Soundy

Only to a certain extent. If your camera draws close to the maximum available from the PSU, then you will get greater voltage drop as the draw exceeds the available current. As long as there's sufficient supply, you won't see any gain from increasing the power supply's current capacity. In short, if the camera draws 500mA, then you'll definitely see a drop over a long/small run using a 500mA PSU. A 750mA should suffice though; you would see NO benefit from going to a 1A, 2A, 5A or any higher than that.

Apples and oranges, here. "Optical zoom" in cameras refers only to a ratio of the shortest to the longest focal length of a lens. For example, a 4-8mm variable focal length lens would be a "2X" zoom. 4-12mm would be 3X. So would 3-9mm, or 5-15mm. 2-12mm would be 6X... and so on. Megapixel cameras typically use the same style of lenses as analog cameras, often with the same size sensor. Either way, the ratio remains the same. A 2.5-10mm lens on a 1/4" sensor would give about the same maximum field of view (at 2.5mm) as a 4mm-16mm lens on a 1/2" sensor - close to 90 degrees either way... yet both lenses have a "4X" zoom factor. For that matter, a lens of any given focal length will produce the same size image on a 1/3" analog sensor as it would on a 1/3" megapixel sensor... the latter would just have more detail to that image.

What a coincidence, me too! Welcome ,from also in Canada

As is so often the case... (pardon the pun). Best (and cheapest) might be to just hide the thing... in a closet, ceiling, etc. Route the camera wires as out-of-the-way as possible so they're hard to trace. Just be careful it doesn't go somewhere that builds up too much heat (which I understand is just about anywhere in Florida, but still...) I wouldn't worry about it. Crossing power lines isn't as big a problem as running parallel beside them.

Pelco has a few lock boxes that work well: http://www.pelco.com/global/en/products/analog-systems-controls/range-presentation.page?p_function_id=10505&p_family_id=10283&p_range_id=5554 and... http://www.pelco.com/global/en/products/analog-systems-controls/range-presentation.page?p_function_id=10505&p_family_id=10283&p_range_id=5555 Keep in mind that for total security, you want something that contacts a wall directly, where you can bring the wiring in unexposed, and ideally feed power directly into it with BX cable... there's no point in locking the machine in the box if the power cord just comes out the back and into a wall socket!

Not familiar with that particular system, but in general, you usually have to tell the software to use that particular disk for storage - it won't typically ASSUME that that new space is intended for its use.

Well, I can find a DVD-recorder at a liquidation/surplus place over here for about $60... problem with that is, the discs themselves are going to start getting expensive over time, since most are not re-usable (DVD-RAM and DVD-RW have proven unreliable in my experience). Some others here may be able to suggest a suitable single-channel or even four-channel recorder that will suit your needs... I'd recommend just connecting it to an input on the TV and being done with it (the same inputs you tested the camera on). Personally, I'd probably use a camera that records to an internal SD card that I could then pull out and view in the computer.

^I understand WHY the choke is included... I just think it's weak design that it's even needed, when no other IP dome I've seen has included one.

I'm still baffled that their design (at least in the 3155) requires (okay, recommends) that you install a choke on the UTP as well... then they give you one that JUST BARELY fits inside the dome. I've never, ever, EVER seen a camera before that needed this. It just screams "half-assed design".

So to put it all together... First of all, your modem does not appear to be JUST a modem, but a combined modem/router "appliance" (as the DSL provider here calls them). You're probably going to have issues forwarding through two NAT layers like that; you ideally need to change your network setup a little bit... such as: a) set the modem to operate in "bridge" mode, if it supports it, so your WiFi router gets the static internet IP on its WAN port and the modem acts ONLY as a modem. b) use the router strictly as a switch/WAP by disabling its internal DHCP server, and then connecting the modem to a LAN port rather than the WAN port. All forwarding would then only have to be done on the modem, and all devices would get their IPs from the modem's DHCP server (192.168.1.*). c) at the very least, set the modem's DMZ to the router's WAN IP, so the modem simply passes ALL ports through to the router... then do your forwarding in the router. Option "a" is probably the preferred one, from a network perspective... again, IF the "appliance" supports bridge operation. After that, you can go with Harrar's advice to assign a different port to each device. Actually, you SHOULD (depending on the router) be able to leave the DVRs on their default ports, and just forward different outside ports in the router/modem (as applicable). For example, you'd tell the router to forward port 80 to port 80 on 192.168.2.30, and port 81 to port 80 on 192.168.2.40. Note that some DVRs use other ports than just 80, especially if they use a remote client app rather than just a web interface, so you may need to set up additional port forwarding. That's some generic advice... knowing exactly what equipment we're dealing with here (FULL make and model for the modem, router, and DVRs) MIGHT help us be more precise.

Well. my co-worked installed another 3155 yesterday... went to tighten down the yaw locking screws, and they went all the way through the ring and fell out the back. WTF???

I'll save you the trouble: is this the back of your machine? If so, there are NO inputs on this except for the antenna connection. There is NO way to get a video signal INTO the machine - all the connectors are OUTPUTS. An RF modulator would be the only option, but if this IS a digital-only tuner, as tom suggests, then you won't find one, at least not for any sort of "consumer" price.

