crazythunder

i have saved almost a thousand dollars,took me forever. i'm looking to get my very first ptz.i'm currently using a geovision 800 4cam card. the ptz must have a decent pan tilt speed,not 12 degrees a sec. i'd love auto tracking,but don't think i'll get one for a grand from what i've seen. would i be better off just hooking up a couple of motion sensors? i'd still rather have auto. i'd also like the cam to be day\night,with heater\blower. i live in buffalo ny and the temps in winter are very cold. the camera is just for my home\personal use. it obviously would have to be compatible with my geovision card,and i know i'll have to buy an rs485 converter. i'm also a little confused as to the type of cable i'll need to install it. most of the places i've looked into only sell bulk and i don't need 1000 feet. 100 feet max is all i need,if that. more like 50 feet. ideally i'd like the cam to have power supply included. i do have a power supply box for my other 3 cams. it's an 8 output with a supply current of 13 amps with a max of 1.85 amps per channel. not sure if this is sufficient as i know little about voltage,etc.

one last thing i'd like is a decent zoom,18x optical at least.

thanks in advance for anyone willing to point me to a reliable product.

Computer Case

Power Supply * 650w

Motherboard * evga730a

CPU * athlon64x2 6000+ 3.10ghz

Memory * 2gig ddr800

Video Card * gforce 7200 i believe,just something i had laying around

Hard Drive ext.seagate freeagent 500 gig

Optical Drive

Cooling

Monitor

Operating System * xp pro

Service Pack (if applicable) sp3

GeoVision Card * gv800 4cams

GeoVision Software Version * 8.3

Screen Resolution * 1024x768

Video Size * 720x480

Motion/Continuous * motion

FPS (if applicable) 15fps

Environment (eg. Office, Heat, etc) home

Length of Tested Period * 2 weeks

thanks for the info scorpion. i'm still in my search for a dvr. finally got my stimulus refund. so i thought i'd stimulate my electronics collection with a new dvr! lol, thanks uncle sam. but i'm still having problems finding what i need-i'm looking for a dvr {standalone} in the $1,300 price range. 8 channels minimum. must have the ability to send motion detected images to email account and must be embedded in dvr, not done with software on pc. dual codec preferred.

i've gotten email responses from several online stores, but most of em were cpcam or avtech. i'm just nuts about buying things online. i'll research for another month probably, looking for the best my money can get. i have a dvr for my tv . i read posts for months on videohelp.com before i finally chose the one i have now.

thanks again for the info. peace

do cpcam dvr's have the same network issues avtechs are known for?or are they made by the same manufacturer? i did i search here for cpcam and got alot of avtech posts. they seem comparable as far as models go. thanks in advance

here goes. i've already returned 2 dvr's.one was a dmproview and the other was a cctv star 924i. both dvr's were decent for my price range-$1.300-$1.500. they were both mpeg4 dvr's. both did 240fps on all 8 channels. first dvr would not send motion images to email, even though it was stated as a feature. second one gave me same trouble. the 924i would record on motion and from my sensor, but would not send email images. it was setup properly because i did get email notification on ip change. this is a very important feature to me. i assumed it would be for all users, seeing as how if someone broke in and stole my dvr, i'd have absolutely no evidence. my insurance would cover it, but i'd like to catch the jerk, ya know?

so....here's what i need. no avtech\cpcam please. i've read too many issues with network. 8-9 channel dvr that sends motion detect images to email accounts- preferably in the $1300.00 price range. dual codec and 60 or 120 IPS Recording Speed @ 720 x 240 and 240 fps total recording preferred. i know they are out there, maybe minus the email feature, because i've seen em online. i just can't find any others that send motion images. i'd even go for pc based instead of standalone if someone could convince me it would be worth it. but most of the pc based dvr's that i've seen have geovision cards that only do 30 fps in my price range. i've seen linux based ones on ebay that claim to do what i need close to my budget. remote viewing and motion detect images to email is a must for me. i know i'm going to get responses about my budget, but i know what i'm after is possible. i'm not a chain store that can afford $20.000 panasonic models, although i do drool at them alot.

i've been a member here for only a couple of months. and i'd rather give someone out here a chance first before going elsewhere. i was looking at the intellicam models, but email function is not available ,yet, as i've been told it might be a firmware upgrade in the future. but i'm not guaranteed that.

here's a quote i got from an ebayer---Description: 16 CH,(I ONLY NEED 8 OR 9) 240FPS Display, 240FPS Recording

500 GB HDD WINDOWS PRO,DVD/CD RW,DUAL CORE PROCESSOR,

1 GB DDR 2 RAM,

NO MONITOR

FOR $1300.00 PLUS SHIPPING AND TAX

Features:

