More than 4 cameras on a Dahua NVR?

[Kawboy12R 0]

Buying a separate switch is a good thing, not necessarily all negative.

[buellwinkle 0]

Doesn't show support for Dahua on their website, but has that been done and it works correctly, all functionality?

[dexterash 0]

I took a look at the Aver units. Interesting. The nano is a hybrid DVR but the mini is an NVR and compares well to the Dahua DH-NVR3204. But the Dahua has a built in switch and the mini requires an external switch. The Aver unit would end up costing $200 more, after buying a switch. But thanks for the tip. It was worth a look.

Please check the recording resolution of the Aver Mini! It's D1/NTSC (max 720 x 576!). DAHUA can do FullHD (1920 x 1080) - so there is no point in comparing them. (Later patch version shows 1.3MP as recording, but still way under FullHD recording); also compression is not H.264 for D1/1.3MP.

[tomcctv 190]

Who said anything about CIF?

 

Name a NVR that is cheaper that what 2 DAHUA NVRs cand do, please

 

 

Aver nano .....it will save him $200.

 

 

To view lots of cameras on PSS it's in CIF

 

If for NVR. Better PSS direct from camera. But then limited.

I took a look at the Aver units. Interesting. The nano is a hybrid DVR but the mini is an NVR and compares well to the Dahua DH-NVR3204. But the Dahua has a built in switch and the mini requires an external switch. The Aver unit would end up costing $200 more, after buying a switch. But thanks for the tip. It was worth a look.

 

 

I would forget the built in switch .........bad way to pick a NVR just as it has built in POE ........ For 7 cameras you would still need a switch anyway.

 

As far as FPS only dahua NVRs do this cameras are controlled by NVR so you get limitations .......in both res and 3 party cameras. ( which again dahua NVR is limited)

As mp comes cheaper you will need to swap dahua to update we're as a NVR that is controlled by the cameras .......can be updated for years.

[tomcctv 190]

I took a look at the Aver units. Interesting. The nano is a hybrid DVR but the mini is an NVR and compares well to the Dahua DH-NVR3204. But the Dahua has a built in switch and the mini requires an external switch. The Aver unit would end up costing $200 more, after buying a switch. But thanks for the tip. It was worth a look.

Please check the recording resolution of the Aver Mini! It's D1/NTSC (max 720 x 576!). DAHUA can do FullHD (1920 x 1080) - so there is no point in comparing them. (Later patch version shows 1.3MP as recording, but still way under FullHD recording); also compression is not H.264 for D1/1.3MP.

 

 

That's the hybrid side of the unit .........recording for camera is what you have camera set at.

[dexterash 0]

http://www.averusa.com/surveillance/products/hybrid-dvrs/eh1004h.asp

 

All i can read is 100fps@1.3MP H.264 and 16fps@2MP MJPEG.

 

Do you have any other specs that it says 100fps@2MP H.264 (as in realtime FullHD)?

[NgtCrwlr 0]

One area I haven't heard anyone discuss is the max recording bit rate of the NVR itself. I recently bought a Costco Q-See package and was going to buy a 16 port Dahua NVR and extra cameras from Empire until I read the specs for the Q-See NVR. It says it has a max recording bit rate of 32Mbps.

 

 

 

Notice that the recording resolution and recording bit rate is the same for 4/8/16 port NVRs. My guess is that they are using the same processor in each NVR and just limiting the amount of cameras one can attach with firmware.

 

I did an experiment with my 4 port Q-See... I used the NVR's net load monitor to see how much bandwidth my cameras used at different recording bit rates.

 

All four cameras set at 1.3M 15fps (fps limited by the cameras)

4096 = 19Mbps

6144 = 27Mbps

8192 = 35Mbps

 

So, if you plan on recording at max quality you better fasten your seat belt and get ready to run far fewer cameras than you had expected. Unless the specified max recording bit rate spec is not accurate. I would not want to run less than 4096 bit rate and eight 1.3MP cameras running at 4096 would be over the 32Mbps limit of the NVR. So what good would it be to have a sixteen port NVR?

 

Because of these results I decided to purchase a second Costco Q-See NVR package and just deal with the two NVR's vs. one. This way I will not have to back off the recording bit rate and can run all eight of my cameras at full quality if I choose. I also ordered two WD 3TB AV-GP drives so each NVR will have 4TB of room. Whoopee!

 

I found that both VGA and HDMI are active at the same time and worked perfectly on a little 24" TV. I also ordered a 4X2 True Matrix HDMI Switch w/Remote from Monoprice to feed TV's in two other rooms. I will post an update when I get it hooked up.

 

Here's a tip... I plugged my Logitech wireless M570 trackball into the NVR and it worked right off the bat with no fuss. What a shock. I would guess you can run any Logitech wireless unified remote mouse, however, I also tried a Logitech wireless keyboard but no joy, no workie.

 

I sure hope someone proves this post is non-sense, I would love to have one Dahua NVR that can handle eight 1.3MP and two 2MP IP cameras at 15fps with high quality recording bit rates. I just don't think Dahua is going to be the answer at this time. It would help if all NVR manufactures would publish ALL the real meaningful specs. The only place I have seen the max recording bit rate is in the Q-See manual, not once in any of Dahua's or Q-See's promotional brochures or literature.

 

"Look here our NVR can run 32 cameras! (unpublished fine print... quality recording max 2fps)".

 

Anyway, greetings everyone I have learned a lot from reading here and appreciate everyone's sharing. A special thank you to buellwinkle for the great job you do on your website. " title="Applause" />

 

Cheers!

-Larry

[dexterash 0]

It's the bitrate of the video, not the network output (which, besides Video, also has data for motion detection, control etc)

 

All DAHUA's cameras are limited around 8Mbps in FullHD resolution, so 8Mbps*4ch = 32Mbps , which is the max stated there. (The NVR is advertised as 16 ch d1 / 8ch 720p / 4ch 1080p). Same goes for 720p (which has a recommended bitrate of 4096) and D1 with 2048.

 

No type of keyboard (besides DAHUA's proprietary network keyboard) will work with DAHUA's equipment.

[Ozone 0]

So wait. If you want to run 7-8 2MP cameras.

 

You will need to buy a NVR3208 - 8 Port NVR,

Then a 16 port switch such as this one - Zyxel ES1100-16P

 

Then you're off to the races recording 15fps 1080P on all 7-8 cameras? Or am I missing something here.

[MaxIcon 0]

http://www.averusa.com/surveillance/products/hybrid-dvrs/eh1004h.asp

 

All i can read is 100fps@1.3MP H.264 and 16fps@2MP MJPEG.

 

Do you have any other specs that it says 100fps@2MP H.264 (as in realtime FullHD)?

 

I've been interested in this NVR, but it's a bit limited in how many MP it will handle (not surprising, given the price).

 

Here's what the manual says about MP limits:

1.3 MP with H.264/MPEG4/ MJPEG on the first 4 channels and 2.3MP with MJPEG on the 1st

channel for IP cam connection.

 

This implies that it won't run H.264 on 2MP cams at all, but it's not super clear about that.

[tomcctv 190]

Hi. Nano is 8 mp in total with I Channel having a max of 5 mp

 

 

The new eh and the new touch is max 48 mp total.

 

 

 

As for specs of dahua and it's been a problem for 2 years

 

Spec below sounds good but way off being truth.

We have sold dahua under there current name and there old name for 7 years but there NVRs are just two limited with no upgrade support.

 

Dahua cameras are fine for budget and now with option to have 1 TV of cloud storage does make them a good option.

 

NVR spec. Notice 1080 real time well not the case on 3rd line down.

 

[dexterash 0]

well you can preview in 1080p up to 16 channels (if they are D1) or 8 ch (720p) or 4 ch (1080p)

 

AVER has support for 1080p output? as in...can someone put a 1080p camera fullscreen on AVER and get 1080p resolution?

 

BTW, please post a full spec for NANO and other series you are refferring - including fps/channel or fps/total and codec supported for decoding and/or recording

[NgtCrwlr 0]

It's the bitrate of the video, not the network output (which, besides Video, also has data for motion detection, control etc)

 

All DAHUA's cameras are limited around 8Mbps in FullHD resolution, so 8Mbps*4ch = 32Mbps , which is the max stated there. (The NVR is advertised as 16 ch d1 / 8ch 720p / 4ch 1080p). Same goes for 720p (which has a recommended bitrate of 4096) and D1 with 2048.

 

dexterash, thanks for the clarification, I am still glad I went the two NVR route because I know for sure I won't have problems running the higher bit rates on eight cameras, and at the Costco price I can upgrade the NVR later without kicking myself too much. Maybe come out ahead if I post the two 4 port NVR's on eBay.

 

I was going to order a Zyxel ES1100-16P but instead went with a BV Tech 16 Port Network PoE Switch (Up to 120W) that is working out well so far (4 cameras). It has switch selectable PoE available to all ports so you could power more than eight under 10w cameras on it. From what I read the Zyxel is limited to 8 dedicated PoE ports, and in my plan I need 10 ports. I'm not a network guru so do your research, the Zyxel may be a better switch, but the BV Tech fit my plan and I took a chance.

 

Cheers

-Larry

[buellwinkle 0]

Looks like a cool switch, you can have 16 PoE ports as long as you don't exceed 120W.

