scorpion

How about a landmine similiar to these if they are walking on the property? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paintball_equipment#Paint_mines Paint mines Paint mines are simulated land mines for use in Paintball. Several devices have been designed to spray paint over an area when triggered by passing players. Some of these devices are placed on the ground where, once a person steps on them, forces paint to shoot up and around the target marking the stepper and any nearby teammates. Another, rarely used form of mine functions with tripwires. Placed hidden on a tree or bush, the trip wire extends over a much larger area. Once tripped; a pin is released, like a paint grenade, the paint is forced out through the tight narrow tubes which shower the area with paint. Precise methods of spraying paint or triggering the mine vary; however, due to insurance reasons, no paint mines use any sort of explosive. http://www.addictedtopaintball.com/store-products-MP-M80TR-M80-TR_40342059.html http://www.addictedtopaintball.com/store-products-MP-Master-Master-Mine_5633676.html http://www.specialopspaintball.com/shop/product_detail.asp?SKU=611+0006&CAT=114202 Can we load the land mine with NAPALM?? We could set out pungi sticks too! OOPS! Sorry! I got a little carried away! LOL!

http://www.selfdefensesupply.com/driveway-patrol-remote-wireless/ It is remote activated. What do you think?

Is this indoors, or outdoors?? You cannot go on specs alone! Please note that I have high spec camera that I would not give to my worst enemy, and then there are some nondescript cameras that you would not think twice about them, and yet they perform like magic!! You are not taking these people to court, and this tells me that you do not need an affadavit. This means you are not hiring someone licensed to perform the surveillance who can provide the affadavit. This means that you are only doing this for your own curiosity. Are you doing this as a form of voyerism?? If they are caught red handed what will the punishment be? If you record this video, and you keep this information to yourself, and never, ever say anything to the recorded, and surveilanced individual(s) then noone is the wiser, and you do not have to reap the consequences. If you are going to catch a person performing an act, and then show them the video of the action, then you have to check the liabilities of your surveillance. 1. Is this your own property, then have you handed them in writing bout the areas that are off limits, so that they cannot say "we didnt know, he never said anything". This eliminates the he said / she said situation. 2. Is this crime a misdemeanor, or a felony. ________________________________________________________ I know the answer, and it is just to solve your curiosity, and you could careless about legalities, and they will see the video, and yes, they are BUSTED, and caught on tape!! For indoors. Only you can answer that question. Buy it, and buy it now. Test this camera before you actually use it in the scenerio that you want to use it in. If the test works, then set up the camera, and catch the act, and you are good to go. If the test does not work then buy another camera, test it, and if it passes, then you are good to go. If it does not work then buy another one. If this option is too expensive, then tally up the estimated cost of buying several cameras, plus shipping, plus your wasted time, (your time = $100.00), and then compare to hiring a company to bring out a camera that they will install, and provide you the video that you need. ___________________________________________________________ Your camera looks like the camera that I use as "secondary" cameras that I use in bars, and night clubs. I use these to watch non threat areas such as dart board area, pool tables, crane machines, table areas, ect. I use very high end cameras at the front door, the back door, and the cash register. When I catch video on my mini B/W camera I then can go to the high end camera to get a facial shot. __________________________________________________________ If assuming your camera works in my environment, then here is how to make it work. Bars have beer neon signs, and pool table lights that provide low level lighting. Rope lighting , and "night lights" help alot too. I do not know where you are setting up the camera, but do you have low lighting?? Can you install low lighting? ________________________________________________________ http://eclipsecctv.com/ECL-CPIRD_hidden_camera.html This camera works in a 15X15 office with no lights on. The only light source is an EMERGENCEY EXIT SIGN, that provide the only lighting at night. You would be very impressed with the video (considering the covert, and lighting situation). _________________________________________________________ Can you hide the camera inside of something that matches the "decor" of the area where the camera is going? Outdoors I hide bullet cameras in dog houses, bird house, and I make fake water pump "Pump House" to hide cameras in. If this is a "baby sitter" situation, and they are not allowed to go into a masterbedroom, or a liquor cabinet, then a DVR with screws on the back that triggers the DVR with alarm style magnets should work! You have the privacy, and only recording when a door is opened!! What do you think?

