Second screen image quality.

[aliciac 0]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm new to this forum and am looking for some help with a CCTV system I currently have installed in my store. It's a CP CAM CPD505 hard drive based system which I paid to have installed about three years ago together with 6 cameras (although the system is capable of handling 8 cameras). At the back of the system there are MAIN MONITOR and CALL MONITOR ports. There is a BNC type connector from the MAIN MONITOR port going to a small LCD TV (on the TV end is a BNC type connector converted into a Phono plug going into the TV's Video port).

 

There are no problems with the system other than that I would like to make one addition. I would like the images from the cameras duplicated on a larger LCD TV simultaneously. I thought I could connect another BNC to BNC type cable from the CALL MONITOR port into the Phono Video socket of the larger LCD, but the CALL MONITOR port only displays a switching between each of the 6 cameras, whereas I would like all 6 to be displayed at the same time.

 

Then I purchased a BNC splitter so that I could connect both cables to the MAIN MONITOR port and this works, but the picture on the first LCD has darkened, although is still viewable. This is so whether the second larger LCD TV is switched on or not – simply having a second cable connected to the larger LCD TV causes the complete picture on the first LCD to darken, although the picture is perfect on the second LCD TV. Perhaps I’m not doing something right, and I wonder if anyone here could advise me why this is happening. Do I need to change some setting, or am using the wrong type of splitter? (Bought a BNC splitter from eBay for only £1).

 

I look forward to your replies.

 

Thanks very much!

 

Alicia.

[tomcctv 187]

splitter for a £1. i think that might be your problem you will need to boost the signal a little bit so a bnc splitter with a power booster on it will do the job. are you in the uk ???

[aliciac 0]

Hi Tom!

 

Thanks for your quick reply. Yes I am in the UK, but didn't think that would make a difference. Do you know where I could get a BNC splitter with a power booster? I've searched Google, but can't find one. If you could post a link, that would be great!

 

Thanks again!

 

Alicia.

[Soundy 1]

A "video distribution amp" is what you need - try googling that or searching eBay for it. You'll probably find a lot that are for component video, but you only need one that does composite.

 

The problem is, you're splitting your signal in half - each monitor is only getting half the video level. As soon as you connect to the monitor, its input places a load on the signal, whether it's on or off. Professional CCTV monitors are designed to deal with this and not load the signal too much... consumer monitors aren't.

[Squiffy 0]

As pointed out, you need an active composite video splitter, which is an inexpensive device.

 

However, check your monitor input to see if it has a switch on the input, as some have a 75 ohm resistor which can be switched in or out of circuit. This is required for impedance matching, switching it out of circuit may give good results without using an active splitter.

[tomcctv 187]

hi. aliciac

 

you can buy from morton alarm supplys. best of buying a new one instead from ebay lots of people sell faulty ones. you can buy new for £30

 

i also ask if you was in the uk to see how far you are away from me. i am based in chester. i have 2 engineers in london 1 engineer in newcastle and 2 engineers in leeds. i could get one of my engineers to drop 1 of for you.[/img]

[ericm23 0]

You can purchase a video distribution amp with BNC inputs. Usually 4 inputs is the minimum. Google CCTV video distribution amp

[aliciac 0]

Hi again!

 

Thanks to everyone for their replies and help, and especially to Tom for his offer, but I have now had the issue resolved. I managed to get hold of a video distribution amp for free from a neighbouring business who weren't using theirs. Although it's an old one, it seems to have done the trick! So thanks again!

 

Whilst I'm here though, I wonder if I could cheekily ask for help on another issue!

 

It's regarding viewing my CCTV system from home. Basically my system (CPCam CPD505 (also known as AVTech AVC787 I have learnt)) has always been connected to my broadband cable router (Linksys WRT54G) via an ethernet cable by the original installers, but I have never managed to view the system remotely. Included with the system was software called Video Server E, which I now understand to be quite popular with CCTV systems. Well I've installed it on my computer in the store and am able to log in and view everything as normal. In fact the Search option of the software finds my CCTV system in the Device List. At the moment I am logging on with the default user name and password and the IP as 192.168.1.10 and the Port as 80. As I say, this works well, but I suspect it only works because both the CCTV system and my computer in store are connected to the same router using ethernet cables. How can I however access my CCTV from home, i.e. through the Internet?

