User Panel
Posted: 5/24/2009 5:40:06 AM EDT
[Last Edit: TheGrayMan]
WARNING: This entire thread is extremely picture-heavy... we're literally talking 1000+ pictures in this thread... it sucks up 8-9GB/month of bandwidth on my Photobucket Pro account.
If you're on 56k, close this window now, and hie thee hence to a broadband connection. Seriously... this is not a joke. Don't say you weren't warned... Table of Contents: (Now updated for new ARFcom format!) Page 1: Camera types, power types, picture examples, IR illuminator examples. Analog vs IP-megapixel night pics, pixels-per-foot, PTZ Page 2: Cabling, lenses, more IR illuminator pics, Camera servers, hybrid systems, home-made enclosures, tools Page 3: Illuminator failure, fake cameras, specialized cameras, Software information, CPU/network utilization, Florida home-invasion discussion Page 4: Panasonic analog dome prep, and step-by-step installation, Network DVR and PoE install prep, network cabling Page 5: DVR lock-box, network cabling and rack-mount cabinets, Fake camera autopsy, Acti dome, DVR lock-box install, analog camera replacement Page 6: Funny bug videos, analog camera autopsy, PoE network camera install, dome day/night images, NAS example Page 7: Camera mounts, system examples, resolution discussion, alarm integration, dome day/night images, Analog bullet install, IR illuminator install with pictures (x2), DIY PC-based DVR Page 8: Megapixel dome shootout (Panasonic, Mobotix, Acti). IR illuminator amperage, NVG+illuminator videos, More Illuminators, and NVG videos (Gen2-SHP... thanks, Victor!), Why squirrels are a**holes Page 9: Port forwarding, Linksys, wireless bridging, new DVR, auto-tracking server, Mobotix ExtIO Page 10: D-Link wireless bridge configuration for IP cameras, Mobotix Ext-IO installation/configuration, Mobotix Dual-Dome Page 11: Crimpin' ain't easy, DVR innards, IR power supply replacement, Dual-Dome images, Managed PoE network switch, Senstar illuminator, Gigabit switch fan-mod, Mobotix Module change-out Page 12: Board cameras, Mobotix vs Panasonic, IP camera failure, IP camera repair/replacement Page 13: PoE camera testing rig, Analog-and-lens license plate testing Page 14: Analog connector stripping dimensions, CNB Monalisa dome, Ubiquiti access-point Page 15: Ubiquiti AP install, Analog-to-IP conversion, Ubiquiti interface and testing, Routing issues Page 16: Axis 241Q and Luxriot troubleshooting, Luxriot and Axis step-by-step, NVR network/CPU load Page 17: GD and PCI card discussion, Frosty the Pwned man. Page 18-19: More port-forwarding troubleshooting, Remote wireless bridge, Harbor-Freight/Bunker-Hill/Night-Owl system review (thanks, Speargun!) Page 20: Illuminator failure and repair/replacement, Drive cooling, Nuuo NAS NVR-mini review Page 21: Ubiquiti wireless bridge installation, and configuration Page 22: Acti ACM-8211 PTdZ review. Zoneminder travails... and install tips, More Zoneminder, including analog capture card config Page 25: Stand-alone wireless cam, Autonomous wireless camera how-to Page 27: Analog install, from site survey to final pictures. Wifi systems, wifi camera review, and budget IP-cam comparison Page 30: Acti KCM-5311E zoom camera, and license plates Page 32: Smarter Cameras and Sensors: getting the most out of Digital I/O Page 33: Load graphs for PC-based DVR, and more Sensors Page 36: Seco-Alarm timer module Page 38 Panasonic WV-CW504S analog camera Page 39: Car Cams Page 40: More Car Cams, and Road Testing Page 41 Axton Tech IR illuminator Page 42 Vivotek Supreme Panoramic camera + PIR sensor Page 45: Hikvision camera testing... a "Game Changer" Page 47 Hikvision Mini-dome and Bullet-cam reviews Page 49: Beware of pressure-washing. Page 53: Hikvision compact NVR review Page 55 900Mhz Ubiquiti Bridging Page 58 Mobotix i25 cameras, and panoramic shootout Page 69: Hikvision I/O with external sensors, and latest Firmware ************************************************************************************************** |
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler - |
Thanks for the info. Keep it coming. Much appreciated.
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Wow that is really neat.
