Soundy

The resolution settings should have little effect - the composite video inputs on the monitor will only accept NTSC video at 525 lines. Try setting the DVR to output 640x480 - it's possible the AVtech would only output the lower res on the composite output, while the Dahua is trying to produce higher. Nevertheless, the electricity costs to run that monitor for a week would probably offset the cost of a new 19" LCD monitor... do yourself a favor and upgrade. (Okay, just did the math: 75W consumption = 54kWh in a month. Around here we average about 8 cents per kWh... $6.75/mo. to run that beast, or $81/year. For $79 I can get an eMachine 18.5" widescreen LCD monitor at Staples, which only pulls 20W.)

Under the eaves is probably your best bet - there are lots of low-profile, unobtrusive dome styles that would probably blend in nicely, and most types can be painted to match their surroundings, making them even less visible.

The manual with the CNB is a generic one that they include with just about all their cameras, so there's no way to know for sure why they include that generic warning, but I suspect it's either because IR models (especially those with large numbers of LEDs) can be too much current draw for 12V over UTP (especially if you're only using one or two pairs for power), or because 12V cameras with shared power/video grounds can have ground-loop problems using baluns... either way, it's probably easier for them just say "don't do it" rather than try to spell out all the conditions under which it may or may not cause problems. In any case... the VCM-24VF will work just fine with 12VDC over UTP - I have dozens of them running this way, including a few running two cameras over a single Cat5e (which means a single pair for power to each camera) at upwards of 150'. The 24VF will accept a wide range of AC and DC input voltage (if memory serves, they'll actually work with anything from 10-30V AC or DC), so voltage drop isn't generally a concern, and since they have internal regulators, the balun/ground-loop problem doesn't occur.

And so you felt this gave you the right to spam us?

This. I use one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Haier-HLTD7-7-Inch-Handheld-Built-/dp/B001OXNYIM/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1341201917&sr=1-11 As a bonus, the DVD player doubles as a signal source, handy for signal tracing.

It really depends on the camera and its needs. Personally, I'd be using the CNB VCM-24VF (or another model of the same physical design), along with baluns like the GEM mini-baluns that fit inside the CNB back-box. Just leave the wire hanging out initially; when all is said and done, the back-box covers the hole and contains the connections. Easy-peasy.

I've used their cameras a fair bit, mostly IQ511s and IQA11 domes... they're pretty good, though a bit on the pricier side. I do particularly like how configurable they are, and a lot of the extra features they have, and the fact that you can configure them without needing ActiveX.

Motion detection is usually controlled in the DVR, although what you're experiencing is common with cameras that have built-in LEDs and attract bugs. Most bullet cameras can have the field of view "adjusted" by changing the lens, although with cheap cameras like this, you'd probably destroy the weatherproofing by doing that.

The trickiest part with a longer lens may be finding something that will focus that closely... I'd suggest a cam that will allow you to adjust the back-focus (most common in box cams with CS-mount lenses) so you can fine-tune the focus. Something a little higher megapixel (3MP and up) will allow you to keep it zoomed out a little more while maintaining your PPF. If you're watching 3D objects (like ladybugs), you might want to consider a manual-iris lens as well, so you can control the DOF.

Or this.

Most of these give you various options for RAIDing the drives, or just running as JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks), which is what you're looking for. There are so many - where to start? http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100018944&IsNodeId=1&Description=jbod&name=External%20Enclosures&Order=BESTMATCH Possibly, except consider that your basic SATA cable is only 18" long... and by the time you reach the card(s) and the drives inside each box, you'll probably only have 6" left between the boxes, with all these cables, and have to be very careful not to move the two boxes apart. It's the kind of thing that might be useful on a test bench, but I think you'd find it impractical in daily usage.

I think SOME Q-Sees are made by Dahua, but good luck figuring out which.

So you're thinking a separate case with power supply, and a bunch of SATA cables stringing out the back of your DVR to connect to the drives in the other case? Personally, I'd suggest just going with something ready-made: any sort of external RAID/JBOD drive enclosure that you can connect via network, eSATA, USB or firewire. Lot easier, and probably more reliable.

At that length, I'd be more suspicious of excessive voltage drop (although your local-monitor test would seem to negate that). Are you using two pairs for the power, or three? Can you try measuring the power voltage AT the camera, when the camera is running? What are the affected cameras mounted to?

Yeah, sorry about that - Eastern is a wholesaler, so they won't sell direct... being an integrator, we set up a business account with them, and I still link to them because I have all the links bookmarked The devices appear to actually be made by Derytech, although THEIR website contains nothing even close to them - looks like they're resold under a number of different names through various online retailers.

