DVR Solution for analog / ip mix?

[techgeek 0]

Hey all..new to the forum although I have been a lurker for a little while. I have some older Lorex analog cams (2) installed and currently (1) ip cam and I am looking to finally get them the ability to record and be viewable from internet / etc.

 

I have a pc laying around that I wanted to drop a dvr card into which would handle (digitize) the analog cams but wanted to inquire if there was software that would handle both types of cams? I was looking at picking up a cheap dvr card from ebay / amazon etc and using some type of aftermarket software hoping it would pick up both the analog and ip cam? I also wanted all cams to be viewable from the internet which I am sure the software would handle.

 

Any assistance would be greatly appreciative on how I can accomplish this task.

 

Thanks.....

[tomcctv 187]

Hi. you will be looking for a hybrid solution. take a look at aver NV3000 card http://www.averusa.com/surveillance/productdetail.aspx?id=100

[techgeek 0]

Thank you for your assistance. I was looking at the product page and was confused about "1 channel IP camera support"? Does this mean it will only support 1 IP camera? Sorry for the stupid question but I may potentially add more IP cams later on.

 

Thanks.....

[Soundy 1]

If you're expecting/planning to move to all-IP later, you could look at straight NVR software and a couple encoders for the analog cameras.

[techgeek 0]

If you're expecting/planning to move to all-IP later, you could look at straight NVR software and a couple encoders for the analog cameras.

 

Soundy-

 

Thanks for your assistance...I really appreciate it. I do plan on moving to an all IP based setup eventually...maybe 2 years maybe 5 years....just depends on time and money (and both are short right now...LOL)

 

I do not fully understand what "encoders" are? Like what type / brand / etc I would use in my current situation? And I assume using these would fully incorporate both analog and IP into one solution?

 

You also mention NVR software, any recommendations on what would work for my particular situation for fully incorporating both analog and IP cams?

 

Sorry for all the questions....I am a bit of a novice in case you can't tell but want to learn.

 

Thanks....

[Soundy 1]

NVR stands for "Network Video Recorder" - to wit, they don't record analog cameras, only network cameras.

 

An encoder (aka "video server") is a box that you plug one or more analog cameras into, that then outputs an IP stream that can be recorded by an NVR... effectively turning an analog camera into an IP camera. Axis and Avigilon both have them, among several others that don't come to mind at the moment. This route basically means you don't need a four, eight or more channel internal card that for just two cameras that will eventually become unused.

[techgeek 0]

NVR stands for "Network Video Recorder" - to wit, they don't record analog cameras, only network cameras.

 

An encoder (aka "video server") is a box that you plug one or more analog cameras into, that then outputs an IP stream that can be recorded by an NVR... effectively turning an analog camera into an IP camera. Axis and Avigilon both have them, among several others that don't come to mind at the moment. This route basically means you don't need a four, eight or more channel internal card that for just two cameras that will eventually become unused.

 

Soundy-

 

Thx for the explanation...that makes sense. Do you have to buy a specific encoder from your particular analog camera company or can you use a general encoder and use with any brand analog cam?

 

And, for the NVR, I assume this is software that is loaded on the machine to record the input from the IP cams? What are some decent companies to go with?

 

Thanks......

[Soundy 1]

NVR stands for "Network Video Recorder" - to wit, they don't record analog cameras, only network cameras.

 

An encoder (aka "video server") is a box that you plug one or more analog cameras into, that then outputs an IP stream that can be recorded by an NVR... effectively turning an analog camera into an IP camera. Axis and Avigilon both have them, among several others that don't come to mind at the moment. This route basically means you don't need a four, eight or more channel internal card that for just two cameras that will eventually become unused.

 

Soundy-

 

Thx for the explanation...that makes sense. Do you have to buy a specific encoder from your particular analog camera company or can you use a general encoder and use with any brand analog cam?

Encoders just accept an analog composite video signal - doesn't matter if it's a CCTV camera, a consumer camcorder, a TV, a DVD player... it doesn't care what the source is as long as if follows the appropriate video standard (NTSC or PAL). You DO have to make sure that your NVR supports the specific encoder you're using (as with IP cameras, not all NVRs will support all cameras). They don't have to be from the same company, but they do have to be compatible.

 

And, for the NVR, I assume this is software that is loaded on the machine to record the input from the IP cams? What are some decent companies to go with?

 

Thanks......

We use Vigil, but they don't sell the software separately... there's Exacq, Avigilon, Milestone, Geovision, Aver... many many more, depending on how much you want to pay, what features you want, what kind of platform you're running on (Windows/MacOS/Linux), etc.

 

Others here can probably give you some better suggestions for DIY NVR software.

[techgeek 0]

Soundy-

 

Just a few more questions that I thought of and I was hoping you or someone else can assist me with answering them. Back to the original plan of just picking up a separate dvr pci card for my pc running windows OS.

 

I am looking at several different options of picking up a relatively cheap card from amazon, ebay, etc but my number one question would be: How do I know if that card or dvr software that comes with the card would pick up my IP cam on my network? And, could I use another aftermarket dvr software with those cards such as BI or Active WebCam, etc?

 

Thanks.....

[Soundy 1]

I am looking at several different options of picking up a relatively cheap card from amazon, ebay, etc but my number one question would be: How do I know if that card or dvr software that comes with the card would pick up my IP cam on my network?

IP cams have nothing to do with the card... however, you'll need to find software that specifically states it's for a "hybrid" system, or that it supports IP cameras... and again, make sure that it supports the camera(s) you want to use. Either that, or you'll need to run separate NVR software for the IP cameras.

 

And, could I use another aftermarket dvr software with those cards such as BI or Active WebCam, etc?

 

Sometimes. A lot of cheap cards are based on the same chipsets, often with fairly generic drivers, which means they'll sometimes work with generic software. SOMETIMES. There are no guarantees with cheap no-name stuff, and the vendor generally won't support your attempts to use anything beyond what they give you.

 

Honestly, you'd be better off to pay a little more for something name-brand like Aver for a card and hybrid software, and get the support that comes with it.

[william_netvisiondvr 0]

Hey all..new to the forum although I have been a lurker for a little while. I have some older Lorex analog cams (2) installed and currently (1) ip cam and I am looking to finally get them the ability to record and be viewable from internet / etc.

 

I have a pc laying around that I wanted to drop a dvr card into which would handle (digitize) the analog cams but wanted to inquire if there was software that would handle both types of cams? I was looking at picking up a cheap dvr card from ebay / amazon etc and using some type of aftermarket software hoping it would pick up both the analog and ip cam? I also wanted all cams to be viewable from the internet which I am sure the software would handle.

 

Any assistance would be greatly appreciative on how I can accomplish this task.

 

Thanks.....

Hi Techgeek,

We, Netvision, provide Hybrid DVR Server system to deal with both analog cameras and IP devices in one system. Up to 64 ch cameras are supported, also we have CMS platform. I'm pretty sure our products can reach your target, the only problem is that I'm not sure the brand of your IP camera, so not sure if the camera is supported by our software, but if it supports ONVIF protocol, then no matter what brands, it can work in our software correctly. We also provide hardwares such as Capture&Compress cards/IP Devices and so on.

Here are the links for our website, you can take a look, and if you are interested in our products, you can contact us.

http://www.netvisiondvr.com