Kawboy12R

Did you try restarting the software after inputting the key? Seems to me that my BI registration didn't require a restart though. Maybe a typo putting it in and you'll have to do it again?

Send them back. If you can't send 'em back then try and isolate the problem in the pigtail by not moving the camera and clamping down the wire firmly near the camera and wiggling the rest of the pigtail. If it's just the pigtail then it is easy to fix. If it is inside the camera then take it apart and look for obvious issues. It's impossible to troubleshoot where your wiring or loose part is from this side of my screen.

I had a quick look but didn't see any reference to an sd card slot or on-board storage. That means something else will have to record the video. Can't help you with your local laws. A local (not internet) cctv salesman or installer is a good person to ask. Just make sure you buy something from them after asking. Picking their brains with no intention of buying is almost like picking their pocket.

I had run into a little problem with my Axis cams in moderately low light where the max fast shutter speed in low light mode was only 1/30th of a second in "auto" mode. I could get excellent shots at 1/60th or faster in fixed shutter mode (Video&Audio/CameraSettings) with reduced motion blur but that made the camera useless in the daytime because everything whited out (shutter speed was way too fast for daytime use). I asked tech support for an answer and he said that this was standard for "newer" Axis cameras. We weren't sure why but this is the answer I got to correct the issue after he asked higher up the tech support ladder: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Product Name: P3364-VE Problem Area: Camera Servers Summary: Faster shutter for low light mode In new cameras there are four parameters determining exposure and all of them are used: Max fast shutter Max slow shutter Max exposure time Min exposure time Only "max fast shutter" and "max slow shutter" show in the GUI. Those two parameters can only be configured in a certain range, most importantly max slow shutter can not be shorter then 1/30 (or in 25fps mode 1/25s). Max / min exposure time can override Max fast/slow shutter, the camera always uses the parameter with the higher limit. So, in this case you could configure them like this: Max fast shutter: 1000 = 1/1000s (will be overruled by min exposure time) Max slow shutter: 40000 = 1/25s (will be overruled by max exposure time) Max exposure time: 4000 = 1/250s (will be applied) In short, you have to configure "Max exposure time" in the plain config / imagesource with a shorter value - value in microseconds. So e.g. a value of 4000 would correspond to 1/250s (4000 + 250 = 1 000 000). In their case I guess a value of 1/60s should do it, value should be set to 16 666 (16 666 x 60 = 1000000), alt 1/100s (value 10000) Those setting can be found under the setup > system option > advanced > plain config. Select Image source in the drop down. Best regards, Morgan Axis Customer Services ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, in short, it apparently CAN be set in the web configurator but it isn't terribly obvious on where or how to do it. I asked for it to be adjustable to faster in the regular section under Video&Audio/CameraSettings in the next firmware update so we'll see how that goes.

There're probably 223 people on here that've never done it before. Personally, if I were to do it myself, I'd get a regular old household 120v NVR kit with IP66 rated cameras (they've gotta be REALLY weatherproof to survive 65mph in a downpour) and run it from a true sine wave inverter (which the RV might already have). Add an extra battery or three for capacity plus a battery isolator and the electrical supply part is done. The trickiest part is the wiring and mounting bolts and making sure the holes don't leak a year or two after you install them. RVs are hard enough to keep watertight as they come from the factory without adding even more holes.

I know someone whose wife's panties were being stolen by his hired man who was also something like his 2nd cousin. He was sneaking into the house somehow during the day and taking them from her dresser. I can't remember how he got caught though. Strangest thing I can think of that I caught on film was someone snooping around and then peeing in my driveway before wandering off without apparently taking anything. Never would've known it if I hadn't reviewed the motion event footage as a matter of habit.

Look for some cheap Hikvision-sourced mini bullets somewhere. Easy to find under $200 each. For the money, really good daytime performance and good nighttime vision. I use mine alongside Axis Lightfinder cameras so I'm less happy with their night performance than some others on here, but they ARE a lot cheaper. Costco (Swann or Lorex branded there) or Wrightwood Surveillance come to mind as places to buy. Qnap or Synology are good for storage but as an NVR solution you might be better off using a computer with NVR software, especially if you want to use the NAS as an NVR concurrently with other tasks and want to run them at somewhere close to their rated camera capacity.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000CQPANY/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1387305476&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70 Use a quick fist only backwards. Screw the cam to the flat part and use the "fist" part on the railing, branch, or whatever.

http://www.jvsg.com/cctv-design-tool/ http://www.pelco.com/sites/global/en/sales-and-support/downloads-and-tools/tools/3d_camera_design_tool.page These might help.

Getting closer to 0-day firmz.

If the image is grainy at night then the DVR is probably confusing the noise for real motion. First add more light if you can. Possibly adjust camera settings for better noise reduction or better low light performance. Then look at adding better cameras. If that doesn't work then replace the DVR.

The camera always sends video data regardless of whether or not motion is occurring or motion detection is set in the camera. The in-camera motion detection comes into play by setting a flag in the data stream saying MOTION IS HAPPENING. If the NVR can read that flag then it doesn't have to re-examine the stream to know that motion is happening. Then the NVR can either record the stream if isn't set to record everything or mark the sections of the video record that have motion if it is set to record everything all the time. Some software will mark recorded chunks of video with motion flags in the timeline so you can tell that, say, there were three separate motion events in one chunk that got recorded for motion, rather than having to watch the whole thing for movement if it got started for a useless event like a cat running thirty seconds before a prowler is also recorded. You'd miss the prowler if you were just scanning the first few seconds of each clip. I haven't played with the Geovision cams and IP software, but if the motion detection is set in the camera then hopefully the Geovision NVR software is smart enough to not reanalyze the stream. That and displaying the video is generally what takes the most CPU power, not saving the stream to disk regardless of whether there was motion or not. I'd expect network traffic from cam to switch to computer to stay relatively constant (depending on CBR vs VBR, etc) and not drop to zero even if there was little or no motion detected by the cameras. The cams should be sending data constantly but the decision of whether to analyze it for motion, record it, display it, or completely ignore it would be made in the NVR software. For instance, Blue Iris always re-analyzes video data regardless of MD settings in the camera because it doesn't "listen" for the camera's decision that significant motion is happening. Network traffic from the cams to the NVR software (BI, GeoVision, or whatever) should be nearly constant so that even if neither camera nor software think that motion is happening the video can be displayed on a monitor anyway. Never say never, but I think that even most software with separate viewing and recording clients and no in-software motion detection (relies completely on the camera to make that decision) receives video data constantly even when the viewing client isn't running because the cam broadcasts the video data and motion-is-or-isn't-happening data flags concurrently. The cameras would have to receive a signal from the recording software to start sending video data after the camera sends a signal that motion is occurring for that kind of bandwidth saving to happen. So, to answer your question, set motion detection up in the cameras. If the NVR software supports in-camera motion detection with those particular cameras then it shouldn't burn cpu cycles doing something that has already been done. I doubt there's anything you can do to save bandwidth besides changing compression, resolution, and bitrate settings, etc. Broadcasting from the cams through the network should be continuous.

No capture card required for IP cameras, just a switch and software. "DVR" is a term used for the box capturing analog CCTV video and converting them to digital format for storage and/or retransmission. Coined back when VHS storage was common so the use of "digital" for analog video was considered a step up. IP or network cameras use an NVR (network video recorder) to view and record the digital network-transmitted video data. It's either a standalone box or NVR software running on a computer or from a NAS like a Synology. As far as mid-range goes, what's the budget per camera? The Hikvision variants are dominating talk on here for low end stuff (under $200/cam for fixed mini bullets) but aren't that good at night. My Axis P3364VE (there's an LVE version with built-in IR) domes I consider the high end of "midrange" stuff at $600-$1100 each, depending on the budget and the importance of night over day quality. In some situations the cheap Hik bullets beat the Axis in daytime image detail, but the 720P Axis knocks the socks off the 1080P Hiks at night.

And sometimes tech support is the best place to verify and/or report a bug that you've discovered yourself. With the complicated stuff and with a huge selection of cameras and dizzying combinations of software and firmware versions, etc, everybody needs tech support. Pros just don't usually need it for the basic stuff.

High mount looks a lot better on cam 2. It's not like daylight but decent enough to tell what's going on. Cam 1 is either just plain lousy or is verrrry dirty in addition to that spiderweb.

I bet the lines clear up if you add a bit of white light to the scene. Looks to me like the chip in the camera is trying so hard to get a passable picture that the "Pro" camera is almost screaming. I will say that I've seen cheap-ish IR cams function in the dark with better picture quality than those shots though.

I don't really mind hot grinding shrapnel unless I'm really attached to the clothes and grinding overhead. Wearing the heavy leather bothers me more. Just don't be surprised by a hot bit and jump off a ladder. Welding and using cutting torches overhead are when you've really gotta break out the leather. An ounce of white hot slag down your shirt or burning its way into your lap is when things get really fun. Oh, and don't wear synthetic clothes (polar fleece or whatever) when grinding if the sparks are bouncing off you. They'll melt up and be fit for the garbage bin in no time when something cotton will barely show a mark. And the toss has a point. You should notice the pain when it happens even if you shrug it off. Might not hurt to get tested for diabetes (or even farther) if you don't notice a sharp little zing when something like that happens. I won't ask how you got your nickname.

