vjl wrote:Each camera includes a 60-foot cable - so does that mean all 4 cameras have to be within 60 feet of the DVR to hook up to it? If I want one camera on the outside of the house, and I have power out there, I still need to run the BNC cable through a window or something to hook up to the DVR?

You can find video+power extension cables in various lengths (50 feet, 100 feet) at A-zon or other online retailers, so you can have cameras further than 60 ft.

Ringo4422 wrote:a 12v deep cycle marine is the only way to go, and for a fraction of the price of a UPS. It can be paralleled with with the power supply to maintain the battery charge, but suggest an isolation diode and .5 ohm resistor to prevent overload to the power supply when the battery becomes exhausted.

Yes, exactly. Excellent advice!

Just for your F.Y.I. the DVR comes with out a hard drive & you will need to get one & install it! an additional $40+ Bucks

jnorts wrote:don't be such a gourd. some people just aren't as handy as others.

I agree - if you can't play nice here, don't put in your 2 cents worth! Woot is not only for IT folks! I would ask the folks at Woot to send this character a message. Something like: it's not ok to put your fellow "Wootsters" down like that. If you do it again, we'll revoke privelages!

I have a 16 channel Zmodo DVR system. I'm going to assume this one is similar. Some notes:

It has a very small amount of memory (64MB, IIRC). Don't expect to do too much with it.

You can telnet into the OS using the root login. No password is set. I suggest you make setting this password a priority.

It runs the busybox distribution.

As was mentioned in an earlier message, the web interface requires IE (or, I believe, Safari on the Mac).

You don't need a monitor to run the system, but you do need one to set it up. You cannot get OS level access through the console (AFAICT, it has no provision for keyboard input, just an on-screen keyboard using the mouse).

slotter wrote:I don't get it... why are these systems so popular. Guess it's because I live in rural flyover country? Cannot see wanting this.

The neighbor behind me installed a similar system.

Two weeks ago there was a guy sitting in his car watching people leave for work, who then tried to break into my neighbors truck, who then entered the backyard to try and break in through a window, who then hopped over the back fence when the dogs came running for him.

My next door neighbor caught him leaving through HIS yard and chased him while his wife called 911. The cops caught him and were extremely grateful to have the entire scene caught on video from multiple cameras, in a courtroom viewing friendly format.

Needless to say, I'm considering getting in on this one.

wsmorris wrote:You can find video+power extension cables in various lengths (50 feet, 100 feet) at A-zon or other online retailers, so you can have cameras further than 60 ft.

Even better, you can use this:
Monoprice-6878
and extend power and video via ethernet cable.

ron76053 wrote:Also, if you live in Grand Prairie, TX even if you have eyewitnesses that saw the thief and they admit to you that they broke into your house, the wonderful PD won't do anything about it.

If you do live in Texas (or Florida), you (or the eye witness) can shoot the intruder DEAD and still, the "wonderful" PD can't do anything about it (either)! You don't need an admission of guilt or evidence from the thief either. (LOL)

rolledsho wrote:How do I get four channels to show on one monitor at the same time?

The remote has a button (it looks like 4 squares together) to select that mode.

Noone has answered about the dual voltage/hertz selection for the lighting... Anyone know? European lights operate at 50hz and flicker on cameras set to 60hz.

badhabit12 wrote:If I was seriouse about my security I would not use this system to protect my loved ones. The cameras are HUGE and picture quality and options are minimal. You want the cameras to be so small when some one looks for them their invisable. The best security systems are the ones you can't see. Why would you want a system you have to Micky mouse the software and components? The real killer to this deal is the product manual in brocken English. RED FLAG! Can you just imagine what type of product support you'll receive when you call.

You are only half-right! You would want (big) highly visible cameras on the outside of your house/business to ward off potential intruders so they look for an easier target elsewhere. Cameras say "Go Away" to many crooks with at least a 1/4 of a brain.

On the inside, I'd like to have highly visible (real or fake) cameras at the most likely entry point(s), giving the intruder a "second chance" to change his mind and look for easier targets.

If your thief is that stubborn and still continues with his illegal activity, then your theory about "invisible" small cameras to capture his every move would be in order. Just make sure that there are no cameras in the area where, the intruder ends his normal breathing pattern with a big bang! If your intruder is that persistent, then he probably means to do you or your family harm.

Just buying a system (like this), installing the cameras and never actually hooking them up to the DVR/box, is STILL 100% more security than you'd have without them (period)!

Think about this when you're at the hospital having a r-ape kit performed on your 15YO daughter or wife... wondering if a camera outside might have sent the perp down the street to (possibly) another victim.

I'd like a good wireless system. Don't like all the cables.