Holy Smokes!! Lets see. How many power strips will I need? Where will I put the power strips for the 8 12 volt "wall warts". Can I plug the second power strip in to the first power strip? Shall I bolt the power strips to the wall behind some furniture where they can hide? If I have 8 wall warts, 1 DVR, 1 monitor, 1 table lamp, 1 table clock will I exceed the limitations of my circuit breaker? Will my fire marshall drop dead from a heart attack when he sees all of those wires laying on my carpet??? OK! OK! I am over doing it, but it is food for thought!

http://www.pelco.com/products/default.aspx?id=678 ftp://ftp.pelco.com/ProductSpecs/Pelco_Intelli-M_Supervisor_Plus_Specification_Sheet.pdf

I have to agree with you!! In 2006 most of my customers earned $15,000, to $20,000 a year in income. I was doing 20 installs a month. I did not say I enjoyed selling the AVtechs, but for the customer, and the price I was able to fill a niche market that was being ripped off by others, and also by "trunk thumpers". Now that I have grown my business I can no longer cater to the $15,000, to $20,000 income customers. I have to say that I am really enjoying working with higher end products. Now I have to go back to "school", and learn all about Pelco DVRs, and Cameras. I am hoping that I can be as knowledgable with the Pelcos, as I am with the AVtechs. I do have to admit that when you make mistakes on entry level equipment it does not hurt so much such as the first time I hot swapped a hard drive on an AVC 777. Opps! Fax Paux! They are not hot swapable!!! Yikes!! The DVR survived, but the hard drive did not. Whew!!

I would say go with a local company and have them do a site survey, and go with what they recommend. Later down the road when some issue comes up it would be nice to just pick up the phone, and let them worry about dead cameras, bad wiring, ground loop issues, or anything else that may pop up. Ask them about being able to swap cameras within the first couple of weeks. This way if you end up with the wrong lens selection, or camera selection maybe they can swap it out, to meet your expectations. Before you buy a camera have them bring out a bunch of different cameras, and have them stand on a ladder with a the cameras while you look at the monitor. You may be surprised at what you see, and what you expected to see. Do not forget about the distance distortion on wide angle cameras.

LEAP FROG TRAINING http://www.ltctrainingcntr.com/

http://eclipsecctv.com/ECL-SP470E_PTZ_CAMERA.html

$40.00 a month for internet connection. $30.00 a month for electricity. $1000.00 for a computer. Free advice on a forum........................PRICELESS!!! LOL!

If you do not need the pan, and tilt features there are cameras that you can put in to an outdoor enclosure that are called zoom cameras. http://avssys.net/?s=product&sub=camera&cat=box&p=hnz I like the 220X zoom cameras. Some come with their own special controller, and you may have to cut the cord in half, and attach it to another cable so that you can run it a distance to the camera, and still control the zoom. There are zoom cameras that use the Pelco protocol to zoom in, and out, and you have to use a special controller that cost a little more. They may be 22X (X = times) optical magnification, and 10X digital magnification for a total of 220X. At the maximum range of the optical, and the digital magnification you will notice that there is a lot of pixalization, and this is normal for these kind of zoom systems. Make sure you do not buy a 9X optical, and a 10X digital if you really need to zoom in at a far distance!!

I understand your confusion. There are some keywords that interchangable that create the confusion. True day/night means that there is a filter inside the camera. A sensors tell the filter to slide in front of the camera, or to slide out of the way of the camera. Unfortunatly the day/night camera can mean that it has IR LEDs, and that the camera can "see" in the dark, or in complete darkness. Each camera works best in the "environment" that it was designed for. This means that you may have to forget about reading the specs of the camera, and actually place it in a dark environment, and see how it actually works. A long time ago I was doing a demo of some cameras in a dark nightclub. I just so happened to bring a one inch by one inch mini camera that was in the box for my next presentation later in the day. I went ahead, and I hooked up this little mini camera, and I damn near fell off my ladder as there was a really good video on my monitor. What in the world?????? Wow! What a find!! I started demoing it at all of my bars, nightclubs, and cabarets, and I was able to sell expensive cameras for the front door, backdoor, cashregister, and then I sold med priced cameras for other areas, and then I used the mini camera for around pool talbles, dartboards, tables, and chairs, and other low threat areas in a business. I retailed the camera for $100.00, and owners were really happy to have more cameras then what they thought they would have had. The front, and back door cameras retailed at $1000.00. Imagine getting a bid for a night club where every camera cost $1000.00, or a total of $16,000 just for cameras only!! Do you see how I mixed, and matched various types of cameras in the same environment, to achieve different results?? Front door, and back door is where I want a really good facial identification. In a black, and white mini camera video, I can ID the person, and refer back to the front door camera for what the person looks like, but the mini cheap one can show me who threw the first punch at the pool tables to the police officer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpxUZijpZSo&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SxdcxJJOjQ&NR=1

