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I-frame is when it sends out a full frame, vs p-frames which just contain the differences between one frame and the next. Sending out all i-frames is the same as MJPEG, which requires a high bit rate. I-frame set for 1 gives a full frame for every frame, and needs a lot higher bit rate than a higher i-frame setting would to maintain quality, since it's sending a lot more data with each frame. This can cause too much compression as the software tries to keep to the bit rate setting. Matching the i-frame and fps setting is always a good starting point. Some people need more i-frames to prevent problems, but it seems to depend on individual settings. Higher bit rates and smaller i-frame settings can give smoother and higher quality video, but put a heavier load on the camera, network, and client, so any weak link in the system can cause problems. This camera may not have a powerful enough CPU to handle the highest load settings, or the firmware may just not be modern enough, depending on the camera's design age. Best bet is to keep trying different settings to see if anything helps. If it's the lens focus or quality, then no software adjustments will improve it, of course!

In general, files with this name structure work on all the 2XXX and 3XXX series, however, these didn't come with a readme.txt file, and Dahua's level of support and detail is non-existent, as usual. Dahua firmware updates are always at your own risk! Here's the readme.txt from the 20130726 version, which worked on the HFW2100N and HFW3300C cams:

BI doesn't have the ability to use different frame rates between live and recorded views, so that's not an option if it's a critical requirement for you. The typical low-CPU system is record only, with client viewing on remote systems, as it's the multiple stream decoding that contributes to a lot of CPU usage. With Xprotect Go and other record-only NVRs, you'd have to run both the NVR and the client on the same box to use a single-box solution, which will increase CPU use. Xprotect users would have to tell you how much, as I don't have it installed any more. You don't mention how long you'll need to keep recordings for; Xprotect Go limits you to 5 days, I believe. To get more, you'd have to upgrade to the paid version, where the software costs need to be compared against hardware costs for other systems. Best bet is to install demo versions of the NVRs you're thinking about. This should make it clear which one works best for you.

Thanks, ilkevinli - you're a big help, as usual!

Corporate managed switches do have a vast array of settings, most of which you can ignore. I've run 3 different corporate switches (all older models bought cheap), and just set them up with the basic IP address info. You do need to drill down to the right locations for the POE management, and how easy that is depends on the switch. Some switches have better info than others, such as per-port power usage reporting vs aggregate power usage, and some are easier to manage individual ports on than others. All the ones I've used sound like hovercrafts, but that's part of what you get with older tech. Modern consumer grade managed switches may have less detailed settings. I haven't run any of those. I'm not sure you'll find an unmanaged 24 port POE switch, since this size is still part of the corporate market. Likewise, fanless switches in that size are rare, because they'll use over 350W fully loaded, and that's a lot of heat to dissipate without fans. These switches tend to favor reliability over low noise. Best bet is to find one that dynamically controls the fans based on load or temperature.

That looks over-compressed and slightly over-sharpened to me. The over-compression is what causes the muddy look with few details, and the over-sharpening causes the graininess at high contrast areas. It may be limited by age and hardware performance, as BW suggests. The settings that would make the most difference, assuming you have these on this model cam: - Bit rate, frame rate, and i-frame settings: These are the primary knobs for quality (and quality setting if you use variable bit rate). 4096k constant bit rate should be plenty for a 2MP, depending on other settings. Higher frame rates need higher bit rates, and lower i-frame settings need higher bit rate settings to maintain quality. If it looks mediocre at 15 fps, 15 i-frame, and 4096k constant bit rate, you may be looking at hardware/software limitations in the older camera. - Sharpening: leave at default or turn down. This can decrease the level of detail, so it's a trade-off between speckly noise and detail. It's not the main problem in this pic, but over-sharpening can cause a lot of noise in low-light images. It's also worth checking focus, in case it came slightly out of focus from the factory. Best bet there is to print out a Siemens star, hang it about where the license plate is in that image, and tweak the focus for the sharpest image. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Siemens_star.svg (pick one of the higher resolutions to print) I'd definitely expect better from a 2MP cam running on a 1MP setting. The current gen Hiks look much better, though the low-light noise is higher than similar cams.

