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carlitosway

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  1. carlitosway

    3S Surveillance Cameras

    Thanks for the reply Voipmodo!, I've been reading a bit more on the Mobotix (this is the first brand I looked at when I started looking at IP cameras a few months ago). I have some questions regarding the S14D: 1) The system installed needs to be able to provide images that allow for positive identification of a person at a distance of up to 50 feet. The attached image seems to indicate that the camera image field of view is limited to about 5 feet for positive identification. 2) I would require two lenses in order for the system to work in day/night. 3) The lenses seem to have LEDs to indicate power and camera recording. Since these cameras do not use IR, is there an option to turn these LEDs off via software? 4) The camera housing module does not seem to have any DI/DO. Is there a way that alarms can trigger a DO to for example, turn on a light? 5) I did not see an option for the cameras to send email notifications with attachments of photos capturing an intrusion. 6) There is no mention of an iPhone/iPad/Android app for this system. Is there such an option? 7) Can I also connect to the TVs in the house via an HDMI cable (as in standard NVRs)? Thanks!
  2. carlitosway

    3S Surveillance Cameras

    I appreciate your reply, I looked at Security Spy, and if I'm looking at the correct site, the software is made for Macs only. While I think that the Mac is a great platform for computing, I believe that Security Spy is not the right solution for my particular application as Security Spy would require for me to purchase a Mac and dedicate the Mac (minimum of $1,000) to act as a DVR. I'm not interested in dedicating a computer PC for DVR functions, as I believe a dedicated self-contained NVR is suited best for my application. My main issue is finding an all around solution with a concentration on the cameras.
  3. carlitosway

