k.The quality is undeniable.My cameras are most definitely needing serious attention! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites