scottl31 0 Posted January 28, 2013 Hi, I was sent from another of the forums here. I'm trying to learn this from zero because my boss wants me to figure out a good system to install in our office that will notify him of an event on his iPhone and then be able to have a 2-way conversation with the "intruder". Any recommendations as to cameras, systems, PC or NVR, etc. would be welcome. Anyway, I was wondering if you guys even consider using wifi cameras at all, or do you just always go wired for reliability? Thanks, Scott Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
testshoot 0 Posted January 29, 2013 I have little experience other than trying to get a Foscam wireless camera to work. Even though it was only one room and two walls away from the router it would not keep a connection and was not a reliable method plus wireless is always a security issue on top of the dropout problems. I don't intend to ever try wireless again for an application where I want to be insured of a constant connection. I suppose there are other cameras that would work wirelessly better than the Foscam, but then you still have the security issue. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted January 29, 2013 Indoors I use wireless as long as you get a decent brand camera that has a decent radio and you don't try and push distances. I use mine 5' from the WiFi router, not sure I would stretch to much more than that. To do what he wants, AVTech push series comes to mind. The AVN812 or AVN813 will be WiFi and have alerts that go to his smartphone (Blackberry, Android and yes, even IOS) and immediately play back the event that triggered the alert. You can also view the camera live and 2-way audio support. See my reviews on these cameras. The only problem is they don't have a U.S. presense so they are hard to find, but try eBay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scottl31 0 Posted January 29, 2013 buellwinkle, where are your reviews that you mention in the previous post? Thanks, Scott Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted January 29, 2013 If you go to my blog below, click on AVTech on the right side of the home page and it will bring up all the reviews from AVTech. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted January 29, 2013 Hi .. Only problem with the avtech is the wireless in a office environment , You will have problems with wireless printers and other equipment. Plus audio to talk to intruder .......with the avtech he will see it once heard and just put it in his pocket along with your footage. Take a look at the axis 360 good priced camera for a office location Or even the new Sony range two cameras in one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dexterash 0 Posted January 29, 2013 Indoors I use wireless as long as you get a decent brand camera that has a decent radio and you don't try and push distances. I use mine 5' from the WiFi router, not sure I would stretch to much more than that. To do what he wants, AVTech push series comes to mind. The AVN812 or AVN813 will be WiFi and have alerts that go to his smartphone (Blackberry, Android and yes, even IOS) and immediately play back the event that triggered the alert. You can also view the camera live and 2-way audio support. See my reviews on these cameras. The only problem is they don't have a U.S. presense so they are hard to find, but try eBay. As a small question (for all wireless users)... what happens if your WiFi gets hacked? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted January 30, 2013 As a small question (for all wireless users)... what happens if your WiFi gets hacked? That's not that easy with WPA2 encryption. Of course the security depends on how good your passwords are as the crackers mostly are brute force that try every dictionary word and common combinations. With WEP encryption in the olden days, it was easy to crack as there was software that monitored a stream and figured out the decryption from that. Of course if you have no encryption, you are fair game. Then if someone did break in to your WiFi network they would have to know the camera password to get in. What's nice about the AVTech is they have the option of using challenge-response security with Captcha's on their login screen making it much harder for an automated password programs to work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dexterash 0 Posted January 30, 2013 well, people usually use dictionary-based passwords, right? secondly, the captcha is nothing if: -someone bruteforces the login directly -sniffers your login credentials (i suppose it doesn't use HTTPS, right?) - MitM attack -sniffers directly the protocol You would say that no one will try this, but think about the huge advantages that anyone can gain... it's not like you leave the door open, but close to it I would keep away from WiFi at all costs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites