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To determine frame rate and resolution, load it in VLC and hit Ctrl-J, or go to Tools, Codec Information. There's nothing that will help you get more information from images like the one you posted. The exposure time was too long for that amount of motion, and the motion blur is pretty extreme. If you go frame by frame and there aren't any frames of the object moving slowly or stopped with little or no blur, there's not much to be done.

What's your frame rate? That's one of the bigger loads on BI, as well as the resolution. If it's already something reasonable like 10-15 fps, then you'd likely need an updated PC to run more cams. What did you do to get the CPU down to 30%? For Xprotect, best bet is to install the free version and see how that works for you. If it does the job, you can upgrade to the paid version, which runs $50/cam, and can be cheaper than buying a new PC, depending on how many cams you're running. This will let you compare BI and Xprotect on the same system, as well. They're pretty different in their user interfaces.

If I wanted to record encrypted video, I'd record to a TrueCrypt partition on a PC based NVR or an encrypted NAS. This would be unencrypted while mounted, of course, but if someone removed the device, they'd be unable to read the files without mounting them. Like the others, I don't know of any cams that either output encrypted video or can record directly to an SSD. I suppose it would be possible to write encryption software to run on the cam's processor, but that's above my pay grade.

The PAL version is here. It was tested and reported good a few posts back: ftp://ftp.wintel.fi/drivers/dahua/cam-fw/IPC-HX5(4)XXX/ The NTSC version is here. It's working on my cam: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5RXJz1sMJ9VLVdhbjB5SzdaMWM/edit?usp=sharing

Here's the NTSC 20131231 version for the 4300S and other 4/5 series cams: General_IPC-HX5(4)XXX_Eng_N_V2.400.0000.0.R.20131231.bin. The file is zipped for error detection. I've installed this on my HFW4300S, and it seems to be working fine. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5RXJz1sMJ9VLVdhbjB5SzdaMWM/edit?usp=sharing Aside from the changes MPB listed a few posts back about the PAL version, it's also got gamma correction and more dedicated settings for low noise/no motion blur. I haven't tested any of the new features yet. Here's the description file from Dahua: ftp://ftp.wintel.fi/drivers/dahua/cam-fw/IPC-HX5(4)XXX/IPC-Hx5(4)XX%20V2.4%20baseline%20feature.pdf I've pulled the text from it here: Network Camera Latest Firmware feature--2014.1 Firmware Latest Version--V2.4 •Three streams, one mainstream and two substreams •No clip between mainstream and substreams •Multiple nonrectangular areas motion detection with different colors •JPG playback and video cut supported •ROI supported •Corridor Mode •Unauthenticated access supported •NAS supported •Multiple Browsers supported •Onvifprofile S V13.06 test tool passed •Onvifauthentication supported •PSIA supported •New API protocol V1.37 •DahuaDigital Signature(Dahuafirmware only) •Add location and picture overlay in Overlay Three streams •One mainstream and two substreamscan be chosen at live page •Set different resolution, frame rate, encode mode at setup page 1.3MP mainstream D1 substream1 720P substream2 Motion Detection •4 independent nonrectangular detection areas with different colors •Each area has independent parameters, including name, sensitivity, threshold. •Each region’s name will shown in the log when motion occurs. Playback •Not only play the record but also the jpg on the browser from the SD card •Download the picture from the local storage •Choose the download format •Support video cut •Digital zoom in and snapshot when playback ROI •Set 4 regions of interest, only in the mainstream •Choose the video in ROI fuzzy or sharp Corridor Mode •Support the corridor mode when clockwise 90° Unauthorized Access •Set the allowance times for login error •Choose the activities when alarm occurs NAS •Support NAS, provide the third way to storage besides SD Card and FTP •Send record and snapshot to the NAS server API protocol Key feature •Take extra-stream snapshot •Holiday schedule setting •NAS setting •Software version query •Set location in Overlay Onvifprofile S conformance passed •Support camera setting •Motion detection •Device capacity detection •Integration with most of software platforms easier •V13.06 test tool passed •Onvif version 2.3 Browsers&ActiveX Do not active the alarm from explorer that our firmware isn’t trusted. Support IE7, IE8, IE9, IE10 and Chrome , Firefox Support windows 8, MAC, Linux(Linux activeX need to be updated seperately) Location&Picture Support location and picture in Overlay tab Support models •HX5xxx series：HDB(W)5100、HDB(W)5200、HDB(W)5100-DI、IPC-HDB(W)5200-DI、HF5100、HF5200、HFW5100C、HFW5200C、、HFW5200-IRA、HFW5100-IRA、HFW5200D HFW5100D、 •HX4xxx series：HFW4100S、HFW4200S、HFW4300S、HDW4100S、HDW4200S、HDW4300S、HDB4100C、HDB4105C、HDB4200C、HDB4300C

Thanks - good info. Someone said you had to reboot the camera after changing this, which would have the same effect, but would definitely take longer!

