Darris

Thought I'd update this thread as it's been a while. Installed the 8 cameras and the results were pretty decent. For D1 resolution cameras those ACTi5711's were right on the money. I'll need to replace some of the lenses in the larger rooms as the ones they shipped with are seriously POS. For my next project, a gate project, I actually got together with a professional consultant/engineer and we decided the solution to our current requirements: Need to see the license plates of most vehicles entering and exiting Need at least some view of the vehicles entering and exiting Needs to have decent night vision capabilities For this project he suggested HIKVISION cameras. I haven't seen much mention of them online but their specs seem to be on par with the ACTi cameras. For the license plates we decided on D! resolution cameras with a 5-50mm lense. To make sure we'll have visibility in both day and night I'll be putting the cameras into monochrome and using an IR illuminator. Speaking of the illuminator, it's completely overkill for what we need. Had i known it had a 30m-->150m range I would have gone with something a little more mid-end It should be lighting those cars up like a flippin' christmas tree. For the driver capture we're using 1.3mp cameras with a 5-15mm lense. I'll be mounting those cameras (hopefully) tonight after it cools down so I'll give my feedback in a few days. As for NVR software, I ended up using a demo version of Genetec (Omniview) and I have to say the installation/configuration/administration is NOT for the faint of heart. I'm going to be slapping 4 more cameras onto the system within the next week or so with possibly 4 more soon to come. I tested Milestone Pro, and while it's simple to setup, easy to use and easy to manage, I've found that it's database system can me somewhat unreliable and their playback software can be a little unstable. I need to mention that their pro demo license is the same as milestone go, aka 16 cameras and 5 days of archive footage. This last bit I didn't know until we had to pull archive footage from 2 weeks ago, oops! Sorry! Suffice to say, that turned me off to Milestone as a whole. I'm giving the new Genetec Security Center a spin. It's very, VERY pricy, still a beast to install/manage, but should be stable as hell. I've been reading through these forums for the past few months and I'm still unsure about which software suite to use. I have a 6 month demo license with Genetec, but should I find something cheaper and almost as stable and robust then I'd swap in a heartbeat. The server we built this on was an Athlon X6 with 4gigs of ram and 6tb of HD space. I wanted it to be as scaleable as possible as we may be encorporating our entire cameras system on it. (we have 26 more analog cameras currently in use atm) Anyone with other suggestions on software? I know ONSSI and Milestone are the same engine (application, layout, etc) only difference is their licensing and pricing. But like I said, even though it was easy to setup and use their software was a bit unstable with a few bugs that really, REALLY annoyed me, especially using the playback features. Maybe BlueIris or some Geovision? Anyone have ideas?

I purchased the TP-Link TL-SF1008P after purchasing the 24 port Netgear POE to slap on 4 ACTi cameras onto the existing system. Well, I hit my POE cap with only 3 cameras (drawing ~52 a piece)! I either had a defunct unit or they really overestimate their 57w rating. I ended up purchasing a poe injector for ~$20 to use for the last camera (bullet cam with an IR illuminator built in). I purchased 2 of those TP-Links, not sure if I'm going to keep the second. We'll see if it handles my other project using HIKVISION cameras instead of my previous ACTi cameras.

Yep, the acti software is functional, and that's about it. It's good for previewing the cameras and making sure they're in the right place with the right exposure settings.

Well, the sticker shock of the 5611's made us settle for the ACTi 5711's. They also didn't like the NVR setup (go figure) so we're just building an Athlon Phenom X6 server and using ACTi's software for the time being until we can demo a software solution that we really like. All in all we cut about 1700 from the total project cost. Just gotta make sure the project scope stays within reasonable limits for our budget.

I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on the project and what we finally decided to do. It looks like I have some more leeway with project budget so I've gone back to shopping for megapixel cameras.

I appreciate you looking out for me Soundy. It's something I'm going to be bringing up in the next meeting. I doubt they'll make an issue of it and if it's something they really want to do then I'll just have them sign something saying I'm not liable for any audio recordings Like I mentioned before, what an awsome community!

Google, is there nothing you can't find? You're not a lawyer but you do make a good argument. From what I saw though, the summary mentioned recordings of hidden cameras or any eavesdropping of conversations that would otherwise remain private. As mentioned, the cameras won't be hidden and the building is a public service building but like someone mentioned before, I need to cover my butt so I'll bring it up in our next meeting to make sure there's no way this can come back on me and my friend.

Just to clarify for others reading: This is essentially the same for regular cameras also, using RG59 Siamese (1 cable) and a DVR (remote viewing). Oh, I guess you're right! Sorry for spreading misinformation. CCTV is a rather new area for me so I'm still trying to gather all the facts. The IP solution attracted me because the facility is wired with fiber so if they wanted to add cameras to the rest of the grounds (which is pretty large) plugging in some cameras to the existing network with an NVR would be a fairly simple solution. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

Out in California where unfortunately the laws are pretty flippin' strict. As for the audio recordings (And yeah, the QNAP does audio. Dang thing does everything.) I'll have to double check on the legal implications and if it is an issue then we'll just disable the audio all together. You're right in that I don't want this coming back to bite me.

Thanks for the reply and thanks for the heads up on that. I really meant "low-key" as meaning very few people involved. I've checked the local laws and they're generally applicable for cameras that are hidden or have no signs posting their presence. The cameras are going to be placed in areas where they are obvious and the facility itself touts "camera recording on the premise blah blah" and the only cameras that will be actively recording audio are places where speech can be overhead in public. That and the facility is paid for by taxes so you can make assumptions on them having their butts covered. I was kind of afraid of that. It'll be overlooking a rather small parking lot but the lighting is rather minimal that side of the facility. It may be worth it to setup an LED light on that side of the building. Again, I appreciate the feedback guys. This community is incredible! " title="Applause" />

Hey gang, I've got a project coming up that I've been sort of dragged into. I say "dragged" because I was unknowingly drafted by a friend to help on a low-key security camera setup. It's a job that can't really be outsourced as the contractor requested not to else I would have gone to a local installer already. It's an 8 camera install with the requirements of audio in at least 2 and 1 outdoor camera. I've already decided on IP Power over Ethernet as the expanded functionality and simplicity (remote viewing, 1 wire for each camera) of the setup just seems to make much more sense. It can also be piggy-backed on the existing fiber network there. I've decided to go with a NVR system, the QNAP VS-4016 more specifically as it has features the system owner would want such as expandability and serial operation should more QNAP NVR's be added to the system at a later date. I've picked out the switch, the Netgear FS726TP with 12 port POE (802.3af compliant) and 2 gigabit ports. The real trouble I'm having is picking the right camera. There are literally over 400 cameras to choose from and my past 3 days of research has left banging my head on a wall. For the indoor cameras I'm looking at the ACTi M5711 as I'm digging the low-light sensitivity and 2-way audio (important for 2 cameras). For the outside I'm thinking the ACTi ACM 1231 that has 75' of IR visibility. With these cameras it looks like I'll be able to keep the costs under 5k for the project. So, anybody have any other suggestions for cameras/NVRs? Have any suggestions for mounting brackets for drop-down and wall mounting? The help would be so much appreciated!