This was posted by intelliGEORGE on Aug 14, 2007 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=9599 1. Use solid core co-axial cable only, not stranded cable. The solid core must have a copper core with copper shield. 2. Avoid high voltage cable. A good rule to follow is: for every 100 volts there should be a separation of 1ft between the video cable and power cable. 3. While cabling, avoid areas like electrical equipment or transmitter rooms etc., where EMI interference is expected. This can create all types of interference to the video picture. Co-axial cable is very easily prone to EMI. 4. Minimize cable breaks - Every extra connection in the cable can deteriorate the quality of the video signal. If unavoidable, make sure the insulation is good; otherwise over time the exposed cable can touch the ground causing ground loop currents. It may be difficult or expensive to fix such problems in the future. 5. Avoid sharp bends, which affects the cable impedance causing picture reflection and distortion. This is especially true while getting all the cable into the CCTV monitor rack. 6. Poor BNC connections are the major cause of poor picture quality. Also BNC connectors should be replaced every couple of years and should be part of the system maintenance program. 7. Use metal conduits for high security applications. 8. Use heavy-duty cable for outdoor applications providing better protection against the elements. IP Addressing Every device connected to the network that uses the TCP/IP protocol has a unique IP address. IP Address = Internet Protocol Address. In the current version 4.0, the IP address is made up of four sets of numbers separated by dots. Example: 131.103.243.192. Each number set is one byte or 8 bits long. In other words the IP address is 4 bytes or 32 bits long. Since each number set is 8 bits long, it covers a number range of 0 to 255. Therefore the max number of an IP address is 255.255.255.255 Parts of an IP address The IP address has two parts. One part is the network address, while the second part gives the device address within the network. The IP address can be compared to the mailing address Network address = Zip Code Device address = Street or PO Box address. The identification of the network and device address within the IP address depends upon the classification of the network. Class A: The first number set is used to specify the network address, while remaining three number sets specify the device. Address Range: 001.xxx.xxx.xxx to 127.xxx.xxx.xxx Example: 81.234.101.56 All the numbers in this class are already assigned. Government or large commercial organizations have been assigned this range. Class B: First two number sets indicate the network address, while the balance two indicate the device. Address Range: 128.001.xxx.xxx to 191.254.xxx.xxx Example: 144.56.234.101 This class is assigned to universities, commercial organizations and Internet Service Providers (ISP). Class C: In this case the first 3 number sets specify the network address, while the remaining number set indicates the device address. Address Range: 192.000.001.xxx to 223.255.254.xxx Example: 228.7.8.201 The maximum number of devices that can be attached to a single network address is 254; it is therefore suitable for smaller networks. Shortage of IP address The numbers of networks and devices have exploded in the recent past. This means that the availability of IP addresses is getting exhausted. Some Options: Temporary IP Address; One solution to overcome the IP address shortage is to provide temporary address to devices as and when the device connects to the Internet. After the device disconnects, the same address can be given to another device, this how ISP’s operate. Reduce Need for IP Address: The Router, which is the starting point of the network, has a fixed IP address. All the devices connected to this network use this IP address. The router has the address list of the devices network card (NIC) and uses this address to communicate within the network. IP version 6.0 To overcome the IP address shortage, a new version 6.0 is being proposed. It has 6 number sets separated by dots. The size of the address will be 128 bits. With the introduction of version 6.0, there would 5 classes A, B, C, D and E. Resolution Resolution is a key specification of any CCTV equipment. It is the quality of definition and clarity of a picture. It is defined in number of lines for an analog signal and number of pixels for a digital signal. More lines or pixels = higher resolution = better picture quality. Camera resolution depends upon the number of pixels in the CCD chip. If a camera manufacturer can put in more pixels in the same size CCD chip, that camera will have a better resolution. In other words the resolution is directly proportional to the number of pixels in the CCD chip. Any CCTV device has two types of resolution, vertical and horizontal: Vertical Resolution Vertical resolution = number of horizontal lines or pixels. The vertical resolution cannot be greater the number of TV scanning lines, which is 625 lines for PAL and 525 lines for NTSC. Because some of the lines are lost in the interlacing of fields, the maximum vertical resolution possible as per the Kell factor is 0.75 of the number of horizontal scanning lines. Using this, the maximum vertical resolution possible is For PAL 625 X .75 = 470 lines For NTSC 525 X .75 = 393 lines Vertical resolution is not a critical issue as most camera manufacturers achieve this figure. Horizontal Resolution Horizontal resolution = number of vertical lines. Theoretically horizontal resolution can be increased infinitely, but the following two factors limit this • It may not be technological possible to increase the number of pixels in a chip. • As the number of pixels increase in the chip, the pixel size becomes smaller which lowers the sensitivity. There is a trade off between resolution and sensitivity. If only one resolution is shown in the data sheet, it usually it is the horizontal resolution. Measuring Resolution There are different methods to measure resolution: 1. Resolution Chart The camera is focused on a resolution chart and the vertical lines and horizontal lines are measured on the monitor. The resolution measurement is the point were the lines start merging and they cannot be separated. Problems • The merging point can be subjective as different people perceive it differently • The resolution of the monitor must be higher than the camera. This is not a problem with Black and white monitors, but is a problem with many color monitors as they usually have a lower resolution as compared to a color camera. 