Thanks, this is a great walk through. Just out of curiosity are the camera's capturing real time video or is it more the delayed video you so often see on tv where it takes a picture every couple of seconds? I was just wondering if storing real time video is an option or just too space consuming. You mentioned that the systems can email you or text message you when they sense motion, can they be set to only record when there is motion too? |
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Originally Posted By MrHunterAZ:
Wow that is really neat. Thanks, this is a great walk through. Just out of curiosity are the camera's capturing real time video or is it more the delayed video you so often see on tv where it takes a picture every couple of seconds? I was just wondering if storing real time video is an option or just too space consuming. You mentioned that the systems can email you or text message you when they sense motion, can they be set to only record when there is motion too? Most systems capture time-lapse video... it's not full motion, and it looks a bit choppy, but 4-8 frames-per-second is enough to ID most people, and see what they're doing. Some systems actually do 30+frames per second, but those are mostly used in casinos, and other areas where they're trying to capture sleight-of-hand, and people palming chips and cards. You can also make a system record only on motion... that saves tons of storage space. |
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler - |
For home cameras IR illumination will give you a very usable picture. It's not like you're trying to avoid giving away your position.
Low-light cameras will work pretty well with just street light illumination too. For best low light video go with black-and-white cameras, they're at least 10-times more sensitive. Higher resolution cameras in the 400-520 lines per inch deliver a noticeably better picture than the 240-320 line per inch cameras. The cameras in my system are all +400 lines per inch and analog video. Using analog video allows me to connect the cameras to RF modulators which feed the cameras pictures into the cable system which feeds all the televisions in the house. For the TV's I watch channel 4 for the satellite or channels 88, 90, 92, or 94 for the cameras. For the monitors video is the satellite receiver and RF is the video camera. We have picture-in-picture on our big screen and put the front yard camera on when expecting visitors. Audio is nice to have too - I have microphones to allow me to hear what's being said on the street, side yard, and front door. It's also nice to have a recording of what's said so I have a recorder too. Check your state laws on what and where you can record as they do vary. Here there is no expectation of privacy in a public place like the street but you can not record in places where a person would be expected to have privacy - like the bathroom or shower! The analog camera signals are run to an MPEG-4 encoder where they are recorded. From there I can log-on via the Ethernet cable for watching or reviewing. I record in full resolution at real-time speed of 30-frames a second. |
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Celebrating the Second Amendment One Fine Firearm at a Time
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Good post...
What about a system that is effectively wireless? Remote location( say on a tower, tree?), solar battery charger, wireless feed to house? is there such a thing? |
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Tag, as I need a 3-4 camera system, and with my budget analog. I have a extra RG-6 at each TV set and all sets have PIP, so a few cams and a modulator, some wiring and I am set? I can use RG-59/RG-6 with a coax to rca adapter for comm line, and 18/2-16/2 with drain/shield for power. I just want to see my front door, back door and driveway. I have a extra media center PC not in use with a 250G HDD, so could use it to record I guess. Or, just turn on the vcr stored away while I am gone.
Thanks for the thread and the info, BTW |
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Bacon grease, the new Muslim approved .mil lubricant.
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great info. I have been looking at this for awhile, still have yet to pull the trigger, but getting close..appreciate the detail by the op
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"God created man, Sam Colt made them all equal"
My post count is low because I read the FAQ's and know how to search!!! |
Great job on this thread. Thanks for your time.
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"Where's that confounded bridge?"
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Post of the year right here!!!
This is good stuff!!!!! Thank you for taking the time to do this. Gene |
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Posted By 455SD: Newspaper, man. Newspaper.
Posted By Napoleon_Tanerite: meh... gives my garage floor that well used look. Posted By Johnny_Reno: That's true. It's very difficult to throw your garage floor down the driveway. |
Very impressive post. Perma-tagged for me.
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Thank you for taking the time to post this.
