Soundy

It probably uses a standard CDS (cadmium sulfide) photo-resistor... the catch is, there are several values available, and for it to work properly, you'll need to replace it with one of the same or very similar value. They're pretty readily available from commercial electronic component stores, like this: http://www.rpelectronics.com/electronic-components-parts/resistors-potentiometers/light-dependent-resistor

You have learned well, grasshopper.

"IP Camera Supported List: Dahua, Arecont Vision, AXIS, Canon, Dynacolor, Panasonic, SAMSUNG, SANYO, SONY, ONVIF" The only way I see that happening in the IP world is if you install the NVR software or the client software on a PC and install a quad output video card. Then build your views for each output. If you don't need different views on each TV, then something like this: http://www.networktechinc.com/hdmi-splitter.html The Dahua cameras in the banner ad to the left are a good selection. They're not the greatest in low light, but since you have motion security lights, they should deliver a good picture when the lights come on. They're 2MP and well under budget, and they're IP66 rated for outdoor usage. You MAY need to get them with a wider lens than the stock 3.6mm they come with. I haven't used this unit, but I have used their four-channel FULL D1 DVR, and AFAIK the setup and interface on the NVR is very similar. The PSS central-management software is really good and lets you directly access the cameras as well. As far as the Dahua NVR: No, and no. Still referring to the Dahua: it doesn't come with the apps, but AFAIK there are both free and paid versions of the "official" app, and there are also other "generic" apps that work with it.

The "zoom" number is simply a ratio of longest to shortest focal length. In the first one, 4.1mm x 18 = 73.8mm In the second, 3.4mm x 36 = 122.4mm Or conversely, if you have the focal lengths, you can get the zoom factor by simple division: 73.8/4.1=18; 122.4/3.4=36. Beyond that, any FOV calculator will be able to give you the effective FOV at each end of that range. As for "how far" a camera can see - that has nothing to do with the focal length. A camera can "see" to infinity or to the next closest object that blocks its view. At different focal lengths, it just becomes a matter of how much detail and in how large an area. Point that camera at the horizon and it will "see" just as "far" at both ends of the zoom... it's just a more detailed view of a smaller area when you zoom in.

^There you go. If Mobotix has something suited to a license-plate cam, you're good to go. All in all, I'd go with the integrated camera unless there was a very specific need to do otherwise. Again, having the camera right there by the keypad and call button helps assure that the subject looks at it at least once, and it's going to be at or near face level in most instances. At that distance, super-high quality isn't really a big concern.

You only need POTS support if your intercom/keypad/gate-release is going through your phone system (ie. someone buzzes, phone rings, you press "6" to open the gate). If this is just for your home, you probably wouldn't be doing that... and even if you were using POTS, you'd probably be putting the interface module in the house, not at the gate. Check some of these offerings as examples: http://www.aiphone.com/products/alpha-list/detail/ja (there are several other manufacturers as well). Your keypad, camera, access trigger and intercom would all just communicate via network along with the plate camera; whether using fiber, powerline, or ethernet extenders, that would transmit to the back end, then connect into the intercom base unit, which would then tie into the POTS if you need that function.

Look at it this way, the driver is going to have to roll down his window and look at the keypad/cardswipe if he's going to use that to open the gate... or to hit the intercom button if he's getting someone to buzz him in. Either way it's hard to avoid the camera, as he'll pretty much have to look straight at it to operate the system. The picture above is a good example of this, with the camera right in the same panel as the keypad and call button. I wouldn't worry about this camera capturing faces at all. First of all, the best position for a plate camera is down low and straight-on to the plates, although something on the gate post looking across the driveway at an angle wouldn't be too bad either. Second, no matter how much you try to position the camera to mitigate reflections, there are so many variations in angle, curvature, color and tint of windshield glass... added to lighting and weather conditions... you'll never get something that works reliably even 50% of the time. As I said, many intercom/access-control systems are now IP-ready, and many of those (like the one pictured) have built-in cameras... so really, you'd only be connecting two devices: intercom panel, and the plate camera. The intercom panel would generally also have the trigger output for the gate controller. I doubt you'd be looking at bandwidth of over 5-6Mbps with everything on the gate post, even if you had 3MP cameras. Powerline adapters work well *if used properly*. Your plate cam will depend somewhat on the lighting available... there are some designs with IR and filters (to cut headlight glare) that are designed specifically for license plate capture. Someone else here should be able to suggest something. Problem with that is, not all cameras have bundled NVR software... and if they do, it typically only works with their cameras, meaning you wouldn't be able to have the plate cam and the keypad cam recording in the same place.

Ideally, you're going to need two cameras for that - one down low, probably on or beside a gate post, to see the plates... the other - I'm assuming there will be a keypad or card swipe along with an intercom station - by the intercom to see in the driver's window when he rolls it down. A high-enough-resolution plate camera with a wide enough field of view would cover the windshield, but you'll never be guaranteed a clear facial shot that way, with reflections off the glass being affected by so many environmental factors. If you are indeed putting in an intercom/keypad panel, I'd look at something IP-based with its own built-in camera... like this: There are numerous manufacturers of such things - the tricky part will be finding one that works with your Synology, should you decide to use that... I have a DiskStation DS-412+. The Surveillance Station feature, I find, is surprisingly well-featured for what it is. I haven't used it enough to determine its "bugginess" but it would probably do for your purposes. Be sure you've upgraded to the latest DSM! *Ethernet* (not PoE) is limited to 100m/330' over UTP, so you'll definitely have to use some sort of extender - there are plenty of them out there that will let you run ethernet well over 1000m on a single twisted pair or coax. There are some that will run PoE power over that as well, but I think you'd be better off to power the switch locally. I'm assuming you'll have line power (120VAC) at the gate location to operate the gate and any lighting, so my suggestion would be to place the PoE switch there - you can use that to connect your camera(s), access control and intercom (if you go with an IP-enabled intercom) and then run a single link back to the house. You might even look at ethernet-over-powerline adapters; others here have had some good success with them. Keep in mind that high and low voltage SHOULD NOT be run in the same conduit (and in most parts of the world, is not allowed to by electrical code), so if everything at the gate is IP-based, using powerline adapters would remove the need for a separate conduit.

