Soundy

If we SOLD them the camera, and it's within the warranty period, no.

^Don't forget the cost of the service call - at $100 a pop - for me to come in and determine that the problem IS the failed camera... and then the service call to come in and reinstall the new camera (of course, the customer can install it himself, thus voiding the warranty on the installation itself).

The system will always be connected to the internet, I use Logmein to access the PC when I am not at the location to "fix" any issues that arise. No customer information or credit card #'s are stored on the system... if credit card ARE run through the system, it is sent directly to the merchant account via the internet and stored on their secure servers, not ours. Last year the federal government made it illegal to store any credit card information on a workstation if the merchants software does not comply with the new processing standards for encryption. Alright, so no problem there... Good stuff. Just out of curiosity, what POS software is this? Well, I can't say specifically for the software included with that second camera, but I should think it's perfectly possible for it to run minimized - or more importantly, to START minimized, and run happily in the background. That, I don't know, since all I have to go on is the screen shots and brief description on the eBay page... I would suspect not, though. The ad does say it includes a client application, which is probably a lighter version of the recording software (without much of the setup functions). I would think that it would support remote search and playback. That SHOULD be completely invisible to the POS users at the store.

Nope - you would plug the DVR and cameras all into a network switch - another term for "IP camera" is "network camera". You can optionally use a PoE (Power over Ethernet) switch to provide power to the cameras, rather than a separate power supply. At least your starting budget is reasonable, which puts you well ahead of a lot of first-time posters LOTS of options in that area as well. Megapixel cameras use similar form-factor sensors (1/4", 1/3", 1/2") to analog cameras, and thus use the same lens mounts (M12, M13, C/CS). You CAN actually use most of the same lenses, although typical analog lenses don't have sufficient resolving power to take full advantage of MP sensors, and you end up with images not as sharp as they could be. Dome cameras typically include a suitable lens, though, so you shouldn't need to worry about all that... just look for something in the varifocal range you want. There are LOTS of options out there - do you want to build your own, do you want a standalone machine, do you want a turnkey PC-based system? An NVR in its most basic form is just a recorder - a PC with the appropriate software will do, no additional hardware required. A hybrid could be considered to be a standard analog DVR, with NVR software added on... some DVR software supports recording network cameras internally as well.

This is the one potential catch: your POS system would then need to be accessible from an internet connection, which MAY NOT be something you want to do, depending on what kind of data you keep on it. If there's any sort of customer or payment info stored on it, you may want to keep it standalone.

then i would not class this as a POS system if it has no scanners. its just a till (manual input of price) So the only difference between a "POS system" and a "till" is a barcode scanner?? That's just silly. He's been talking about IP cameras from the very start. That's more a matter of personal choice, isn't it? I know plenty of stores that run their DVRs headless, or have the monitor in some out-of-the-way place where it's not being watched constantly. That does bring up a good point, though: you'll probably at least want to make sure you POS software can be minimized, rather than closed, to enable access to the NVR software. Most NVR software also doesn't support touchscreen control, so a mouse somewhere WILL be necessary (you might be able to get away with a wireless mouse that you can lock away during normal hours to prevent unauthorized access).

That one looks like a much better option - it actually includes multi-channel recording software that supports a number of different models of cameras, so you do have options for later. It also has options for different lenses, which you may want to look at the locations you're thinking of installing and select different lenses for some locations. You might also check the other supported cameras and see if any of those have varifocal lenses, which would let you fine-tune the angle of view after installation.

^You posted the same link twice. That item, however, is what we here typically call a "cheap junk" camera. It's basic VGA resolution, only a 6mm lens (not wide enough to cover a large area, not tight enough to get a lot of detail), and from the description, it doesn't sound like the included software actually records locally... and if it does, I doubt you'll be able to record 6+ cameras at once with it.

Most installers choose manufacturers based on the quality of the product, long before they base the choice on the availability of the MSRP online. So imagine you're the integrator: the customer wants you to design a system, including a price on all the equipment. So you quote the equipment based on what YOU can get it for, which may not actually be dealer pricing depending on your supply chain. Then the customer takes your quote, looks up the gear online, finds he can get the cameras from some shady online reseller for far cheaper than you want (or even cheaper than you can get the cameras from a reputable supply chain)... decides he wants to buy the gear online and just have you install it. Now what happens if that gear fails? You have to tell the customer he has to go back to the source himself... he blames you for the problem and wants you to fix it all under your warranty... a mess ensues. Here's a good example of the problem with online pricing: one particular brand and model of cameras we handle comes from the US, but here in Canada we have to get it from an importer... I don't know what he pays for them from his US source, but they come to us, let's say for $300 (I don't know exactly what we get them for, but it's around there). We then resell them for $350 - $50 markup isn't much, but if the camera fails, I know I can take it back to our supplier and he'll replace it and then deal with warranty coverage on up the chain. For the extra cost, the customer doesn't have to worry about it; I just come in, swap the camera, problem solved. But then if you go online, these same cameras can be found for well under $200 from various unauthorized sellers. You can buy them there, but if they fail, chances are you'll have no warranty coverage, no recourse, and you'll end up with a pretty high-tech doorstop.