It makes an unfamiliar situation easier to understand. |
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Originally Posted By Paul:
For home cameras IR illumination will give you a very usable picture. It's not like you're trying to avoid giving away your position. Low-light cameras will work pretty well with just street light illumination too. For best low light video go with black-and-white cameras, they're at least 10-times more sensitive. Higher resolution cameras in the 400-520 lines per inch deliver a noticeably better picture than the 240-320 line per inch cameras. The cameras in my system are all +400 lines per inch and analog video. Using analog video allows me to connect the cameras to RF modulators which feed the cameras pictures into the cable system which feeds all the televisions in the house. For the TV's I watch channel 4 for the satellite or channels 88, 90, 92, or 94 for the cameras. For the monitors video is the satellite receiver and RF is the video camera. We have picture-in-picture on our big screen and put the front yard camera on when expecting visitors. Audio is nice to have too - I have microphones to allow me to hear what's being said on the street, side yard, and front door. It's also nice to have a recording of what's said so I have a recorder too. Check your state laws on what and where you can record as they do vary. Here there is no expectation of privacy in a public place like the street but you can not record in places where a person would be expected to have privacy - like the bathroom or shower! The analog camera signals are run to an MPEG-4 encoder where they are recorded. From there I can log-on via the Ethernet cable for watching or reviewing. I record in full resolution at real-time speed of 30-frames a second. Yes... but with a few caveats, the main one being that you're virtually always better off going with visible illumination over IR illumination, if visible is a realistic option for your application. Visible illumination has much to recommend it: It is readily available (floodlights are available at every hardware and home-improvement big-box store), cheap, replacement bulbs are easy to procure, they wire up to standard house 120V AC, they can be motion-activated, they don't look out-of-place on a regular residential structure, and lights are a visible deterrent (no burglar likes a lot of light). Visible light also allows your day/night cameras to operate in color mode, as opposed to black-and-white (color is helpful in identifying clothing, vehicle color, or the race of a suspect). On the other hand, visible illumination is NOT covert... and if you're trying to keep a low profile at your mountain cabin, or for whatever reason, a half-dozen high-wattage floodlights are going to really make you stand out. IR illumination has its own strengths and weaknesses, and comes in two main wavelengths: 850-880nm, and 940nm. The longer wavelength IR (the 940nm) is completely covert, and isn't visible to the naked eye at all. 940nm gear is very pricey, and you have to be absolutely certain that your cameras have adequate spectral response that deep into the IR spectrum. Not only do many camera manufacturers not provide this data with their cameras, but many common IR sensitive cameras simply aren't as sensitive to that portion of the spectrum, requiring you to pump out a LOT more 940nm light to compensate (bigger $$$). (here is a PDF from IQeye on one of their cameras, showing the spectral response curves for various wavelengths... note the steep drop-off in response as you get deeper into the IR spectrum). 850-880nm gear is much cheaper, and most cameras can see it far better than the 940nm wavelengths, but it is slightly visible to the naked eye as a dull red glow if you're close enough to the camera. I've personally gone away from cameras with integrated IR LEDs, simply because I've found that they never work as well as advertised. Whatever range they claim to have for their Infrared LEDs can be effectively halved for real world purposes. Camera-mounted IR also attracts bugs, which screws up your motion detection and fills your hard drives with garbage images. I still use quite a bit of IR, but it's from illuminators that are mounted separately from the camera. I did a review of a couple of different illuminators a few months ago: *********** Snipped links... IR illuminator pics attached below to keep it all in the same post ***************** ETA: Here is a drawer full of IR-emitting goodness: Most of those are Ebay specials, and will run from a standard CCTV 12V power source. but the black ones you see at the top of that picture are very powerful (60W each). That silver box in the bottom of the picture is the power supply that drives those illuminators, and together they pull almost 15A of current at 13.3V... quite a difference from your usual 4-500mA puck illuminator (and those big ones get pretty warm... the entire back assembly on them is one big heatsink). That said, you do get your money's worth from the larger illuminators... they turn night into day. |
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler - |
Nothing Diminishes Anxiety Faster than... ACTION!
FL, USA
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A BIG Thanks. I've been considering a system, but I have no idea where to start and what to use. This helps to get me thinking about what I would need and what to expect. I am wanting a system with 2-3 cameras for around the outside of my home. Thanks for the time. Keep it up.
ETA: Would like to be able to record even at night. |
Give me my Guns, Freedom and Money... You can KEEP the CHANGE!
I, solemnly swore that I would support and defend the Constitution of the United States against ALL Enemies, Foreign and Domestic! |
This is very nice. Great info a lot of us have been looking for. Thanks a bunch.
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Fantastic! I've always wondered about pic quality both day and night and now have a better understanding of what I'll be getting into.
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Guten TAG!
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tag and a half!
I can't wait until we get to camera systems for apartment dwellers. |
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I am the real Waldo0506.
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Good posting. Back up the cameras with motion sensons same ones used for the exterior lights hooked up to a door bell that's seperate from your existing door bell and set it to 1 minute duration on the motion sensor. This way not only do you have video capability you also have audio capability. Do use a door bell with a different tone. You are not going to be in front of a monitor 24/7.