2. Bandwidth Method This is a scientific method to measure the resolution. The bandwidth of the video signal from the CCTV equipment is measured on an oscilloscope. Multiply this bandwidth by 80 to give the resolution of the camera. Example: If the bandwidth is 5 MHz, the camera resolution will be 5 * 80 = 400 lines Human Eye and CCTV Technology The CCTV and video technology has been designed to meet the characteristics of the human eye. Starting with the camera, the human eye is the final recipient of the video signal. This information will explain how some of the properties of the human eye have made an impact on CCTV or video technology. Eye and Persistency of Image The human eye and a camera are quite similar. Both have a lens, an iris, and a light sensitive imaging area. In a camera it is the CCD chip, while in the eye it is the retina. It is important to understand the Persistency of Image of the human eye. Any image formed by the eye is retained in the Retina for 40 ms (0.004 sec) only and after that it disappears. This is known as the persistency of the human eye. For continuity it is necessary that the next frame or image is formed within 40 ms, if not, the human will see discrete frames with no continuity. Converting this to frames per sec, it means the human eye requires a minimum of 24 frames per sec for a picture to look continuous. This basic concept was used when PAL and NTSC TV transmission standards were set up. NTSC has 30 frames per sec, and is used in USA and Japan. PAL has 25 frames per sec, and is popular in Europe and Asia On the surface; both these standards meet the minimum requirements, but have an underlying problem. In both PAL and NTSC systems, there is a certain time taken when the first frame comes to an end and the next frame starts. During this time a blank pulse is added. Since the PAL and NTSC systems are just above the minimum requirement, the human eye is able to perceive the blank pulse between the frames and this is seen as screen flickering. To overcome this problem, the frame is divided into two fields – odd and even fields. This way the blank pulse appears 50 times (PAL) and 60 times (NTSC) every sec. At this frequency, the human cannot perceive the blank pulse and therefore the screen flickering is avoided. This is not an issue with computer monitors because the refresh rate is 100 times per sec and they do not use the PAL or NTSC standards. A point of interest - have you seen the moving lines on a computer monitor while watching television? This is because of the different refresh rates of a computer and TV. We discussed the concept of persistency of the human eye and why we require at least 25 frames per sec for the moving images to look continuous. In part 2, we will deal with the sensitivity of the human eye, which in many ways determines the bandwidth of the digital signal and also the video compression techniques used. Basic Colors It is known that the three basic colors of light are Red, Green and Blue (RGB). These colors are mixed and matched to form all the different colors. An analysis of the spectral response of the human eye reveals that it is most sensitive to green light, while the response to red and blue is limited. Based on this finding, the brightness of a picture (Y) can be defined by the following equation: Y = 0.3R (Red) + 0.59G (Green) + 0.11B (Blue) A composite video signal contains Brightness Y and the basic colors RGB in the color burst. When converting this analog signal into a digital signal, sampling the green signal is not necessary. Only the Brightness, Blue and Red are part of the digital signal. This is also called the YUV (Brightness, Primary color 1, Primary color 2) signal. Green is reconstructed by using the above equation G = (Y - 0.3R - 0.11B) / 0.59 This helps reduce the size or bandwidth of the digital signal as only three components are used, instead of four. Sampling Colors The human eye has 120 million Rods and 8 million Cones. These are like pixels in the CCD chip. A CCD chip only has about 350,000 pixels, meaning a much lower picture quality as compared to the human eye. Rods are sensitive to the brightness of an image while cones handle the color. Since the numbers of available cones are limited, the sensitivity of the human eye to colors in a moving picture is not very high. Because of this, it is possible to reduce the image bandwidth by reducing the sampling rate of colors as compared to Y. 4:4:4 sampling Here each pixel in the chip is sampled for brightness (Y), Primary color 1 (U) and primary color 2 (V). For a digital signal with 640X 480 pixels (307 KB), the bandwidth would be 307 KB (Y) + 307 KB (U) + 307 KB (V) = 921 KB 4:2:2 sampling Here each pixel is sampled for Y (640X 480), but only every alternate horizontal pixel is sampled (320 X 480) for the color component. The bandwidth in this case will be 307 KB (Y) + 154 KB (U) + 154 KB (V) = 615 KB This color sampling process is used in JPEG and MPEG compression 4:2:0 sampling Here each pixel is sampled for Y (640X 480), but only every alternate horizontal and vertical pixel is sampled (320 X 240) for color. The bandwidth in this case will be 307 KB (Y) + 77 KB (U) + 77 KB (V) = 461 KB To further reduce the image size, different compression techniques like JPEG, MPEG and Wavelet are used. Lens Construction and Chromatic Aberration To understand the construction of the lens, it is important to understand the theory of light. The speed of light when traveling through air is roughly 299,460 km per second. When light passes from air into a denser medium at an angle, like glass or water, its speed slows down by the index of refraction of the medium. The following table gives a comparison for the various mediums. Medium Index of Refraction Speed of Light Air / Vacuum 1.0 299,460 km/sec Water 1.33 225,158 km/sec Glass 1.5 199,640 km/sec Diamond 2.42 123,744 km/sec As the wave of propagation is still continuous, this slowing down bends the light beam when it enters the new medium. It is similar to a bicycle changing direction when it enters sand from road. This basic principle is used in the construction of a lens. Convex and concave lenses are the basic lens types that make the light beam converge and diverge respectively. These basic lens types are mixed and matched to give a wide variety of lenses. Chromatic Aberration of Light When light is refracted through glass, a lens error called chromatic aberration occurs. What is chromatic aberration? Visible light is made of different colors and each color has a different frequency. These colors will bend differently compared to each other when they pass through a single convex lens, resulting in a scattered focal point, meaning the picture will not be focused properly. To overcome this error, several different lenses are grouped together. This can make the lens construction complex and therefore more expensive. There are lenses available that do not resolve the chromatic error accurately and are not compatible for use with color cameras, as they will not give a sharp focus for all the colors in the picture. The same reasoning and logic is applicable for the infrared frequency range also. For this reason, in many cases, when an infrared illuminator is used with a monochrome camera the picture is not properly focused. Lens Construction and Quality Different Glass Groups in a lens Many people are under the impression that a lens is made up of a single lens. This is not true. Besides glass pieces required for correcting chromatic aberration, additional glass is also required: • To focus the lens on objects at different distances When the lens focus moves from one object to another at a different distance, or when it follows a moving object, the lens elements reposition, i.e. the focal point changes and the picture thus always remain clear. This is not a problem with the human eye which varies the thickness of the lens. A long way to go to catch up with this advanced technology! • To achieve different focal lengths in a zoom lens The glass pieces move in relation to each other to achieve different magnification of the object, resulting in different focal lengths in a zoom lens. Factors effecting lens quality During construction, the following factors will determine the quality of the lens. 1. Number of glass pieces used More glass pieces combined together in a lens may help in reducing chromatic error, improving focusing etc, but will increase light absorption, resulting in lesser light availability to the camera. There is a trade off between accuracy and absorption. 