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kaysadeya

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Posts posted by kaysadeya

  6. Posted

    This is my long-promised review of the Kodicom KSR516. This is my first CCTV DVR, so I can’t comment on how the unit compares to anything but the Lorex timelapse VCR it replaces.

     

    I’ve focused on the shortcomings in this review, but that’s because when I research a product I want to understand where it falls short. What it does right, unless it’s exceptional, is taken for granted. Overall I’m more than very happy with this DVR! It’s very solid and its basic operations are reliable.

     

    My setup:

     

    • 12 cameras at various locations outdoors.

     

    • 4 monitors: one VGA and three standard TVs. Each TV location has a Xantech IR receiver that relays remote-control commands to an IR emitter on the DVR. The remote control is an important feature in my system. There are actually two versions of this DVR. The version with the black front panel and the big knob in the middle does not have a remote control; my version is the one with the silver front panel with the knob on the right.

     

    • Communication between the DVR and my PC client is over a wireless network, so I can monitor and playback from any location on my laptop.

     

     

    Highlights:

     

    • Solid, reliable operation

    • Linux OS

    • Remote control (necessary for my home installation)

    • Mouse (accelerates admin tasks in setup menu)

    • Monitoring outputs: 1 VGA, 1 BNC composite, 1 S-Video

    • 112 fps recording (NTSC)

    • Resolution: 352 X 240 or 740 X 240 (NTSC)

    • Compression: Proprietary ‘Engine-X’

    • CD-RW backup or remote USB device

     

     

    Documentation:

     

    What looks like a good user guide turns out to be a disappointment when you try to figure out how to set and use certain features. It appears that Kodicom was really serious about trying to produce a good document. The presentation is really very professional, but the writer was unable to effectively communicate how configure and use the DVR. Specifics below.

     

     

    Setup:

     

    Truly plug-and-play. Connecting the cameras and setting the basic recording features is easy and intuitive. However, configuring some of the motion-detection features and getting the unit to talk to the PC client over the network is another story (see “Recordingâ€

  10. Posted

    I don't think the low end IR bullet type camera is going to do what you want. They are at best a compromise since they aren't really designed as a specialty day/night camera. Best bet is something like the Sanyo which is specifically engineered to be day/night. Unfortunately the camera is a lot more money, but if you have in the budget money for Extreme CCTV equipment then you should maximize it with a higher end camera. Here is a link to the Sanyo info.

     

    http://www.sanyo.com/industrial/security/cameras/third_color/index.cfm?productID=1102

     

    A standard CS-style camera won't work for this location, so I’ve been looking at domes.

     

    The Sanyo day/night dome has everything I could ask for, but the price:

     

    http://www.spytown.com/savdsumodahi.html

     

    Others to consider are the Bosch LTC146 and ProVideo CVC-7245EXTP:

     

    http://www.spytown.com/boflxtsevare.html

    http://www.spytown.com/spcvhdayniva.html

     

    However, neither has an IR cut filter. The Bosch appears to be fully adjustable, but it's not clear how many adjustments there are on the ProVideo.

     

    There are also the Panasonics, like this one:

     

    http://www.spytown.com/panwvvanproo.html

     

    But it’s even more expensive than the Sanyo.

  11. Posted

    Trade your car for a white or silver one

     

    Sorry, couldn't resist...

     

    Our other three cars ARE silver, but they're covered by an older B&W camera that works great with IR. Maybe I'll just swap the cameras.

     

    By the way, how did the exchange work out with your camera? Did you finally get one that is IR-sensitive?

  13. Posted

    Have you tried throwing some light on the area, it did wonders for my situation.

     

    Cute. Yes, I have a motion-activated light there too, and even with that on the camera performs the same. I’m convinced it’s the black color of the car that’s confusing the camera.

  22. Posted

    Slats, I don’t mean to hammer on you because it took me a long time to figure out my computer wasn’t big enough to host the GeoVision card I wanted.

     

    Building a CCTV system is not a typical consumer-type process and that’s probably why you can’t buy quality CCTV gear at the Home Depot or Circuit City. However, you’ll discover that this forum is your best resource to help you through the process. You’ll have to learn a lot of details and make major investments on the faith that most what you read in this forum is true. Even then you will most likely make expensive mistakes. Building a CCTV system is a time-consuming process that takes a lot of detailed research. You can minimize the errors if you check and double-check the specs and ask questions here about the equipment you’re interested in before making the investment. I’m afraid the best you can expect from most suppliers is to answer an occasional question and to make good on a replacement if the unit they sent you failed.

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