Soundy

If I'm reading this right, you're wanting to capture the split-screen output of the quad?? Either way, the higher the res, the better if image quality is important, but you're not going to get much higher than 640x480 with standard analog capture (740x480 at best with current technology). Regular video is 30fps, so any higher framerate than that for capture is pointless. It's really hard to say what's "good enough" without knowing what you're trying achieve with this - whether it's just to see what's going on or whether you need to identify people, etc.

I assume you mean "switching" type, vs. transformer? I've never noticed a performance difference of one over the other. Switching supplies are definitely far smaller and run a lot cooler for a given current rating, and are inherently a regulated output; the drawback is that they're traditionally more expensive, but that's becoming less and less the case.

Exactly! I have seen quite a step forward from 0.3MP (VGA) to 1.3 MP and no such step from 2 to 3 MP. Well, there's nothing wrong with intermediate steps... 1.3MP is an easy place to start, since if you're going to go "megapixel", by definition that means >1,000,000, and 1280x1024 is a pretty good "common" ratio (actually, 1280x960 would maintain the proper 4:3 aspect as well as being an exact doubling of VGA's 640x480)... but the next FULL step from there is 5MP, which would be another substantial price jump as well. It's a pretty hard either/or sell, so you need to have something in between. Well, you could always look at Arecont cameras... the first one I saw was using a Canon 70-210mm f/4L lens (the lens was probably worth more than the camera - being a Canon DSLR owner, I was drooling ) and had a sensor that looked about the same as the one in my 300D. Of course, there are parallels here to the "megapixel race" in consumer cameras, where small-sensored point-and-shoot cameras are pushing 12-15MP because it's an easy selling point, while suffering from poor low-light performance (in particular) compared to SLR formats because the sensors - and thus the pixels - are so tiny.

Depends on how you define "sells best", for starters... if you're talking sheer volume, it's probably the cheap-ass embedded DVRs packaged with cheaper-ass IR bullet cams, sold at Costco and on Fleabay. For us, it really depends on the client - the site, the needs, the budget. There is no "best seller" - we generally recommend what we think is most appropriate for each specific camera location. A site can have a mix of analog and IP; box, dome and bullet; embedded or PC-based DVR... there is no one-size-fits-all best solution, and thus no one "best seller".

Thank you! I Trust in God more I hope than people.. hehe "In God we trust... all others pay cash."

Well, if it's any help, I have done something just like this - "real-world". Added four 1.3MP IQ cameras feeding *two* DVRs (one just outside the office, above the office door - NOT my idea! - and one in a remote locked room - site had problems with someone tampering with the "main" DVR). As with your instance, the site really doesn't have a lot of inherent network traffic - the network mainly serves the paypoint terminals and administrative email. The DVR and cameras are connected to a basic D-Link DSS-5 5-port 10/100 switch (in the ceiling outside the office), which is linked to the office's main (enterprise-grade) switch. Also plugged into the main switch is an iSCSI-attached NAS array (located in the office) for additional storage. From that switch, a line feeds to the phone/electrical room, where the incoming WAN connection is... a second 5-port switch in that room splits the WAN out to the office, and to the "backup" DVR. Thus far, there has not been a problem with this. The company's IT manager regularly remotes into both machines via VPN, both with the remote client software and with VNC, and has no issues with lag or speed. THEORETICALLY, it's not a great setup. THEORETICALLY, the results should be disastrous. REAL-WORLD, the whole site is a $#!t-show and the install had to be completed with what little space and time was available. REAL-WORLD, it actually works just fine.

Actually, the 30m cables are likely not an issue as much as the power adapters are. If you're using regulated adaptors/power supplies (which I assume they provide with the cameras?), those will be putting out a solid 12VDC at their outputs... but the drop over 30m of cable could easily be a couple volts once the IR kicks in. If you use unregulated supplies, they'll probably be producing closer to 17VDC at their outputs, so that after you lose a couple volts to line resistance, you've still got plenty of potential at the cameras (and slightly less loss as well, by virtue of the higher voltage). Now the catch to this is that some cheap cameras don't handle over-voltage well and can fry if the supply voltage is too high... but those are relatively rare and limited to the REALLY cheap ones, in my experience... I've probably used 5 times more unregulated 12VDC wall-warts than regulated versions, and only had one or two camera failures that MIGHT be attributable to overvoltage from an unregulated supply (I say MIGHT because no effort was ever made to ascertain whether that was actually the cause).

If by big you mean the master bathroom is bigger than any room in my house, then yes, it is BIG.

Yeah, the jump from 3.1MP (typically 2048x1536) to 5MP (typically 2560x1920) isn't really that great an increase in resolution... to actually double both axes, you're looking at a FOUR-TIMES increase in total resolution. Going from 1.3MP (typically 1280x1024) to 5MP would be about that size of a jump.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hmmm, I need to understand how camera failing because of IR consuming more current u mean camera had problem putting out good levels (voltage drop) then I don't have question or camera become defective ? and why depends on camera camera will consume only whatever its design for power supply is a ? do u have enough or not No, the problem is, the smaller the wire, the more its resistance... when the IR kicks in and demands more current, Ohm's law dictates that the voltage will drop more. If it drops below the camera's operational minimum, then the camera will shut off. It's not a matter of the current the power supply is capable of delivering. Personally, I just avoid IR cameras... I'd rather use something that actually has good low-light response instead of trying to get around poor performance with a cheap hack like IR LEDs.

Well, must be nice to be able to just do all that work and then bill the client for it, but here in the real world, you generally have to get the client's approval BEFORE embarking on spending tens of thousands of dollars and ripping up the parking lots and driveways of an operating gas station. If they don't want to spend that money, you have to come up with something else.

