johnnycw

I'm running an anolog PTZ with IR using a 12v passive injector/extractor with about a 30m run with Cat5. The camera's original power supply is 2A and the camera specs state 20 watts with IR on. The setup has been running reliably for nearly 3 years 24/7. Maybe I've just been lucky.

Yeah I've read mixing brands opens up potential issues. I guess I'll learn the hard way. lol I've got a cheap outdoor PTZ that seems to work pretty well with this Dahua NVR but I know it'll be a gamble.

I was given a Dahua NVR4208 and several HDB-4300C cameras. They were all new in the box and were passed along to me after the original purchaser sold the property he had planned to install the equipment at. He bought them on-line with no support so as far as firmware upgrades, I'm out of luck using the conventional means. My first impression of the cameras were good. Small form factor and great daytime image quality. The configuration menus are easy to navigate with all the typical settings. Low light image quality left something to be desired but its acceptable with minimal ambient lighting. My disappointment comes with what seems to be firmware issues. The cameras currently have 2.420.0002.0.R, build : 2014-06-21 and I'm having two significant problems. The first issue is that I cannot use a time server to keep the time accurate. The default timezone setting is GMT+08:00 and no matter what I set it to, it always defaults back to GMT+08:00. If I disable syncing with the NTP server the cameras will keep the correct time regardless what the timezone setting defaults back to but the time drifts by a few minutes every week. The second and more annoying issue is the camera profile (Day, Night) schedule settings don't seem to work. I've attempted to use this feature to work around the low light image quality issues forcing the cameras into an optimized Night setting based on a time schedule. However the cameras stay in Day mode all the time if I enable the profile schedule. Now I'm left no option other than to keep the cameras in Normal mode which does switch to B&W appropriately during low light but not with the optimized low light settings I use in the Night mode profile. The last issue which I don't know is with the NVR or the cameras is I cannot get the NVR4208's motion detection to work. When trying to setup the detection zones, I cannot get a camera image at all in the setup no matter what settings I've tried. I really wanted to like these cameras. They're small and have decent image quality (great daytime image) but Dahua seems to really drop the ball with their firmware.

Make sure the NVR's display resolution is set to something that is compatible with your display.

I've got them a little better nailed down with some of your suggestions. I usually try and avoid IR because of the bugs and here in Florida we've got lots throughout the year. The one mission critical area is under a carport and does have decent lighting. That area faces away from the coastal waters so I have a little more allowance. I replaced an analog system with CNB VBM-24VF domes which IMO have great low light performance. Ultimately these Dahua IPC's were free and I'm trying them out but I may end up replacing a few where IR might be my only practical low light option. I've got a couple of Hikvision DS-2CD2132-I domes on the way to evaluate them in the areas I need low light coverage. We'll see how well they play with this Dahua NVR4208. Thanks again for the suggestions.

shockwave199 while trying to implement some of your suggestions I actually solved the motion detection issue. I disabled the time overlay from the cameras and tried to enable it on the NVR but couldn't get it to work. I then realized I had the NVR set to detect the cameras on the HTTP port rather than TCP. I switched them to the TCP port and now I've got the NVR time overlay working and low and behold the motion detection seems to work now. I'm guessing the TCP port is the most appropriate? This is my first NVR so I'm learning. As of right now my only gripe (its a minor gripe) is the camera's inability to maintain the correct timezone when set to sync with a NTP server which I've sort of resolved simply using the NVR's time overlay. I can live without the scheduled camera profiles I suppose as using those settings were only marginally better in low light than the Normal settings. As far as increasing the area lighting, I'm about maxed out. Its a coastal property and the community has very strict lighting laws to prevent confusing hatchling sea turtles.

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes I do have a HD installed in the NVR and the scheduling is setup correctly. The problem I'm having is when I'm trying to set the detection zone areas for each camera, I don't get any image at all in the window where I activate or deactivate the grid squares. After about 30 seconds or so it seems to time out detecting an image and I get an X a top corner of the image display window. I've got the NVR set for 24/7 recording now and I get an image fine in live and recorded views. Motion detection isn't make or break for me as I prefer recording 24/7 but I like motion detection for saving detected events off site. I've tried the more helpful forum sources for firmware but I was declined however I'm still on the lookout and I'm sure patience will pay off eventually. Another option is possibly purchasing a single camera of the same model from a legit Dahua supplier and see if that route may work for updated firmware. My searches so far have only led me to older firmware versions and I'm hesitant to download anything from a source other than what I know has been reliable and helpful to others.

