FELTONCONSULTING

I just tried to order an ExtremeCCTV EX-10 and found that it had to be shipped directly from ExtremeCCTV in Canada. This is the third Extreme product I am purchasing and each time I have had to wait over 30 days for delivery. I simply cannot wait this long. Is this an issue with Extreme or is it just that resellers do not like to keep it in stock? Has anyone had any luck getting Extreme products shipped the same day or at in least less than a month? Thanks.

Well I ordered th EX10S.305 from one of the distributors listed on the Extreme web site. Extreme seems to provide an excellent product everytime. My electrical box series cameras have performed well outdoors in both an outdoor weather proof enclosure as well as trcessed in a solid concerte wall which I chiseled out to fit a deep gang box. Now it is time to run some innerduct and EMT to some pull boxes in my attic built circa 1938 and finish the runs to standard . Of course, it is always fun running cable in the hot and humid Miami weather. I am sure Rory can vouch for that. Sometimes I feel like a SARs victim when I emerge from attic with a 100 degree body temp and covered in rockwool.

Are you looking to just sell the equipment or do you plan to perform installations?

A minimum separation distance of two inches should be fine between low voltage (LV) and high voltage (HV) cabling ( NEC 820.52(A)(2) ). I do this all the time for data runs. Of course, it is always best to sepearate them as much as possible. Just make sure that if you must to cross a high voltage line, you do so at 90 degrees (perpendicular) and never run low voltage and high voltage in the same conduit (you are essentially creating a transformer when you run high and a low voltage wires parallel to each other and sufficiently close together). Besides the physics lesson, no one expects to be electrocuted when fiddling with coax or other LV cable, so don't be mean by allowing for that possibility! Also, consult electrical codes and regulations specific to you locality as well as the NEC previously referenced before beginning your project. Hope this helps. Josh

Well, I just bought a JVC VR-609U nine channel DVR from the JVC outlet (b-stock). Has anyone used this or similar units from JVC? It is built solid, but it fails to meet my initial expectations. My first problem was getting the rubber feet screwed in. The screws just wouldn't go in straight and, believe me, I know how to screw . Fine then, I plan to rack mount this unit anyway. It even came with a nice rack mount kit. I hope I can finish screwing this time! Once I had the unit plugged and running, I connected it to my old school, first generation, Gateway labeled (yuck), 15" LCD. The boot screen was appeared clear and crisp and then -- nothing (amber light). So I connected the output to my TV and got a decent picture from the unit. Next, I setup the unit for VGA output. After connecting the cable, I got an image of nothing but fuzzy blue noise. Ok, maybe I should refer to the manual and this is what was printed: 1. Select the Spot Out channel. 2. Select VGA output.( If you check the VGA output, monitor screen quality is worse than before.) ... What the hell does that mean and who proof reads this nonsense? Does that poorly structured sentence mean that the VGA output is supposed to suck? I'm sorry, but there is no excuse for a unit that sells for over $2700.00 (price from Gemini Computers) to have such a crappy manual and if my understanding is correct there is also no excuse for a bad image coming through the 15-pin VGA port. After screwing around with the settings for about an hour I magically got an faint image to appear. The image was so faded that I could not read the menu choices. At least there were screen captures in the manual that I could use to count the number of times I needed to press the down arrow and enter. The next day I brought the DVR into my office and tested it on several LCD displays. The image on my NEC medical imaging display looked great, except that the lines dividing the quad display were shuddering slightly. I tried connecting to both a ViewSonic and Dell display and obtained similar results. So the old LCD may be the problem. Unfortunately, I do not have an LCD display with composite inputs because there is no way I am spending $700.00 for such a display. Anyway, I am wondering if the issue is with the refurbished unit rather than the design; however I am suspicious of that poorly written note in the manual. Let me translate it on a fifth-grade reading level for the good folks at JVC who I am sure are not reading this: Original: If you check the VGA output, monitor screen quality is worse than before. Translation: The picture will look like sh*t, if you plug your monitor into the VGA connector. The latter, while crude, would have been far more useful to the reader don't you think? I am still testing this unit and I plan to share more of my experiences as they develop. By the way, this experience makes me appreciate the Pelco DX4000 I a currently using even more. It is damn stable with no downtime since I installed it, VGA and BNC output work simultaneously, no poor English (except for error messages in the remote interface), and it is well supported. In fact, I would have stuck with Pelco, but an equivalent model to the JVC would have exceeded my budget. As always, your comments, suggestions, and criticism are appreciated.

