Soundy

Do you have a computer or laptop you can use for testing the connection? It may depend on your service provider, but in general, you don't need to do anything to "initiate" a connection with DSL - it should be connected as long as the modem is on and plugged into the phone line. Only IF your provider uses PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet). You'd have to check with them. If your modem isn't an "all-on-one" device (modem/router combo unit), you may want to consider adding at least a basic wired router between the DVR and the modem, to provide additional security. Also, some DSL providers require that any new device be "registered" on their system (based on its hardware MAC address) to obtain an outside-accessible IP... that may take a call to tech support once your DVR is connected and running, or it may mean setting the connection up first with a computer or laptop, with the DVR's MAC addressed cloned into the computer or router. Without knowing your provider or any details on the hardware you're using, it's really impossible to give any more specific advice. You haven't told us who the provider is, what brand/model of modem you have, what DVR you have...

Anything name-brand - Fujinon, Tamron, National Electronics, Samsung... the exact model will depend on your specific need.

A megapixel lens SHOULD improve the image (assuming there's nothing else wrong), but would be real overkill, when a simple upgrade to a quality non-MP lens should suffice.

Is this a PC-based system? The symptoms sound like either a power problem, or a heat problem (likely a failing CPU fan).

I can find only very limited info on all those devices (and none at all on the PTZ head). I would guess that the keyboard is using RS-485 output (probably only on the center two pins of the RJ45), and the received is probably a coaxitron received, designed to be used with a coaxitron-capable controller. Chances are that the head itself will support direct RS-485 input so the receiver itself should not be needed. The head should give you pan/tilt control, but the zoom feature would be a function of the camera and lens mounted to it.

I wouldn't. Control cable needs to be "balanced", which means a twisted-pair; coax is unbalanced, which means a center conductor and a shield (ground). You can use RG6 for the video, but not the control. Signal wire doesn't necessarily have to be twisted-pair. I've used station wire, speaker wire, and on my test PTZ at home, I'm using two standard DB9 serial cables strung together, neither of which use twisted pairs. UTP will help avoid interference issues over longer runs or in EMI-noisy environments, but it's certainly not REQUIRED. If anything, the only reason coax would be a bad choice is if the internal capacitance hampers the signal, but seeing as 10Mbit ethernet used to commonly run over coax, and considering the actual bandwidth of video signals, I don't think you'd really see a problem there. There's no TECHNICAL reason RG6 shouldn't work for this.

I think what you're thinking of is Liquid-Tite (a brand name, but also used generically). You can get both plastic and BX-type armored versions that use the same fittings. Most commonly found in 1/2" and 3/4" I.D. sizes in places like Home Depot. For something a little lighter, there's ENT tubing, which looks like the standard corrugated split loom, but is a more solid PVC construction and not split down the length. There are a full assortment of fittings for it as well; it typically just "clicks in" to the fitting.

Cable tie (aka zip-tie, aka zap-strap), kinda like this:

Anything that uses nails is pretty much limited to wood. Nylon cable saddles can be screwed to wood, steel studs, drywall anchors, hollow-wall anchors, concrete/brick anchors...

How about something like a pool alarm, the kind of thing designed to alert you if a kid falls into the pool? Most would necessarily be wireless. Here's one example (from a google search): http://www.safetyturtle.com/pool-safety-products/index.html An immersion sensor is what you'd want - put it on a post or something in the flood-prone area and it should trigger once it's immersed. I also googled "wireless outdoor high water alarm" and found these: http://www.homesecuritystore.com/p-832-rwt6fw43300a-rokonet-wireless-flood-sensor.aspx?affiliateid=10054&zmam=55691497&zmas=1&zmac=4&zmap=RWT6FW43300A http://www.diycontrols.com/p-6212-wisdom-flood-sensor-wireless-water-sensor.aspx?affiliateid=10055

^This is a common design as well - the center pin uses spring contacts the same as in a twist-on design.

Well the idea is flawed big time IMO. How will they get their data when the internet is down, or power is off, or the persons home computer is not running? Uhh... if the power is off or the computer not running, your jump drive or external hard drive isn't going to do much good either. The Dropbox folder is NOT "shared to the internet". Nobody from the internet can come in and browse on your computer. What you put in the Dropbox folder is synced to their servers. The Dropbox client downloads from the server account to update your local folder, and uploads changes from the local folder to the servers. Other systems with Dropbox logged in with your account then sync that with the servers as well. The only "remote access" is to the Dropbox servers, not to your systems. It may not be the right tool for you, but at least if you're going to be paranoid, try to be paranoid about something factual. And as others have noted, installing the client is NOT REQUIRED; it provides convenience, but everything else you can do through the client, you can do through the web interface.

Crimp vs. twist-on is a subject of some hot debate hereabouts! I think most here will recommend crimp-ons... twist-ons are convenient and work fine IF you get them just right, but they can be tricky and rely on the cable being stripped properly, or they can be pulled off too easily. The 24VFs use a screw-terminal connector for power; because they're dual-voltage, the polarity doesn't matter if you're using DC.

Height depends on a number of factors when it comes to your needs. If you need to see license plates, keep in mind that the higher you go, the sharper the angle and the harder the plates will be to read. You'll have to make sure to go high enough to clear obstacles as well, including mobile obstacles like large trucks, campers, etc.