16 CH

240 FPS Display

240 FPS Recording

Sound recording and support for two-way voice communication

Specification

Features

Compression MJPEG, MPEG

Resolution NTSC - 352x240, 704x240, 704x480 PAL - 352x288, 704x288, 704x576

Sensor I/O 16 sets input 32 sets input

Sound Inputs 2 Sound recording and support for two-way voice communication

Display Speed 240FPS Live Time Live Time 240 FPS 480 FPS

Recording Speed 240FPS 120FPS 240 FPS 240 FPS 480 FPS

Recording Mode Watch, Normal, Motion Detection, Sensor, Scheduled Recording

Compressor MPEG, Motion JPEG

Split Screen Full Screen, 4, 9, 16 and auto switch Full Screen, 4, 9, 16, 33 and auto switch

Video Output 1 PC Monitor, 1 set TV-OUT

Relay Output 4 sets (NO/NC)

Display Adjustment Brightness/Contrast/Saturation/Color/Tint

Motion Detection Sensitivity and detection zone adjustable by each camera

File Backup Manual or programmed automatic backup schedule supporting HDD, DVD, CD-RW, RAID and remote backup

PTZ Function Through RS-232 interface

Self Restoration Auto rebooting by adopting Watchdog

Remote Transfer Via LAN, Internet, or PSTN Lines

Remote Function Access to 36 DVR by client software

Support web page

PDA View(option)

Networking LAN, WAN, PSTN, ISDN

Access safety Three level password protection

Max. of cards/system 1 PCS 1 PCS 1 PCS 1 PCS 1 PCS

i'm not saying i expect any dealers out here to beat it. but if anyone can come close to supplying me with a dvr with similar specs and close price, i'd rather spend my money here. i have a windows smartphone which can display attachments\pictures in my email. this is one of the reasons it's so important to me. i could get notified at work if there was motion on my property or in my home.

thanks to everyone who takes the time to read my long winded babbling. peace

has anybody ever used a dvr by this manufacturer- Bolide Technology Group? comments?

lol@scorpion

i just got an rma # for the dvr. my only issue was that it would not send motion snapshots to my email. it sent me ip change notices like i stated. i called tech support and he said being that it is a new model, it might need some kinks worked out. ok, i understand that. he said he'd hook one up and see if he could replicate my issue. that was friday. i call back today and after i ask for tech, they ask for my name, and i'm on hold for 20 minutes. silence. i called back and got an rma. i'm not one of those that sends stuff back and complains about every minor detail. i've spent thousands on electronics online, and this is the very first time i'm asking for a refund. ok, maybe i'm a little picky, but i just spent $1300.00. guess i got a right to be picky. tech guy was nice,friendly, customer service seemed polite. i'm not downing the store i purchased from. they don't make the product. and i'd buy from them again due to their cs. anyways, i guess this post can be deleted. dvr is in a box ready to be shipped. thanks for everyones help and support on the forum. i'll be back- as soon as my new dvr comes in. but before that, i'll probably be asking for advice on my choices i make. while i'm at it now, i have $1300.00 coming back to me. the dvr i had was the SSA-0924i . a google search will show sites with the specs. i'm looking for something comparable, or better. i actually paid more than most other stores were asking because of the 30 day return policy. let's just hope they honor it. (fingers crossed)

i know most people, well, the average pc user doesn't know anything about activex settings in ie, so i sent instructions. but this happened to at least 5 or 6 other family and friends i asked to connect. i guess i need to go to someones house who couldn't connect and try it myself. thanks

thanks to everyone for trying. i'm glad that a couple people got in. but i'm not satisfied that it's giving knowledgable people trouble. i asked my mom to connect so she could see her grandkids playing in the yard. didn't work, she got a 404 error. from wiki--The 404 or Not Found error message is a HTTP standard response code indicating that the client was able to communicate with the server but either the server could not find what was requested, or it was configured not to fulfill the request and not reveal the reason why. 404 errors should not be confused with "server not found" or similar errors, in which a connection to the destination server cannot be made at all.

my mom said she installed the activex control. but still could not see the cameras. the dvr is also not sending out motion video or snapshots. not by the motion software in the dvr or from the sensor i have hooked up. it records, and it will send ip change notification, but no snapshots, so i know the email server is configured properly i've spoken with the manufacturer and they are looking into it. but i think i'm going to go for a refund . i'm not paying that much money only to have a couple of my main purchase reasons not work.

thanks again to all who tried. will do this again if and when i get another model dvr. peace

only thing i had left to do was set it as dmz in my router. i just did that. other than that, if noone can connect, i'm returning it. i have the manufacturer calling me tomorrow. if he can't connect, then that settles it for me. thanks for your help.