2. Absorption factor of the glass Poor quality glass will absorb more light, again resulting in lower light availability to the camera. Obviously glass with lower absorption factor will cost more. 3. Coating and polishing: The quality of coating and polishing of the glass can improve lens quality. 4. Mechanism: Precision and reliability of the mechanism that moves the glass pieces within the lens is important. Poor quality mechanisms can lead to inaccurate settings that may not be consistent. Different Elements of a Zoom Lens A zoom lens is a lens that can be changed in focal length continuously without losing focus. Magnification of a scene can be changed with a single lens, but every time the position shifts, the lens must be refocused. If two lenses are combined, it is possible to change the magnification without disturbing the focus. A zoom lens is made of the following groups 1. Focusing lens group: The focusing lens group brings an object into focus. It moves irrespective of the zoom ratio or current focal length. 2. Variator lens group: The variator lens group changes the size or magnification of the image 3. Compensator lens group: When moved in relation to the variator group, the compensator lens group corrects the shift in focus. Lens groups 1 to 3 are the core of the zoom lens, and are called the zoom unit 4. Relay lens: Since the zoom unit does not converge light, the relay lens group is placed behind it to focus the object on to the CCD chip. Zoom lens design requires extensive optical path tracing and continues self correcting performance evaluation effort. It also involves the use of powerful computers and specialist software. Camera Sensitivity / Minimum Scene Illumination Sensitivity, measured in lux indicates the minimum light level required to get an acceptable video picture. There is a great deal of confusion in the CCTV industry over this specification. There are two definitions "sensitivity at faceplate" and "minimum scene illumination" • Sensitivity at faceplate indicates the minimum light required at the CCD chip to get an acceptable video picture. This looks good on paper, but in reality does not give any indication of the light required at the scene. • Minimum scene illumination indicates the minimum light required at the scene to get an acceptable video picture. Though the correct way to show this specification, it depends upon a number of variables. Usually the variables used in the data sheet are never the same as in the field and therefore do not give a correct indication of the actual light required. For example a camera indicating the minimum scene illumination is 0.1 lux. Moon light provides this light level, but when this camera is installed in moon light, the picture quality is either poor or there is no picture. Why does this happen? It is because the field variables are not the same as those used in the data sheet. How does it work? Usually light falls on the subject. A certain percentage is absorbed and the balance is reflected and this moves toward the lens in the camera. Depending upon the iris opening of the camera a certain portion of the light falls on the CCD chip. This light then generates a charge, which is converted into a voltage. The following variables should be shown in the data sheet while indicating the minimum scene illumination. • Reflectance • F Stop • Usable Video • AGC • Shutter speed Reflectance Light from a light source falls on the subject. Depending upon the surface reflectivity, a certain portion of this light is reflected back which moves towards the camera. Below are a few examples of surface reflectivity. • snow = 90% • grass = 40% • brick = 25% • black = 5% Most camera manufacturers use an 89% or 75% (white surface) reflectance surface to define the minimum scene illumination. If the actual scene you are watching has the same reflectance as in the data sheet, then there is no problem, but in most cases this is not true. If you are watching a black car, only 5% of the light is reflected and therefore at least 15 times more light is required at the scene to give the same amount of reflected light. To compensate for the mismatch, use the modification factor shown below. Modification factor F1 = Rd/Ra Rd = reflectance used in the data sheet Ra = reflectance of the actual scene Lens Speed The reflected light starts moving towards the camera. The first device it meets is the lens, which has a certain iris opening. While specifying the minimum scene illumination, the data sheet usually specifies an F Stop of F1.4 or F1.2. F Stop gives an indication of the iris opening of the lens. The larger the F Stop value, the smaller the iris opening and vice versa. If the lens being used at the scene does not have the same iris opening, then the light required at the scene requires to be compensated for the mismatch in the iris opening. Modification factor F2=- Fa² / Fd² Fa = F-stop of actual lens Fd = F-stop of lens used in data sheet. Usable Video After passing through the lens the light reaches the CCD chip and generates a charge which is proportional to the light falling on a pixel. This charge is read out and converted into a video signal. Usable video is the minimum video signal specified in the camera data sheet to generate an acceptable picture on the monitor. It is usually measured as a percentage of the full video. Example: 30% usable video = 30% of 0.7 volts (full video or maximum video amplitude) = 0.2 volts. The question here is: Is this acceptable? Unfortunately there is no standard definition for usable video in the industry and most manufacturers do not indicate their definition in the data sheet while measuring the minimum scene illumination. It is recommended to be aware of the useable video percentage used by the manufacturer while specifying the minimum scene illumination in the data sheet. The minimum scene illumination should be modified if the useable video used in the data sheet is not acceptable. Modification Factor F3 = Ua/Ud Ua = actual video required at the site as % of full video Ud = usable video % used by the manufacturer AGC AGC stands for Automatic Gain Control. As the light level reduces the AGC switches on and the video signal gets a boost. Unfortunately, the noise present also gets a boost. However when the light levels are high, the AGC switches off automatically, because the boost could overload the pixels causing vertical streaking etc. The data sheet should indicate if the AGC is “Onâ€