I was in IT for 15 years before I got into CCTV, I've seen all this many, many times

Can you tell if there are baluns at EITHER end? In the mechanical room, does the cable connect into coaxial cable at any point? If so, is it spliced directly, or is there some sort of "adapter" in between? .You could well be getting noise induced on the power feed - that's a LONG power run (30 floors... about 360'... double that because the traveler goes all the way up AND down). Most elevator cars have AC power available at the car, might want to see if there's an outlet on the roof that you can power the camera directly with an adapter. Any chance of finding out the make/model of the camera? There's a SLIGHT chance that it has a built-in balun, but if not, then that's your problem: straight UTP for over 700' is just begging for noise. .Not surprising, but the important test is whether it's noisy directly at the camera - that will determine whether the problem is with the camera itself, or with the wiring. Doubt it. He's talking about using shielded cable and grounding that shield... and probably assuming that the run is using coax. Since it's not, unless it's using shielded twisted pair, there's not really anything TO ground.

D1 refers to the resolution, that's all. D1 is a resolution "spec" of 704x480 for NTSC video (the standard used mainly in North America), or 704x576 for PAL (most of the rest of the world). The other two most common resolutions you'll see are CIF (352x240 or 352x288), and 4CIF (same as D1).

Sounds like that could well be it. Shouldn't be too hard to replace the fan, the hard part will be finding the right one (they're pretty small).

I couldn't find the exact unit on that link, but there's a clamp that looks similar to #P1271 from Tom's link, it's got a threaded hole designed for ready-rod... that could be used to hang a camera from, you'd just have to strap the wiring along the rod instead of running it cleanly inside a pipe. Here's an example:

Quite likely. Or they could be poorly-designed switching-mode supplies, which would have a similar effect of putting a bunch of ripple on the line. SEANHAWG: what this means is, without proper filtering, the actual voltage output of an AC/DC supply is a bumpy line that will actually vary between the peak voltage (probably upwards of 18V or so) and as low as 0V, 120 times per second, looking much like the second graph below. A capacitor across the supply smooths this ripple, although it won't usually remove it completely. If the 5A supplies don't have sufficient filtering, the result would look... well, like this, but not as bad. I don't know if I would call "ripple" because PWM operate on lot higher frequency then 60 Hz but that whole another story pulsating DC, harmonics and so on..... just to name few problem True. The effect is the same though: if the MUX has poor filtering on the power input, it could explain why it doesn't get along with some power supplies, regardless of amperage rating.

Got it. Good work confirming it I didnt get any picture at all when trying my previous converter on the new Avtech DVR and I tried both remaining wires, one of which must be audio and must be video. As far as baluns goes it does seem I need them (on DVR end) as I read a couple of threads on forums just before making this post, one is here Also on wiki in regards to Baluns, UTP cable and video it says "A balun is also used on the video recorder end to convert back from the 100-ohm balanced to 75-ohm unbalanced." All it's doing, though, is level-matching and aiding noise rejection - you CAN actually use a balun on only one end of a line, you just won't get the full benefit of a pair of them. The information in that other forum doesn't appear to be entirely accurate... "sph" has a bit of a clue what's going on but doesn't seem to have a complete grasp of how video works (eg. "The Balun just matches the electrical properties of different gauge/material wire" is nonsense). That said, I do stand to be corrected on such proprietary systems, since I've not had to deal with these particular ones, but IN THEORY, there's no reason a second balun should be required. Nevertheless, his last suggestion is probably the best one overall: "Personally I'd forget the experimentation and get new cameras." Unless you're experimenting for the sake of experimenting, cheap $20 eBay cameras would probably work just as well as what you have, and would use standard BNC or RCA connections along with standard 12VDC power (24VDC is almost unheard-of in CCTV).

Quite likely. Or they could be poorly-designed switching-mode supplies, which would have a similar effect of putting a bunch of ripple on the line. SEANHAWG: what this means is, without proper filtering, the actual voltage output of an AC/DC supply is a bumpy line that will actually vary between the peak voltage (probably upwards of 18V or so) and as low as 0V, 120 times per second, looking much like the second graph below. A capacitor across the supply smooths this ripple, although it won't usually remove it completely. If the 5A supplies don't have sufficient filtering, the result would look... well, like this, but not as bad. Switching-mode (or pulse-width-modulated) power supplies would look even worse without filtering, as they essentially just flip the full voltage on and off rapidly. Some devices may have additional filtering on the power input that would mitigate the problem... sounds like these MUXes do not.

Only a very slight drop, depending mainly on the size of the wire and the total length of the run. In most cases, it shouldn't be noticeable, and would probably be barely measurable.

I have heard this too... This is not some internet rumor, this is BASIC electrical theory. I=P/V, I=V/R, etc. Ohm's Law. I would expect there's something else at play... like maybe, the 2.5A supplies are non-regulated where the 5A ones are, and the muxes are really happier with something a little over 12V. You can't FORCE extra current into a load.

What does "shutting down" mean, exactly? Does the camera power off? Lose signal, or just go blank/black? Does it come back on by itself at a certain time? Can you correlate it going on and off to any particular event - sunrise/sunset, daytime heating/evening cooling, etc.? Does it always happen at the same time of day? What happens if you cycle power to it while it's "down"?

Could be a limitation of your display driver. Are you running a legitimate video card, or is that a clone as well? $15 Radeon HD knock-off? Video cards aren't rocket science, ya know.

Thanks, Tom... didn't know that about freeview boxes. So to simplify more for the OP: it's not possible to do what you want with the equipment you have, period. You'll need some other type of recorder, which you can then plug into the TV to watch that way.