 

I have searched the manual for an answer to this, but to no avail. Also I am a bit confused when it talks about DDNS. Obviously from home the IP address to connect will not be 192.168.1.10, and I tried the store computer's IP address (obtained from my router's configuration page). Could it be that the router is blocking my access attempts from home? I have a feeling I'm missing something important here. Also, I have a dynamic IP address from my ISP, not static - do I need a static IP address or is there a way around this?

 

Thanks very much again! I'm learning lots here!

 

Alicia.

[tomcctv 187]

hi. alicia.

 

the internet side is easy. the ip you posted is a local ip address you can only use this when connected to the router by wire or wireless that the cctv is connected.

 

away from your home you need your service ip. go to google from the router your cctv is on and type myip.

it will give you your s/p ip

then try http://your ip address:80

[aliciac 0]

Tom,

 

Thanks for your reply. Sorry for the delayed response, was on holiday until yesterday. I tried what you suggested, but it's still not working, so I think I must be missing something.

 

I went to a website from my store's computer and obtained the IP address (after searching "my ip" in Google). At home I typed this into Internet Explorer just as you suggested, but it just takes me to a Google search results page. I have installed Video Server E at home too and entered this IP address into that too, but it says "Login procedure failed".

 

I haven't reset the cable modem or router in my store and so the IP address has not changed. Also I have tried changing the IP address in my DVR's menu to match the one I obtained from the website, but this too does not work when I log in from home.

 

Do you know what else the problem could be please?

 

Thanks a million!

 

Alicia.

[mitstarion 0]

You have to enable port forwarding in your router before you can access your dvr remotely.

[aliciac 0]

Hi again!

 

Thanks for your reply Mitstarion. I'm still stuck on one issue but have managed to access my DVR from home using the Video Server E software and via Internet Explorer, but have achieved this only by setting the DVR's Network settings to my current IP address and DHCP mode, like this:

 

NETWORK MENU:

Network Type: DHCP (other options are Static and PPPOE)

DNS: My current IP address

Port: 80

 

So even though this setup works, I'm aware that once I restart my cable modem, I'll have a new IP address and thus will have to change the IP address entered into the DVR. So I may be wrong, but I think that my DVR settings should be as follows and have now put them back to these default settings:

 

NETWORK MENU:

Network Type: Static

DNS: 192.168.1.10 (my DVR's default)

Port: 80

 

But with the DVR set up like that, although I can access my DVR from the store computer (same location) since they are plugged into the same router, I can't from home. My router is a Linksys WRT54G, and attached to it is a standard Windows XP computer and my DVR, both connected to the router with patch cables.

 

In my router's security settings, I have disabled the firewall and unticked these following options:

 

Block Anonymous Internet Requests

Filter Multicast

Filter Internet NAT Redirection

Filter IDENT(Port 113)

 

This is just in case my router is blocking me from connecting to my DVR away from my store. Please let me know if I should re-enable any or all of these if they do not affect me connecting from outside.

 

In the Port Forwarding menu of my router, I have set the following:

 

Application: DVR

Start: 80

End: 80

Protocol: Both (TCP and UDP)

IP Address: 192.168.1.10

Enable: Yes

 

Finally in my router's DDNS settings. I have created a free account with dyndns.org and set the details within my router, and my router reports that the IP address was sucessfully updated.

 

So having done all that, why is it still not working from home, either through Internet Explorer and using my dyndns.org host name or through Video Server E and using entering directly my IP address?

 

I would have thought that with these settings, Video Server E at home would contact my store's router, which would then direct it to my DVR based on the fact that the IP addresses in my router's port forwarding menu and the IP address set in my DVR match.

 

As I say, the only way I can get it to work at the moment is by entering my current IP directly into my DVR's Network settings and also setting the DVR's Network setting as DCHP and not Static. I've noticed though that once the DVR is set as DCHP, my router's DHCP Clients Table lists it as a random IP in the form 192.168.1.***. And when the DVR is set as Static, the DVR does not appear in my router's DHCP Clients Table. Presumably the reason as to why this is must be obvious to those in the know?

 

I'm confused, please help! Sorry the question is so longwinded. Maybe the answer could help someone else in the future too.

 

Thanks again!

 

Alicia.

[tomcctv 187]

hi. aliciac.

sorry its been a while since i have been on here. how far are you from chester ???

[Soundy 1]

Hi again!