Have you read Rory's Post?? Here is a compilation of various threads to save on searching through the forum. Ill keep this as a sticky for now since its been searched for alot lately. http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=6059 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=5776 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4227 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4172 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3136 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3012 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4919 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4666 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=5232 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=5095 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4778 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=5257 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4954 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4890 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4331 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3907 http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3333

Here is one of my favorite cameras, but it is not a day/night camera. It is varifocal, and it can be ceiling mounted, side mounted, or on top of mounted. If you need a true day night camera do not get this one. http://avssys.net/?s=product&sub=camera&cat=ir&p=vnd49ir High res version: http://avssys.net/?s=product&sub=camera&cat=ir&p=vhnd49ir I have never used this one, but I wonder if someone can chime in about it?? How about it Rory?? Have you used this one? http://eclipsecctv.com/ECL-557HDA_dome_camera.html

It would depend on the budget, and the "threat level", such as residential verses commercial, or working mans neighborhood verses the rich man's gated community. Do you have a million dollars in cash?? Yes??? Please PM me with your address!! LOL! There are to many variables!!! If you are willing to spend a little extra I would suggest hiring someone to comeout, and do a site survey to match the right camera, to your environment. I could recommend an excellant camera that is in the entry level priced market, but it might be trash in your environment, and vice versa, there might be a camera that I would not recommend, but amazingly it performs flawlessly due to its specs matching your environment!! Do I sound crazy?