    3S Surveillance Cameras

    Hello Voipmodo, Thanks for your prompt reply! Sorry if it seems too trivial but I'm a bit confused (I'm a newbie) and didn't understand what you meant by: "We stay away from these brands as Digiop/Observant sells them wholesale, but also runs their own catalog company that sells direct and bypasses installers and resellers and so muddles the market." You hit it right on the nail since I was looking at one of the Observant company's site and they indeed provided me with a quote. The 5MPs seem like a great deal to me being new to this because of all the bells & whistles being offered. I read through the 3S vision manuals and they seem very complete and informative. I'm a systems engineer so the technical part is very easy for me to understand. However I'm very new when it comes to the IP camera world. Frankly, I've been going nuts researching over the past few months. Seems like every manufacturer in the IP camera business is making a somewhat different flavor of the same thing. I'm looking to invest in a decent system for my home but the available choices all seem to be either halfway there when it comes to offerings, and there seem to be plenty of compatibility issues related to the "ONVIF standard". To me it seems that IP cameras systems are a nascent technology that is still evolving, which is why I've been really hesitant to make a decision on one system/brand. Let me explain myself a bit more clearly: I have a budget of around $2000 to $2500. My main concern is covering an area in front of my home (where my vehicles are parked) which is about 50' from the entrance of my home (I originally guestimated 100' in a recent post for an ACTi system, but I did measure with a laser device this time and my farthest point is 44', so rounding to 50' should more than cover my range from the camera mount point) as my vehicles have been getting vandalized at night. I would need a low-profile camera (such as a dome) that would offer excellent performance at night. My goal is really to catch the person doing the damage (and not act as a deterrent for the person doing the damage), so in light of this I want something that is "stealthy". I looked at the ACTi KCM-5611, and this particular unit would seem like the ideal solution, but it is a box camera, and adding the mounting arm to this camera would make the camera stand out about 2 feet from the wall. This plus the IR's would definitely make it very obvious to anyone that I have a surveillance system installed, not to mention that it would also create a problem with my home owner's association, as I live in a gated town home community. The ideal camera would be something shaped like dome camera with excellent day/night capability, zoom (or possible PTZ) features and built-in configurable analytics such that I would receive email alerts with pictures of the intrusions when they happen as well as some type of DO to say, add physical notifications when an event occurs. During this mad chase I found yet another camera (last night). This camera from Bosch called the "Autodome" seems to be contained in the same container that would house a fixed-dome, but also offers the PTZ function built in. Unfortunately, there is not much info. on it other than the manufacturers site which leads me to believe that this particular product is discontinued. Not being able to find anything similar (I don't want a standard PTZ as these devices seem quite large), I have to rely again on what is on the market which would mean trying to decide on a system that is somewhat halfway there in features and it's very difficult to justify paying $500-$800 or even more for a camera that is lacking features just to find that I also need to invest in additional IR illuminators to compensate for lack of night coverage on all cameras. Add to that the implementation of NVRs and having the chosen device work with cameras chosen even though they all seem to implement the ONVIF standard. The only way to find out whether my chosen system will work or not is to actually purchase and install it, which brings me to another dilemma.: Finding any reputable suppliers that are willing to offer a 30-day trial without penalizing the purchaser with restocking fees. This means that we would have to be 100% sure that what we're purchasing will work, otherwise we get hit with restocking + shipping fees. For an $800 camera we would be looking at $80 or more in restocking fees if we find out that the marketing info. of the product does not support real-life implementations. Considering the limitations on all features leads me to think: What am I really getting for my $2K-$2.5K? For this kind of money and limited features I can probably get a Dahua system, purchase a couple of 3MP IR fixed domes and a couple of 1.3MP turret-style fixed-dome cameras (IPC-HDW2100 which by the way no other manufacturer selling IP cams seems to have), get their NVR hybrid packaged solution (allows for both analog and IP cameras) and deal with the pain of finding firmware updates for cameras and NVRs, and save some $$ in the process, with the realization that, as all other IP-based camera systems, this system will have some limitations that I will need to live with. One last point is that some "legacy" DVR-based camera systems already have basic capabilities built right out of the box (such as fairly good nigh vision, somewhat stealthy cameras in the form of turret-style fixed domes, and even iPhone/IPad/Android remote viewing compatibility) and eliminate the need to go chasing after firmware updates for maybe $1500 for an 8 camera system (I have a friend that has one installed at his town dome and seems to work great and has good picture quality) which are also capable of recording for several weeks on a 1TB drive. I may be missing some bells & whistles, but I would also have something that just works without worrying about firmware updates, video frame drops, etc. and will allow enough quality to catch a vandal a provide "good-enough" proof to the authorities. I apologize for the long message but I wanted to express my frustration on deciding on one system when selecting an IP-based system. At the same time I'm hoping that someone will have the patience of reading through my rather long message and educate me with the feasibility of what I am trying to accomplish and hopefully some tried and tested solutions. Many Thanks!
