PluffMud

I noticed there were no options for authentication which is a major problem for remote viewing. I wonder if this is something they plan to add? Just so I understand (please confirm): 1) Snapshots can be pulled without a username/password whatsoever right? 2) Live feeds can be accessed simply by sniffing out the unencrypted username/password. 3) Live feeds can not be accessed without a username/password Granted, sniffing out passwords takes a little work and the right conditions but it's very easy to do.

Thanks for the post and answers...I was about 5 mins from taking the camera down to bench test it!!! I was having the exact same problem and what Moe3615 suggested worked for me with Internet Explorer version 11.0.9. The solution for me was to click on the gear icon in the upper right-hand of IE and select "Compatibility View settings". A popup will be displayed that allows you to add the IP address. Click the Add button and the full working page should be displayed. This has never happened to me with the KCM-5611 so I'm guessing IE was updated. ACTi needs to release a fix for this in the next firmware. FWIW this does not happen with any of the E* series cameras. They can be configured in Chrome and IE (I haven't tried Firefox).

Great thanks! If not I was thinking about emailing them to see if they would explain.

I have 3MP ACTi cameras (E32) but yet can only record 1080p (2MP) on the ACTi NVR (ENR-1200). Can anyone confirm this is normal? So it can only record at 2MP regardless of what camera is used? I must be missing something. In the specs it says it supports 2MP local display resolution and 5MP remote display resolution...I'm confused.

For what it's worth, I highly recommend WrightwoodSurveillance...I recently bought ACTi hardware from there (including several of the E32's mentioned in this thread) with prompt shipping and great communication. So if I understand correctly, the distance you want to cover with the camera is 65ft and the car at that distance has minimal to no light covering it? Others will chime in but I agree that you will need a varifocal camera in order to frame your view exactly how you want it. With non-varifocal cameras you're stuck with view provided by the installed lens (unless you can swap lenses). ACTi, among other brands, has a line of varifocal cameras you might want to look at. Even with a varifocal camera you're still going to need additional lighting. There are cheaper LED IR lights on amazon and ebay that will work but will most likely not be as reliable as the more expensive ones. I have one installed under an eve and hasn't had any issues yet in the year it's been in operation. Think I paid $40 for it or something. It gets the job done in a pinch but I wouldn't recommend it as a reliable solution.

It all depends on the environment but I was surprised at how loud the fans are on the ZyXEL switch I bought about a week ago. I bought it for an install I was doing at a friends house and it turned out being too loud...way too loud. I had it installed in a cabinet (with a door) under a counter and I could easily hear it from anywhere in the room (a quiet room). Needless to say I gave him two of my fanless TRENDNet 8 port POE switches (4 ports on each are powered) as a possibly temporary solution and I'm going to take the ZyXEL switch since I have a dedicated wiring room. Even so, the ZyXEL fans are loud enough that I'm concerned they might be easily heard from the wiring room in the den. My A/V rack is in the wiring room but the face of it is in the den. I've been using the TRENDNet 8 port POE switches (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833156229) for a while now and haven't had any issues. Even though 4 ports are powered I only put a max of 3 POE cameras. No reason I do this other than I don't want to max the switch out (for heat purposes) and they are so cheap I might as well have several. Even stacked on top of each other they don't get very warm but I realize they have less power than the XyXEL's.

Poor night vision appears to plague ACTi cameras at the moment (the KCM-5611 is the exception from what I can tell). I bought an E31 a while back and the video quality at night is poorer than my 2yr old standard definition Foscam. Should we be confident that this will/can be fixed I wonder? This has been the one thing really holding me back from ACTi although their current camera offerings and prices are great!

I have the Axis P3367-ve, Axis M1014 (720P w/ edge recording), and ACTi e31 (and other cheap cameras)...I don't see a way for the Axis ACC program to access or playback video from non-Axis cameras. Don't think it's possible. I use the Axis M1014 (indoor-rated) on my front porch and it has been working fine. My only issue with it is that it doesn't have night vision but the porch lights do fine to light the scene at night. Yes it's indoor-rated but it's well covered by the porch and if/when it dies I'll either get another one or upgrade to an outdoor version. My plan is to standardize on Axis cameras for my primary views (since they don't need an NVR) and also have ACTi cameras that would require a PC or NVR to record. That way I can record video from all cameras but if my PC shuts down (or breaks ) the Axis cameras will still be recording to the network share.

