Soundy

You DO need to know your Verizon IP to connect from outside your LAN - you should be able to get this by going to www.ipchicken.com on your PC. Note that this address may change sporadically as well, so you will likely either need to subscribe to a dynamic-DNS service, or order a static IP from Verizon (will probably run an extra $10/mo or so).

No. This defines what sort of connection your ISP uses. In order for machines on your network (your PC, your DVR, anything on wireless or plugged into the LAN ports) to communicate, they must all have an IP on the internal network - by default, something starting with 192.168.1.*. This is normally assigned by the router's own DHCP server. Your PC may, for example, receive and IP of 192.168.1.100; the DVR of 192.168.1.101, and so on (you'd have to check the DVR or the router's DHCP table to see what each device actually has). In the port forwarding then, you would need to forward the required port(s) to the DVR's IP. The problem is, some Linksys routers don't handle DHCP properly and that address may change, which would then break the port forwarding. The workaround is to set the IP in the DVR manually... making sure to include the other necessary info (bare minimum, the "netmask" setting of 255.255.255.0). MAYBE. Your outside IP will likely change if you do this, and you'll probably have to reset the modem after switching the connection. The other option is to find the router's DMZ option, and enter the DVR's IP there. This effectively opens that IP up to the internet; any ports that aren't forwarded somewhere else will go to that IP.

You really don't need two different posts for the same problem. When you say you've "enabled port forwarding", are you sure you have ALL required ports forwarded? Many DVRs use port 80, and one or two others. Do you have the DVR configured with a static IP, or is it pulling an IP from the router's DHCP server? Linksys routers are notorious for not renewing DHCP leases correctly, and internal IPs can shift randomly, so the forwarding you set up initially may not be valid anymore. You might also check if Verizon blocks port 80 - many ISPs do, to prevent customers from running their own webservers. If your DVR allows you to change the web port, try it on port 8080 or something else non-standard.

If that current rating on the cameras is 950mA @ 12VDC, it's going to be only half that at 24V. Yeah, I'm thinking that'll do it, too... CROSSING or PASSING near a line like that wouldn't be a problem, especially the way the balanced line inherently rejects noise, but running it anywhere close to the line for any substantial distance will induce HUGE amounts of noise. I bet if you watch the cameras, you'll see they get worse as they plug in more forklifts to charge, too, as the current draw on the 480V line will get higher and thus create stronger fields around the conduit. Of course, it could just be the cameras, too Actually, I've done similar in just such a situation as well. You might do it if you couldn't get a large number of coax drops from one point to another - you can easily get two Cat5 through 1/2" EMT, whereas you wouldn't get 5+ RG59 through even 3/4" EMT (especially not if there's more than one or two bends, and not without LOTS of lube). You might do it if the Cat5 was already in place, too. Nothing wrong with this sort of topology.

There is NO benefit to option 2 - it's no more reliable, and if you ever need to swap the camera, you're having to cut and re-splice connections. Use the included barrel connector and attach it whichever way suits you - I usually use either beanies or butt-crimps, depending on which I have handy. If you crimp it well, you shouldn't have to worry about it pulling apart. Leave a foot or two of service loop and the barrel and splice point should come out of the ceiling easily enough without worrying about it pulling apart.

Or hey, you know what, it could be the cameras, too!

Well, what is the recorded video showing? This is not uncommon, as the IR tends to attract flying bugs - they get in close and the IR lights them up bright. Turn the light on, the IR goes off, and the bugs are no longer "seen" by the camera. It's also not uncommon for cheap IR cameras to have power/ground issues that cause moving interference in the picture when the IR comes on.

I don't think a DC power supply will help - simply having AC power does not cause noise or interference. Where you normally see a problem is with cheap 12VDC cameras that have a shared ground between power and video; then you can easily get ground loops. 24VAC and dual-voltage cameras don't typically suffer from these types of ground loops because the power and video grounds are isolated by the internal power supplies. In fact, voltage SHOULD NOT be your problem here - if the camera will run on 12VDC, it should also work with 12VAC, so it would be almost impossible to see enough voltage drop to be a problem at 24VAC, especially over a mere 300' of 18/2. By my calculations, you'll see about 3.5-4V loss at 12V/0.85A draw... so 12V would definitely fail here. 24VAC/.4A draw would be only 2V drop. The symptoms you describe really sound like a ground loop though, especially since they get worse when you connect the fifth camera. This could happen if the cameras themselves are grounded at their mounting points, and the DVR is grounded to a power earth ground. Try using a ground-lift on the DVR (or snip the ground prong off its power cord), or try un-mounting all the cameras temporarily (hang them with a piece of string, or if they're light, let them dangle by the wires, anything so they're not physically touching anything.

