Jump to content

scorpion

Members
  • Content Count

    4,457
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by scorpion

  1. scorpion

    trenching 101

    For those of you in Florida. Call before you dig.... Dial 811
  2. http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters/HDX101.aspx
  3. http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters.aspx
  4. scorpion

    what is best way to multi-distribute video

    Here is some info on this kind of product: http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters/XE104.aspx http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters.aspx
  5. scorpion

    having trouble with camera

    Is this the screw on connector on the back of the TV? If this is so this is the wrong connection. You need the yellow connector on the front of the tv, or on the back of the TV. On some TV to activate the yellow connector which is called the composite video input, or accessory input, you will need to push the channel select button down. Channel 4, 3, 2 then it should go to L1 or AUX, or GAME, if it goes to channel 99 (or higher), then you will need the remote control. You will need to find source, or input, or the game button. When you press this button it should bring up your video. You may have a video button on the front of the TV. When you press this button it will cycle from cable to composite input. If you have one on the back and one one the front then it will cycle through all of these choices. Plug in a DVD player to test the yellow input on your TV. When you can see the DVD player then plug in your camera. Good luck!
  6. Joe4, Here is somemore of my dumb ideas. I just remembered an old install that I did. Once I new where they wanted the DVR I used a closet that was close by. I had to dig under the concrete slab. From the closet I had to drill a hole large enough for my conduit and all of my wires. I cut in to the inside wall of the closet, and I cut out a section of the 2x4 "footer". This is where my wires came from the outside. The wires went under the slab and right in to the interior wall of the closet. On the other side of this wall was the DVR. My wires were hidden, and the home owner was very happy. Or at least until he got the bill for the labor charges!!! This digging sounds real easy, but trust me it is not!!!! To tie in the video with the existing tvs with out running wires is going to be tough. I would run wires to all of the tvs and then have them switch inputs, (or source) to view the sat and the cameras. I have only used modulators on cable company systems and not with sat systems. You can use "video extenders" to view the DVR, but you sacrifice privacy, because anyone can receive this signal. If they are out in the boonies then they may not be an issue. This would be a concern in a residential neighborhood. Make sure you order a DVR with a Remote Control so that you can control the DVR with IR extenders. In reference to power supplys getting hot. What kind of power supply? Yes they do get hot, and it is to be expected. Power supplys are not efficient, and generate heat instead of properly converting the energy more efficiently. Add more heatsinks, or replace the original fans with better fans, and / or provide more ventilation. If you are reading this post go and touch you cable box on your tv. HOT isn't it!!!! I hope this helps!
  7. Hey joe4 I have some questions to ask.. " 2. Be alerted when someone presses the buzzer to trips a ir " I need more info on this please. If you are going to use wireless to connect everything together than I do not think $10,00 is going to be enough! They do have front gate access equipment that can tie in to a phone system. When a car pull up they can press a button that will ring the phones inside of a house, and you can pick up any phone and talk to the person at the gate. You can then punch in a 4 digit code to open the gates. You can also give the maids, pool person, gardner/landscaper, and other allowables their own 4 digit code to let them in when you are not at home. I would not put the detector on the outside of the gate because it will drive a home owner crazy every time someone used the driveway to turn around to find an address! You will want to install the car dectector on the inside of the gate. If someone punched in the 4 digit code to open and hold open the gate, then this will alert you that someone has entered, and is approaching the house. The easist detector used is the metal detector. It is usually placedbeside the drive. It is better to have this under the drive to better pick up fiberglass cars, and motorcycles. They are placed to the side of the drive for maintenance issues. If you have a paver on sand drive then these are great for putting the detector under the drive! A beam detector may be better with two or more beams to prevent false alarms. Metal detectors do not detect children, and dogs. What kind of cabins are these? Are these modern styled log cabins, or are these old rustic style cabins?? Is this new construction, or is this a retrofit? This info may not be of interest to you joe4 but I will throw it in for the readers who may find an idea that helps them in their situation. For modern style log cabins under constuction you can use a router across the top of the log to make a channel for the camera wires. For vertical paths you will drill through the logs to run up, and down with the wire. If running wire on a retro fit is a problem then I would look for crown moulding and base boards to hide my wire. Rustic cabins are great. You can cut a smaller log of the same type used in the log construction, and you can use this for crown moulding. You can use this as corner moulding as well. Now you can run your wires hidden. I had to run conduit on a rustic cabin once. I took smaller logs and I covered the conduit with the log. It was actually well hidden becuase of the texture of the bark, and the natural look of wood. When you pointed it out then you would say "oh yea! Now I see it" Log cabins sometimes have antique farm implements attached to them. It could be plows, tack, scythes, or saws, etc. You can cover your work with this. I have also use the old metal stamped, or wooden advertisment signs for soda, oil, and medicine from days gone past. I have made my own antique signs or I have distress plywood to make it look aged. If you want to know how I did this here is how..... Paint the wood with a primer such as "kilz brand", when dry paint with a base color such as a brick red, or a dark blue, or a aqua marine green. When this is dry paint over this with a crackle paint. It appears clear, or milkly. Coat it real good. When dry, paint this with a mixture of water, and white paint. The white paint will activate the crackle paint layer and make the white paint to start to crack, and peel. Now the wood looks weather, old, and distressed. You can paint an advertisement on the the primer, and then crackle it, and then paint it with the white paint. It will now appear as an advertising that has been painted over, and the weather has reexposed it. You can hit this with a hammer, some wood, and you can sand it to really give it an old look. I would not recommend putting the DVR in the garage. I would highly suggest putting it in the main part of the cabin!! For the guest house I would use a DVR at the guest house and then hook it up to the internet for remote viewing at the main house. If you do not have internet then I would use the lan connection and hook this up to the wireless system. I am not an expert on wireless systems I would suggest PMing WirelessEye http://www.cctvforum.com/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=443 Here are some posts on wireless http://www.cctvforum.com/about8000.html http://www.cctvforum.com/about8583.html http://www.cctvforum.com/about8203.html Here is a poste on baluns http://www.cctvforum.com/about8480.html Good luck!
  8. scorpion