[RickyGee 0]

This is OP. Thanks to everyone for the great discussion and excellent tips. I finally got a copy of a manual and read all 167 pages, but I'm not sure how old it is since there are no dates and the HDD list doesn't show any TB drives. It was typical of most of the manuals I have read; lots of "What" and not much "How", or "Why" with many questions left unanswered. I see lots of trial and error in my future.

 

As a risk management concept, I thought it might be worth trying a single NVR3208 and if it doesn't perform (full res 15fps), add a second NVR3204 and split the cameras between them. I was going to get 2ea 2TB HDD anyway since my buddy says 4-5 days of recording is good enough, so they could be split into the two units. The NVR3204 is only $300 so it's not a huge cost as a recovery method.

 

But my limited network knowledge is crippling me and I have so much yet to learn. Is it possible to reuse the XyZel 16 port switch to feed both NVRs from all 7 cameras, or will I need to split it into 2 networks so as not to confuse the address recognition feature UPnP (internal router or is it L2 with MAC addresses?) or create a loop. The NVR specs say it will "find" the cameras in the order they are plugged in, but not whether it is L3 or L2. I still need a feed to the AP for the bridge to his house 400 yds away. I'm looking at the ENH202 from EnGenius.

[buellwinkle 0]

You can use the same switch to do all cameras and 2 NVRs. When I setup the NVR, I found it best to define each camera's fixed IP address ahead of time and then add them to the NVR manually.

[RickyGee 0]

You can use the same switch to do all cameras and 2 NVRs. When I setup the NVR, I found it best to define each camera's fixed IP address ahead of time and then add them to the NVR manually.

Thanks. Sounds like a good idea. I rechecked the manual and that procedure isn't covered. Do you know a place where that process is discussed in detail where I can learn how to do it? Maybe a youtube video, another manual reference, paper, book or forum thread perhaps? I can probably figure it out after I get the equipment and play with it, but if I can get a jump ahead it might help me avoid struggling or going backward first before going forward. Trial and error can be fun, or it can be infuriating. So far, this project has been fun.

[RickyGee 0]

One area I haven't heard anyone discuss is the max recording bit rate of the NVR itself. I recently bought a Costco Q-See package and was going to buy a 16 port Dahua NVR and extra cameras from Empire until I read the specs for the Q-See NVR. It says it has a max recording bit rate of 32Mbps.

 

[attachment=0]Q-See_32Mbps.jpg[/attachment]

 

Notice that the recording resolution and recording bit rate is the same for 4/8/16 port NVRs. My guess is that they are using the same processor in each NVR and just limiting the amount of cameras one can attach with firmware.

 

I did an experiment with my 4 port Q-See... I used the NVR's net load monitor to see how much bandwidth my cameras used at different recording bit rates.

 

All four cameras set at 1.3M 15fps (fps limited by the cameras)

4096 = 19Mbps

6144 = 27Mbps

8192 = 35Mbps

 

So, if you plan on recording at max quality you better fasten your seat belt and get ready to run far fewer cameras than you had expected. Unless the specified max recording bit rate spec is not accurate. I would not want to run less than 4096 bit rate and eight 1.3MP cameras running at 4096 would be over the 32Mbps limit of the NVR. So what good would it be to have a sixteen port NVR?

 

Because of these results I decided to purchase a second Costco Q-See NVR package and just deal with the two NVR's vs. one. This way I will not have to back off the recording bit rate and can run all eight of my cameras at full quality if I choose. I also ordered two WD 3TB AV-GP drives so each NVR will have 4TB of room. Whoopee!

 

I found that both VGA and HDMI are active at the same time and worked perfectly on a little 24" TV. I also ordered a 4X2 True Matrix HDMI Switch w/Remote from Monoprice to feed TV's in two other rooms. I will post an update when I get it hooked up.

 

Here's a tip... I plugged my Logitech wireless M570 trackball into the NVR and it worked right off the bat with no fuss. What a shock. I would guess you can run any Logitech wireless unified remote mouse, however, I also tried a Logitech wireless keyboard but no joy, no workie.

 

I sure hope someone proves this post is non-sense, I would love to have one Dahua NVR that can handle eight 1.3MP and two 2MP IP cameras at 15fps with high quality recording bit rates. I just don't think Dahua is going to be the answer at this time. It would help if all NVR manufactures would publish ALL the real meaningful specs. The only place I have seen the max recording bit rate is in the Q-See manual, not once in any of Dahua's or Q-See's promotional brochures or literature.

 

"Look here our NVR can run 32 cameras! (unpublished fine print... quality recording max 2fps)".

 

Anyway, greetings everyone I have learned a lot from reading here and appreciate everyone's sharing. A special thank you to buellwinkle for the great job you do on your website. " title="Applause" />

 

Cheers!

-Larry

Thanks for the info. I was concerned about the bit rate limitations too. I have decided to go with an NVR3208 with the 7 cameras to start and if it fails to record all at max res and 15fps and high quality (high bitrate), then I'll add another NVR 3204 and split them. It would only cost another $300 and represent a waste of $100 to experiment with just the one to start and possibly save the $300.