I don't have the Dericam H602W but I would think at best it would be comparable to the ACTi E31 which I do have. The ACTi E31 is basically the D31 but it has WDR. If moonlight is all that is available, most of the useful lighting will come from the camera's IR lighting and I probably would turn WDR OFF anyway if it were me. If that is the primary scenario WDR would probably make the image much worse depending on what level you set it at. If it were me I would get the D31 simply because of the stability issues you mention with the Dericam and b/c WDR probably won't be useful in moonlight. If you can, I would recommend going with the D32...it's a small amount to pay for a jump in resolution.

Good idea...I have 3 of them so I'll post how I use them WRT my cameras. I think most of the people using IP-based cameras can benefit from it. I saw buellwinkle's site has a review of using one so he can provide input too.

Yeah I definitely splurged on this camera !! I'll let you know how it works out with the sensors. Tracking says it should get it tomorrow but it requires a signature so hopefully someone will be home! Unfortunately I won't have a chance to mess with it over the weekend b/c I have a lot going on. WRT the Android dongle, I have several and all should work for your synology app. Search for MK808b which is a dual core with the Mali-400 graphics processor or the newest one out (I just got in the mail) is the Tronsmart T428 quad core Android stick. Just be warned that these are great for what they are but are not ready for the end consumer yet. By that I mean there are several issues, the primary one being Wifi never seems to work right on them due to a flaw in the antenna wire. Wifi works but there are constant dropouts. For my Android dongles (3 of them) I use a USB to Ethernet adapter. Also, you're going to need a wireless keyboard (with trackpad built-in) because typically all you're buying is just the HDMI dongle itself. With all that said, these little dongles have saved me from having to buy a dedicated computer for the kitchen and office to display the cameras and internet/weather/etc. If you want, PM me and I'll help with the Android dongle (since it's OT for this thread).

Oh another thing regarding your requirement for motion detecting and alerting: High on my list is a sensor input for the cameras I want alerts from. I've found doing alerting based on video motion by the camera usually generates a lot of false reports (which is just as bad IMO as not reporting). I want the ability to connect a separate PIR sensor for very accurate alerts and also a IR trip beam for my driveway. With the IR trip beam I will get an alert each time a car or person breaks the beam which is pretty cool. The P33 series Axis cameras have an input as well as the ACTi KCM-5611 (among others).

I'm going the Axis route for my house after narrowing down and agonizing between ACTi and Axis. I've been tinkering around with the $100 to $200 cameras and now that I have things where I want them it's time to upgrade. I just bought the Axis P3367 (5MP)...it should arrive this Friday. There are a lot of brands to consider but ACTi is still a brand I'm considering after buying their E31 1MP camera. I'm about to help install and configure a new 6 camera ACTi system with the ACTi NVR so I may change course depending on that. I can still use the Axis cameras I buy. Axis makes a great camera and supports edge recording which is one of my main reasons for going with it (ie: no additional hardware to be dependent on). The downside is that it doesn't have HDMI out for your TV. For that I have several HDMI Android dongles (I just got a quad core version) that I use for each TV in the house and think that is THE way to go. I can give you more info if you want on that. Once you get the HDMI dongle plug it up to your TV and download one of the security apps. The great thing is that you will not only have your security cameras on the TV but also have the internet, weather, etc just like an Android phone. If you haven't already, check out network camera critic (don't know if I can post links)...it has been a HUGE help for me.

On May 2nd Axis announced the M3025-VE which is $549 (MSRP) and features include: 2MP, day/night (no built-in IR on this version), outdoor-ready dome, sensor inputs, edge recording. The press release states 'WDR' as a feature although I assume it's the standard WDR (which has performed well based on the reviews I've read). The price surprised me for what it is so my first thought was "what's the catch?". Any ideas? Maybe it's cheaper due to the fixed length 93 degrees (as opposed to varifocal)? Or maybe this is just a reflection of keeping with the increases in technology? I know ACTi and others have cameras easily in this price range but this is definitely something new for Axis! I would guess these things will be a hot seller unless there's something I'm not seeing.

Thanks to your suggestion and your reviews of both the P3367 (the 5MP you recommended in the previous posts) and the P3384 I went ahead and ordered the P3367 !!! Based on the low light performance of the P3367 I may get a Lightfinder-enabled camera for a different spot. I just saw that Axis is coming out with a new day/night 2MP mini dome (the M3025-VE) which might be perfect for most of my needs. Depending on the price I'll probably buy that when it comes out. I don't have anything in the same price point to compare the P3367 to right now but within a month I'm getting several of the ACTi KCM-5611's for someone else that I can use to do a comparison in my environment. ...even though your reviews do an EXCELLENT job of highlighting the capabilities of the cameras! Thanks for all who contributed...VERY good info about the toggle between Lightfinder and WDR " title="Applause" />