yakky

I have a few of the mini CNBs. Actual image quality is pretty nice. They are just slightly bigger than a bottle cap from a 2 liter soda. They are pretty bad in low light though, but as long as you have a porch light you should be ok.

You'll get plenty of detail, well as much as you can get out of a 640x480 image. The IQ out of the Petcams is very good during the day. Much better than your cheapo D1 cameras. Your next option is a good quality IP camera, which you seem not to want to buy.

Why not just buy something like a Panasonic Petcam? $75, remotely viewable and work great.

I got 3 as well, I believe its normal. You can just setup an email filter for the ones that don't contain images.

run nmap against it and tell us what ports are open.

This was the original question: "How does the router determine that I have a DVR to log into, and which LAN IP to use?" ARP certainly does determine that. I think the OP didn't know how to ask the question he wanted answered

Pretty common, so many scammers out there now, with very few being prosecuted, it's no wonder more and more keep getting bolder. Good thing you didn't get taken. I'd have fun with them and send them a bogus tracking #.

Holy cow... those colors are all off, look at that shack, its PURPLE!!!

There are CCTV systems that do 30fps, probably more, but why a CCTV system? I'd use some Go-Pros or ContourHDs, they are cheaper and image quality will be much better.

Any tips for outdoor proofing baluns? I'm mounting in covered areas that should get no rain under normal circumstances, but I can't help but wonder if there is a good way to protect the baluns from condensation.

Do you guys have any recommendations for small, like just barely larger than the balun, junction boxes? I was also thinking of just gooping them. Anyone have any miserable fail stories with goop or silicone?

Hopefully this is ok to post, I don't profit from this whatsoever, I'm just a happy customer, repeat orders, I've even returned stuff I wasn't happy with, great service. CNBdealer.com has some ridiculously priced gear on clearance. They emailed out a clearance price list, I don't want to post the whole thing as its sorta long but some hightlights: VBM-24VF $92 BBB-24 $72 VCB-24VD $99 HGP2030F $140 If you email them, ask for Jason, I'm sure he'll be happy to send out the list to you. Again, amazing prices for CNB gear.

Good idea for a thread! I can't add much, but I will say this, don't forget to add drip loop to any wire that is exposed.

If you have a QSEE that worked with PSS, it was a Dahua based unit. Like I said, I haven't noticed any difference between the two, but maybe return the box and grab a dahua? There isn't really any software to put on the unit, but something like this is the ideal solution: http://www.vitamindinc.com/features_smart.html

Agree, stay away from wireless. Every camera needs at least 1 wire, might as well have a good network connection. For DIY, I really recommend playing around with placement, mount the camera temporarily and see how it works out in a given location. Pros don't have the luxury of doing this but you can really test it out and find an idea place.

I had the same DVR, I thought the motion detection was fantastic. Honestly, shadows from clouds, shrubbery moving because of wind is going to cause the motion detection to go off, it is motion after all. I have a Dahua DVR now and it has the same "issues." You'd probably need to move up to the intelligent motion detection that some PC software packages have or consider a DVR with true motion sensor inputs. but even those get triggered with bugs. The way to make the NightOwl work for you is to really narrow down your zones or get cameras to point to places that wont be impacted by non human things that move.

Silly question, but did you focus them at night when the aperture is wide?

The door sensors should be no problem. Sunroof might be some more work. You can partner with a mobile alarm installer for those triggers. Putting it all together is going to be a lot more work. Why not use motion detection instead? Broadcasting video might be the largest task of it all. Uploading is one thing, real time streaming is another.

Thanks for posting your findings, it was on my list as a todo. I wonder why motion vs record are different as well.

Run cat 5/6 so you can use either. With your budget, IP is probably the way to go. A dedicated DVR/NVR will be reliable, but set your modem/router to reboot on a schedule. Run wires for WAY more cameras, you might want them later!

Go nuts and spend $100-150 on a decent camera. The image above is HORRIBLE. Even $65 CNB cameras have better coloring than that.

Lol... I guess that's a good answer if you like to treat the router as a black box. The real answer is ARP. The router or your computer knows there is a box on its local network because it has sent an ARP request. Good explanation here: http://www.tildefrugal.net/tech/arp.php If you still crave more, look up the 7 layer OSI model.

You say newer Sony IR camera... that's like saying a new Toyota, is it a Yaris or a Lexus LFA? IMO even a $100 Effio-E based WDR camera will do much better than the image below.

Can't get the 2 wire to see it...lol.... did you enable port forwarding on the 2wire? Did you open a hole in the firewall of the 2 wire?

None of the cheap DVRs work with firefox, for sure not the Dahua or TNT based units. There is a hack to use an app called IE tabs, but that will only work on a windows machine.