Since the motion sensor has a photo cell just use dark colored silicone to cover it and viola you have daytime capability for the sensor as well. I know they do sell drive away alert monitors but why limit yourself to that. You can set up the above around the house perimeter. Tie it to a master switch to turn off when you are outside doing yard work or what have you. It's not 100% foolproof but does gives you another layer of security. |
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Thank you for the wealth of information.
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Thanks for the great post!
I have a small system with a consumer grade 4-channel MPEG4 DVR and I'm not happy with the quality of the stored video. The cameras look great live but the stored images lose a lot of detail. Do you think I will see a noticeable improvement in quality if I upgrade to a consumer grade 4-channel DVR with H.264 compression? |
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Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. - Albert Einstein
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Tag!
GREAT Info!! Do you have some cost info you could add for noobs just looking into this? What would be expected "startup" costs? |
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NRA Life Member
TSRA Member CHL Instructor |
Originally Posted By KwaiChangCaine:
Thanks for the great post! I have a small system with a consumer grade 4-channel MPEG4 DVR and I'm not happy with the quality of the stored video. The cameras look great live but the stored images lose a lot of detail. Do you think I will see a noticeable improvement in quality if I upgrade to a consumer grade 4-channel DVR with H.264 compression? Probably not a huge increase in quality. What you will see is a decrease in file size. However, if the picture quality isn't what you really want, where's the benefit? First and foremost, the system has to have the picture quality you want... and everything else follows from that. Storage space is incredibly cheap these days, and there's almost no reason to sacrifice quality for file size; just get more/bigger drives. (1.5 Terabyte drives go for about 120-150 dollars on Newegg, all day long) Personally, I use MJPEG... the pictures simply look better than MPEG4, and you get less compression artifact. The file sizes are significantly larger... but I've probably got 2.5 Terabytes of local storage on my NVR, and an additional 4.5 Terabytes in network storage that the NVR can use for overflow. My advice would be not to skimp on picture quality... that's the whole reason why most of us get these systems. |
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler - |
Originally Posted By sirostac:
Tag! GREAT Info!! Do you have some cost info you could add for noobs just looking into this? What would be expected "startup" costs? That's a very involved question. I'd first have to ask what you're attempting to do with the system... identify faces? Identify vehicles? Simply be able to tell that "something's out there?" How large an area do you hope to cover? Is night-time performance an absolute must? How much ambient light do you have to work with? What climate will this system be expected to endure? Analog or IP-based? What kind of structure is this system going into? Do you need covert cameras? I had my first system professionally installed by some alarm guys, and they did a nice job. I may be a computer geek, HAM operator, etc... but I didn't know the first thing about surveillance video. After they were done, and I looked at it, I realized that I could do a lot of this myself. I started with a four-camera analog system... and it's grown into a hybrid system, including PTZs, day/nights, covert cams, megapixel IP cams, and a PC-based DVR that I built myself. I recently did a four-camera system for my elderly parents (mixture of domes and bullets)... took about a day and a half (my old man helped me fish the siamese cable up through the soffits and into the attic... that's a much easier job with two people.). They now have an internet-aware system that they can check when they're traveling... and I'm going to add a bit more to it before I'm done. Here's a rough cost breakdown for what we used: Nuuo SCB-5004 4-port encoder card (purchased from these guys): $450 IBM Thinkcentre small-form-factor desktop, purchased from Ebay: $200 Honeywell dome cameras x2: $400 Armored IR-equipped dome x1: $100 IR-equipped Bullet x1: $100 Cable and Connectors: $150 It's about $1400 in parts, and the encoder card came with its own software (Important... see below). The software is expandable. It has the capability to add IP cameras by purchasing additional licenses and a USB dongle. We did all the labor ourselves, and we split the hardware cost. If you go IP-based, you're going to need some sort of camera management software... (which is why it was so nice that the encoder card I mentioned above included it). There are all kinds of options as far as that goes... that probably deserves an entire post of its own, but depending on what you need/want, you can drop up to $200 per channel just for software. |
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler - |
Good topic and info Grey.