Here's the link to TFTP on Hik's Euorpean portal: http://www.hikvisioneurope.com/portal/index.php?dir=Z%20OLD/Technical%20Materials/Special%20Tools/TFTP-Auto-Update/ Unless someone's come up with a way to fix the region setting, you'll need to tftp each new version.

The Swann uses Hikvision cams. I'm not sure about the Lorex. The bullet cameras will mount anywhere, and shouldn't need an extra mount, unless they're referring to domes and have the wrong picture in the ad. I can't imagine mounting the NVR outdoors.

I have both of these, and overall, I prefer the Hikvision, but it's a close call. The Dahua has problems with excessive compression in the shadows when there's bright light and shadows in the same scene, and the image isn't as saturated, colorwise, as the Hik. The second isn't a big deal, but some people like the better colors of the Hik. I've recently noticed the Hik's i-frames are overly compressed, recovering on the next p-frame, and don't know if that's new with the 5.1.0 firmware. I'm doing some tests now. The Hik doesn't have a true 3MP image; it's resampled from the sensor and has a smaller horizontal FOV than the 1080p image. The quality isn't much different; there are some sampling artifacts here and there, but nothing obvious. The Dahua has a true 3MP image that's larger in both directions than the 1080p. If you're going to use 1080p, this won't matter. You can download Hik firmware easily. Dahua's tech support is awful, and you'll be dependent on your vendor for firmware, so if your vendor provides good support, you're ok. The Dahua's somewhat bigger than the Hik, and lets you unscrew the front hood to get at the lens, while the Hik has to be disassembled completely. In side by side tests, I like the Hik's daytime images better, while the Dahua's are slightly sharper at night. I'm starting to think the Hik's lens may not have as good IR correction, but haven't had time to test this yet. The Hik's WDR is better than Dahua's, but neither one is anything to write home about. The deal killers for me on the Dahua are the terrible support and the ugly compression in the shadows, but overall, they're pretty similar in performance. ETA: One other difference is that the Dahua isn't very good at switching into night mode if there's any bright light in the FOV, even a porch light across the street. I believe the new firmware has sensitivity settings, but I haven't tested it much. Both of these cams are reviewed on BW's site: http://www.networkcameracritic.com

I tape mine too. I like to use waterproof electrical tape. You stretch it as you wrap it, and it makes a nice seal that doesn't come off easily: http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Rubber-Electrical-10-Foot-065-Inch/dp/B001B1AP3O/ref=pd_sim_indust_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=064N7JZ4V4DZWAFD206C

I've got some pics of the connector, but not installed. Here's the camera end and the mating hood, disassembled: And the mating hood partly assembled onto a cable:

I needed some powerline adapters for someone moving into an apartment, so I ordered a few Logitech powerline kits, figuring I'd test them for POE as well. Here's what I've found: The basic Logitech Powerline adapters are not POE, but get good reviews as network adapters. Only the ones for use with the Alert cams are POE. Here's the breakdown: NA200 powerline adapters - network only, same using is used for the device connection and the router bridge. Don't know if these work with the LA700 POE adapters. LA700e powerline adapters - external camera adapter, network plus 7W POE, outdoor use LA700i powerline adapters - internal camera adapter, network plus 4W POE, indoor use NA750 powerline bridge - Bridge to router for LA700 POE adapters. If anyone has info on whether the LA700 adapters work with the NA200 adapters, that would be very helpful!

Yeah, that looks pretty good. Nice amount of overlap, and pretty natural looking. This makes me want to add that 3rd camera...

On-camera IR will definitely show up anything close up at night. Spider webs, moths, raindrops, etc, all glow very brightly when close to the camera, and can trigger unwanted motion detection. External IR will definitely help this, as the small objects close to the lens are outside the IR area and don't get lit up. If you want this option, be sure the cameras you choose allow you to disable IR with night mode enabled, if they have built-in IR. Some don't, and the only way to turn off the on-board IR is to put it in day mode, which puts the IR filter in and prevents you from using illuminators. Best bet with software is to install the various test drives and see how they work for you. I'm a fan of Blue Iris, but it's CPU intensive, especially with a lot of MP cams, and doesn't have some of the features that you'd want on a corporate system. Other people can recommend what they've used. Milestone Xprotect is popular.

Thanks for the feedback. I often wonder if the PAL version will work on the NTSC cams; typically they have different maximum frame rates (25 fps vs 30 fps, for instance), and don't work for fluorescent flicker reduction, but I never run at the max and use my cams outdoors. I'm a little paranoid to try it, given Dahua's issues.

