Any decent Open Source software to work with a NightOwl?

[CasaDelGato 0]

I recently purchased a NightOwl 88500 LTE, and never realized that anyone was shipping software that bad.

It looks and works like some drunk highschool kid wrote it during a weekend binge.

 

So, is there any decent software that I could load on this system? Or failing that, run on a PC and have it suck all the video streams off the Nightowl?

[Kawboy12R 0]

Just for viewing live or do you want to record and play back the recordings as well?

[CasaDelGato 0]

Record, Playback, Motion detect, etc...

 

About the only thing that does seem to work with their provided software is Live viewing.

[Kawboy12R 0]

Well, ZoneMinder is the big daddie in open source cctv programs. Googling "open source cctv" will bring up more (like iSpy), some of which (like ViewMAX) are based on ZoneMinder. I can't say that I've heard of anybody using anything to rip the streams from a DVR and using DVR software to replace the "brain" (or lack thereof) in the original box though.

 

Viewing the DVR remotely over a LAN shouldn't be a big problem, but remote motion detection, saving, managing, and reviewing? Interesting goal. It'd make a nice way to have a separate backup in case of DVR theft as well.

 

Hopefully someone else on here has more experience using ZoneMinder and its brethren?

[CasaDelGato 0]

Yeah, what I've found is that the OS packages handle cameras connected to a PC via capture board or IP.

Since I waited too long to try this NightOwl POS out, I can't return it.

I'll probably just sell it off and start looking for IP cameras.

[Kawboy12R 0]

I was going to recommend that but didn't want to shut down your idea. Besides, drunken high school students deserve SOME credit for doing some form of useful work, even if it IS as a back-end for a more useful front end.

[Numb-nuts 1]

I was going to recommend that but didn't want to shut down your idea. Besides, drunken high school students deserve SOME credit for doing some form of useful work, even if it IS as a back-end for a more useful front end.

 

Not sure if it would work with your DVR but CMS used by Dahua and QVIS seems to work fine with a number of other DVRs like AVtech

and some generic DVRs from China. It downloads for free from Dahua and QVIS security websites so it's worth a try isn't it?

 

For mobile viewing VMEyePro for android works with most DVRs and its iphone equivalent seems to work almost universally too.

Try then out they download for free anyway. Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

 

Wishing you luck ...

[FrankiS 0]

Did you manage to find anything useful? I can tell you that for me, it was a challenge to find reliable software as well, but I was looking for one to help me reduce paperwork. Well, eventually, I discovered this website, but it took me a while. I can tell you it was all worth it because now I don't worry about my documentation that much.

[mervechikorr 0]

some generic DVRs from China. It downloads for free from Dahua and QVIS security websites so it's worth a try isn't it?

Nox Vidmate VLC

[JohnRannalhi 0]

On 11/19/2022 at 3:25 PM, mervechikorr said:

some generic DVRs from China. It downloads for free from Dahua and QVIS security websites so it's worth a try isn't it?

Nox Vidmate VLC

I was thinking in that direction too in the beginning. But as a matter of such I ended up in staying with non-functional camera and no manual to fix it. You can see it in my other requests. So finally I, like some previous speakers, opted for web development services  that developed a custom application for me to manage what I needed.