Network cam = IP cam. Same difference. Both are accessible over the Internet, but really there is no "both" because they are just two terms for the same thing. I have no experience with that cam but it looks like it'll do what you want. How well and for how long is anybody's guess though. Buy one and keep us updated.

I'd replace it with other stuff but not because those cables aren't adequate. If you've got upgrade-itis or want/need to exchange for some other reason, if you own the cables separately you don't have to worry about yanking and re-running cables for the next thing. At about 8 cents a foot plus ends, it's cheap to make your own, plus you don't have to worry about having a 70' coil of cable laying around if you only need 30' for a cam or two. If you've never crimped cat5 before, prepare for a $30-$60 outlay for crimper and tester, plus some learning time in addition to a 1000' box of cable. Balance ease of returns and smaller holes vs extra cost and effort (and possible bad cable testing) making your own cables.

They do a similar connecting job to a real balun but don't have the BALance UNbalance circuitry like a real balun. Video will work but will look lousy.

Use what Geovision recommends. They're pretty specific and if you read their directions you'll find out what they have tested their stuff on. If it's not on the list then you're on your own.

Cameras are 5W, not 5A. A 3A power supply is more than enough juice over adequate cabling to run those cameras. That doesn't mean that it ISN'T a power supply issue, just that a properly working power supply of that spec should power your cameras. Cheap cables with thin power wires might cause enough voltage drop over the longer distance to cause problems with even a good PS though. And just having adequate power doesn't mean the PS isn't going bad either. Also, you can get tweakable power supplies to adjust the supplied voltage so that you get adequate voltage (not amperage, voltage) over a longer run that causes voltage to drop at the camera under load. This is usually noticeable at night- IRs kick in, take more power, then the camera gives problems but starts working fine in the morning. It can happen in the day as well though if the voltage drop is particularly pronounced. Voltage drop at the camera is probably best tested with a short run of 18/2 wire with a male and female barrel connector at both ends. Skin the two wires in different places so they don't touch each other but you can get a multimeter on them. Then put your home-made test leads on the power wire at the camera end and test voltage with the camera running. I'm not terribly familiar with HD-SDI but I know that they can be picky about the cabling that they work on. An analog cam can work just fine, replace it with an HD-SDI and it'll work like crap, replace the cable and then both work fine. Not a power issue but rather a coax issue. I'd try another premium grade cable. Just run it from the DVR to the cam to verify before replacing the old one.

What happens when you put a camera that has a good image in place of one that has a bad image (physically swap them)? Does the "good" camera suddenly have a bad image? How about swapping cables at the DVR? Does the bad image swap with the cable or does it stay with the same input on the DVR?

I'll admit that I haven't looked into which manufacturers support copy protection lately but I know that it used to be quite common for some makers to mangle video made with Macrovision copy protection while other makers ignored it and left the original quality intact. "Image stabilizers" were required to strip out the protection so that content could either be copied or simply run from one VCR through another to a TV without ruining the video, let alone copying it. Some VCRs didn't require a runaround to copy or pass through Macrovision protected content. It wouldn't surprise me if some still bucked the protected content trend today. It used to be a common practice to increase sales in markets where piracy was common.

You should probably use the motion detection built into whatever DVR you'll be using if you've got analog cameras. Ignore the camera motion detection option. It won't make your TV go DING DING DING if there's motion and no DVR hooked up to it. With analog, the DVR does the video motion detection. With no PIR, unless you're working at short range (5-10 feet or so), most video-based motion detection will give you tons of false positives from the lights of passing cars, wind in the trees, shadows from trees day or night, fog, rain, bugs, spiderwebs, etc etc, especially on cameras with built-in IR. EVERYTHING close to the cam glows enough to set off the motion detection unless you've just got it set to detect buses and elephants. That's not a bad thing if you want a more complete record, but astronomically increases the time you'll have to spend reviewing footage trying to catch someone. Built-in IR also tends to blind a camera during fog/rain/snow events at night. Cams using external illumination give a better picture under those conditions. Very few cameras have built-in 940nm LEDs. They're not as bright as 850nm (visible red glow) LEDs, so they're suited only for closeup work unless you've got a LOT of them and supply a relatively high amount of power to the camera. The high number of LEDs make for a big camera which tends to cut down on the "stealth" effect. With a smaller camera and a bigger illuminator away from it, most people (if they can see it at all at night) will just think the illuminator is a floodlight that isn't turned on. Samsung used to offer some cheap bullets with 940nm but I'm not sure if they still do. Don't expect much for illumination unless you've got lots of LEDs (ie an external illuminator) or limit your expectations to maybe ten feet or so. Search Amazon for CMVision for some cheaper 940nm illuminator options.