You would plug the power supply's male barrel plug into the female barrel on one balun... then plug the other balun's male barrel plug into the female barrel on the camera. Power will then be sent down the UTP. The maximum distance will depend on the cameras' current draw (especially with IR LEDs) and the actual output voltage of the power supply (12V regulated, which will actually be 12V, or unregulated, which will run closer to 16V), but I'd say you're probably fine at 100m.

You won't get above D1 without going to IP cameras, so if you want 720p or higher, you're looking at recording via network anyway. If you don't need to watch them all live, you should have no problem running an NVR application on a notebook to record that number of cameras.

Well, it does give you the advantage of not needing separate capture hardware (ie. DVR card). Most IP cameras support Power-over-Ethernet, as well as external (12VDC and/or 24VAC) power. If you use a PoE-capable switch, you won't need any additional wiring to the cameras. No. As above: that is an advantage of using IP cameras - you only need the appropriate software. It depends on the particular hardware/software. Most that sell analog capture cards include the necessary software for free... however, most cheap cards include only very rudimentary software, and GeoVision cards (LEGITIMATE ones) aren't particularly cheap (and IMHO, the GV software isn't all that great either). You'll pay a little more for IP cameras, but again, you then avoid the need of additional hardware... plus you then have the option to go megapixel. Many NVR software packages do charge a per-camera license fee, but many cameras come with their own software that will work license-free with their own cameras.

" title="Applause" /> " title="Applause" />

^+1, single pair is fine. RS422 or 485 is a balanced differential signal typically good to several thousand feet. I've run PTZs on 18/2 and station wire (two wires of 22/4) with just RS-232 for several hundred feet.

Oh, and BTW... REALLY don't expect CCTV to be much of a deterrent to rioters - they're out of control and if they ARE paying attention to cameras, they're as likely mugging for them as hiding from them. Last summer's riots here in Vancouver are a prime example - tens of thousands of pictures of rioters and vandals from photographers, cel phones, and CCTV cameras... in many cases, people posing proudly for the cameras and posting the pictures on their Facebook pages. One major retailer had dozens of HD cameras in their store that gave them great shots of people trying for two hours to get in the door before finally smashing through and looting the place... the cameras were no deterrent but the video's been great for tracking the perps down later. https://vancouver.ca/police/riot2011/ - official VPD site http://www.vancouverriots.com/ - check some of the links for idiots bragging about their "adventures"

They may be using the wrong bulbs for the position as well. Standard thread-base PAR bulbs come in a wide variety of coverage patterns, from very wide floods, to very tight spots.

What's your budget? If you want something that lasts, don't cheap out - good ones can run for several years.

This is a good one too (if not entirely work-safe): http://bit.ly/zQ9t0s

Unfortunately, I doubt this system would be a substantial upgrade - the phrase "throwing good money after bad" might apply. It may be preferable to simply upgrade your existing system a bit at a time - what does it consist of (specific make/model of DVR and cameras, if possible)?

Don't get too hung up on TVL - NTSC video standard maxes out at 525 lines transmitted, and 486 visible lines, while almost all DVRs sample at 480 vertical pixels.

30fps is "nice" but generally overrated, and rarely required. Most people won't see a difference at 15fps, and even at 7.5fps they might see a difference, but would be hard pressed to say exactly what it is. See this tool for examples: http://www.panasonic.com/business/security/demos/PSS-recording-rates.html Go with more realistic requirements, and you can greatly increase your options and lower your budget.

Nothing in the PTZ description calls for a specific resolution, or even for "high-definition". In fact, they detail almost everything BUT the actual resolution.

Looks like cheap junk. Considering a *quality* PTZ can easily run you £1000 on its own, that doesn't say much for the quality of this whole package for a mere £790. If all you want is a VISUAL deterrent (ie. just for looks), then that PTZ looks plenty bad-ass... if you want something that's going to give you quality, usable video, you need to plan out your system piece-by-piece to suit the coverage you need, rather than trying to make a package system fit.

i knew about the approvals thing but can't see how that would help. New accounts would not be active, and thus unable to post, until approved by an admin. Some might still get through, but it's usually fairly easy for an experienced eye to tell the spam accounts - they typically have oddball names and/or strange email addresses.

You can put Wireshark on a flash drive and run it from there, it doesn't need to actually be installed