The PAL version is in the same directory as the PDF file. I haven't seen a NTSC version yet. ftp://ftp.wintel.fi/drivers/dahua/cam-fw/IPC-HX5(4)XXX/ Note that the forum software doesn't render that link correctly (at least on my browser). I'd have to copy and paste it, rather than click it. The file name is General_IPC-HX5(4)XXX(SD-Adreia)_Eng_P_Stream3_V2.400.0000.0.R.20131231.zip I don't know what the SD-Adreia in the filename means. Use caution, as always!

I'll take the 2 NC-KBU32. PM sent!

+1 on this! Lots of people try to save some money and go with little known brands, or brands with poor support, and end up paying much more in time and tears. Stick with name brands that are well supported both by the manufacturer and on forums like this.

There are 2 ways to run over a network cable without a POE switch: - Use passive POE injectors and a 12Vdc PS. These put any voltage into the cable and pull it out the other end, where you'd plug the camera's 12Vdc power connector in. You'll have more power loss over long runs due to the higher current at 12Vdc vs 48Vdc. - Use 803.2af POE injectors. These plug into the wall at one end and send 803.2af POE power through the cable to the other end. Single unit - $18 - need one for each cam: http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-PoE150S-Gigabit-Injector-compliant/dp/B001PS9E5I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397765557&sr=8-1 Here's an 8 unit passive adapter that comes with a 48V 60W PS and provides power directly to the device: http://www.amazon.com/WS-POE-8-48v60w-passive-Ethernet-Injector-cameras/dp/B0086SQDMM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397765820&sr=8-2

At the risk of being pedantic (which I often am), these aren't really false positives, they're motion you don't care about. Bugs flying in front of the camera at night? Moving shadows in the day? This is all motion, and it's been detected. The cam doesn't know the difference between a moth 1' in front of the cam and a flashlight 20' away at night. The main real false positive is when the cam switches between night and day mode, which causes most of the pixels to shift at once. To echo what BW posted, most cams don't have very good motion detect settings, and often only have sensitivity and area blocking settings. You can get rid of the night time bug detection by disabling IR and using an IR illuminator that's not too close to the camera. Some software, like Blue Iris, lets you filter motion detection for things like brightness only vs color only, and has settings like object detection size, contrast, and motion time settings, as well as the ability to filter different areas at different times of the day. This gives great flexibility for motion detection, but eats up a lot of CPU power and doesn't help if you've got a dedicated NVR. If your cam or NVR don't have alarm inputs, you're mostly stuck with tweaking the settings and moving the IR away.

The series is based on the model number. For instance, the 2032 is a 2 series. Hard to say if all the cams share the firmware; you might want to ask their tech support to be sure. I only have 2032s.

Which powerline adapters do you use?

If this is inappropriate, let me know. I'm not associated with these guys, but this is a great deal on a standalone PC NVR for those who don't mind supporting their own gear. I've been running Blue Iris 3 on a GVI autoNVR that's essentially an i3 mini-ITX box with Windows Embedded 7 installed. Currently I've got 2 Vivotek IP8332s (1 MP ea), one Vivotek FD8134 (1 MP), an Arecont AV5100M (5 MP), and a Y-cam Black (VGA), and am running about 40% CPU with all of them at 5 FPS except the Y-cam at 15 fps. When I connect my Messoa NCR870 2MP, it bumps up to about 60%, but BI has a hard time with the Messoa decoding and scrambles it. These boxes are being blown out on ebay for about $270 in most auctions, and come with the following specs: - Core i3-540 CPU - Intel DH57JG motherboard (also supports i5-6XX cpus) - 2 GB RAM (can upgrade to 8G) - 2 TB hard drive - Windows Embedded 7 - No-frills case, with no front panel controls except a few LEDs, and no room for more HDs or to install a PCIe board. I got it on a whim, and don't care much for the GVI software, but was surprised to find that BI3 runs fine on it as-is, so I don't have to install Win7 on it as I had planned. I disabled the GVI services so they wouldn't use up resources. Anyway, this is a great little super compact box, perfect for a headless NVR system, and power usage is low. GVI is out of business, so there's no support, but everything except the case is a standard off the shelf item. Search AutoNVR on ebay to find them. He adds more every few days, so don't get into bidding wars and pay too much! I'm not associated with the seller, but have bought several more of these because I couldn't build them for the price I'm paying. The next one's going to be a Windows Home Server 2011 box. There's also a GVI box called the Razberi being sold that's an all-in-one NVR with 8 POE ports, but it's not standard hardware, and runs Windows Embedded XP (much more primitive). Camera support is limited, software's a bit buggy, and the lack of support makes this one not so recommendable unless you want something to play with.

I bought 4 of those boxes, and all are still in use, though 2 are in new cases and one is running WHS2011 now. You could make an image backup of your other box and restore it to the bad one, though you may need a new HD if that's where the problem is. They all used an identical OEM registration license for the Win7E, so this should work fine.

You can also run a local timeserver and sync everything to that. Here's a simple, reliable one for Windows systems: http://www.timesynctool.com/