Nice image, though there was a bit of motion blur. What's the exposure time setting on the Image tab?

This really depends on your layout and views, and the only way to find out is to try. I'd fit one cam with a longer lens, then try it in different positions to see where you get the best view of the road. The most successful plate cam setups have choke points, like entry gates or driveways, where every vehicle has to enter in a small area. If you can put two cams on the house that can see the road in both directions without being blocked by anything (trees, parked cars, whatever), you should be good with the appropriate zoom. One cam would miss anyone who came down the road away from the coverage, then turned around and left the same way. Also, having multiple shots from different angles can really help with ID if conditions aren't perfect.

If anybody has the NTSC 20131206 version and can make it available, that would be great!

Just to clarify the resolution issue: A 5MP cam has 1.7x the total resolution of a 3MP cam, but only 1.25x the horizontal resolution, which is what you care about. You're really not gaining very much at 5MP. You'd need to go to 10MP to double your horizontal resolution. What you need to do is figure out how far away you want to be able to measure a plate, then figure out what zoom and resolution you'll need to get 60 pixels per foot. As BW says, you can get this even with a lower res camera by using more zoom, though a higher res cam will give you a wider field of view that you can capture the plate in.

Maybe that's not a good company to buy cameras from if there is no way to contact them. Yeah, lots of people find this out the hard way. IP cams are a lot cheaper than they used to be, but nobody likes to throw them in the trash when they can't be made to work. Here are some things you should be looking for in a vendor: - Tech support from the manufacturer that will reply within a few days - Ready access to firmware and tools that you can download when you need them - Warranty coverage that doesn't require paying a lot of money for shipping and waiting for weeks for a new camera

If the sensors are the same, it's all about size and features vs price. All 3 are true day/night. If small size and lower price is more important than adjustable lenses and sound/SD recording/any other features, go with the 2032. If the adjustable lens is more important, go with one of the bigger cams. It's a pain and a gamble to change fixed M12 lenses on the 2032, so if you want flexible focal lengths or are unsure what you need, get a varifocal lens. If you just want the 2.8mm lens field of view, those can be added to the 2032, though they'll probably see a bit of the camera body, giving you dark corners. Finding the right lens - MP quality, IR corrected, and not hitting the IR filter when screwed in to focus - can be tricky, and prices are all over the place. I like varifocal lenses a lot, but compact bullets work better in most of my locations due to the small size, so that's what I use.

The new Hik firmware adds 20 fps at 3MP, and also adds time-based profile switching, which the Dahua firmware already had (at least on the 3X00 series), so they're closer to equivalent that way. The older Dahuas wouldn't let you turn off the IR; it switched on when it got dark, regardless of the mode setting - don't know if that's different on the 4300S. The new Hik firmware lets you control IR via software, if that matters. If you go with Dahua, be sure you've got good firmware support and a vendor who can unbrick your camera if a software update goes wrong. Hik provides both of these capabilities from their FTP sites, but Dahua requires you to go through your vendor and won't provide factory support.

I believe there's a setting on the video page for 50 Hz vs 60 Hz that does the PAL vs NTSC setting. Someone posted that not long back. I'm not sure why they'd do it that way, but that's Chinese firmware for you.

The NVR may not support the IP Webcam output. Here's a set of posts on using a cell phone as a camera with Blue Iris - don't know if this will help you any. http://www.cam-it.org/index.php?topic=5905.0

Those are dropped p-frames. Does it go away if you use a lower resolution or bit rate? I think the Sonia software is part of the software library that TI provides for use with their DM365 processors. I don't know if Dahua tweaks it for their own purposes. I've always had trouble with the 3X00 performance at higher bit rates. The DM365 product line manager for TI is named Sonia, for what that's worth.

