ForceF3D

+1 Don't want to risk bricking my camera (Chinese version), so would like to upgrade using 5.1 Chinese firmware

Ordered on the 14th November, received on the 7th December - using China standard post (~20days). Whilst I'm waiting for my POE router (which after deciding on a model I forget to order) I was thinking about testing out the camera with a power adapter. I have a 12VDC 1A, (240AC 50hz, 140mA) power adapter for an old netgear router. Am i able to use this to give the camera a quick test to see if it works? ... or do I risk overpowering/underpowering and destroying the camera?

Locked in the DS-2CD2732F-IS. Its coming from China to Aus, I cheaped out on the shipping so its going to be a while.... I'm not in a particular hurry

Thanks skomo, pics were helpful. Nice review on the 2cd2732f buell. I'm surprised not to see any IR bleed on that camera.

@skomo , what size lens are you using on your 2132 in your driveway? From the pictures I've seen, using the 2.8mm lens shows quite a distinct halo...

Just having a read through some reviews, it appears that the DS-2CD2132-I might have some light bleeding issues with the 2.8mm lens (which is what i'd be after). Might have to give that one a miss if that is the case, and stick with the DS-2CD2732F-I. Is your next review on the DS-2CD2732F buell?

The TP-Link 8 port 10/100/1000M looks good, its roughly the same price ($179 AUD) as the edimax gs 1008p. However, the edimax is fanless and has 145W power budget, 21W more than the TP-Link. The ZyXel ES1100-8P is fanless, but looks to be 10/100 and only has a power budget of 64W. (Datasheet --> ftp://ftp2.zyxel.com/ES1100-8P/datasheet/ES1100-8P_5.pdf) The Hikvision camera im looking at is 802.3af which i'm lead to believe is 15.4W for a single port. Could I just hook up the camera temporarily to an old 12v laptop adapter I have laying around? Or do I need to be careful just plugging in any old 12v adapter? Edit: Interestingly the Hikvision DS-2CD2132-I, the smaller brother of the DS-2CD2732F-I has longer IR distance. It looks like they share the same sensor. The DS-2CD2132-I only has 2-way adjustable axis, fixed lense, no SD card, and missing some alarm features ...but is $70 less Thoughts between the two anyone?

I did see that switch, it may be good for a short term prototype - and I may consider buying it . However, it's not a gigabit switch and I may end up running more than 4 cameras, which means i'll need to daisy chain two switches together - to then connect to a computer/nas. Are gigabit switches required, or can you get away with a 100mbps?

Good Idea. Might have a go at the 'Milestone XProtect Go' software, as it seems to be popular. Unless there is a better option? Are the camera and switch reasonable? Thinking of buying camera from here --> http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/HIKVISION-30-meters-1080P-IR-dome-network-cameras-support-POE-DS-2CD2732F-I/420258_1077716612.html What do people generally do when paying for shipping. Is it fine to use the 'China Post Mail' ($13).

Hi All, I am finally about to bite the bullet and purchase an IP Camera and POE Switch. I am initially looking at a 1 camera setup to prototype and play with. If I like what I see i'll jump in and buy more camera's. I'm in Australia, and you wouldn't believe how high some of the prices over here are for IP Cameras. As a result, its hard to find someone with a setup in action that I can have a look at too judge the quality. This is why i'm starting with just one camera. I'm trying to stick to around $200 for a camera, I have spent a long time digging through a lot of information and I have the following ... Camera= Hikvision DS-2CD2732F-I , US$200 ($212 AUD), http://www.hikvision.com/en/products_show.asp?id=8724 POE Switch = edimax gs 1008p, US$178 ($189 AUD), http://www.edimax.com/au/produce_detail.php?pd_id=448&pl1_id=10&pl2_id=39 I'm hoping to initially have the camera FTP files to a computer on the network. Any input/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you