in internet explorer options, for activex controls, i have everythimg enabled except for 2 of them. they are set to prompt. i forgot what they were though because i just installed ie7 and the options are different. but that's weird that noone else seems able to connect. i'm assuming by putting the address in my own browser, i'm still connecting to the web, and not my private lan. it's gotta be something in everyones ie settings. i can't get access to an outside pc till during the week. i'll try it myself then. thanks for trying scorpion. in my ie addons, i have icsview control. it's stored in the system32 folder. i'm guessing you're not able to install this activex control for some reason.

everyone in my family say's they can't connect to my dvr, but i can from my pc. they are all computer illiterate. see if you can connect. http://crazythunder.dvrdns.org:89/ username is root password is dw2001

nevermind. i put one of the wires from the motion sensor into the ground on the dvr and it seems to be working fine now. the motion indicator appears on the screen when i pass in front of it. phew. these manuals are not very detailed for people who have no knowledge with this stuff. i figured they would make it simple for the average joe , and in general, they have as far as setting up the dvr. but a little more detail on specifics like this would be nice.

anyone wanna take a crack at this? here's a copy of an email i sent to my dvr manufacturer. i think i;m close, but still must be doing something wrong. do i need a relay for the dvr alarm inputs as well as the alarm output? here's the mail---

I recently purchased the dvstar 924i dvr from your store. I’m satisfied with the purchase so far. I have a few questions though. First, I have the network properly setup. I also have dyndns setup in the dvr and the router. I have the proper ports open. I can remotely connect to the dvr. When I first set up motion detect, I got a couple of emails sent to me with the pictures. But then I got nothing. The software motion detect is not sending out mail. If I switch to a different free dns account and enter the settings in the dvr, I get the same result, one or two mails, then nothing. I bought a motion sensor thinking this would work better. But I’m having trouble figuring out how to install it properly. To power the sensor, I took a camera power adapter, cut the ends and hooked it up to the 12volt terminals. I tested the sensor and the leds flash when it senses motion, so I know it’s working. The sensor also has 2 alarm terminals. The manual for the dvr says to put two wires into the alarm input terminals. This is where I’m confused.i have 4 wire alarm wire, 20 guage I believe. 2 wires are going to the power supply. But the dvr inputs, 1-9 only allow one wire for each input. Or at least there is only one opening for each input. it looks like an opening on top and bottom for each input, but only the bottom hole accepts a wire. i took the 2 wires from the sensors alarm terminals and put both into the dvr #1 alarm input. this seemed to work, as my email received numerous motion detect images. But it seemed to be sending mail even when no motion was detected. I’m no electrician, but I’m pretty handy with things. But this one I really need help with. I need a drawing of how to wire up a motion sensor, because the manual is not very detailed. I am going to attach a picture of the interior of the motion sensor I bought. It is normally closed and I had this set in the dvr. Please, help me figure this out. Help me get the software motion detect working and please explain in detail how to wire up a motion sensor. I’d really like a drawing on how to do so if possible in detail. Thank you for your time.

I would take your parts, and I would put it on a bench. I would have the DVR trigger the alarm output, and I would experiment with the relay board until I got it right.

You can use a 4 wire conductor if this is what you have.

that's basically what i intended on doing. i thought i'd ask first in fear of frying my $1300.00 dvr. i have a friend who can do circuit breakers, wire houses etc, but i'm not sure how knowledgable he is in this area. will call him.

you say the 12 volt box represents a powersupply in the pdf. where's the relay then? the only thing that has me confused is "where does the juice come from??" lol. i'll figure the rest out. was i right as far as like what i did with my motion sensor? by cutting the end off a 12v camera supply and feeding juice to the relay? i'm done bothering you scorpion. this is my last post on this subject. you've been a great help. thanks

[/img]

so here is what i need, this relay? ok, so... here's the layout of this relay top row from left to right--- trg- , pos+ , c , nc , no

bottom row from left to right trg+ , neg- , c , nc , no

now how would i wire a 2 wire strobe to my dvr using this relay and power the strobe? the pdf you showed me scorpion didn't mention anything about powering the strobe. this is where i'm lost.

ok, i think i'm getting it. the strobe i want to use is low power--

SLC Strobe 60,000 candle power output, 180ma current draw, Two wire connection, Operates on 12VDC . do all dvr alarm outputs provide small amount of current to power such devices? should i email my manufacturer and inquire about this? and one more thing. i think i'm almost there. how do i power the relay? do i simply cut the end off a camera power supply i have laying around and connect to the relay terminals +/-? i did this with a motion sensor i bought and it works fine. that's what i'm planning on using on the dvr. i got 4 wire alarm wire, i think 20 gauge, hooked 2 to the spliced power adapter, 2 more to the n\o and com on the sensor. gonna run 2 back to the dvr alarm input. i'm sorry for being long winded, but like i said, i'm no electrician, but not stupid either. and very determined,lol. thank you scorpion for your time and effort with this matter and elsewhere on this forum.

does this look right?? am i on the right track here?

wouldn't let me post image, had to host it here.