 

Thanks for your reply Mitstarion. I'm still stuck on one issue but have managed to access my DVR from home using the Video Server E software and via Internet Explorer, but have achieved this only by setting the DVR's Network settings to my current IP address and DHCP mode, like this:

 

NETWORK MENU:

Network Type: DHCP (other options are Static and PPPOE)

DNS: My current IP address

Port: 80

 

So even though this setup works, I'm aware that once I restart my cable modem, I'll have a new IP address and thus will have to change the IP address entered into the DVR.

 

Not so - the only thing that would change is your "outside" IP. If you're using dyndns.org, that shouldn't be an issue, as the name will update to reflect the change. The DVR's IP would (and should) stay the same, since it's getting that address from the router on the internal network.

 

So I may be wrong, but I think that my DVR settings should be as follows and have now put them back to these default settings:

 

NETWORK MENU:

Network Type: Static

DNS: 192.168.1.10 (my DVR's default)

Port: 80

 

That doesn't seem right... the DNS entry should have either the router's internal IP (192.168.1.1) or an outside DNS server. Is there not another entry for an IP address for the unit? When you're on Static, it should have spaces for you to enter an IP, a Netmask, and a Gateway address.

 

In my router's security settings, I have disabled the firewall and unticked these following options:

 

Block Anonymous Internet Requests

Filter Multicast

Filter Internet NAT Redirection

Filter IDENT(Port 113)

 

None of that should have any effect on this issue.

 

In the Port Forwarding menu of my router, I have set the following:

 

Application: DVR

Start: 80

End: 80

Protocol: Both (TCP and UDP)

IP Address: 192.168.1.10

Enable: Yes

 

That should all be correct, as long as the DVR's IP is right... I still think something is wrong there, though. Also, you only need to forward TCP; UDP isn't required for this.

 

So having done all that, why is it still not working from home, either through Internet Explorer and using my dyndns.org host name or through Video Server E and using entering directly my IP address?

 

I would have thought that with these settings, Video Server E at home would contact my store's router, which would then direct it to my DVR based on the fact that the IP addresses in my router's port forwarding menu and the IP address set in my DVR match.

 

Is Video Server E also using port 80? If it uses other ports, they'll need to be forwarded as well.

 

As I say, the only way I can get it to work at the moment is by entering my current IP directly into my DVR's Network settings and also setting the DVR's Network setting as DCHP and not Static. I've noticed though that once the DVR is set as DCHP, my router's DHCP Clients Table lists it as a random IP in the form 192.168.1.***. And when the DVR is set as Static, the DVR does not appear in my router's DHCP Clients Table. Presumably the reason as to why this is must be obvious to those in the know?

 

DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. In short, it allows the server (your router, in this case) to automatically tell the clients (your PCs and DVR) the proper network settings to communicate on that network: an IP, the netmask and gateway settings, the DNS server address(es), and so on. Since each device must have a unique IP address, it gives each of them an address from its "pool" - usually something in the range of 192.168.1.100 to .150 or so.

 

If you're setting the router's IP to "static", you need to enter the IP, netmask, gateway and DNS info manually... since the DHCP Client Table lists what addresses the router has given out to connected devices, and the DVR is not getting that information from the router's DHCP server now, the Table won't have a listing for the DVR.

 

Now all that aside, assuming everything else is set up correctly (I still think there's something missing in that network config), if it still doesn't work, it's possible that your ISP is blocking port 80 (many of them do). In that case, you could try using a different port, such as 81, 88, 8000, 8080, or any other port that's not in use by something else. You'll need to change it in the router as well as the DVR; then when trying to access that from an outside web browser, add the port number to the end of the URL like so:

http://aliciac.dyndns.org:8080 (assuming you used 8080). Note that, especially with Internet Explorer, the "http://" is *required*, or it will get confused (other, more intelligent browsers, will assume http by default).

[aliciac 0]

Hi!

 

Tom, thanks for the offer but I'm in Kent so a long way from Chester. However I think I have solved the problem.

 

Thanks also to Soundy for the detailed reply, you clearly know your stuff. You were right - my DVR does have a submenu within the Network Menu. Once I select STATIC in the Network Menu and press enter on STATIC, a submenu opens where I can enter IP, GATEWAY and NETMASK. However when DHCP is selected in the Network Menu, although I can go into the submenu, I cannot edit IP, GATEWAY and NETMASK. Presumably this is logical?

 

Based on your advice Soundy that in the Network Menu, DNS does not mean the same as IP, I have changed the settings as follows which has meant that I am able to access my DVR from home.