Not if the camera does well with low light... but keep in mind, even if the yard lights seem bright to you, many cameras will still have a problem with clear images. IP cameras in the price range you're talking about for the most part do very poorly with low light of any kind, and will try to compensate for it by adding IR LEDs (think of it as shining an LED flashlight at your subject, except it's light just outside the range of human vision, rather than white light). And the problem with those, then, is that they tend to exaggerate the actual effective range of the IR illumination. That gets a LOT more expensive...

There are plenty of DVRs and cameras that will send stills and/or short video clips to email, SMS, or FTP. The bigger problem becomes the amount of data Verizon allows you per month, because you could go over the limit pretty easily. Plus, aren't you worried about the camera itself being stolen?

The one in that picture is this unit: http://gemelec.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=721&category_id=72&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

The problem with most cameras in that price range is, they really suck with low light, and at the range you're talking about, the IR on most will be too weak (DON'T believe the advertising claims). The Dahua ESIPMP3-1 box cam is pretty good with low light, especially for its price (at $400), but would need an environmental enclosure to be mounted outdoors.

I can think of a couple that might suit your needs, but it will really depend on what you're prepared to spend.

If it's a solid connection with good throughput, ideally 802.11n, you should be okay. If all you have is a G connection, 720p might be troublesome. Having the PoE switch near the cameras and then uplinking to the rest of the network on a single cable is good design, but hardwiring that uplink *if at all possible* is always preferable to wireless.

Welcome aboard!

You won't find any. Almost universally, the baluns that have power tails, have RJ45 jacks on the other end - all they do internally is split the power out from the Cat5 pairs to a short 18/2 pair. Baluns with screw terminals are generally intended to be used when you split the wires out yourself, kinda like this:

My experience with a four-channel Dahua, pretty much everything you can do through the OSD (configuration-wise), you can do through the web client.

eBay has similar models going for anywhere from $130 to $800...

There are several available, some more generic, some specific to certain DVRs. You'd have to look up the specific app, then see if it's compatible with that version of Android.

It really depends on the DVR. Some may not re-stream video at full D1, especially if you have a slow connection.

Personally, I'd say run all the cables to the "breaker room", then put the power supply and recorder there, whether PC-based or standalone. Almost all types of recorders allow you to access them via network, either through a web browser or through their own client software. If you're going with all-IP, it's still better to go with a dedicated system, whether PC or standalone; you don't want your regular desktop computer doing double-duty. Also, whether you're building your system on a spare PC, or using a standalone DVR or NVR, almost all of them can use the same SATA drives. Get a standalone that has room for several drives and just put them in that.

Jason's got some great tips to get you started. At this point, you're mainly worried about getting the cables where they go, so as he says, I'd start with Cat5e (Cat6 is fine if you can get it for the same price, but not necessary, and may be harder to find proper connectors for). Run cables to everywhere you want cameras now, and everywhere you think you MIGHT want cameras in the future (while you're at it, might as well run some phone and networks drops as well). Make sure you leave a good-sized coil of extra wire at each camera location - better too much than not enough! (Or as my buddy says, "I'd rather be lookin' at it, than lookin' for it.) Run all wires back to the same central location, whether it be the basement, or a comms closet, or wherever you want to gear to reside. Somewhere cool, dry, and relatively secure is preferable. Keep in mind some equipment can be noisy, so you want somewhere that the constant whine of a small fan won't be annoying to daily life. If you're running phone and network at the same time, make sure to label everything! Better yet, use different-color wire for camera runs vs. other runs. When the time comes for cameras, come on back, and we can help with other options, but just a couple considerations up-front: If you want a good general-purpose analog camera, I recommend this: http://www.cnbusa.com/en/html/product/product.php?seqx_prod=1073 - they can be had for $165 and up and are vandal-resistant, weatherproof, support dual-voltage power, have a versatile 2-8.10.5mm lens, and excellent low-light performance. If you decide on megapixel for some locations, the dome in the ad to the left of the page is a good choice if you have good lighting. When looking at a DVR, consider spending a little extra on a hybrid system that will support both analog and IP cameras. For analog cameras, I suggest these units: http://www.easterncctv.com/accessories/ev16p-vps.htm - they combine baluns and power supply in one unit, making for very efficient and clean installations (four- and eight-channel models also available). At the camera end, a balun like this: http://www.easterncctv.com/accessories/ev01p-vp-t.htm will make for easy connections.

Fact is, Cat5e is rated for and perfectly suitable to gigabit ethernet... and at this point in time, there simply are no commercial CCTV cameras that even have gigabit ports on them (except MAYBE the top-end Avigilon Pro cams). Worrying about GbE to the cameras is pointless when the cameras themselves won't connect at over 100Mbit

It's hard to say for sure without seeing the site and how difficult some of the cable runs might be... but from the sound of it, you're probably looking at minimum two techs for a full week - 40 hours times two guys for a total 80 hours' labour, typical going rate in most parts of North America would be probably in the $85-$100/hr. range per installer... so probably $6800-$8000 just in labour costs (not counting things like lift rentals). Don't forget to allow for configuration time, aiming the cameras, troubleshooting, and you usually want to build in a little leeway for the inevitable two-days-after-you're-done service calls. Edit: oops, miscounted... 29 cameras, add at least three more days (48 man-hours) to that.

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