Someone asked about remote cams and we've been thinking about putting cams at a remote location that has between a 10 and 20 mile line of sight to here. We bought an IP cam at Fry's a few months ago but haven't taken it out of the box yet. Also picked up a video card for analog cameras. The first use for the camera is to point it to various temperature sensors there, the cheap LCD ones to monitor temp and also to monitor battery voltage and current drain, from anywhere. We also picked up an IP outlet strip that lets you remotely turn things on and off, with feedback confirmation. It was about $100. We'll use that to remote control lights or whatever we want. I haven't rsearched too much how to handle the non-static IP addy for the cable conx here so I can remotely access the cams and switch when traveling and still don't know how to do that. I'd like to receive an email and maybe a call to my cell phone if something interesting happens. |
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On the remote cam question...
The pix GreyMan showed in the posts above demonstrates how high the resolution of an IP camera is vs analog. An earlier poster asked how he could remotely [I presume maybe 1/4 mile] monitor a camera. I've been giving the same issue some thought so in a SHTF, I can put a cam a mile or two away to watch a road or something. The best way I can think of [and there are a LOT of variables for each application] is to use a large 12 volt battery, solar panel, an IP cam and and a wireless bridge like 2 Linksys WAP54g's at 2.4 gHz with a couple of gain antennas to bridge the IP cam back to the shelter. Then it can be linked here at 5.8 gHz, many miles away. Also, it might make sense to get an old 2nd gen intensifier to adapt to a cam to be able to see at night w/out using IR illuminators. Make a flip shield [with a pinhole in it] to block light from the NOD during the daytime. Use some frequency hopping Trisquare walkie-talkies on 900 mc with encoders/decoders to control the cams remotely to save battery power The Linksys draws about 1/2 amp at 5 volts and the cams draw the same probably. That's a total drain of 5 watts or 120 watt hours per day or about 10 amps from a 12 volt battery, not incl inefficiencies, per day. A 20 watt solar panel might be overkill in this application. Two covert IR sensors could be located ahead and behind the cams to detect movement and activate them and signal an alarm to base. |
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Originally Posted By EXPY37:
On the remote cam question... The pix GreyMan showed in the posts above demonstrates how high the resolution of an IP camera is vs analog. An earlier poster asked how he could remotely [I presume maybe 1/4 mile] monitor a camera. I've been giving the same issue some thought so in a SHTF, I can put a cam a mile or two away to watch a road or something. The best way I can think of [and there are a LOT of variables for each application] is to use a large 12 volt battery, solar panel, an IP cam and and a wireless bridge like 2 Linksys WAP54g's at 2.4 gHz with a couple of gain antennas to bridge the IP cam back to the shelter. Then it can be linked here at 5.8 gHz, many miles away. Also, it might make sense to get an old 2nd gen intensifier to adapt to a cam to be able to see at night w/out using IR illuminators. Make a flip shield [with a pinhole in it] to block light from the NOD during the daytime. Use some frequency hopping Trisquare walkie-talkies on 900 mc with encoders/decoders to control the cams remotely to save battery power. The Linksys draws about 1/2 amp at 5 volts and the cams draw the same probably. That's a total drain of 5 watts or 120 watt hours per day or about 10 amps from a 12 volt battery, not incl inefficiencies, per day. A 20 watt solar panel might be overkill in this application. Two covert IR sensors could be located ahead and behind the cams to detect movement and activate them and signal an alarm to base. I'd probably do that a little differently... intensifier tubes aren't cheap, and running one 8 hours per night would burn most out within a year or two, particularly second gen. Assuming you're attempting to monitor a road up to your mountain cabin, I'd mount a number of separate IR illuminators, point them at a gate in the road. Make it a choke point, so you can really focus in with your camera. The gate (or a fallen tree, etc) also makes them get out and open it... gives you much more time to assess who they are, and how they're equipped. I'd then put in a covert B&W camera (those are naturally IR sensitive)... maybe more than one. A pinhole cam discretely potted in a fence post would give you an initial look at them... or a regular analog day/night camera further up the road, with a zoom lens, and hidden it in a bird house or an old floodlight casing up on a pole. ETA: They make low-wattage FM transmitters that run in the 900Mhz band, and while they may be low-watt, selecting the proper directional antenna would do more good than simply pumping up the power. Here is one that SuperCircuits is selling. I've considered using one of these combined with a small B&W board camera to make a "mailbox cam" |
