Geneyus

I didn't know there was a 25mm lens for these. I knew about the 2.8, 4, 6, and 12mm. I don't think I can get the camera any closer to the road without mounting it to a tree and running ground wires. I think the distance from vehicle to the camera in the above picture is about 70-80'. Yeah, it's sounding like the angle + distance is just too much for the camera. That's what I was afraid of. I'm going to try moving the camera over about a foot and directing it at the stop sign where the vehicle stops. If that doesn't work, it probably isn't going to happen from any location on the house.

I have a 12mm Hikvision 2032 bullet camera that points towards the end of my street where cars pull up to the stop sign. The cars are probably going 10-15 mph as they pass through the camera view, but the camera hasn't been able to pick up license plate numbers. The license plate is always blurry. I have the frames per second set to "full frame" on my Hikvision NVR and the quality all the way up (5 boxes out of 5 in settings). What else can I do to make the license plates not blurry during daylight hours? The car takes up a good portion of the screen, so I feel like the license plate should be a little more clear on vehicles going so slow. Am I asking too much? This is the view when I do the digital zoom: This is the normal view on the Hikvision 7604 NVR:

Hello, I just got 3 Hikvision cameras installed using cat6 RJ45 cables off Amazon. The 75 ft cable works fine. I plugged the Hikvision camera into port #1 on the Hikvision NVR, and it came up after a short time. I've had 2 more Hikvision cameras plugged into the NVR with 50 ft and 100 ft cables, but these two cameras aren't showing up. I tried them in ports 2, 3, and 4, but only port #1 is lighting up. I haven't connected my NVR to a computer or my network or anything. I am planning on using it as an off-line DVR. The settings are on "Plug-and-play" since everything is the same brand, and that's what the manual recommends. Any ideas? What are the odds that I have two bad cables? Thanks.

Mike, Do you think you could have zoomed this 6mm footage or a still-image and read the license plate number on the white van? Of course I can't do it on this image you uploaded because Photobucket would downgrade the quality. I'm thinking about going with 6mm for my driveway because the viewing area is a little bit narrower since my driveway goes up between two houses (mine and neighbor). Now I'm wondering if I should go with 6mm or a higher number instead of 4mm. Thanks for uploading these pics. Very helpful.

I don't think giving out a default password is that big of a deal. You can call a DVR company's tech support, and I'm sure they'll tell you the default password if you say you forgot it. If you own a DVR, you should be changing the password anyway. However, I agree with you on giving out information on other ways to get around a password. I've seen other forums that talk about how to break into iPhones and all types of stuff to help users get around passwords that people picked out. I'm sure it's a thief asking. There's another forum that is entirely made up of criminal activity, and they openly talk about picking locks, skimming credit cards, hacking computers, and even poisoning people. Seriously. I work in law enforcement, and I used to read those forums all the time to see what new tricks of the trade are out there. It was enraging reading the stuff people asked for help with.

Any updates to this? I'm curious about what you did.

I would look at some Hikvision 3 MP cameras with 6, 8, or 12mm lenses. There are YouTube videos showing how far the lenses can go. For example, here's a 4mm lens in a parking lot: And here's the difference in the same camera with a 12mm lens in the same lot: I don't know of any cameras that can look that far at night without a lot of additional IR lighting.

thats assuming 24/7 recording...i generally get around a month on 8 cams set to motion around a home at 3mp...even with lots of motion, two weeks ... I was wondering about recording time. Thanks. I will make sure I setup motion recording. Update from my original post: I have two Hikvision 3MP cameras shipping right now, and I already received a Hikvision 7604 NVR, cat6 cables, and WD purple hard-drive. I want my cameras! I installed the hard-drive and tinkered with the NVR. The menu seems pretty simple. I think I made the right choice. My house is a perfect rectangle with no entrance on one side, so I only need 3 or 4 cameras max.

I highly recommend Simplisafe. It is completely wireless, uses cellular calling, and you buy it and install it yourself. It is very easy to use with low monthly monitoring and text alerts for events. I've had it for about 5 years, and I love it. I also have a water alarm for my water heater and monitored smoke detectors. The beauty of a wireless system is that you can move and adjust it as you wish. www.simplisafe.com

"Acquired", eh? Is that the same as bought? The default password on mine was 12345.

Did you ever post these viewing angles? I'm curious to see them. I have a 4mm on the way, and I'm waiting to see the viewing angle before I get another 4mm or change.

Thanks for the response. I ended up buying the DS-7604NI-SE NVR from Amazon after doing a lot more homework. I didn't like the idea of buying an NVR that was a little bit cheaper without POE capabilities and having to run wires to a POE switch as well... Too many wires! I bought a Western Digital Purple 1TB harddrive to go with the NVR. WD recommends their purple harddrive for CCTV systems. I also ordered 2 Hikvision DS-2CD2032-I cameras to start out.

Has anyone just used eletrical tape to wrap all connections really well? I plan on mounting my cameras under eves.

Has anyone used a Hikvision NVR with cheap POE cameras? I ordered a Hikvision NVR with (2) DS-2CD2332-I cameras, and I'd like to add two cheaper cameras (maybe 1 MP, around $40-50) to add some coverage to areas of lesser importance... just because I'll have the POE ports available. Can anyone mention a brand/model that has worked well with Hikvision NVRs?

I need help deciding on a camera system for my home. I have a rectangle shaped house, so I only need 4 cameras max. I don't really need to watch footage over the internet, but it would be nice if there was an app that would allow it. I could run an ethernet cable to my router if needed. I want to record to a DVR/NVR and be able to put footage on a USB drive for the police if something happens (I'm at the entrance to my neighborhood). My budget is around $300 for the DVR/NVR, and a little bit over $100 for each camera. That's what the wife approved. Here's what I'm currently looking at: Option #1: Hikvision DS-7604NI-SE/P 4Ch POE NVR @ $215 + buying a 1TB harddrive http://www.amazon.com/Hikvision-DS-7604NI-SE-Channel-ports-Installed/dp/B00L0XF70E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1423966182&sr=8-2&keywords=hikvision+ds-7604 Hikvision DS-2CD2332-I 3MP EXIR Turret Network Camera @ $117 each (quantity 4) http://www.amazon.com/Hikvision-DS-2CD2332-I-Turret-Network-Camera/dp/B00GYHEG0S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1423966528&sr=8-4&keywords=hikvision Option #2: Dahua NVR4208-8 8 CH POE NVR @ $280 + buying a 1TB harddrive http://www.amazon.com/Dahua-NVR4208-8P-Megapixel-Surveillance-INSTALLED/dp/B00IAZ3KRC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423966633&sr=8-1&keywords=dahua+nvr4208 (4x) Dahua IPC-HFW4300S 3MP bullet or dome @ $120ea (quantity 4) http://www.amazon.com/Dahua-IPC-HFW4300S-3Megapixel-progressive-Security/dp/B00Q3GKPLO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423966292&sr=8-1&keywords=ipc-hfw3200sp Option #3 You recommend something better for the same price point. And can anyone tell me if these small, white NVRs from Dahua are worth anything? Some of these have looked appealing. http://www.amazon.com/Dahua-Channel-Network-Recorder-Cameras/dp/B00GNJZIB8/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1423966890&sr=8-8&keywords=dahua+nvr#customerReviews I don't know which system to go with for ease-of-use and if there's an easy app to use. I really like the turret style cameras.