The cameras would be legal in my community. If you can view it with your eyes from your own property, its fair game to a camera. Some of my residential cameras spill over and cover a few of my neighbors. I informed them of it and they were appreciative if they ever have a theft issue. However I also have a good relationship with my neighbors. I also have a camera that covers the traffic on my dead end street. That camera's footage has been responsible for helping arrest suspects in two separate local burglarys the past few years. Every property owner on my street are also aware of it and have no objections.

...and with the previous comments made, I know there are 4 more recent English/NTSC firmware updates available for both the NVR4208 and HDB-4300's so if anyone has access to them and are willing to share, I'd be appreciative.

It seems if I disable the "Synchronize with NTP" feature my cameras will keep the appropriate time but the time drifts several minutes off after a few weeks without synchronize with an NTP server. An annoying issue with cameras I've been satisfied with otherwise.

Did you ever resolve your problem. I have a couple of IPC-HDB4300C mini domes with 2.420.0002.0.R, build : 2014-06-21 and they all switch back to GMT+8 no matter the settings I try.

Compression. I'm not familiar with your DVR but perhaps it has settings to increase the network transmission quality by altering video compression parameters.

The CNB LJL-20S is also another under $100 option worth considering as well IMO. Similar performance as the WBL-20S (its a bullet style camera, good value too) but with the dome/eyeball format and a little more IR power. The smart IR feature keeps close up IR contacts from being bleached out. I prefer no IR at all but resorted to using the LJL-20S cameras along the sides of my home to cover gates to the backyard where I didn't want motion floods annoying the neighbors. They're Monalisa based and a good value IMO with no fidgeting out of the box.

CNB's Blue-i models have those and other features specifically intended for the challange you have.

I've been impressed with the CNB Blue-i DBB-24VF's ability to handle similar conditions. Been testing one the last few weeks. However the DBB-24VF is an indoor camera and no IR though CNB does have several other Blue-i models. The DBB-24VF does perform very well in low light so IR isn't necessary if there is at least some ambient lighting.

Our firefighter's benevolence hall has an 8 channel DVR and various cameras I've help setup. The hall has a bar area that we would like to be able to monitor and record. The area always has at least some ambient light (but usually not a lot of light) for events and the idea is to place the camera at about eye level from behind the bar so any potential underage issues can be monitored remotely by the hall manager. I'm looking to avoid IR and have been very happy with the low-light performance of the VCM-24VF domes we've used in other areas. I haven't read much about the CNB BLUE-i cameras and am curious about the DBB-24VF if anyone has input. The specs have Min. Illumination : 0.0002Lux (DSS On, B/W) which caught my attention.

I have one that gets stuck in night (BW) mode. I can manually switch it using the OSM and it'll reset to daytime mode if I cycle the power but it wont switch back to daytime mode on its own. I've since replaced it with anew VCM-24VF using the exact same settings and it works fine like the other three I have.

I currently have a few VBM-24VF cameras in my system and I love them especially for their low light performance. However I recently had one fail and need to order a replacement. I'm just trying to figure out the difference between the VBM-24VF and VCM-24VF? Is the only difference the base of the housing?

Thanks again everyone for the information.

Thanks folks. One more question; whats the 2G in some model numbers? Such as VBM-24VF-2G.

I just used Rust-Oleum to paint four new CNB VBM-24VF cameras and had no problems. I did a light sanding with 200g just enough to give the new paint a key to bond to then wiped them down with Prep-Sol before painting. I did one very light coat, allow to dry about 15 minutes, then a heavier finish coat.

Two years ago I purchased a 4 camera system from a local box store for my home. The daytime quality was acceptable but low light and night capability was aweful with the orginal IR dome cameras. Thanks to the information I've researched in this forum, I recently switched all my original cameras to CNB VBM-24VF domes. The improvement in picture quailty was astounding and low light and night capability without any IR is amazing though admittedly I have no other experience with CCTV. Now I'd like to upgrade my DVR. My current model is an inexpensive Piczel with old compression technology and has nowhere near the capabilty to take advantage of the quality of the VBM-24VF cameras. Of course my interest is consumer/residential level so the $1000+ standalone systems are out. I've been looking at a CCTVStar SSA-0812H DVR which seems to have a lot of features. Based on the manufacturer specs, it's a quantum jump over my existing Piczel DVR. I'm interested in any feedback from folks that may have experience with any of the CCTVStar DVR's and specifically maybe the model line I'm intersted in.