    what is best way to multi-distribute video

    I would like to learn more about these. They sound like a good "tool" to have for those trouble some installations, such as Kelvin's. Is there a poweline interface for analog cameras as well? I would be interested in these as well. This would be great for remote view of a DVR without having to go wirless with a "video extender" device. I do not like the loss of privacy using wireless products. I would be interested in a powerline "block" to keep the video from exiting a building, and adding security, and/or privacy. Thanks ak357!
  9. scorpion

    trenching 101

    This is a cut and paste from another post. My biggest problem is trying to get my techs to not use 90 elbows on the pvc conduit. I prefer swept elbows. If for any reason I have to add or repull wire the 90 degree elbows will not let the wire pull. It is to "tight". If I have to run out to a dock, gate, gazebo, or what have you, I will use the pipes that they use for sprinklers. No connectors to fail and allow water intrusion. Just a single shot end to end. I will actually use the pipe and bend it in a large radius to get to where I need to go. Here is a trick. Use orange glue. When you go to check your crew you can look at the joints real fast. You should see purple from the "cleaner", and you should see orange from the glue. If you do not see glue, grab the pvc and twist it real hard. If it squeaks it is loose. Now you can reglue it before you bury it! I lay my wire to the side of the trench and I start to put on the 10 foot lengths of pvc, and connectors. After I glue the connectors I will push/pull the wire just to make sure that it did not get any glue on it causing it to stick to the inside of the pipe. Another thing I like to do is test things as I go. I have a 4 amp hour battery that I will hook up to the conduit line, and I will test the line with an lcd screen and a camera just to make sure everything works. After I get it ran in to the wall and in to the "structure" I do not have to spend much time trouble shooting systems. If I do not get video then it has to be the crimp on the back of the dvr. It makes it so much easier to have trouble shooting steps out of the way, and resolve stuff quickly.
  10. scorpion

    what is best way to multi-distribute video

    Has anyone ever used the powerline IP cameras? The other question is how would you get the camera signal from one phase to another phase such as in a residential home? X10 has a device that passes the signal from one phase to another, is there something similar for powerline IP cams?
  11. scorpion

    hi

    I agree with cctv_down-under!!! I install stand alone DVRs and not PC based DVRs. I have installed systems where the DVR is not hooked up to the internet. The business owner will want to watch the video from his office. I can run a cat 5 cable to his office from the DVR located else where. Using his computer he can watch the video from the DVR and he can choose multi view, or camera channels, or he can look at past history. I could run r59 or rg6 to the office from the video out from the DVR. I would then have to run a wire and use zantech IR repeater systems to send a remote control signal back to the DVR to control it. This would require a DVR w/ a remote control. It is much easier to run cat 5. If you were hooking up several computers then you would not use the crossover cable. You would use reg cat 5 and plug in to a router.
  12. scorpion