I personally feel that this is a great deal for the price. You can always add better day/night cameras with better lenses to this recorder as well as simply adding a IR flood light to illuminate the entire yard at night. These do exist.

$109 for this kit? If you want a basic system go for this one. Buy a 500GB hard drive on Amazon or Newegg for a couple of bucks at the same time and everything will come together. BTW, 500GB will record a year under normal use (motion detection feature on). It eventually eats it's tail (the oldest recordings) once the drive becomes full. Don't even bother with the wireless camera systems you see around. The video quality is just horrible.

houndawg wrote:Who said it's only for IT folks? What does IT have to do with anything? If you are not handy, then this product is not for you.

Your post comes across much better when truncated thusly.

ljygiuy wrote:Even better, you can use this:
Monoprice-6878
and extend power and video via ethernet cable.

Excellent suggestion. But then someone will ask where to get really long CAT-5 cables with RJ-45s already attached.

sshott wrote:You are only half-right! You would want (big) highly visible cameras on the outside of your house/business to ward off potential intruders so they look for an easier target elsewhere. Cameras say "Go Away" to many crooks with at least a 1/4 of a brain.

Just buying a system (like this), installing the cameras and never actually hooking them up to the DVR/box, is STILL 100% more security than you'd have without them (period)!

You are 100% correct!

Those 60-foot Siamese cables are worth $10-15 each and you get four of them in this package. The cameras are cheap and only really useful to see activity, not to identify anyone. You'd want to replace them with CCD or Sony Effio cameras.

I can't speak for the DVR, but the one I have is a Night Owl and it was made by Zhuhai RaySharp Technology Co., Ltd, in China who also produces the generic software on it that's used by many other generic CCTV DVRs (and it's pretty bad). Even some brand-named DVRs have this same awful software on it.

I am trying to have this installed at my parents house in Asia.. Do you think this would work there (110V / 220V) ??
Also, how is the quality like ? I do plan t pick up a 2TB HDD

From my experience in using these systems you can expect video quality about that of a low quality TV set. The cameras in the dark, and in very bright sun (shining into the camera) are not going to get good video.

If you plan on using these for identification of suspects doing stuff to your property I recommend mounting them just above 6 ft and not more than 9 ft covering about a 10 sq. ft. area. Much more than that and you will be able to recognize you, and family members, but not great for recognizing people you don't already know.

As a general guide: For every 500 sq ft to cover in a building I would get one 4-camera setup for good coverage. For a normal residence 8 cameras can cover the outside, and 4-8 cameras for the inside.

One other thing I always did when I used to install A DVR system is I would put a camera capable of sending FTP on its own in the closet where the recording system was. That way if whoever is breaking in finds the DVRs and takes them I still get their picture on the FTP site (assuming the Internet is still working).

For the power issue mentioned in the first couple of posts, just using a standard, properly sized UPS works to keep the cameras running for hours after power is cut.

In any case, this looks like a decent security system, especially for the price.

Amrita wrote:I am trying to have this installed at my parents house in Asia.. Do you think this would work there (110V / 220V) ??
Also, how is the quality like ? I do plan t pick up a 2TB HDD

In a word, yes. It will work there. The quality? Read the threads.

chefferz wrote:Noone has answered about the dual voltage/hertz selection for the lighting... Anyone know? European lights operate at 50hz and flicker on cameras set to 60hz.

I've never seen any difference no matter what the setting is, either indoors or outdoors. It probably matters indoors under some fluorescent and LED lamps.

chefferz wrote:Noone has answered about the dual voltage/hertz selection for the lighting... Anyone know? European lights operate at 50hz and flicker on cameras set to 60hz.

The cameras are standard NTSC cameras, running 29.97Hz interlaced. The power supply for the DVR is a smart switching supply that will run on any power, given that you have the right plug. The power supply for the cameras is a dumb wall-wart which will probably need to be replaced to run on 220v/50Hz systems.

Note that the flickering lighting will only be a problem with older fluorescent lights. Incandescent lights don't flicker. Modern CF bulbs flicker so quickly that the cameras probably won't catch them.

rolledsho wrote:How do I get four channels to show on one monitor at the same time?

I'm not intimate with this DVR but I've used dozens of similar models of low-end security DVRs (I work in this industry) and generally speaking all of them have a sequence mode on the monitor output so you can select any single camera on the display or a "quad" display that shows all four cameras. I'm sure this DVR is the same.

Not sure if this is the same one as a few months back, but I bought that one.

Review:

If you have a drop ceiling, this system id super easy to set up. Just mount the cameras on the wall and run the wires to the DVR.

The Cameras have about a 30 degree field of view. I wish I had known that before I bought, I would have prefered a larger angle of viewing.

