Boogieman

First thing to test is the hard drive. Its likely dead.

Any analog camera should work, but why waste money on low resolution...you can buy an entire new system that is HD for a few hundred.

The form factor is irrelevant for weather..they all have the same weather rating. The fire stick would replace the DVR/nvr for viewing on your tv - you would use the hikvision app ..since you dont have a router, that is out. Im guessing you want to keep it simple. How important is the wireless aspect? Can you run a cable from the camera to a DVR/NVR?

You will not notice the difference. Get an hd system.

Thanks Sonny! I had no idea about the different types. Question though: What does the D1 stand for in your last example? Also, are those types equal or better in severe weather? I live in the Chicago area and we get hit hard with snow and wind. Sometimes the snow blows straight sideways or swirls up. D1 is very low resoluton, 960h is not much better...much worse than 720p..D1 will look like total crap once blown up on your large tv. I know sunny is going to argue the point..claim they are all the same...but really who are you going to believe, some china scammer, or your own eyes. Also those systems are not wireless. While i never recommend wifi for security, this seems to be a bird watching system so you will be ok. All the technologies are basically the same with respect to weather. Dont waste your money on a junk low resolution analog system..even if it is for birdwatching, you want to enjoy a good picture. Dont let anyone tell you that D1 uses the same sensor as 1080p and its all the same. It is NOT. See for yourself. You should be looking at a minimum of 720p, 1080p is even better. If you go with an ip system you will not have to mess with a DVR..you can record direct to the camera via sd card...that camera you linked to is a china version so you wont be able to upgrade the firmware. Search google for 2CD2120F-IW you will find a US seller selling a US region camera for 129..all you need is an injector like you posted. You can use a cheap 25 dollar amazon fire stick to stream the video direct to your tv.

What is you budget? How many cameras? Are you placing any outside?

1) Get your money back. What kind of company installs something but cannot tell you how to use it. 2)Is your screen blank or does it display a grid but no image? 3) what kind of cameras are connected to this unit? analog? ip? both?

The thread had ended. You guys are rehashing it.

Likewise.

Its the internet. You are way too easily disgusted and offended. Maybe they could make a "safe zone" for you.

Donny, I am not the one who said foscam is the ONLY camera. YOU are the one who stated, incorrectly, that OP should "Avoid any IP Camera that uses what's known as a "IR-CUT" filter if you intend to use IR light to see outside at night from the inside looking through a window. " So, you tell the OP to avoid ANY camera IR cut, when there are MANY cameras that let you disable the IR independent of the IR filter. So your statement on its face is completely WRONG. Lets see you spin the word "any" to mean something that fits your narrative.

You were wrong and are wrong about this subject matter. Own that! Note that I said "Generally Speaking" when I stated that IP Cameras use the same switching circuitry for their IR-CUT filters and IR light controls. I never made any blanket statement that all IP Cameras did same. The above statement is an example of an inaccurate, misleading and false statement. Because it's ALL inclusive and excludes NO IP Cameras of any kind. Please provide any scientific facts provided by trusted sources, that only Foscam IP Cameras use Electromechanical IR-CUT filters in their IP Cameras which use the same internal switching circuitry for their IR-CUT filters and IR light controls. Otherwise, please stop babbling and read and study more. Because you are only continuing to make yourself look more silly than what you already appeared to be. Don Wow, you are completely wrong and cannot admit it. A cameras night vision capability with IR OFF is NOT in anyway related to whether or not it has IR lights or not.. Whats with you and scientific facts. Look up any hikvision, vivotek, axis manual and you will see that they all have the ability to disable IR light while staying in night mode allowing the use of external IR. That is FACT!!!! You are simply lying trying to cover up your tracks as is your MO. So now how are you going to disprove the owners manual. Hmmmm, guess the companies are wrong...you are right..they dont know their own product. Fool.

