Soundy

You only need to use the 24VAC connections. There is no "positive" and "negative" with AC.

Can't tell you about any of the others, but if you go with only IP cams, then no, you don't need a capture card. Depending on the cameras used, you may not even need recording/NVR software.

What size power wire are you using? It's possible that if the gauge is too small, as the IR kicks in, the current draw causes a voltage drop that causes the camera to shut off briefly. This can be even more of a problem with a regulated supply, because you don't have that 2-3V of "headroom" that you get with non-regulated units (a non-regulated 12VDC supply will often output between 15-18VDC, which means if you have a couple volts' drop, you're still well over 12V). Another possibility, if there's too much ambient light or something overly reflective in front of the camera, is that it's switching in and out of IR mode. There is always a possibility with cheap bullet cameras, that they're not focused properly before assembly. Most of them, you can open up the housing and adjust or change the lens, although you have to be careful not to damage the weather sealing.

First glance, looks pretty sweet! Congrats on a successful upgrade!

If it was anything name-brand, I'd say you should be okay, since the power supply would almost certainly be de-rated to use well under its actual capacity. Since it's no-name offshore crap though, I'd say you pays your money and you takes your chances... your idea SHOULD work, initially, but no guarantees on how long it KEEPS working, since the power supply probably has JUST enough juice for the supplied cameras.

Keep in mind that even without a heater, the camera is generating heat of its own, especially when the LEDs are on... that heat will be somewhat contained inside the housing, so the camera itself won't generally be as cold as the ambient temperature.

Donate them to the Sh*tsonian!

Or because you don't even have the option to piece together components - you just pick out the box with the package you want, and pay what's on the pricetag. Of course, we could all do the same if we wanted the same kind of simplicity. Offer three different cameras and two different DVRs and the only choices your customer has is how many cameras and how much he wants to pay. Would save a whole lotta headaches.

A RAID *is* a hard drive array.

There are so many other critical factors in choosing the RIGHT camera for a specific situation... the sensor manufacturer would be WAY at the bottom of my list of criteria I don't even care about.

Thanks for replying. I have gone to the CNB web site and a few other sites and cannot find much information or even a user manual on the B2760N and B2760VNF. Based on this I have find I have more questions. On the B2760VNF, how do you adjust the focal length? I assume it is done manually at the camera at the time of installation for the field of view you want. Is that correct? Correct. The lens will have two rings on it, one for focal length, and one for focus. Adjust the two to get the view you want and get it in focus, then lock them down with the embedded locking screws. I don't know about THOSE cameras specifically, but with CNB domes we've used, there are models that have internal heaters. You might look into something like that.

You sure that's a SCSI port? SCSI, for all its benefits, has been pretty much obsolete on consumer systems for the last decade or so. A number of these types of DVRs, however, use a DB-25 port for alarm inputs and output... sure that's not what you're looking at? In any case, if this IS in fact, a SCSI port, then yes, it should work to simply plug in external SCSI storage.

TJCCTV sent me a PM with links to screenshots... hope he doesn't mind if I repost the PM here, so others get a better idea of what's going on: Definitely looks like some low-level induced noise. As I suggested before, this is something you probably want to get a qualified electrician involved in (preferably one who's very experienced with industrial systems, particularly three-phase systems). Have him confirm proper wiring and grounding of the equipment in question, and have him check whether the camera power is on the same circuit leg as the equipment (unless this equipment is three-phase, then it's pretty much guaranteed to be sharing a leg). He should also check for proper wiring of the outlet the camera power is on - specifically, he'll want to check for proper ground AND neutral wiring. Even something like a corroded connection could lead to a ground loop that can allow or even exacerbate the induction of such noise.

most are crappy quality = crappy video quality = unhappy customer. So don't use crappy baluns - use good ones. What a ridiculous argument. You could say the same thing for cameras, DVRs, or even salesmen: most are crappy quality, so just don't use any of them at all.

More wire runs = more markup = more margin.