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler - |
Excellent post thanks
FerFAL |
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Originally Posted By KwaiChangCaine:
Thanks for the reply. What is the best way to improve my stored picture quality? My current DVR was around $180 new and I can't really spend much more than that at the moment. Here are two different sizes of the same image from it, stored on the DVR and viewed over a network connection. I believe one is a 720 x 480 frame and the other is a 352 x 240 CIF. The fire truck is approx 115 feet away from the camera. http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f261/killmoles/080803T142152.jpg http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f261/killmoles/080803T142209.jpg If you're starting with a low-pixel-count image, there's not very much you can do to improve the picture quality, and enlarging it will create terrible grainy/blocky images, with little chance of IDing a person or a vehicle (beyond making out the color of it). Think about it... pictures sizes are defined by the number of pixels, and you only have so many pixels, so enlarging it is attempting to find data that simply isn't there. The best approach is to acquire higher-pixel images from the start... so you'd be much better served with D1 rather than CIF. Yes, it's more storage space... but again, storage is incredibly cheap. The problem may come in upgrading the hard drive in your DVR. Most of the embedded models are closed, proprietary systems, and swapping out a hard drive will either be impossible (they may only recognize drives of a certain size, configuration, etc)... and opening it up will definitely void your warranty. I've done it (and got 7-8x the storage out of my DVR as a result... totally worth voiding my warranty), but it was non-trivial. I wouldn't recommend it without a computer geek at your elbow, and a willingness to possibly kill your DVR in the process. This is one of the advantages of having a PC-based DVR... adding more storage is as simple as cloning a drive, or sliding another one into the case and hooking it up. In my case, my DVR was nonfunctional anyway (the OEM drive died), and I ended up spending about $160 dollars for some new drives, when the manufacturer would have charged me between $500-1000 for the same job. I also would have had to pay to ship it to them, been without it for however long it took to do the work... just so some guy can swap in a hard drive and copy a few files? No thanks. |
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler - |
Thanks. My cameras are good for what they are and the images look great on a monitor live. I think the limiting factor is my cheap low-end DVR. I have it set to the highest settings with a 500+ GB hard drive (largest it can handle) and can store over a week from two cameras. It's doing all that it can. I'll have to keep doing more research and save up some more money.
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Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. - Albert Einstein
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Here's a great illustration of the difference between Analog cameras, and IP-based cameras. This is the identical scene, with the camera mounted in the identical location. Compare the before-and-after pics, both taken at night, and with the same amount of ambient light (Note: the second pic includes some camera-integrated IR).
The first camera shot was taken through a Speco Technologies Intensifier weatherproof bullet camera. Speco is a major manufacturer of security cameras, and the intensifier series "intensifies" ambient light, but does so by slowing the shutter speed (see above post to see why this is not that desireable). The second picture was taken through an Acti ACM-1231 megapixel IP bullet camera (also weatherproof). This camera has some lower-powered integrated IR LEDs, and is a day/night camera that switches to B&W+IR mode once ambient light drops low enough. At around $500 dollars each, it's actually one of the more-economical of the IP-based megapixel day/night cameras. The difference between the capabilities of the the two cameras couldn't be more stark... and at 1.3 megapixel, the Acti camera isn't even that high-res for an IP cam (some of the higher-end IP cams go 3, 5, or even 8 megapixels), but the difference between IP and analog is pretty clear. The second pic even allows you to read the welcome mat; the same lettering is entirely illegible in the analog view. Keep in mind... this isn't a cheapo no-name analog camera... the daytime image from the intensifiers is quite good, they have cabling concealed within their mounting bracket (nice feature), the resolution is 540TVL, and they have additional features like digital noise reduction, etc. When it comes to CCTV, night-time pictures, particularly night-time motion pictures, are what separate the men from the boys. |
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler - |
So what about PTZ cameras?