 

NETWORK MENU:

Network Type: DCHP

DNS: 192.168.1.1 (as you suggested, address to router)

Port: 8080

 

In the Network submenu, this produces automatically:

 

IP: 192.168.1.103

GATEWAY: 192.168.1.1

NETMASK: 255.255.255.000

 

As I wasn't sure whether my ISP was blocking Port 80, so to be safe I have changed the DVR setting to Port 8080 (as shown above) and have changed the Port Forwarding to 8080 in the router settings to reflect the same.

 

You were also right about the router's security settings, it does not matter whether those security options are enabled or disabled, I am able to access my DVR from home either way, so have re-enabled them.

 

Also I noticed that the IP that my DVR was given by the router was 192.168.1.103. The 103 part is important because to get access from home, I also had to change the Port Forwarding in the router settings to 103, so that now reads:

 

Application: DVR

Start: 8080

End: 8080

Protocol: Both (TCP and UDP)

IP Address: 192.168.1.103

Enable: Yes

 

Great so far, no problems accessing my DVR from home either via Video Server E or Internet Explorer. The DDNS service from dyndns.org works also.

 

I just have one last question. When there's a power cut or the DVR or router is ever powered off, the new IP given to the DVR by the router can be something other than 103. I have tried this by power cycling the router, the DVR then appeared as 192.168.1.106 in the router's DHCP Clients Table, and the IP in the DVR's Network submenu has automatically changed to 192.168.1.106 to reflect this. No problem you would think, but the Port Forwarding was set up for 103, not 106, and so access to DVR from home was lost. All I had to do was change 103 to 106 in the Port Forwarding setting, and everything was back to normal. But is there a way around this?

 

Thanks a million again! Sorry for another longwinded question!

 

Alicia.

[tomcctv 187]

hi aliciac.

 

in the uk the best port to use is around 5550. bt/virgin/talktalk/ will keep blocking other ports. so try setting your port 5550.

 

yes kent is far away but i am in that area at least once a month but i think changing your port will sortout your problem.

[Soundy 1]

Thanks also to Soundy for the detailed reply, you clearly know your stuff.

 

Glad you got it working!

 

You were right - my DVR does have a submenu within the Network Menu. Once I select STATIC in the Network Menu and press enter on STATIC, a submenu opens where I can enter IP, GATEWAY and NETMASK. However when DHCP is selected in the Network Menu, although I can go into the submenu, I cannot edit IP, GATEWAY and NETMASK. Presumably this is logical?

 

Yes. As I explained, any system (such as your DVR) that wants to communicate on a TCP/IP network needs certain information: a unique IP address, a network mask, a gateway, address(es) of DNS server(s), etc. There are two common ways for it to get that information: either from a DHCP server on the network, or to have it entered manually. If you set it to get that via DHCP, there's no need for you to enter it manually, so those options are blocked out.

 

I just have one last question. When there's a power cut or the DVR or router is ever powered off, the new IP given to the DVR by the router can be something other than 103. I have tried this by power cycling the router, the DVR then appeared as 192.168.1.106 in the router's DHCP Clients Table, and the IP in the DVR's Network submenu has automatically changed to 192.168.1.106 to reflect this. No problem you would think, but the Port Forwarding was set up for 103, not 106, and so access to DVR from home was lost. All I had to do was change 103 to 106 in the Port Forwarding setting, and everything was back to normal. But is there a way around this?

 

DHCP servers have a timeout, called a "lease", that if it isn't renewed periodically, an assigned IP will go back into the pool for it to give out to another system. If your DVR is off or disconnected for too long, the lease will expire. So, there are two ways around it:

 

One, don't use DHCP, but set the DVR to STATIC and enter that information yourself.

 

Two, see if the router has a "Static" or "Reserved" option under its DHCP Server setup, that lets you permanently assign a certain IP to a specific machine.

 

If you go with the first option, use an address outside of the router's DHCP pool range. Most will default to a range of 50-100 available IPs, such as 192.168.1.100 through 192.168.1.150; if you hard-code the DVR with an IP of 192.168.1.103 (for example), it's likely that at some point, the router will also assign that IP to something else, and you'll have a conflict. To avoid this, use a number outside that range, such as your original 192.168.1.10. Then set your port forwarding to that address.

 

IP addresses can use any number between 0 and 255 for each "octet" (between the dots). 0 and 255 are reserved; 1 or 254 are often used for the gateway; so you should be able to use any address between 192.168.1.2 and 192.168.0.253.