OK! You have my interest peaked! For wireless cameras that have the transmitter built in: I know you have to make the wattage low so that the transmitter does not travel very far. Is it possible to make it "modifiable" so that us "professionals" can open it up, and cut a jumper that would enable a higher wattage? How high can the wattage be in a built in camera before the heat destroys the camera? How about making it cheap, but using digital wireless. Would digital travel farther? It would be nice to use a camera where the video is not open to the world to see. How about a varifocal wireless camera for the entry priced market? How about a weather proof external transmitter. I want to mount a camera on a dock, and then attach a wireless transmitter on the dock, plug in a 12volt DC power supply, and then plug in an antenna, and not have to worry about water intrusion!!! What is the limitations on wattages for built in cameras? How high can you go? Are you limited to 2.4, and 5.8 GHz?? If not what other freqs can you manufacture the products with? Is it possible to have more than 4 channels in the 2.4Ghz range? What freq in the 2.4ghz would work the best, and avoid 802.11 wireless routers? When manufacturing a camera what is the farthest IR throw that you can use with a waterproof camera with a built in transmitter without battery limitations? For battery operation I understand that the wattage has to be very low, and the IR throw has to be very short. Can you label the products Not for battery use. For battery use. Can you make dual lines of products? How about module cameras. Open the camera, and remove the 2.4 transmitter, and then insert a 5.8 transmitter, or any other freq that is available. Now I can have one camera line with 4 cams at 2.4, and 4 cams at 5.8, (or 8 at 5.8 if you use all 8 channels). How about swappable lens? In the entry level priced market I know this cannot be done, but within limitations can it be done?? How about changing the IR?? Short range, but wide, or swap for a narrow, but longer throw?? What do you think of my dream list? What would the price work out to at msrp?

http://xantech.com/ REMOTE VIDEO SWITCHER (USING IR): http://xantech.com/products/av_distribution/RS41AV.htm PRE-AMP A/V DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM: http://xantech.com/products/av_distribution/ZPR6810.htm Computer to IR: http://xantech.com/products/controllers_switchers/rs232ir.htm Video Sensor Module: http://xantech.com/products/controllers_switchers/smvid01.htm

Need to do audio with video?? Maybe you can learn about VOIP? Internet Telephony Magazine www.itmag.com http://www.tmcnet.com/scripts/magsub/digital-magazine.aspx?M=IT-Apr-2008-1&id=3873075 www.TMCnet.com

How to mount inexpensive bullet cameras! http://www.cctvforum.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=54 How to trouble shoot camera problems! http://www.cctvforum.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=42 This may not be for you, but then again there maybe a sliver of information that may be of use to you. How to run wires from an attic with drywall walls. http://www.cctvforum.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=48 __________________________________________________________ My suggestion is to not to use the wide angle cameras if you are looking 40 feet away. At least buy varifocal cameras, and then set them on wide angle, then you can change the settings if the wide angle does not work. Wide angle cameras will give you a distance "distortion". Things will actually appear farther away in the video then what is in reality. What do you think?