Your description of the problem SOUNDS like a ground loop problem... can you provide some screenshots of the interference, both with and without the fifth camera? If I follow the description, you have Cat5 from each camera back to a balun, then coax from there back to the DVR? Power is running via coax to the baluns, then splitting out and running over the Cat5 to each camera? Or one Cat5 from the DVR to the four-port balun, then coax from there to the camera? Silly question, but I assume you have baluns at both ends of the Cat5 runs?

Welcome aboard!

Welcome!

Yeah, "what is this?" is a pretty vague question... I don't know if he's asking why he's getting that sort of error, or if I'm supposed to be seeing something else (maybe you log in and there's a One Eyed, One Horned, Flying Purple People Eater in the field of view??)

You mean this? "Oops! Google Chrome could not connect to wardcam2.webhop.net"

I find my biggest challenge is actually figuring out how to get the data OUT of the POS. Getting the DVR or text-overlay box to capture it from there is almost trivial, but a lot of POS systems I've seen have little to no documentation on both output ports, and how to configure them and/or the software to spit out the information you need. Maybe you're more versed in those And you know what they say: documentation is like sex - when it's good, it's really good, but when it's bad, it's still better than nothing!

Welcome aboard! The topic of POS integration does come up now and then - we deal with it on a somewhat regular basis. Good to have an expert on board! Look forward to your participation!

I doubt you'll find an actual DVR card with a single input... you could use a tuner card or USB adapter with a single input, but almost all of those will be RCA (easily solved with an adapter)... But frankly, I don't think this will provide acceptable results. You'll have either one of two results: either you record the main monitor output of the mux, in which case you'll get whatever display option is selected (nine little boxes, unless someone hits a button to change it), or a full-screen image that flips from one camera to the next. Either one will be difficult if not impossible to pull usable results from - with the nine-little-boxes version, the images will be too small to see much (each will be MAXIMUM 240x160 pixels), and with the flipping version, you won't have any way to control the output to watch only one or two cameras without sitting through all the others. Really... get a proper DVR or multi-channel DVR card for the computer. Or just one or two cameras with built-in recording capability and forget the DVR (how many areas do you really have to cover?)

If you're planning to migrate to IP over time and eventually eliminate the analog video, instead of saddling yourself with a legacy capture card, consider some NVR software (Exacq, NUUO, etc.), and some "video server" units to "convert" your analog cameras to IP.

Capturing a wide area with enough resolution to zoom in and identify a face or plate is going to cost a lot to actually make it work, nevermind adding the wireless component. In general, a better idea might be to identify a choke point or two (entry/exit gates, for example), put tight views on those for identification, and then have a lower-res wide view of the yard to capture activity. Before you get too set on wireless, check the site out first, see if there's not somewhere you can put camera(s) and recorder together.

MP cameras IN GENERAL do not have the same low-light performance as standard models, either, until you get into SUBSTANTIALLY more expensive models. You'd be better off with a lower-resolution camera that will give you a clear picture in low light, than something that will give you high-resolution darkness.

Normally there'd be an option in the menus, although it may also require you to boot the machine with the USB stick plugged in while holding a certain key or keys. I gather you don't have a manual for it? You could always try contacting Pinetron: http://www.pinetron.com/english/contact/contact_02.html

Well, if you actually read through the threads, you'll see pretty much everyone here likes them (Rory also likes his KT&C cameras, but I've never seen one, so I can't comment). CNB's whole Mona Lisa line and particular the xxx-24VF models do provide excellent picture and outstanding low-light performance. The DBM version is the standard surface-mount indoor dome; we use the VCM models, which are the flush-mountable vandal-resistant dome, but the guts are the same. Price-wise, you'd have a hard time finding something that compares for even three times the price (depending on what price you find it for, of course). Personally, if I was paying that much more, I'd be getting into megapixel. There are lots of pictures in the above linked threads of the cameras in action (the DBM looks similar to the VBM, the only difference is a plastic vs. aluminum construction), as well as screen captures under various lighting conditions. I think Rory's tested one with external infrared, but really, they do so well with very little lighting, it's not normally necessary.

This.

It's really quite impossible to say without at least knowing what DVR you have.

There is NO difference in signal quality. The only difference is that BNC is a locking connector and thus less prone to accidental disconnection.