 

I reached the same conclusion that the 4/8/16 units are identicle except for firmware. I also wish the manufacturers would be truthful in their advertising. Wading through all the marketing BS to get to the truth has been the most time consuming and frustrating part of the project so far. I learned to trust only real video footage, and reviews from folks like buellwinkle who I want to thank again for providing an excellent and vital resource, and sources like this forum to hear real experience.

[tomcctv 190]

NVR3208 with the 7 cameras to start

 

 

hi the 3208 cant run 7 cameras .....well it can but only at D1.

 

all dahua specs even for the 4 way only shows the spec as a 16 way

[dexterash 0]

NVR3208 with the 7 cameras to start

 

 

hi the 3208 cant run 7 cameras .....well it can but only at D1.

 

all dahua specs even for the 4 way only shows the spec as a 16 way

 

DAHUA 3208 will run up to 8 cameras with 25fps@720p (/channel) - tested and working!

 

Downside from 3216 that it will only display/record/configure max 8 cams (even at D1) (vs 16) and has only 8 alarm inputs (not 16).

 

Please be aware that the whole 32XX series have the same specs for toal max fps@max resolution (1080p), 2 HDDs, FullHD output, sync playback for recordings.

 

The XX stands for how many alarm inputs and how many total channels it can display/record, but keeping in mind the total fps/bitrate.

[tomcctv 190]

The XX stands for how many alarm inputs and how many total channels it can display/record, but keeping in mind the total fps/bitrate.

 

 

 

 

ok so xx stands for alarms ??????? nvr3204 means no alarm but for channel ????

 

lets take the spec of the nvr3204 or 08 or 16 there all the same

 

400/480fps@D1, 200/240fps@720P , 100/120fps@1080P

 

your saying at D1 the 4 way will do 480fps in total.

 

dahua only print the best spec alway of the 16 way hence 480 over 16 = 30fps (which is right)

[Ozone 0]

NVR3208 with the 7 cameras to start

 

 

hi the 3208 cant run 7 cameras .....well it can but only at D1.

 

all dahua specs even for the 4 way only shows the spec as a 16 way

 

DAHUA 3208 will run up to 8 cameras with 25fps@720p (/channel) - tested and working!

 

Downside from 3216 that it will only display/record/configure max 8 cams (even at D1) (vs 16) and has only 8 alarm inputs (not 16).

 

Please be aware that the whole 32XX series have the same specs for toal max fps@max resolution (1080p), 2 HDDs, FullHD output, sync playback for recordings.

 

The XX stands for how many alarm inputs and how many total channels it can display/record, but keeping in mind the total fps/bitrate.

 

Are you sure? On the specs it says:

 

8ch@D1

 

max D1 recording for the NVR3208 while the 3216 can do 8ch@720P. Anyone else can confirm?

[tomcctv 190]

Downside from 3216 that it will only display/record/configure max 8 cams (even at D1) (vs 16) and has only 8 alarm inputs (not 16).

 

 

 

3216 will record and display 16 at D1 and also has 16 alarms

 

why sell as 16 if it only does 8 may as well just buy 3208

[dexterash 0]

The XX stands for how many alarm inputs and how many total channels it can display/record, but keeping in mind the total fps/bitrate.

 

 

 

 

ok so xx stands for alarms ??????? nvr3204 means no alarm but for channel ????

 

lets take the spec of the nvr3204 or 08 or 16 there all the same

 

400/480fps@D1, 200/240fps@720P , 100/120fps@1080P

 

your saying at D1 the 4 way will do 480fps in total.

 

dahua only print the best spec alway of the 16 way hence 480 over 16 = 30fps (which is right)

 

3204: 4ch@D1 / 4ch@720P / 4ch@1080P, max display 4 (2x2), 4 alarm inputs

3208: 8ch@D1 / 8ch@720P / 4ch@1080P, max display 8+1 for stats(3x3), 8 alarm inputs

3216: 16ch@D1 / 8ch@720P / 4ch@1080P, max display 16(4x4), 16 alarm inputs

 

Instead of reading all kind of specs on the Internet, get your hands on the models, update them to the latest firmware and test.

 

And yes, if there was a camera outhere that could do encoding and streaming H.264 at 100/120fps@D1, the NVR could probably take up to 4 of these...

 

you could also check the prices, since a 3208 it's not twice as 3204.... doesn't that ring a bell?

[tomcctv 190]

Dexterash.........please read posts ok....YOU left post saying 16 only does 8@D1

 

I put you right......then you post the same as what I said it could do. And give me crap.

 

 

 

As far as finding a ip with that frame rate ......remember it can't run on the dahua anyway. You can count camera support on 1 hand