I currently own a Pelco DX4004 DVR and I thought I would post my comments on the unit. I have been using the DX-4004 for about six months and have found it to be very reliable. I have found the image quality acceptable, but as stated in other posts, image quality is only going to be as good as the cameras providing the image. The unit boots up in about 20 seconds and has run 24x7 without a problem. While the build quality is excellent, I do suspect that PELCO has relabeled a DVR produced by one of the "usual suspects", but this is only speculation. User Experience The user interface (UI) is intuitive and well designed. After opening the box, I had the unit up and running with motion activated recording in about fifteen minutes. Even my wife can operate the unit. Remote Client Software The remote client is easy to use and provides the ability to download video to your PC. I typically download video I need to retain to my laptop and then back it up on DVD. This is done over my wireless network and a minute of video recorded at the highest image quality setting and with a 704X240 resolution is about 20 MB. I do like the ability to download the video to my computer; however, this feature is completely worthless if you plan to archive more than a few minutes of video over an average WAN connection. I must also caution anyone considering purchasing this DVR about its weak security. The password must be four digits selected from the set 1,2,3,4. This is completely unacceptable! It is simply too easy to guess the password. So if you plan to use this DVR using a public connection, I suggest securing access to the system by implementing a VPN. I can't believe a unit costing almost $1000.00 would lack decent password security. Customer Service In the past, customer service and support are not features (and yes I consider them features) that I valued. I felt that having a with a decent warranty was enough assurance. Well, as many of you know that is not always the case. After being burnt so many times, I chose to purchase a DVR from a company that is known to standby their products. Let me just say this PELCO offers excellent and friendly customer support. When I lost the remote for my unit last week I began to freak out over finding a replacement. I decided to call PELCO and ask them if it could be replaced. After nervously dialing the customer support phone number, I was surprised that a human answered the phone. I stated my problem, she looked up the part number, and gave me the names of local distributors that carry the part. The call lasted one minute. PELCO is the only company I have called for support where I have not wanted to strangle the person on the other end of the phone for wasting my time or not listening to me. The representative understood my concern and helped me resolve it in a quick and friendly manner. It really made a huge difference. Overall, I am satisfied with my purchase and I hope PELCO addresses the password issue with the DX-4000 series. Now that I have given my opinion, I would like yours: I wish to move up a class or two for my next DVR purchase. A unit offering more with respect to remote access and archiving for under $2000.00 is desired. I have been drooling over the PELCO DV-5004 which seems to have an excellent set of features. Unfortunately, the best price I could find was about $2500.00 which is more than I am willing to pay. Please advise.

Rory, Indeed, I could have bigger problems, although I would not put it past her to commit a violent act. To be honest I probably would have installed he cameras regardless. Aside from Miami not being the safest city in the US, I love to play with gadgets . Thanks again.

I am seeking comments, suggestions and answers to a couple questions I have about a recent bullet camera installation I performed. I currently have a bullet camera mounted on the exterior of my house (all concrete block). I mounted the camera to the wall using Tapcons. In order to get the Tapcons to fit, I had to widen the hole on the mounting bracket first. Then I drilled a 1" hole into my attic and ran the camera's cable through it. Inside I connected the video and power to a length of RG-59 siamese cable and terminated it in a low voltage gang-box with a keystone BNC connector. Once I tested the video and power signal, I applied some silicone to the hole to create a water tight seal. This leads me to my first question: How do you guys (the real pros ) mount these cameras outdoors? Personally I prefer to use a box camera with an outdoor enclosure and run the cable through liquid tight flexi. Unfortunately my wife did not want the house looking like a walk-up ATM, so we reached a compromise with the bullet camera. My main issue with the installation is that of the cables being exposed and run through the concrete wall. They could easily be cut or be damaged by the elements. Is there any way to get this wire into a conduit with a liquid tight barrier? I am looking forward to hearing your comments. Thanks.

I had the Police at my door at 5:00AM this morning. My neighbor made the outrageous claim that I threw fast-food chicken on her lawn at 4:00 AM. I did not even need to show the officer the video as I had pillow marks all over my face and a severe case of bed-head. This crazy lady is the main reason I installed cameras in my home. It is sad that I have to protect my family from this type of nonsense. Also, thanks to all who replied. Now I don't feel so bad about the job I did.