Soundy

Whether you're triggering with a sensor or from the access system, you're going to need some sort of heavy-duty relay to switch the A/C.... beyond that, it's just a matter of getting the low-power, low-voltage signal to trigger the relay, either from your sensor or from the access system - shouldn't be particularly more or less expensive either way. That said, unless the access system requires a card swipe to LEAVE the room, there's not really a way to turn the A/C off based on that. And as you've already realized, using a motion sensor won't work very well when the occupants are asleep. What you might do, is combine the motion/occupancy sensor with a timer, such that the sensor is bypassed at night (say, between 11pm and 7am), and only effective during the day. One other thing to consider: keeping the A/C on at a low level during the day to maintain a cooler room may be more efficient in the long run than always turning it off and on, as it will have to run full-out for longer once it's turned on, to cool the room down. It might be worth investing in one of those energy-measuring devices and test both ways and see if there's a difference.

In fairness, I'm basing the comparison strictly off what little the SC site lists for their unit... vs. personal experience with the SmartPIT... but I can say, the SmartPIT is a really nice unit and it seems they thought of everything, including what to pack in the box with it... and again, their support is (or was, at the time) truly outstanding - I made one call to the listed general number, and got a tech who gave me his direct line and email, and always answered emails within minutes. When I needed the filter file tweaked for the Squirrel POS, I sent him the capture data, and had a reply within an hour (actually, might have even been within half an hour). You can't put a price on that kind of support.

Far more flexible and powerful, based on what little info there is on your link... the SuperCircuits unit, you have to tell them what register you're using so they can pre-program it (or maybe they have different models in stock - either way, it sounds like once you have it, it's only good for that one brand of register). And it appears the SC box is programmed through the front panel, probably watching the OSD... the SmartPIT can be programmed via the built-in LCD, or via a web interface. The Honeywell unit can be not only user-programmed, but user-customized... or you can have Honeywell create custom filter files based on your register's output, AFTER it's installed and running (ie. great factory support, probably a lot better than you'd get with SC). It also works with some IP-attached devices, particularly ATMs, and can re-output the filtered text data. Doesn't look like the SC box comes with anything extra, either - the SmartPIT includes various serial cables and adapters that should let you connect to just about anything with a serial output. Considering the SmartPIT is probably very close to the same price... sure seems like you get a lot more for the money.

Those four keyholes underneath the drive in the first picture, should match up to the screwholes on the bottom of the drive - just use some short coarse-thread computer screws to attach it. Recommend using all four for the best contact possible between the drive and the case, to help with heat dissipation.

You know what, it's so long ago that we last put one in, I really don't remember... a quick google search shows them going for $550-$600 at most online stores. Seems to me its much more basic and limited predecessors cost twice that the last time we got one of those, two or three years earlier.

Once again, if he wants a clear, tight shot of the register, he's probably best to just have a fixed camera with a standard varifocal lens, adjusted to the appropriate view, and just left there. Being able to zoom in and out remotely just increases the chance that he'll miss detail on something important if he zooms out and then gets distracted, leaving it on a wider shot. If he wants a wide overview shot, the best option is simply to have a second camera. Or use a megapixel camera that can get the wide shot and still have the detail on the register. Something like this should do... PROVIDING the POS supports data output in some form: http://www.honeywellvideo.com/products/ias/da/pr/125775.html. SmartPIT will work with serial or network feeds and can re-output the raw and/or filtered data for logging on supporting DVRs. Honeywell will also create a custom filter file if you need one for your POS, no extra charge, and very quick turnaround (they had one for me for a Squirrel system in less than an hour). It comes with a wide variety of serial cables and adapters as well - if your POS has a serial output, this unit should have everything you need for it in the box. Personally, I prefer a DVR that can log the POS data, because that makes it actually searchable, something you can't do with video overlay.

Check your network cable - if you're connecting directly between computer and DVR, you may need to be using a crossover cable. If the cable is good, check inside the network ports of both machines, make sure there are no bent pins.

So anyway, back on track... A few samples have been posted above... With NTSC video, yes, pretty much (some will do up to 740x480, not a huge difference). This is a hard limitation of the video standard used; all analog cameras and DVRs that use the NTSC standard will be bound by it. Compression type, and compression level (most codecs are adjustable on a quality vs. size basis). Which codec is "best" will vary a bit depending on the type of scenes you're viewing, and you have to test some different ones to determine which suits your needs the best. As indicated, you can probably use at least SOME megapixel cameras and still stay within budget. Keep in mind that going ALL megapixel means you don't need analog capture hardware, so there's a bit of cost savings there.

Ah, my bad. Never heard of that brand, no wonder the picture is crap

As he noted previously, that's a Pelco PTZ - definitely not bargain-basement stuff (from the OSD, I'd guess a Spectra IV?)

That one cable you have connected is the SATA power... you still need a SATA data cable, which would plug into the small connector right beside the power connector (the right one of the two you've circled), and into the SATA data connector on the mainboard (also right beside the white plug on that power cable). The other bunch of pins are for jumpers to configure various parameters; you wouldn't normally use them.

What is your PC's IP address?

Above post pretty much covers it. I have cameras mounted on a 50' tower, which itself is about 20' taller than the next nearest structure, and the most protection it has is a lightning rod that sticks up 10' or so above the cameras themselves, and a solid ground connection from the tower to a 10'-deep grounding rod. This is in an area that does get a fair number of storms, and it's never had a problem (or even been hit, that I'm aware of, but then again, the only way I'd be aware of it would probably be if it did sustain some damage). One thing to remember with lightning, is that it can do some weird, weird stuff, seemingly outside the laws of physics... you could spend thousands of dollars and countless hours protecting against it, and still have equipment fried by some bizarre lightning behaviour - in other words: by all means, take precautions, but don't go too far out of your way agonizing over it, because if lightning wants to get your toys, it WILL find a way

Nope, it's identical, right down to the bad Engrish

Yes they are.