There's a Dahua TFTP procedure to reload firmware to a bricked camera, but nobody's been able to make it work yet that I know of. You need the support of your distributor for this. Unfortunately, Dahua's factory support for such issues is non-existent. Hikvision, on the other hand, makes this procedure available and easy to use, and people here use it regularly. If you search Dahua TFTP, you'll see some posts on it here, but they probably won't be much help.

Blue Iris, and most NVR software/hardware, can record whatever the camera puts out, as BW mentioned earlier. That's the raw stream - whatever you see on the camera's web page. In addition, BI can add its own overlays - time/date, privacy blocking, etc - but these increase CPU utilization. It doesn't support on-camera motion detect, but other software does.

Here are the release notes for the final version: ftp://ftp.hikvisionusa.com/Hikvision%20IP%20Camera%20Firmware/Raptor_2xxx_Series/Firmware%205.1.0%20Release%20Note.pdf Lots of good info and new features, including day/night profile switching. When it refers to 2-line or 4-line cameras, it's referring to the model line. 2132 would be a 2-line, for instance.

There are a couple of techniques for removing the rubber plugs from the screwholes, but this is what worked for me: Take a wood screw thin enough and long enough to fit into the hole, and start screwing it in. It'll dig into the plugs and pull them out along the threads without messing up the heads on the small screws. They rubber plugs aren't needed for weatherproofing, since there's a gasket between the halves of the body.

Yep, starting to sound like a bad camera. Too bad you don't have another to compare to, as that would tell for sure.

Yeah, that Canon lens will set you back at least $2k, I'd guess. You can find cheaper brands with similar specs and lower quality, but getting a decent version of that lens below $500 would be a challenge. Good optics cost good money, which puts the $170 Hiks in perspective.

With a new cam, anything could be the culprit - bad cable, power problems, bad cam, network issues... Can you see it when it happens? If so, you'd want to watch the web page to see if that's still working when the NVR loses contact. If you're running on POE, you could try connecting to another switch/router, or direct to a PC, using a 12V ps. If you're running 12V, it could be wire gauge, PS problems, etc. I'd start with a different cable connected through a different port using a different power source, just to shotgun some of the common failures.

Look at the various clamps available and the base for the camera, and find something that would let you tighten the camera against it with cable ties or whatever works. For instance, if you took this: or this: and used cable ties through the camera base mounting holes to secure it to the clamp body, you'd be able to remove it from whatever it's on. If the mount point isn't wide enough for stability, make a piece the size of the camera base from wood or sheet metal, add a nut that works with the standard camera screw mount, and mount the camera to it. You could also use this on a tripod. Unfortunately, none of the mid-range cams seem to have screw mounts any more. This greatly limits the flexibility of mounting solutions, but that's the way they roll these days. Here's another big assortment. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Camcorder-Mounts/ci/13931/N/4028759546

The Inspect option is new, and I haven't tried it. I'm still a few revs back. Mine has supported my entire motley collection of IP cams. If it's not on the dropdown list, you need to put the IP address in manually, then add any parameters the cam uses when streaming the video. If the vendor doesn't supply the stream info, it might take an email to the BI developer to get a camera added. Mine is currently working with Areconts, Vivoteks, Dahuas, Hikvisions, Y-Cams, a Rainbow and a Messoa, and I'm sure I've forgotten a few. Recent posts at the support forum have it recording from old cell phones, web cams, and dedicated NVRs. I'm not sure there's anything out there that supports more cams, but I haven't tested them all. The power consumption is definitely a consideration. My box pulls 90W on my current setup, and my electricity is expensive, but this is one of the trade-offs. I tested Xprotect Go briefly some time back, and it would connect to some of my cams, while failing to connect to identical ones. I didn't spend a lot of time with it, since the 5 day limit wasn't what I wanted, and the per-cam licenses were a pain due to switching cams around a lot. Many people here like it, though.