Vitek Dome Cam Question IR/Setup

[HostilePastry 0]

Just purchased a Vitek IR Dome Camera: http://www.123securityproducts.com/vtd-mvp2810-l35-b.html

 

Kind of new to the CCTV thing, but am well versed on general technical stuff. Here are my questions:

 

1) There are two joysticks to control the OSD options - the thing is I have to pry apart the main housing, and then the camera itself revealing the lens housing and a circuit board with 2 joy sticks. My question here is: Is having half the camera pried wide open with power running to it just to make the changes to the OSD normal? Is there a way to access the menu from a normal standalone DVR? Seems like it might be worrisome from static discharge if I have to touch something near the main circuit board with these joysticks while power is on...?

 

2) I notice there is some I guess what I would call "bounceback" from the IR LED's on the glass of the dome - when the dome is snug and tight (and VERY clean) I see each LED bouncing off the glass and it is VERY annoying. Is this normal? Is there a way to stop this? When I remove the dome there is absolutely NO glare at all - but of course I guess I cannot leave the dome off can I?

 

3) Lastly, the IR works GREAT on this - in pitch black I can see everything crystal clear (my friend bought a "Sams Club" CCTV system and this Vitek I bought blows it out of the water). Now, there are glowing red LED's that can be easily seen - is there a way to shut these off or are they necessary for the IR system?

[jondilly 0]

1) The internal joysticks are quite common on higher end cameras. It is actually preferred by installers to have the controls placed there. Other styles of cameras either don't offer controls at all, or have them on the wire dongle where they are harder to reach once the camera is mounted.

 

2) What you are talking about here is called IR reflection. It is a common issue if your lens does not have a foam ring that protrudes from the lens up to the glass of the dome. If your specific camera does not have an IR ring, you can fashion one out of some foam yourself.

 

3) All IR lighting will show some red glow from certain angles. While the human eye cannot see the illumination provided by the IR lamps, we can see the LEDs glowing when in operation. I don't know of any way to reduce that glow, other than to disable IR, which of course would limit your ability to see in low light.