    BULLET CAMERA INSTALLATION

    Hello! Is this a cheap bid install, or is this a high dollar, or a high end install? If I were doing a cheap budget install I would drill one hole, and run the wires along the outside wall. I would take the camera leads and fold them up "like a bow" and zip tie both ends of the bow, and the center of the bow. To tighten the slack I just pull on the bow to pick up the slack. Now the connectors are exposed to the elements, or you can use heat shrink to cover the connectors. On a high end job or where expectations suggest that the wire should be secure I would use a PVC double gang box on the wall. I would drill through the wall and bring the inside wiring to the outside and place everything in the box. You can mount the camera on the box, or to the side of the box. I hate doing this to some degree because the wires are bent at very sharp angles at the connectors. This may cause problems down the road. It is possible to lose the wire out of the connector. With the box it makes it easy to get to it, and since you left a little extra wire for service it is easly fixed. I would make a large hole to handle the bnc and power connectors at each camera. I would have the wire folded up with a couple of turns to make a bow, and leave the slack inside the the hole that you drilled. The connectors are not exposed to the weather, the wires are not exposed and looking "sloppy". You can put foam spray in both ends of the hole, not all the way just enough to provide some insullation if there is HVAC on the inside. Everything is on the inside of the hole, and secure. If you had to, you could make an extension to bring the camera wires to the inside of the building and then have your connections there at the hole to connect to the run. I would not recommend this as you have way to many connections on one line. On the inside of the building you have two connectors with a bnc adapter, and you have one in the hole with a bnc connector, and the camera connection. You also have the same with the power side of the wiring as well. Time / Budget / Customer Expectations. Oh yes! Have fun drilling all of those holes!!!!
  13. scorpion

    new

    Let me guess.... you have a bucket of water from a creek by the toilet so that you can flush!
  14. scorpion

    Installing Bullet Cameras Outdoors

    You did the job exactly as I would have done it. Most of my installs are entry level jobs, and the customers are looking for a cheap bid with it delivered on a velvet pillow served on a silver platter!! I commend you for bolting it to the wall!!! I have seen where DIY have attached them to the soffit only to have the soffit blow out on a windy storm. You would at least think they would attach it to a 2x4 in the soffit. I run my wires through the attic and cut a hole in the soffit. Yes the wire is exposed, but the camera is usually close to the soffit. If someone is going to cut the wire you hope it will be on video. I do not condone this method, and I do my best to talk people out of it and they choose to go ahead anyways!! I have actually ran the premade wire around the outside of a house, where it is reachable. There has never been any damaged to the wires in at least one year! The customer was able to have an arrest made with their video! One for the good guy for a change!! It is possible to have the wires damaged by the elements but I believe you should be ok.
  15. scorpion

    new

    Not bad!
  16. scorpion

    new

    It is amazing what you can find on EBAY!!!!! OK at least let me dream that I can find something like that on EBAY! LOL!!!
  17. scorpion

    Motion Detection and Recording

    What kind of product are you using?
  18. This is a real shame! http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070531/NEWS01/705310338&template=palmbay Updated May 31, 2007 8:22 am Killer used GPS device to track wife, police say Orlando man followed woman to Palm Bay BY J.D. GALLOP FLORIDA TODAY ADVERTISEMENT PALM BAY - It was a chilling, high-tech twist to what investigators say was Carlos Acevedo's final, deadly grasp for control of his failed marriage. Palm Bay police detectives said Wednesday the estranged husband used a live-tracking Global Positioning System device to stalk his wife, Idelisa Morales, from her Orlando apartment to the home of a male friend on Salina Street last Thursday. Police said the 51-year-old Orlando accountant sat in his car, looking over a grid map and following the movements of his wife's red Sedona minivan as a homing device tucked beneath her car's bumper indicated her whereabouts to a satellite-supported tracking system. As Acevedo and Morales arrived at the house, Acevedo jumped out of his car, pulled out a .40-caliber handgun and chased the mother of his two children down the residential street before fatally shooting her and then turning the gun on himself, detectives said. Morales' male friend, meeting with Morales for the last time before she was to go to Puerto Rico, was shot at but not injured. Police learned about the GPS tracking system -- which pinpoints a target nearly anywhere across the globe using satellite technology -- after finding the device and laptop in Acevedo's car. Detectives located the small tracking node covered with a strip of rubber underneath the minivan's bumper. Similar devices, which can be found at shops like the Spy Source Warehouse in Melbourne, have been on the market for years and are often used for real-time tracking of shipments or rental cars. In the Morales case, police said, the device offered an unblinking eye into her whereabouts for a man she wanted to get away from. "(Acevedo) was very, very controlling in the past and controlled every aspect of her life," said Det. Mark Mynheir of the Palm Bay Police Department. "This guy was very savvy. The device was well-hidden and if we didn't know what we were looking for we wouldn't have found it." Contact Gallop at 409-1422 or jdgallop@floridatoday.com.
  19. scorpion