This is absolutely incorrect. Whether or not a camera has an ir cut filter has ZERO bearing on its low light viewing capability with the IR off. You need to stop with your misleading advice to end users. Your statement, is once again a very misinformed one. Many IP Cameras have a Electromechanical IR-CUT filter which slides back and forth over the IP Camera sensor, when IR Lights are enabled/disabled for a IP Camera. Since the IR-CUT filter in those IP Cameras is over the camera sensor when it's in day mode. IR light is filtered from reaching the camera sensor. As long as the IR lights are off in those IP Cameras. The IR filter will remain over the camera sensor filtering IR light. This means that even external IR lighting will not be picked up well until the IP Cameras IR lights are enabled and that IR-CUT filter is slid away from the camera sensor. Generally speaking. IP Cameras that have this feature, do not have the ability to separately move the IR-CUT filter over or away from their camera sensor. Without also simultaneously enabling/disabling their IR lights. Meaning that those functions are on the same internal switching circuitry, of those IP Cameras. Google is your friend about this as well: "The perfect night guard: Cameras with infrared lighting The challenge when doing surveillance with infrared: Infrared light leads to colour distortion during the day. This is why day/night cameras feature an IR-cut filter which keeps the disturbing infrared light out of the image sensor during the day. When the light falls below a certain level, in contrast, the filter automatically swivels out of the way so that the infrared light does hit the image sensor. At the same time, the camera switches to black/white mode, in which it can use the infrared light optimally." From: http://www.abus.com/eng/Commercial-Security/Video-Surveillance/IP-HD-SDI-analog-HD-or-analog/IR-cut-filter "About Mechanical IR Cut Filters IR light is filtered out so that it does not distort the colours of images as the human eye sees them. When the camera is in night (black and white) mode, the IR-cut filter is removed, allowing the camera's light sensitivity to reach down to 0.001 lux or lower." From: http://www.camsecure.co.uk/IRCutFilter.html Please try and do more reading and studying about subjects you have no experience with. Because you are looking very silly as you attack others using false, misleading and incorrect statements. For sure, as you continue to make these misleading, false and unsubstantiated statements. It's not making you look any smarter. I commend you for trying to use your 2+ years of IP Camera experience to try to sometimes help others with IP Camera issues. But you have not reached the supreme level of "Expert of All Things For All IP Cameras". This is NOT a video game. So please continue to learn and study before acting like you won some video game. Which you have not. I am personally not aware of any single person who is a "Expert of All Things For All IP Cameras". So better to continue to read and study, than always claiming that you have already reached, an unobtainable goal. Don Once again you are misinformed because you are only exposed to foscams toy cameras. So i think when you say "generally speaking" you really mean, "generally speaking my experience with low end just foscam and their clones". Many camera have option to disable IR light independent of the filter. Hikvision is one such brand. There are many others like axis, vivotek that have control of the IR filter. It is clear that you are an extreme amateur. These are BASIC camera 101 facts. The fact that you are unaware about this but giving "advice" is mind boggling.

This is absolutely incorrect. Whether or not a camera has an ir cut filter has ZERO bearing on its low light viewing capability with the IR off. You need to stop with your misleading advice to end users.

I will not furnish you with anything. There is no statistical data and you know it. The reason is explained in my earlier post. No sane installer will touch this garbage until its proven. Foolish as usual. Its ok, I understand why you cannot grasp this. Its not your fault. Its simply because you have never installed an ip camera. Also stop editing your post after the fact its misleading and you do it intentionally. LOL from the man who has no documented experience anywhere on the Internet worldwide older than 2+ years that has anything to do with IP cameras. Well said for that limited experience. Nice try. Your claims would be confirmed and validated by trusted sources by now. If your claims were valid. Nobody could hide those facts. Must be a "Conspiracy Theory" you believe in where a group of people are hiding the "Real Truth" from IP Camera owners. LOL. Do you know of any other secrets being held from us? Don Oh, i see, so now experience now must be documented on the internet? Do you mean like in a webpage I create myself then post online? Then link in my signature? I dont understand...Is that what it takes to validate myself. Fool.