And neither did you, me or anyone else until it was learned " title="Applause" /> " title="Applause" /> " title="Applause" /> The main rating that might be of any concern is the "fire time" or FT rating. FT-4, aka "riser" type, is the most common and least expensive, but local building/electrical/fire codes may require FT-6, aka "plenum" cable, if your runs are in a plenum airspace for any significant distance. This is something you'll have to check for with local laws, though. Some areas may also have different requirements for new vs. retrofit as well. One of the most common recomendations you'll see around here is the CNB VCM-24VF. It's an IP65-rated vandal-resistant dome, true-day/night, excellent low-light image (no IR needed in most cases), has a versatile 2.8-10.5mm lens, can be surface- or flush-mounted, and supports dual power (12VDC or 24VAC, or anything in between). Excellent choice. I have the four-channel FULLD1 model at home - I'm a dyed-in-the-wool advocate of PC-based DVRs, but this little unit has really impressed me. Now, as others have noted, you might want to consider using Cat5e and baluns for any new cameras: this is a very good idea, as not only is Cat5e cheaper and easier to work with than coax/power Siamese, but it's also more versatile all-around, and it makes for easy upgrades to IP cameras later. In fact, if you're going to replace all the cameras anyway, might as well look into how easy it is to replace the existing wire as well. SHOULD you decide to go this way, I'd highly recommend looking into some of these: This combines power supply and passive baluns all into one rack-mountable unit; you just terminate your camera runs with RJ45 jacks or plugs, or into a patchbay, and plug your cameras in. At the camera end, one of these again makes for an easy plug-in connection. With this setup, your runs are already terminated appropriately, so switching a camera out for an IP camera later is as easy as unplugging from both ends, plugging in the new camera, and plugging the other end into a PoE switch. Also worth considering: if you think you may upgrade some or all cameras to IP in the near future, take a look at a hybrid DVR, which can record both analog and IP feeds. Costs a bit more, but saves a lot of hassle in the long run.

An SDI-capable DVR is required to use these cameras AT ALL. They WILL NOT work with a standard DVR. But, the video must still be compressed for storage, so the benefits over IP end right there. SDI cameras are currently limited to 2MP (1080p) as well.

As with other recent questions, the answer is again, "IT DEPENDS". Different cameras and different NVRs interact in different ways. Sometimes it varies with different codecs as well. Case in point: with a Vigil DVR, when you're using a camera that stream MJPEG, you just select your record rate in Vigil. With an H.264 camera, however, you can either set your record rate at 1fps, or select "Set By Camera", in which case you set the framerate in the camera, and Vigil simply receives and writes the stream. Most WILL NOT downsample for recording, although many can re-encode the video to a smaller stream for remote viewing. I've never seen one that would upsample -that would just be pointless, taking up less space but offering no real improvement. And again, that depends on the camera. Some support multi-streaming, some don't. I'm looking at a Vivotek right now that actually has FOUR separate user-configurable streams, and allows you to set frame size (resolution), framerate, and quality (compression) level, for MPEG-4, JPEG, and H.264... all configured separately for each stream. Many cameras simply offer one high-quality stream for recording, and one sub-stream at CIF or D1 for remote viewing. And many others just give you one stream. Exactly... because overloading the system would lead to image problems and thus to user complaints. So, most will put a "hard limit" in software and allow some headroom.

My only experience with sub-$500 MP cameras is with Dahua, but if you have good lighting, you'll find their 2MP mini-dome is a really decent camera for the price. The 3MP box cam is a "true day/night" camera and does even better with low light, but requires a bulky enclosure for outdoor use.

Where are you located? If you're in North America, I'd suggest looking up the Dahua brand. They have 8-channel DVRs ranging from around $150 to $450.

This discussion is kinda missing something without Rory's complaining about his bone-chilling winters in the low 70s....

Well that's certainly the way you made it sound - like you were barely able to hold yourself back from jumping the guy. From the way you've played out the story, everything was going fine until Mr. My-son-is-an-installer piped up, and from there you leave the impression that you just got in a snit about it and left. Apologies if that's not the case, but that's how you've made it sound. Nothing "happened". Some clown overheard your conversation and butted in. Big freakin' deal, it happens all the time. It shouldn't be something to get so worked up about. Laugh it off and move on. Blame yourself all you want, but NOTHING HAPPENED that's out of the ordinary. Unless it's business that requires confidentiality, there's no need to be so cloak-and-dagger about it. Think of the alternative that could have happened in this scenario (and HAS happened for me, several times, in fact): Customer asks what you're talking about; shop guy tells him it's about their CCTV system; customer asks for your card because he's interested in setting up a system as well. If you're trying to drum up business like this, you'd probably be better off to consider any avenue open.

True, although you still get that ghostly-green look with glowing eyes. Make sure the camera can handle those wavelengths though - most sensors are pretty inefficient at that point.

You'll get a lot better reception if you come into the forum with the intent of sharing knowledge, rather than just selling your product/service.

The LM78xx series specifies a maximum input of 24V - and while the datasheet doesn't state it outright (http://www.fairchildsemi.com/ds/LM/LM7805.pdf), if memory serves, they're designed to take DC input, not AC... so at the very least you'd have to rectify (and preferably filter) the input voltage first: Also, if it's going into thermal shutdown, that indicates there's not enough cooling. I wouldn't run more than 100mA through one of those without SOME sort of heat sink attached, even if it's just a little piece of aluminum that's not attached to anything else: As Alex notes, an LM317 is a better bet: designed for input voltages of up to 40VDC and output current up to 1.5A. http://www.fairchildsemi.com/ds/LM/LM317.pdf HOWEVER - note that you'll still need to rectify the input voltage - if you're just connecting it straight to the AC, I'd pretty much guarantee that's most of your problem. Brian makes the best point though: there are lots of these kinds of products out there already that are just plug'n'go. We've used this one extensively, as they're cheap from our wholesaler, and absolutely rock-solid: http://www.electronicproductonline.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2237 - AC input, jumpers for 6/12/24VDC fixed outputs as well as a variable output, built-in fuse, built-in support for battery backup... 1A and 3A (http://www.electronicproductonline.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=31_42&products_id=1770) versions available.