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/crazythunder1968/images/detail/#231/elk912bat1.gif

The ELK-912B is a tough relay module featuring 12 or 24V DC easily selectable operation, SPDT Form "C" contacts, draws low current, voltage input LED, and good quality large cross-head connection terminals. It is an excellent choice for general purpose switching of devices or high current loads.

FEATURES:

Good Quality Cross-head Connection Terminals

12 or 24 Vdc User-Selectable Operation

Extremely Low Current Draw

Has a Voltage Input LED

Comes with Form "C" Dry Contacts

Ideal For Multi-Purpose Switching

Small, Highly Compact Size

Includes Double Sided Foam Tape For Mounting

Shipped in a Reusable Poly Storage Box

Sold with Lifetime Limited Warranty

SPECIFICATIONS:

Operating Voltage: 12 or 24 Volts DC Nominal

Current Draw: 35mA, triggered (relay on)

Relay Contacts: Form "C" , 7A @ 30VDC, 10 A @ 125VAC

Min. Pull-in Voltage: 9VDC on 12V setting, 19VDC on 24V setting

Size: 2" X 1.5 " (51mm X 38mm) Ea.

the dvr is a cctvstar SSA-0924i. you can get the pdf manual from their site.

i guess i'm still not sure how to do this. i was hoping to get a low power strobe, guessing one with 4 wires. i was thinking it worked like this-- i could power the strobe from my 12 volt distribution box, and the 2 other wires would go to the dvr's alarm output. i guess it's not that simple though???

i'm no electrician, but i can install gfi plugs, install a ceiling fan, etc. my question is regarding an alarm relay for my dvr. i want to hookup a strobe and or siren to the alarm output of my dvr.i have no idea what i need though. if i get just a strobe, would i need a 4 wire strobe? 2 wires for power and 2 for the dvr? how do i install the relay? better yet, what is a relay? lol. i'm sure someone could explain this in simple terms. here's what the specs for my dvr say----ALARM OUT 8 (PGM) connectors for alarm device connection.

Provides simple On/Off switching using relay (not included).

0.5A/125V or 1A/30V. The relay is open when not triggered. The relay can be close

by either a motion or a sensor input, only if enabled in the Recording Setup menu.

can someone post say a model name and part number or whatever as to the type of relay i would need? and how to wire it? i'd really appreciate some input on this. thanks in advance.

well, after about four hours of trying to setup the network software, i give up. i had no trouble setting up the dvr to access from internet explorer. i was trying to set up the client software to send motion detect pictures to my email. you need to install a piece of software called enview. you also need to signup for their own ddns service at dvr.enview.net. i would have liked to be able to pick my own service. i tried using my dyndns account, but it would not connect. i've been using dyndns for sometime now. no matter what i did, the software kept saying network was disconnected. one other person on their so called forum, which has no responses, had the same issue. what good is the dvr if i can't get pics sent to my mail? someone could rob it and i'd have no proof. i liked everything else about the dvr. but i'm not struggling with that cheap software anymore. i'm calling monday for an rma number. the site says expect 2 billing cycles to refund money to credit card. is this normal? or do you think i should take it up with my bank if not refunded within a shorter amount of time? i'd get store credit, but it looks like all their dvr's use similar software. now i'm a little pissed. my only worry now is getting my cash back. oh yea, the remote was garbage as well. ended up using the front buttons on the dvr.

i turned the dvr off last night, had cables laying all over the floor. still not done wiring. didn't want the wife to trip when she left for work. i'd hate it if she knocked over the dvr,lol. it's back on now for anyone who couldn't connect.

great! thanks for checking. so far, i really like this dvr. even though it's my first security dvr. tomorrow i gotta install my outdoor motion sensors. as soon as my government stimulus refund arrives, i'll get my first ptz. woohoo. thanks again for checking. how did the bandwidth seem? did it seem sluggish? i have it set to unlimited. i'm sure my isp will be contacting me about that,lol.

MOD-- PLEASE DELETE THIS POST. I'M RETURNING MY DVR

http://www.crazythunder.dvrdns.org/

let me know if you can access my dvr. i have it set to default port 80. i accessed ok from home web and lan. no nat lookpback issues from my router. just wanting to know if anyone can get through. very foggy here, so the pictures not so great.

i got the DM-ProView-1209 from dvr master. i'm still mounting the power box, running cables etc. just got one cam temporarily hooked up. but so far i like what i see. still gotta network it tonight and mess with the settings. will post any issues i find as i go. hopefully none. i have it hooked up to my samsung 20 inch syncmaster. dvr has vga out. i was going to sell the lcd, got a 28 inch now, but i'm glad i had no buyers. gonna keep it for my cams.