The video is passable. As mentioned earlier, the format is H264 and If you need to work with the video, its a PAIN to convert it into a usable format maintaining audio (if you have a mic). All to Avi seems to work the best. The apps included with the system suck.

Now lets talk CUSTOMER SUPPORT!!! One of my video cables had a bad short in it. the DC was bleeding into the video SO BAD that if you plugged in that cable ALL the cameras would start to strobe.

I have send MULTPLE emails to the company asking how I get another cable with ZERO reply. All I'm asking for is ONE replacement cable. I'll even send the old one back if they want it.

Product (based on my model): out of 5
Ease of set up: *****
Video Quality : ***
Audio Integration: *****
Included Apps: ***
Interface: ***
Customer Support: {Crickets}

Joe
First Woot: 05/01/2007 - 3 - Toshiba USB Optical Scroll Mouse – 2 Pack (Great in an emergency)

wsmorris wrote:You can find video+power extension cables in various lengths (50 feet, 100 feet) at A-zon or other online retailers, so you can have cameras further than 60 ft.

No, that's not what it means. Generally speaking, you can run coax up to 1,000 feet for analog security cameras, but keep in mind it depends on the quality and shielding of the cable. But you should be able to splice a male to female RCA cable to extend the run distance. One thing to keep in mind is that these cameras are running DC power right from the power source to the camera and DC voltage drops quickly over distance, so if you run too far a power cable, there won't be sufficient current to operate the camera. But generally this only happens in run distances over 100-150' so you should be okay.

Ringo4422 wrote:You are 100% correct!

TY

Notice that it records only at HALF the resolution of the cameras: CIF 352x240 resolution. This is very common in this price class of DVR system.

Does anyone know how well these cameras can focus at close distances? I'd be looking to record from a porch overhang or wall a few feet away from a door, not necessarily long distance.

kjrehberg wrote:Notice that it records only at HALF the resolution of the cameras: CIF 352x240 resolution. This is very common in this price class of DVR system.

Yes. That's why it costs $110. You can zoom digitally while playing it back, but we all know what digital zoom looks like with an already low resolution image.

I bought a house already wired up for this (even has cameras installed, just no DVR), but the cables terminate in a bedroom where my kid sleeps.

Does anybody know how noisy these things are? I assume there is a fan and if I add the hard drive...

drumz0rz wrote:Does anyone know how well these cameras can focus at close distances? I'd be looking to record from a porch overhang or wall a few feet away from a door, not necessarily long distance.

You can always add one of these or similar to replace one of the ones that come with it. This is about comparable to what comes with this system.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-IR-LED-CMOS-ccd-dome-security-surveillance-video-cctv-camera-DA42C-/180735258403?pt=AU_Security_Equipment&hash=item2a14a92f23

tedster wrote:I bought a house already wired up for this (even has cameras installed, just no DVR), but the cables terminate in a bedroom where my kid sleeps.

Does anybody know how noisy these things are? I assume there is a fan and if I add the hard drive...

They are quiet. If anything the fan will make a little comforting "white noise.

chgo wrote:I'd like a good wireless system. Don't like all the cables.

Good wireless system. Hmmm... see oxymoron.

pissedwookie wrote:With the price of hard drives these days you could by this and just rip out the hard drive. 2TB for 109 aint too bad

It doesn't come with the hard drive! Read the description again!

I purchased one of these. Then, 15 miutes later tried to purchase a second set, but "my account" wont let me and says "your account has all ready made this purchase". How do I buy a second unit?

botedriver wrote:I purchased one of these. Then, 15 miutes later tried to purchase a second set, but "my account" wont let me and says "your account has all ready made this purchase". How do I buy a second unit?

You can't bud, sorry :/
Get a wife/coworker to do it for you though

Can I used an experal harddrive VIA USB for the DVR harddrive?

Ringo4422 wrote:Yes. That's why it costs $110. You can zoom digitally while playing it back, but we all know what digital zoom looks like with an already low resolution image.

*sarcasm mode on*
What? We can't zoom in with perfect clarity like this:
http://comixed.memebase.com/2011/09/13/koma-comic-strip-csi-seems-legit/
*sarcasm mode off*

smasumur wrote:*sarcasm mode on*
What? We can't zoom in with perfect clarity like this:
http://comixed.memebase.com/2011/09/13/koma-comic-strip-csi-seems-legit/
*sarcasm mode off*

Very funny. So true.

People that really know what they are doing only.

Can you suggest a really good system like this. Would love wireless but I think way too much. But maybe a few of you have some ideas, please post a valid link to your suggestions to the product page online.

Thank you fellow wooters!!!!

BC