PTZ stands for Pan-Tilt-Zoom, and these are probably what most people think about when they see "security cameras" in the movies. These are the cameras that you can use to look all around... pan from side to side, tilt down to see things directly below them, or zoom in to examine license plates, faces, etc. First thing to know: these cameras are more expensive than standard fixed cameras, and since they have more moving parts (slip rings, drive belts for motion, etc), they are more prone to failure. That's not to say they're going to crap out on you within a week... but let's face it, wear-and-tear on moving parts is wear-and-tear on moving parts... so be advised that they have a shorter MTBF compared to a standard fixed dome or bullet-cam. They also work best when there is somebody monitoring/controlling them; somebody has to control where the camera is moving/looking (particularly when following a moving target, etc), and without an operator, these cameras essentially act just like fixed cameras, focused on their "home" position. There are PTZ cameras that are "auto-tracking," (they are "smart cameras" that use software to automatically follow people, vehicles, etc that wander into their coverage area) but these are BIG BUCKS; in the neighborhood of several thousand dollars per camera. Ouch. That said, there is value in standard non-auto-tracking PTZs, since it's nice to be able to take your camera and look around... and this can be done through web interface, or through a special keyboard/joystick device. As you probably already figured out, these cameras need a way to get commands from the joystick/web interface to the camera. In the case of IP-based PTZs, this is easily done over the network, through the normal web interface that you use to view the video. In the case of Analog PTZs, there is additional wiring (usually two-conductor) you have to run in order to get movement commands to/from the camera, in addition to selecting the proper protocol. Which protocol to use with which camera is well beyond the scope of a post like this, but common protocols are RS232 (serial), RS-485, Pelco-D/P, etc. This part of camera wiring can get a little dicey, so if you're getting into the PTZ realm, you might consider consulting an alarm/security company. In PTZ cameras, zoom is a very useful feature, and there exist cameras that provide only zoom, and not pan-tilt. These are great for a specific doorway you're watching, a narrow road, or a specific choke point. It essentially allows you to magnify whatever is happening, in real time (this assumes you're watching the camera). However, when discussing zoom, it's important to understand the difference between digital zoom, and optical zoom. Optical zoom means that there's an actual lens assembly within the body of the camera that magnifies the image you're viewing. Digital zoom means the computer takes the existing image, and without magnifying the image optically, simply takes the existing data and blows it up (this usually results in a nasty, blocky, pixelated image). If you have to choose, go with cameras that are heavy on optical zoom, and light on digital zoom. The possible exception is for high-megapixel IP cams, where there is sufficient image data (in the huge file that a multi-megapixel digital image contains) that you can have "digital zoom" that looks just like optical zoom. This is one of the advantages of multi-megapixel IP-based cameras. |
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler - |
thanks for the great info and pics
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OST for pure awesomeness...and motivation to finish my cctv system.
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Not a tag
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Very nice post Thanks.
I've been wanting to put CCTV with recording capability around my house for over a year and have been looking at systems. The expense has kept me from doing it. Today at BJs, I found what I think is my solution. It's a Lorex integrated system with 4 color and IR cameras, 15 inch LCD full or 4 split screen, integrated 160 GB ( hard drive swapable) DVR and Networked ( ie. can be veiwed from computers on the network or over the internet). It's ussually $1400 on line, $999 at BJs and it was onsale for $400 out the door,new unopened box. So I Ibought it. 2 problems, the bullet cameras are 'waterproof'" but the fine print says not for direct exposure to rain and snow, so I should house them in something. Also the cameras have one power source with a round plug into the camera ( like a laptiop power cord into a laptop, basic round DC power but at 14.4 volts). If the cameras are far away from each other, then I have to make some extensions. I like the special video/ power cable in you post, I will try to use that. I am not sure where to mount the cameras because I live in a ranch and if on the house the cameras would all be accessible to destruction from ground level. Also no built in microphones. I haven't opened the box yet, so any ideas / critisisms are welcome. For $400 I don't think I can beat this, it may not be the best most versital, but it was the right price. Any suggestions? Link to system I bought |
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Mach
"Everybody's scared. It's what you do right now that makes a difference." Black hawk Down |
Originally Posted By Mach:
