Quick Question about WIFI camera

[johndlee828 0]

Have a cheap DVR i bought 4 years ago and need to attach a Wireless camera for this project for (time saving)

 

1. Have Night Owl DVR (all wired cameras)

2. Can I buy any OUTDOOR WiFi camera and/or need a receiver? - Online search is a waste for 30 min search.

 

If anyone knows any deals it would be even nicer!

 

Thank you!

[zr1 0]

Night Owl makes a few DVR products, so if you have a model #, that'll probably answer that part of it right away.

 

If your existing DVR is analog.

* It probably has BNC jacks on the back that look like this:

* This type of DVR would not connect to any IP (and wifi) camera

* This means purchasing an NVR** for your wifi camera to connect & record

 

If your existing DVR is actually an NVR:

* It looks more like this kind of thing with network jacks instead of those round BNC's:

* For an NVR, then you could connect a wifi camera (or any** IP camera) to it. If you're already at the maximum number of cameras for your NVR, then it means disconnecting an existing camera and then connecting to the new wifi camera.

 

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Note**

For IP cameras and NVR's, sometimes mixing brands can mean:

a) works great, no problems

b) connects and works, but some reduced functionality

c) won't connect at all

 

If both NVR and IP camera are "ONVIF" compatible, then we see more of a) and b) in those situations. But in the IP camera (and wifi camera) world, it's not like it used to be with analog cameras where just about anything and everything connected.

I do patchwork Brand A/B mixing on existing systems (especially at home while playing around with the latest gizmo)...but when I'm doing a new install from the ground up, I typically go with a single brand for the install.

 

Note #2

There are a few (very few) hybrid DVR/NVR's out there that do both analog and IP cameras, but I'm not sure NightOwl even makes one of those.