    Man kills wife after live tracking

    Wierd!! Sales have shot up on our tracking devices for Friday, and Saturday! I do not know if it is the interest in the product or having our named mentioned in the article!. Come to think of it May has been our most busiest month for TSCM services. I predict a lot of divorces in the coming months!
  20. scorpion

    Running pipe sucks

    My biggest problem is trying to get my techs to not use 90 elbows on the pvc conduit. I prefer swept elbows. If for any reason I have to add or repull wire the 90 degree elbows will not let the wire pull. It is to "tight". If I have to run out to a dock, gate, gazebo, or what have you, I will use the pipes that they use for sprinklers. No connectors to fail and allow water intrusion. Just a single shot end to end. I will actually use the pipe and bend it in a large radius to get to where I need to go. Here is a trick. Use orange glue. When you go to check your crew you can look at the joints real fast. You should see purple from the "cleaner", and you should see orange from the glue. If you do not see glue, grab the pvc and twist it real hard. If it squeaks it is loose. Now you can reglue it before you bury it! The only time I use metal conduit is when I am in a new construction res house and I have wire going down a garage wall. I use the metal to match phone/cable/alarm runs. This is so they can mesh the walls and lay stucco. I have ran the siamese down the wall and taped over it with metal tape, then had the mesh over this, but I highly recommend conduit in this case!!!! I recommend that you own your own pipe benders as you never know when you might need one. I always do my own pipes as I can save money on the project rather than subcontracting and adding a little mark up for ooops factor, or extra profit. It is not difficult for us to hit the nearest big box hardware store. We usually have to get canned foam, low voltage trim rings, electrical tape, zip ties, drill bits, screws, anchors, or at least have an excuse to talk to that very gorgeous cashier! Excuse me while I bite my knuckle. Oh any ways!!! Everyone laughs at me because I lay my wire to the side of the trench and I start to put on the 10 foot lengths of pvc, and connectors. After I glue the connectors I will push/pull the wire just to make sure that it did not get any glue on it causing it to stick to the inside of the pipe. Those of you who have followed my posts know of the sales guy that I have been having trouble with. Yes, He laid and buried the conduit on a job, and I asked him about a pull line. No he did not put one in. He actually tried shoving the siamese in to the pvc!!! LOL!!!! I fell over laughing so hard. Oh my Goodness that was the most hilarious thing I have ever seen!!!! He had to learn the hard way because he use 90 degrees and he had to dig up all 200 feet. He had to cut into the pipe every 30 feet and use my fish to pull the wire all the way through. Another thing I like to do is test things as I go. I have a 4 amp hour battery that I will hook up to the conduit line, and I will test the line with an lcd screen just to make sure everything works. After I get it ran in to the wall and in to the "structure" I do not have to spend much time trouble shooting systems. If I do not get video then it has to be the crimp on the back of the dvr. It makes it so much easier to have trouble shooting steps out of the way, and resolve stuff quickly. If I were to run conduit and I had to have a 90 degree turn I would use a box. This would make it much easier to pull/repull wiring. If you can afford it then hire a crew. I wonder if you can use day labor to bend pipes for you? I would rather earn 10% from 10 work crews than to earn 100% from myself!
  21. scorpion

    Installation height, vandals, domes?

    Look at this thread and look at and look at the camera that Rory posted. http://www.cctvforum.com/about6836-0.html This is the camera that I am using, It can be mounted on top of, or it can be mounted under, it can be mounted to the side of, and it can be mounted to an area that may be at an angle. You just rotate the camera to the "horizontal" plane. http://avssys.net/?s=product&sub=camera&cat=ir&p=vnd49ir
  22. Great point VST_MAN!
  23. scorpion

    Streaming Live Video on a web page

    http://protechsystems.co.uk/webcam.html Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage ___________________________________________________________ http://protechsystems.co.uk/ Found __________________________________________________________
  24. I am just stabbing in the dark. Is it possible to put some kind of filtering across the elevator motor? If you were to run the wiring in conduit, and if you put the DVR in a metal lock box and grounded the lock box would this eliminate the rf problem? How close is your wiring to the elevator's wiring? It seems that you have reinvented the spark gap wireless communication. Is it sending s-o-s? LOL.
  25. scorpion

    RJ-45 Cat5 Crimping

    I hear you loud and clear! I did a home some time back that 90 or 100 ports!!!!!!!!!!! (Double back bone). Cross over/short verification was just as much of a pain! Hey VST-Man.... employee!!!!!!!!! Ha! Ha! I liked that one!
×