[aliciac 0]

Thanks for the further advice guys. From my router's config pages I can't find any "Static" or "Reserved" option under "Network Address Server Settings (DHCP)", only this:

 

DHCP Server: Enable

Starting IP Address: 192.168.1.100

Maximum Number of DHCP Users: 50

Client Lease Time: 0 minutes (0 means one day)

Static DNS 1: 0.0.0.0

Static DNS 2: 0.0.0.0

Static DNS 3: 0.0.0.0

WINS: 0.0.0.0

 

I don't think any of this applies, so will have to go for the DVR Static option. By the way, my DVR is powered on all day everyday as is the router, so presumably the DVR will apply for a new IP address every day according to the above settings - another reason why I should go Static.

 

I'm at home right now but will give it a go tomorrow. Just to confirm, I'll set the following, please let me know if something's wrong:

 

DVR:

NETWORK MENU:

Network Type: STATIC

DNS: 192.168.1.1 (address to router)

Port: 5550

NETWORK SUBMENU:

IP: 192.168.1.10

GATEWAY: 192.168.1.1

NETMASK: 255.255.255.000

 

(Presumably the GATEWAY and NETMASK entries are correct if those stayed the same when DVR was set to DHCP and could be accessed from home).

 

ROUTER:

PORT RANGE FORWARD:

Application: DVR

Start: 5550

End: 5550

Protocol: Both (TCP and UDP)

IP Address: 192.168.1.10

Enable: Yes

 

Thanks again! Will let you know if it works tomorrow!

 

Alicia.

[Soundy 1]

Thanks for the further advice guys. From my router's config pages I can't find any "Static" or "Reserved" option under "Network Address Server Settings (DHCP)", only this:

 

DHCP Server: Enable

Starting IP Address: 192.168.1.100

Maximum Number of DHCP Users: 50

Client Lease Time: 0 minutes (0 means one day)

Static DNS 1: 0.0.0.0

Static DNS 2: 0.0.0.0

Static DNS 3: 0.0.0.0

WINS: 0.0.0.0

 

I don't think any of this applies, so will have to go for the DVR Static option. By the way, my DVR is powered on all day everyday as is the router, so presumably the DVR will apply for a new IP address every day according to the above settings - another reason why I should go Static.

 

IN THEORY, if the DVR is on all the time, it should always have the same IP address.

 

DHCP leases typically work like this: once the "half-life" of the lease is reached, the device (DVR, computer, etc.) asks for a renewal of the IP it has, and should usually get it immediately. If the end of the lease is reached and no renewal request has been made, the IP returns to the pool. I believe most LinkSys routers default to one day for the lease time (this can probably be changed), so as long as the DVR is off less than 12 hours, it should always get the same IP back.

 

The problem I've found with a number of LinkSys routers, and a reason I never recommend them, is that they have a tendency to NOT renew leases properly, even if the machine is never offline. I've had a DVR's IP repeatedly change from .100 to .101 and back to .100 using a LinkSys router, changing on an 18-24 hour basis without even a reboot of the DVR.

 

In those cases, yes, I've had to set the DVRs to use statically-assigned IPs.

 

I'm at home right now but will give it a go tomorrow. Just to confirm, I'll set the following, please let me know if something's wrong:

 

DVR:

NETWORK MENU:

Network Type: STATIC

DNS: 192.168.1.1 (address to router)

Port: 5550

NETWORK SUBMENU:

IP: 192.168.1.10

GATEWAY: 192.168.1.1

NETMASK: 255.255.255.000

 

(Presumably the GATEWAY and NETMASK entries are correct if those stayed the same when DVR was set to DHCP and could be accessed from home).

 

ROUTER:

PORT RANGE FORWARD:

Application: DVR

Start: 5550

End: 5550

Protocol: Both (TCP and UDP)

IP Address: 192.168.1.10

Enable: Yes

 

Thanks again! Will let you know if it works tomorrow!

 

Alicia.

 

That all looks right! You've been an excellent student, gold star for you!

[aliciac 0]

Hi guys!

 

Just an update to my last post yesterday. Everything works great with those settings Soundy confirmed yesterday! Just wish it hadn't taken so long and so much effort, but I guess I learnt a lot along the way.

 

I've also noticed the same with Linksys routers - even if the client (my PC in this case) has not been turned off, it can be allocated a different IP address from time to time. Bizarre, but will bear this in mind if ever buying a new router.

 

Thanks again for all the help, I couldn't have done without it.

 

All the best,

 

Alicia.