  4. Has anyone heard or has had any experience with this brand? They have a couple of interesting 5MP models and offer something called Intelligent Video Analytics built into the camera. Dome (Model: N3011 - 50ft IR and 3-10mm varifocal lens) - retails for about $650 http://www.3svision.com.tw/prod_info.php?pid=50 Bullet (Model: N6013 - 82ft IR and 3-10mm varifocal lens) - retails for about $700 http://www.3svision.com.tw/prod_info.php?pid=55
  5. Many thanks to all for reading my post and providing valuable insight!, Reading through the last few posts I'm getting the impression that even the IR illuminators of the ACTi KCM-5611 may not be enough. Adding more illuminators will likely complicate this project, not to mention adding to the cost of it. I guess the only way to truly find out whether I need to add more hardware is to actually install the camera to get a feel of how it performs for my particular setup. I would need to find a reputable reseller that has a good return policy in the case this setup does not work out (I would hate to be stuck with an $800 camera that does not work). Does everyone agree that the KCM-5611 is still the best solution for this type of project or do you suggest going another route? I have a friend owns a larger townhome than mine that has an analog-type CCTV system (I believe it's a Q-See) with turret-style fixed dome cameras and he's getting around 60' B/W coverage at night with good image quality. I would assume that the KCM-5611 would provide great performance in low light being that it's made for such application and considering that it is a hefty price for a single camera when compared to an off-the-shelf all in package such as a Q-See. Also, any recommendations of an NVR for this setup? I'm looking at a maximum of 8 cameras. Thanks again!
  6. Hello All, Newbie to the site, but have been doing research on cameras for over a month, and frankly I'm a bit overwhelmed with what is out there, but I believe that I've got it narrowed down to a couple of cameras. Long story short, I need to get an outdoor camera with superb night visibility as my vehicles keep getting vandalized. I'm pretty certain of who the person is vandalizing my vehicles but according to police I need to provide evidence of the perpetrator in the act in order for them pursue further. With that in mind I've done some research. I've scoured the web as well as several forums, and also received several quotes on systems (3S Vision N6071, Vivotek IP7361, Messoa- NCR875PRO, Q-See QC808 NVR combo (low end but good value), and even one 3MP off -brand camera from China from a manufacturer called "FINE", for which I can't find any info. about) that I thought would do the job, but there is nothing much out there that convinces me. There is an active member of this forum (Whom I hope reads this post and I believe goes by the screen name Buellwinkle) that has provided very good un-biased advice as well as examples which helped me get a good idea of actual performance of several camera systems. I would love to have a PTZ , but these are too large and very visible and the prices are a bit over my budget. A turret style camera would also be more discreet and almost invisible in my particular setup than a dome-type camera, but the turret style seems to be mostly prevalent in older analog systems. After much reviewing, I'm narrowing my search to two ACTi outdoor cameras with great night vision performance: KCM-5611 (box) and TCM-7811 (dome) both of these two cameras keep on popping up with good reviews from folks who have been using them. I have the following requirements and I'm hoping that someone is able to provide a bit more info.: I live in a town home and I need to see clearly at night with very minimal lighting - about 100' from where the camera is located (somewhere about 15'-20' up on my wall entrance) and diagonally down to my two mid-sized vehicles. My goal is primarily to catch the perpetrator in the act. Not to have the camera act as a deterrent that would let the perpetrator know that they are being watched. The TCM-7811 seems to cover the issue of stealthiness, but I'm concerned about its range at night. The KCM-5611 seems to offer the excellent night vision performance (including the ability to zoom on a trigger event such as intrusion of a selected zone) which is really what I'm looking for. While the size of this camera is quite compact (at 8"x5"x5" - L x W x H), my concern is that the size of the KCM-5611 plus 10" for the bracket length would make the camera likely visible by passers by. I would love to see ACTi come out with a compact bullet version of the KCM-5611. Any thoughts? Another area where I'm in dire need for help with is with the NVR. I'm interested in a self-contained unit, not a PC, but I'm open to suggestions. I'm interested in the NVR being able to handle alarm events from the cameras (such as emailing, or activating other devices such as lights, etc) and maybe some analytics. I'm also interested in viewing the cameras remotely via an iPhone/Android device. My initial choices were NUUO and QNAP, but I also received a quote for a brand called Solstice for which I have not been able to find much on. I know that ACTi provides some free software, but I don't know if I would be able to use the ACTi software with the NUUO or QNAP boxes (I'm not 100% sure if these boxes full blown NVRs or if they are glorified PCs). I would love to hear any suggestions on NVR solutions as well for this setup. Lastly, I know that the current setup I explained would only cover one camera. The part I'm most concerned about is the front area of the house where I park my vehicles. For the back area I will be adding either another TCM-7811 or a lower featured dome or bullet type camera as the back area is enclosed and is a 20'x20' which can be easily be covered by any camera with somewhat decent night vision. I would later add other cameras as needed, but a maximum would be eight cameras for the entire system. Ideally, I would like to purchase a system and know that all parts will work together and has some room for expandability as well as some futureproof. Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated as this will be by first setup. Many thanks in advance for taking your time to review my post!
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