Thank you Rick, and Dopalgangr. Thanks, I appreciate it! I wonder if it should be moved to the "Video Transmission/Control Devices" section?

NOISY DVRS? Would you like my opinion? Noise is relative to the environment. Most DVRs are not noisy. Yes there are some that leave you scratching your head wondering what the engineer was thinking when he was designing a DVR, and he buys a fan for the DVR, that sounds like a constant WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRR! If you install a DVR in the armoire in a master bedroom then you are going to have a wife that is going to give you a FIT, in the middle of the night when she has to listen to that fan at 2 in the morning!!! During the day time you would never even notice the noise with TVs that are on, and other "daytime" noises. Installing one with your home electronics in a "theater" room may cause a problem as well. Imagine watching a DVD of a block buster movie on your home cinema system, and right at the good part of the movie you reach a very quiet passage of the film, and THERE IT IS, THAT STUPID WHIRRRING NOISE THAT RUINS THE "suspended reality" that was achieved by a perfectly directed movie!!! If you have some kind of valuables, or a collection that is worth a large sum of cash, and security is of the essence then the sound of a fan may be a small price to pay. Have you been to a showroom where you can compare different models within the same DVR manufacture, and with other manufactures??

They will last more than a few months. Don't worry. As I have mentioned I am not familiar with the Lorex DVR L104161 that you are speaking of. I have never installed it, and I have never held it in my hands. I wish I could be of more help to you. I did not mean to scare you. There are many, many threads posted on this forum, and it should give you a fair, and balanced idea of the "entry level market" of most DVRs. I have seen posts where someone has bought a very inexpenive DVR, and then they have posted here about what a "piece of junk" this unit is. After you read it you feel like you want to say to someone "hey if you want a cadillac then buy a cadillac". Then there are those that have left a post about a DVR, and you feel like you want to track down their "sales person", and give them a good smack down for stretching the truth, or taking advantage of an unknowledgeable customer, or maybe they are just plain liars just to get the sale. Who knows. You probably want to know what I meant when I said "Doing the installation will destroy any quality to your system". I am a strong advocate of Do It Yourself. To prove it I do not charge for a single download at this site, and I sponsor it directly out of my own pocket. http://scorpiontheater.com/cpcamtechsupport.aspx and here also. http://scorpiontheater.com/troubleshooting.aspx I am not trying to talk you out of doing it yourself, it is just that CCTV has a lot of quirks that can leave you dissapointed if you do not understand the limitations of the equipment, or how they work "as a system". Now I would like to take you through a "tour" of how to do an install, and save an obcene amount of money, and make it work like it should. How to mount inexpensive bullet cameras! http://www.cctvforum.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=54 How to run wires from an attic with drywall walls. http://www.cctvforum.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=48 How to trouble shoot camera problems! http://www.cctvforum.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=42 Here is how to fix your video source problems! http://www.cctvforum.com/cms_view_article.php?aid=41 There are many more good posts in the ARTICLES SECTION, and I hope you enjoy them. I hope you except my apology, and I hope you take my words with a grain of salt. OH, and by the way, one of the most talked about, and the most "trashed" DVR is the AVTech, and CPCam DVRs. If you have read the threads here on this forum then you have realized that I am a STRONG USER of the AVTech, and CPCAM products, yet I am the most honest when it comes to the limitations of these products! OK, you cannot beat the prices on some of these DVRs, and if price is of the essence then AVTech is the way to go. If you are buying a DVR based soley on price then you may be cheating yourself out of another DVR that may give you more satisfaction had you been aware of what you truely needed. Again I am sorry. I hope you enjoy the benefits of a surveillance system!

http://xantech.com/ REMOTE VIDEO SWITCHER (USING IR): http://xantech.com/products/av_distribution/RS41AV.htm PRE-AMP A/V DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM: http://xantech.com/products/av_distribution/ZPR6810.htm Computer to IR: http://xantech.com/products/controllers_switchers/rs232ir.htm Video Sensor Module: http://xantech.com/products/controllers_switchers/smvid01.htm