Agreed, WiFi will probably not be the best way to go here. Although data rates with basic VGA-resolution cameras won't be that high, your signal strength and coverage will likely be an issue, even with an 11n router (I'm guessing this is a BIG house?).

Do you know what "chico" is? It's a thick liquid that's poured into pipes where it hardens into a solid plug to seal the pipes... in this case, to prevent gasoline fumes from venting back into the building. It's required by Canadian Electrical Code at both ends of the conduit used to feed out to the pump islands, and it's pretty much impossible to remove after it's in there, without cutting, chiseling or jack-hammering the pipe to bits. Like I said, it would be nice if we all lived in a perfect world where "back hauling" is possible anytime someone wants to add cameras to an installation like this... I never said they're wrong. I said when you know the rules, and WHY they're the rules, you know where you can bend them, and how far. While there's no certification required for CCTV work here in BC, I do have a background in electronics and electrical theory, so I do know where the wire/current calculations come from. I also know that published specs are typically de-rated, sometimes by as much as 30%, to allow for a little "wiggle-room" and for real-world variances that we simply have no control over. Just because "the rules" say that you can't run more than "x" amps on "y" gauge wire for more than "z" distance, doesn't mean the whole thing is going to instantly go up in smoke if you're pulling "x+.01" amps for "z+.01" meteres.

Well first thing is, you probably won't find suitable cameras in the "cheap" range - you need something with a good fast-reacting iris or AGC. As far as the DVR, the camera shouldn't matter, as long as it supports the local video standard (NTSC for North America, PAL for most of Europe, etc.)

Yes, but that one's not megapixel.

Well, it would be nice to live in a perfect world, but very few of us actually have that luxury. When the client is insistent that you get a new camera into a detached pump canopy whose conduits have all been sealed with about a foot of chico at each end, you do what you can with what you have, unless you can convince the client to spend tens of thousands to dig up the parking lot and put in new conduit. Well if that's the case, then what's the point of baluns in the first place? Fact is, the whole "balanced line" design INHERENTLY eliminates induced line noise, including that caused by AC on adjacent pairs. I've never once seen AC interference caused by running 24VAC over the same Cat5 - or station wire, or intercom wire, for that matter - as video-via-baluns. I've had far more trouble with ground loops using 12VDC.

Our supplier tells me Panasonic will be using SD5 tech in a new line of megapixel IP cameras as well... if true that will be a significant dent in the "IP-cams-don't-handle-bad-lighting" beef.

Theory aside, it SHOULD actually work to power both cameras off the Cat5, especially if they're 24VAC cameras so the current requirement and voltage drop are lower. With 12VDC cameras, if you're not using a regulated power supply, it's probably actually putting out around 16.5-17VDC at the adapter, so line losses shouldn't cause a problem there either. I once had to add a camera at a gas pump where the existing conduits to the pump canopies were all sealed... fortunately we'd used 22/4 station wire to power each of the existing cameras, so I took one pair from the nearest camera for the video (using baluns), and the other pair (22ga. mind you) split out to power both cameras. It's been running fine for about three years now, too. The "rules" may say it won't work... but if you learn and understand what and WHY the rules are, you'll know where you can bend them as well

This doesn't take an expert! That said, what are your real concerns here? Keep in mind that CCTV itself won't stop someone from breaking in, it will only allow you to see what happened after the fact. Making it visible (obvious cameras, signs, etc.) may be something of a deterrent, but it's not a barricade. In this case, one of these cheap package systems will probably suffice, but don't expect miracles from it like you see on CSI. Most will give you a good overview of what's going on, but be of little use for making out faces and identifying marks unless the person is very close to the camera. If you list a specific model or models of what you're looking at, those with more experience may be able to give you a better idea of what kind of quality and features to expect from them.

Fans, I can see this...drives, not so much. Problem is, if a drive crashes, you lose your data... if you swap a drive, well... you still have the data, but functionally, you're in the same place (it's not readily available), unless you take the time to clone the old drive to the new one. I don't know that swapping a drive just for the sake of swapping it is that "effective" a plan.

I can think of several uses for either of those... unfortunately I don't know if I can justify it. But I'll run it past the powers that be, see if we might be interested in picking up a few. Question about this SMS device, I assume it requires some sort of basic cell plan? Are they limited to one technology (GSM or CDMA)? What would actually be more useful would be a networked version of this, something I could VNC or even just telnet into to give a reset command. Most places don't have a "spare" line available for dial-in access, and adding another phone line is a lot more cost-prohibitive in most cases than simply plugging into an existing network.

What if you take the bus to the jobsite???

Umm, well, I'm in BC, so the laws are probably a little different, but even so... that doesn't make sense. I don't know how any kind of auto insurance has anything at all to do with your install, especially if it's IN the office. I'd definitely be getting some clarification from this outfit - like, ask them for a specific reason why auto insurance has ANYTHING to do with an office surveillance system...??

Well, what I've been doing, for our sites that we're actually contracted to do PM on, is blowing the dust out, checking the cables are all connected solidly, then run manufacturers' HDD diagnostics as well as MEMTEST86+ to check for potential problems. At least, that what I did up until their corporate people decided no more PM was to be done on the DVRs until we had an "official" procedure from the DVR manufacturer... that was a year and a half ago, still no procedure forthcoming, so the only sites that get any PM to their video systems are the four or five that still have VCRs.

Might help us to know just what sort of business you're running (we can assume "CCTV-related", but that doesn't tell us what you're trying to do here), and what sort of contract you're trying to strike here (camera coverage? full security? remote monitoring?). "Requirements" will probably depend a lot on your location and local laws, as well.