oguruma

I have camera set up for push notifications based on motion detection. It works just fine in the iVMS-4500 iOS app, but not on either of 2 different android phones. I tried re-installing the App, to no avail. It doesn't work for either iVMS 4500 or iVMS 4500HD. All of the other functionality works fine. Live view, playback etc. Anybody else have issues?

I think there are a lot of aspects to a functional CCTV system that you aren't taking into account. Do you want to record footage? I.E. if a bad guy breaks in, do you want to be able to review footage and see who/when it was? If so, you need some type of recorder. It is possible to record to an internal SD card, but that is far from ideal (SD cards are nowhere near as reliable as standard hard drives, since surveillance recording requires either very frequent or constant writing). As others have said, you may want to just keep the motion light there. For one thing, motion lights, themselves, are pretty good deterrents to criminal activity. Cameras on residences don't seem to be a good deterrent, since they often go unnoticed. I think a better way to go about this is to decide what it is you want a CCTV system to do, and then go from there. The presence of some romex pulled to the location where you want your camera doesn't necessarily provide any real benefit...

My current set-up is as follows: Hikvision 2132 cameras $110/each D-Link POE switch (supports 4 POE fixed cameras). $50 Dell T20 Server Running Windows 7 and Hikvision Server software. $600ish with HDDs. I currently am planning on switching to a 4 channel Hikvision NVR, which can be had for $200 or less. The 2132 Cameras have been good. In terms of image quality, they are about 80% of the $3000 Dallmeier IP cameras I use at work. I doubt they will have anywhere near the service life, but so what? At $100, it's not going to break the bank to replace them. I also have my cameras mounted outside, which means that the propensity for somebody damaging them is much higher versus indoor cameras. I have been running this set-up for about 6 months with no issues.

I currently have 4x Hikvision 2132 Cameras being recorded via the Hikvision Server app running on a Windows machine. I want to switch, instead to a dedicated NVR set-up, since that PC that is running as a server will soon be converted to a FreeNAS box. I currently use the Hikvision Surveillance station software on my office PC for playback. Does anybody know if the Hikvision 7600 series NVRs support iSCSI very well. From the documentation, I understand that they do support iSCSI, but I have very real questions as to how reliable it is with iSCSI. I would like to be able to store the NVR in an easy to access (I.E. easy for a burglar to steal or destroy), and store the NAS in a much more secure location (tucked away in a locked closet). I would like to try a Hikvision 7604 because of their cheap price, but I would be willing to spend more for a better NVR that supports iSCSI reliably. The NVR doesn't require POE, since I already have the POE switch.

The OP presents an interesting legal question: to what extent can people use technology in the public domain aimed at monitoring activities in the private domain? The current precedents tell us that anything that is visible from the public domain is fair game (by way of what is "legal", I will talk on tort and the civil aspect below). This means that standing on a sidewalk and looking into an open window generally isn't voyeurism. I am aware of no supreme or district court laws or rulings that say otherwise. There have been court rulings that say that taking pictures up women's skirts is illegal, based upon the notion that the photos were taken to provide some level of sexual gratification. There have also been rulings that said that because the photos were taken in the public domain, that they were perfectly legal. So, what your neighbor is doing is probably perfectly legal, but you should consult a lawyer in your locality. Things may change in the future when you can get a 3D X-Ray camera for $200. Note: Free legal advice is usually worth exactly what you paid for it. Another aspect is that whether or not you could convince your neighbor to stop recording, either through your own persuasion/negotiation, or via cease and desist letters. Often time, a nasty letter from a lawyer saying something to effect of "hey, stop doing what you are doing, or we will see you in court". Of course, this is the most cowardly way to go about it, in my opinion (also worth what you paid for it). It seems like the neighbor is recording or viewing things that are within what would be considered the public domain. If you say "don't record my lawn", is he free to say "hey, don't look in the direction of my house"? Why not man up, and ask your neighbor to stop recording your house? If he says no, then I guess you can move? After all, he pays his property tax like everybody else, doesn't he?