I will not furnish you with anything. There is no statistical data and you know it. The reason is explained in my earlier post. No sane installer will touch this garbage until its proven. Foolish as usual. Its ok, I understand why you cannot grasp this. Its not your fault. Its simply because you have never installed an ip camera. Also stop editing your post after the fact its misleading and you do it intentionally.

LOL now your going to once again make things up and say that good ones need to mostly be expensive. Again, where's your scientific facts by a trusted source to back this garbage up now? Don Quality brands like axis, Avigilon, vivotek are simply more expensive. Hikvsiion and dahua also both have more expensive lines. I have tested enough "new" promising cameras to know they have HIGH failure rates. The led's are overdriven and fail, in 6-12 months, the ir cut filters fail, and on the zoom cameras the focus mechanism fails. You can rant and rave all you want...no one has statistical data because installers who install many cameras will not risk their reputation on a startup. I owe you nothing and will provide nothing to you. Show me data that says that startup brands are just as reliable as established brands...you cant. I know reliability is a hard concept to grasp since you deal with foscams...its important to installers and their customers.

Yes there are, many good ones, though most are expensive. Foscam should NEVER be considered at any cost. See my post above. This particular brand has not been proven. An installer would have to be insane to start putting them up, risking having to warranty them and his/her reputation. You have never installed an ip camera other than a wireless foscam on your kitchen table so you wont understand.

Take your own advice. You are the king of fear mongering. yes you can in fact comment on reliability even on a new model from a reliable brand. A brand the constantly pushes out reliable products can be expected to continue that trend. Random new companies on the other hand cannot. There have been many of these new startups that look promising, but then the cameras start to fail and they disappear.

No one attacked it. Just mentioned the potential issues. Dont get offended. You are the one who brought up hikvision and dahua.There is mention of lots of other brands on this forum, including axis, avigilon, vivotek etc... The camera may be fun to play with, but not to install 1000 of them to later learn of issues. That is the point being made.

You implied that is was done in this thread. We have had this discussion MANY times over. I'm not getting into this again. Don't make stuff up. What I stated is clear. Please re-read it if what I stated confuses you! Don Making stuff up is your MO. Stop being a jerk.

You implied that is was done in this thread. We have had this discussion MANY times over. I'm not getting into this again.

That camera, like the foscam clones is compete trash... Suggesting the purchase of "Grey Market" Hikvision equipment that might not be capable of upgrading and might become incompatible with other Hikvision equipment in the future are really trashy suggestions. Seems like you have a very selective definition of "Trash" which is limited to your limited experience as well! LOL I would read many different reviews, in many different places by others who have purchased the equipment in question. Then based on your budget do what many others say is working for them vs. making a purchase based on any single persons statements alone. Any single person can play pro American football from their couch. Few would survive the first play on the field for a pro team and not end up in the hospital. Better to get many opinions from many people and then read many reviews in many places about their suggested equipment choices. The truth is much like comparing an older model car or truck you once had years ago to current models. Things change. Maybe the current model is better or worse than the older model you once had. So, one can't claim that any specific IP Camera model now is this or that. If they never owned that IP Camera model now being sold. This is why reading as many reviews in different places from others is so important. Because you do get the comments from others that have actually used that specific model. Don No one suggested a gray market camera. What is WRONG with you?

That camera, like the foscam clones is compete trash...

If you want to use existing wiring then you will need to use an HD over coax system like CVI or TVI...you will still have issues with motion detection but the image will be MUCH better. http://www.costco.com/Lorex-8-Channel-HD-Analog-DVR-with-2TB-HDD%2c-8-1080p-Cameras-with-130'-Night-Vision.product.100218592.html You might want to consider cameras with an alarm in/out connection for PIR sensors...you will need to rewire. Some IP cameras have more advanced motion detection options like line cross detection that will significantly reduce false alerts.