The CNBs are great cameras, but as rory says, they do need SOME light. You could probably leave the old cameras in place and powered and their IR LEDs would provide some illumination (which the CNBs would make better use of than their own cameras). If Siamese cable is hard to find, or more in the pricey side where you are, you can use standard RG59 or RG6 coax (former preferred - copper core and braided copper shield) for video, and just about anything else for power - 18/2, speaker wire, UTP... we normally use Station-Z wire, four-conductor 22ga. stuff. Siamese is nice for the convenience but tends to cost more, and personally, I find it more of a pain to pull through tight corners. As far as your resolution problem, that's more a limitation of the DVR. 320x240 is pretty minimal, not even full CIF (352x240).

Problem with Mediafire, Rapidshare, et al, is as nice as they are for the person sharing, they're a royal PITA for the person downloading. You either pay for a subscription (which wouldn't be so bad if there were just one such service, rather than SEVERAL), or you sit and watch a clock count down until you can download the file (at reduced speed)... and if you happen to miss the timeout by more than a minute or two, you have to start all over. More often than not, if I see someone sharing a file with one of these services, I just won't bother. Dropbox, the files transfer quietly in the background whenever you're connected, until it just magically appears there with a little popup balloon informing you that you have a new file.

That's a pretty vague question... do you need a primer on semiconductor sensor-based imaging, or just specifics on CCTV implementations? The term CCTV stands for Closed Circuit Television - briefly, where regular TV is broadcast over the air, CCTV uses a "closed circuit" single video feed between the source (camera) and destination (TV, monitor, recorder, etc.) That will not be cheap... expect cost to be in the upper-four-digit range, if not five digits. Typically, CCTV cameras run on 12VDC or 24VAC. This is usually provided by a transformer/power supply of some kind. A few cameras (particularly older ones) have internal power supplies and plug into a standard wall outlet, but those are rare. Newer network cameras can also be powered using Power-over-Ethernet spec. That depends on your needs. There are literally tens of thousands of options out there, between different types, qualities and styles of cameras, lenses, enclosures, etc. It also depends on your budget, because for any given problem, the solutions run a very broad price range (keeping in mind the old adage, "you get what you pay for"). That too, depends on your exact needs. Do you need to record, or only view? Depends on the type of system used. Some cameras will let you view them directly via browser and/or client app. Some will require a network interface or DVR, and then you'd view that remotely via browser and/or client app. I'd suggest doing a bunch more reading around the forum, get a better idea of the basics involved... then come back with some more specific questions. -Jake

Just to help clarify some of the specs you'll see listed: Common resolutions are CIF (352x240), 4CIF (704x480) and D1 (720x480, as rory says). H.264 is a newer compression codec; MPEG-4 and MJPEG are two other common ones. H.264 will compress more than the other two without significantly less quality, but other than smaller files, there's not a huge screaming difference - concentrate on your other requirements first. Without knowing your exact usage here, keep in mind that 15fps is virtually indistinguishable from 30fps; in most cases, you wouldn't know the difference watching 15fps. Also, if your need is fast-moving objects, keep in mind that shutter speed of the camera will become a factor in how clear things are, not just recording framerate.

Don't know about your motion issues, but there should be no issue installing the DVR software on the system drive. However, you DO want a separate partition - or ideally, a separate physical drive - for your data recording target.

There probably won't be a way to make the itself switch automatically, unless it has some sort of alarm input. What you COULD do, is rig an alarm output on the DVR to trigger an IR sender to send the TV the IR code to change inputs. If you have a PC-based DVR, there are USB-attached senders that would work, although you'd have to tell the software somehow to send to it, or triggers its own software to send the codes. In short, I don't think there's a SIMPLE way to make this happen. What you COULD do, is program the DVR to beep on motion (if it supports that) or hook some sort of audible alarm (beeper, bell, buzzer) to the alarm output, to warn you if there's motion. Keep in mind that this will probably drive you nuts pretty quickly unless you set up your motion zones/masking very carefully... bugs flying in front of the camera could be enough to trigger motion.

Looks like your basic Chinese cheapie.... Hoo Flung Dung or something.

Hey all, We have a dead GeoVision box we've pulled out of a site (upgrading to a Vigil), and now the site needs some old video from it. It's being dropped off at my place later, but I figured I'd get a head start on the job and see if anyone can tell me how easy/possible it is to extract video without dropping the drive in a new GV machine? Are the files in a standard format/codec? Are they timestamped in some way (file name = time, camera number, etc.)? Or will I be relegated to rebuilding the whole system and running a database rebuild?

Any number of reasons. Sometimes the higher price will include shipping while the lower one doesn't, and they work out to near the same. Often the cheaper price comes with little to no after-sale support. Well, the one link I found by googling it, listed the camera at about $160, but that's WITHOUT lens... I don't know what price you found it at, since your link was removed. Keep in mind that that camera is black-and-white ONLY; the CNB dome I mentioned is color, switching to B&W only when it gets dark. The CNB *is*, also, a vandal-resistant dome and will probably survive a lot better in or on a garage, especially if it's subject to temperature extremes; the camera you listed will require a separate enclosure if you want to use it outdoors.

There is, but it would be pretty complex to do on your own. You have to take into account the type of compression, level of compression, "compressability" of the image, framerate, amount of motion, whether or not you're recording constantly or on motion-detect, how good your motion masking is... and on and on. If GV doesn't have a storage calculator on their site, many others do, including IQEye, 3xLogic, Arecont (I think), and probably most other MP camera manufacturers. Or just get a terabyte drive and be done with it - that should be lots.

I'm guessing your current camera doesn't have an auto-iris lens... that feature would go a long way toward handling the wide range of lighting. Check the CNB VBM-24VF.