Generally, yes, but not always. It COULD still be a ground loop, depending on how that equipment is connected... but it's more likely EMI, or induced noise. It's often a lot easier to tell if we can see images of it, though. That last bit does help - it definitely sounds like EMI being produced by this equipment, as any motor will continue to generate a current after being turned off, as long as it's turning. I'd check whether the cameras are plugged into the same circuit as the equipment; it's quite likely the noise is being thrown back down the building's wiring. Also, have an electrician test both the equipment's and the outlet's wiring for proper neutral and grounding - normally, the neutral and the ground should be at the same potential, and if there's a difference, it can lead to increased noise, and yes, even a ground loop. In fact, I'd have him test the outlet that the DVR is plugged into as well.

For wiring, pretty much a no-brainer these days, use Cat5e - you can run analog over it using baluns, and easily upgrade to IP for megapixel later. You might want to run power along with it, "just in case" - if you do go IP later, you'll need it, unless you get PoE injectors or a PoE switch as well. Cost-wise, it's a tossup: adding PoE later will add some cost, but running the extra wire will be an extra cost now. DVR-wise, keep in mind you'll want something that supports IP, if you plan to go that way in the future. Megapixel cameras eat a lot more disk space, so you want something with a lot of room to expand. PC-based generally makes both software and hardware upgrades easier

That sounds really odd, there's no reason that should happen. What happens if you power off the camera after the DSL goes down, does the DSL come back online? How about if you shine a flashlight into the camera so it turns off the IR?

Nonsense. Did you consider that it's the holiday season and not a lot of people are around? In any case, an RS-232/422 converter is not generally necessary - just connect pins 3 (data TX) and 5 (signal ground) on your computer's DB9 serial port, to RX+ and RX- (receive positive and negative) on the camera, and you should be good to go.

"480TVL Sony Super HAD" is decent, but not much more (at least not in and of itself) - just about all cheap cameras use these sensors. As far as a DVR card goes, you could also look at Vigil (www.3xlogic.com) and Video Insight (www.video-insight.com). They're not the cheapest players in the game, but you do get what you pay for. Both of these use near-identical hardware; the real difference is in the software. I suggest them mainly because they're the systems I'm most familiar with. Same goes for GeoVision - a number of systems use the same (or very similar) hardware, and what you're really comparing is the associated software. Personally, I don't like the GeoVision interface much, and I find the hardware has some weird quirks. But you know, see if you can get a demo, and try it for yourself. Vigil has a demo version of its server software available that will work on a number of different cards (including Video Insight's). I think VI will send you a demo as well, if you ask.

^And on that note, an SDK ("Software Development Kit") won't do you a whole lot of good either, unless you're a coder... and you have the SDKs for ALL the systems you're trying to integrate. And hiring a coder to do that sort of custom work will probably cost you more than it would to simply replace all their disparate systems with matching, ready-to-itegrate systems.

Like Joebo indicated (in a rather roundabout way), your question is pretty vague. "Integrate" how? What is the desired end result? What sort of systems are we talking about? Analog, IP, hybrid? Integrating IP cameras with MUX/VCR systems? Is this all on one site, or across multiple remote sites? Are you integrating viewing, recording, controls, management? If your boss wants you to learn ALL of it overnight... good luck. Assimilating this much new knowledge is probably better done a bit at a time, as it's needed - take an individual client's needs and learn how to fill them first. As far as the lost client... in my experience, there's a decent chance that your competitor's techs won't be able to cash the checks that their sales guys have been writing, and the whole project will fall on its face. If you can learn what you need to FOR THAT JOB SPECIFICALLY, you may be able to pick up the pieces later (be sure to tack an annoyance fee on the final invoice).

Always better? Well, according to me, your posts are nonsense. Best, Christopher +1

I live here in Fresno, I can go to the mountains near here and play in the snow... And then get away from it! Same here in Vancouver - snowboarding in the morning, golf in the afternoon!

Larry, feel free to email me at soundy106@gmail.com, or MSN me at soundy106@hotmail.com, if you need any help with the procedure. I have a fair bit of experience setting up and tweaking phpBB3.