For that, you don't need to do anything special. If the two DVRs are side-by-side and the wires for those cameras are right there, just disconnect from the one DVR and tie them into the other. Whether you star them out or daisy-chain them, the whole thing is just one parallel circuit... just make sure if you're daisy-chaining (as shown on your second diagram) that the camera at the end of the chain has termination enabled, and the ones "below" it on that chain don't.

I would assume you need this to zoom by remote control? Yes, they exist - in fact, I have one sitting here on my desk. There certainly are remote-operable varifocal lenses as well... they're generally used with cameras in PTZ enclosures, but they don't HAVE to be. But yes, they are rare, as the ability to zoom in and out on one fixed spot is of limited usefulness - if you need higher detail on that one spot, it's usually more efficient to just zoom the lens on it and leave it there. What happens if you have a wide shot and something happens just off-center that you want to zoom on? You can't - you can only zoom on that one central point. http://www.cnbusa.com/en/html/product/product_list.php?maxx=1&midx=1

Something like this should work: http://www.485solutions.com/product_family.asp?familyid=31 It's actually a pretty simple design - the datasheet for it has a full schematic: http://www.485solutions.com/bb-elec/literature/9pmds-3803ds.pdf

Go to http://dlink.ca Click "Support" at the top. Plug in the model number in the "Search Product Model" field. Select the appropriate submodel from the list. There you'll find manual, quick install guide, firmware, other software, etc.

Yeah, I love cargo pants, with all the outside pockets. Can still be a hassle if you have a few smaller screws or other small metal bits to hang on to - thus the magnets are great. Also used to have a wristband with a small magnetic panel, and now a larger armband with magnets for the same purpose. Here are the fingerless magnet gloves: And the wristband: My coworker had (before they finally fell apart) mechanics' gloves with an LED built into one knuckle - very nice in tight, dark spaces! I also have a pair of safety glasses with LEDs on the arms:

Most construction sites require a hardhat, steel toes and reflective vest/clothing at a bare minimum. Some - particularly the oil companies' sites - insist that we also wear safety glasses all the time, and always carry gloves even if we don't need them at the moment. I have two pair of steel toes - one pair of regular construction boots, one a pair of what's essentially steel-toed sneakers. I have a bump cap as well, in addition to my full hardhat - the sneakers and bump cap are acceptable for service calls to operating sites, but they all require the full boots and bucket for active construction jobs. my coworker has some really nice boots that have composite caps instead of steel - they're non-conductive (not that we work with high voltage) and far lighter than even my sneakers, with the same level of protection. My usual gloves are the type with the fingertips removed above the lower knuckle, so I have proper finger dexterity (important for fine work with setscrews, tweakers, crimp connectors, etc.). These particular gloves are neat, too, because they have magnets in the back side, so they're really handy for working with small screws - I can just stick a handful of drywall screws to the back of my glove so they're readily available. As for geek wear, I have a number of options: bright orange zip-up hoodie with reflective stripes, for the colder days... bright orange mesh t-shirt, also with reflective stripes, for warmer days... and a neon yellow surveyor's vest that I wear most of the time for its myriad of pockets

Why would Cat6 have better conductivity? Is it made with SuperCopper or some special alloy not used in Cat5e? I just fold the stripped end back along the insulated wire and insert that whole bit into the terminal - the insulation provides extra strain relief.

One thing to keep in mind is that a video matrix switcher and a network switch, despite their similar names, have very different functions and purposes, so there's really not an "either/or" here. That aside, "200+ms" is a bit overstated... I've seen anywhere from 50ms to 2-3s, depending on the camera, the network, and the viewing platform (browser, NVR, etc.). Codec used can have a huge effect on latency as well. 99% of the time, latency won't be an issue - consider that 99% of the time, 99% of users are using their systems to playback recorded video, where the video is delayed by hours, days, weeks, or even months from the actual event... 200ms added to that really isn't going to matter. Even most of the time for live monitoring (for example, a security guard watching cameras in a guard shack), if you consider the reaction time of your average person to see an incident, pick up a phone, call in the appropriate response, etc... if he sees the event happen 1/5 of a second later than it actually happens, you're really not going to see an impact on the overall response time. survtech works in a relatively unique situation (casino) where the ability to drive a PTZ to capture and zoom in on an event very quickly can be critical, and on a tight zoom, 200ms lag means you can easily overshoot your target... but unless you're doing something with analytics or machine vision where ultra-fast response time is required, the latency in an IP camera really should not be a concern.

Wow, the age-old question: what is the best DVR/camera/NVR/burger/car/vacation/dog/planet... Simple answer: there is no "best". There is only "better/more suitable for a given situation". How many cameras are we talking about? How many sites? What features/functions are required and/or desired? What kind of budget are we talking about? Do you want DIY or turnkey? If DIY, what platform will you be running it on? And that's for starters. Even beyond all the technical aspects, there are things like... user interface to consider. Ease of use. Ease of training. Support options. Upgrade paths. Scaleability. And so on.

I find an easy way to find what numbers a given reader/system uses, is just to swipe the new cards/fobs, and look for them in the error logs (they should show up as being unknown or unauthorized). From there, you'll have the appropriate numbers to enter!