Very nice post Thanks. I've been wanting to put CCTV with recording capability around my house for over a year and have been looking at systems. The expense has kept me from doing it. Today at BJs, I found what I think is my solution. It's a Lorex integrated system with 4 color and IR cameras, 15 inch LCD full or 4 split screen, integrated 160 GB ( hard drive swapable) DVR and Networked ( ie. can be veiwed from computers on the network or over the internet). It's ussually $1400 on line, $999 at BJs and it was onsale for $400 out the door,new unopened box. So I Ibought it. 2 problems, the bullet cameras are 'waterproof'" but the fine print says not for direct exposure to rain and snow, so I should house them in something. Also the cameras have one power source with a round plug into the camera ( like a laptiop power cord into a laptop, basic round DC power but at 14.4 volts). If the cameras are far away from each other, then I have to make some extensions. I like the special video/ power cable in you post, I will try to use that. I am not sure where to mount the cameras because I live in a ranch and if on the house the cameras would all be accessible to destruction from ground level. Also no built in microphones. I haven't opened the box yet, so any ideas / critisisms are welcome. For $400 I don't think I can beat this, it may not be the best most versital, but it was the right price. Any suggestions? Link to system I bought Nice score for an entry-level system... that's pretty tough to beat for the money. I suspect the weather-resistant moniker just means you shouldn't put them up on a pole by themselves. As long as you mount those cameras underneath your eaves or an overhang, you're probably good. Those are 1/4" CCDs, which means they don't have a very large lens to gather light, so you may find their night performance could stand improvement. Ways to improve this are to add ambient light (like motion-activated flood lights... those are one of the best security additions you can add, and most homes could benefit from them), or add some additional IR illuminators. The Laptop-like plug is probably a standard 2.5mm 12V barrel connector. They're center-positive by convention. I get most of mine from Radio Shack (expensive, but you can get them today), or Digikey: If you're very worried about vandalism of the cameras, you can switch those cameras out for domes. Vandal-resistant domes usually run anywhere from $100-500 each, depending on features. Most don't include built-in IR, so you'd need to add illuminators. Remember my admonition about IR versus visible light: you're virtually always better off going with visible lights, unless you have a specialized situation/application that precludes it. As for audio, I'd be VERY careful about recording audio... that can run you afoul of wiretapping laws in many states, and render your video useless for evidentially purposes. It's BS, but it's happened, and it would seriously chap my a** to go to the trouble and expense of installing all this CCTV, just to have some smart-aleck defense attorney get the burglar off because he didn't "consent" to being recording. Lots of alarm guys advise not installing audio AT ALL, just to avoid this pitfall. |
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler - |
Thanks for the great info. It doesn't do audio, good points, I was thinking of just having feeds without recording it.
I installed motion activated flood lights all around the house several months ago. Now I have complete coverage. Nobody can set foot anywhere on the property without a flood light pair going off. They all overlap. I'm just realizing how good of a score that was, Home Depot sells it online for $1430. I paid $400. I think I'll keep it. Thanks for all the good info. |
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Mach
"Everybody's scared. It's what you do right now that makes a difference." Black hawk Down |
PS.
On the box I have, under camera specs it says 1/3 inch color CCD sensor 1.2 LUX without IR illumination 0.1 LUX with IR. and the res is 420 TV lines so it looks like they are better cameras than what is listed online. Makes it even better. |
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Mach
"Everybody's scared. It's what you do right now that makes a difference." Black hawk Down |
Tagged, cool thread.
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As a follow-up to my PTZ post above, here are a couple of images to give you an idea of what the zoom function can do. The camera in question is a Surveilux mini speed dome, like this one :
Our example object is that domestic object so beloved of ARFCOM... the Herby Curby (TM). The first image is a night image through a day/night PTZ, with zero zoom. We're far enough away that the centering "+" nearly obscures it. The second image is at 10x optical zoom... you can just barely make out the Waste Management logo on the side of the container. Cameras come in all sorts of zoom ranges... 0-10x is a lower-end range, but plenty of cameras do 20x, 26x, 30x, and so forth. Remember... Optical zoom is the one that matters most. This camera also does 10x digital zoom (on top of the 10x optical, giving a total of 100x of zoom) but the degradation in picture quality of the digital zoom very quickly pixelates your images, so I have it disabled in firmware. In this case, the 10x optical zoom is sufficient to read a vehicle license plate on the street. |
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler - |
Very informative thread.
I have a 4 camera system with a PC based DVR card. 3 out of 4 of the cameras have IR capability. Incoming camera feeds are split with one leg going to a 4 channel modulator, the other going to the DVR. I also have IP access to the video feeds. A couple of tips for those using consumer grade cameras. If you can find cameras that have termination points inside the housing as opposed to a tail coming out, use those. The tail is always either too long or too short. Preterminated camera cables can be a huge PITA to route to the inside of a structure and fish down walls. Even with the ends staggered and taped, it still required almost a 1in hole to get the pile of ends into the exterior wall. Even if you have to buy the tools to terminate RG59 and the ends to do it, it is still easier. Plus the preterminated cables are always 6 inches too short or about 35 feet too long. Inexpensive, consumer grade cameras are hit and miss. I have 3 different types, all from the same manufacturer. One of them (with pretty much the same image specs as the rest of mine) has an excellent image quality. 2 of the other ones look not so good. You do get what you pay for for the most part. |
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"There is a time for peace and talk and reason; and then, at long last, and only with sadness of heart and mournful admission that all your wisdom and words have failed, you must go kill you some motherfuckers and set some of their shit on fire"
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