Scored my first Basket of Crawfish. Hopefully it's something great! Or crap. Either way, I'm one of the lucky 559.

NO CHUM FOR YOU!!!!!

Well woot scored tons of cash off of us this woot off and didnt even reward us many Bucket of Coral Super minnow

Worst woot off EEEEVVVVEEERRRR

At first I thought it said "Zombie 8-Channel Surveillance System". It works either way.

steqheu wrote:Scored my first Basket of Crawfish. Hopefully it's something great! Or crap. Either way, I'm one of the lucky 559.

Wondering if these 559 Bucket of Coral will be 4-6X better then normal since they normally sell 2k-3k Bucket of Coral Here's hoping!

steqheu wrote:Scored my first Basket of Crawfish. Hopefully it's something great! Or crap. Either way, I'm one of the lucky 559.

Woot, you should get some fun things if they make up for the 1500-2k fewer ;) (I got as far as the press the stupidly large button to confirm your order when the servers burned. No crap for me.)

wesbc wrote:Wondering if these 559 Bucket of Coral will be 4-6X better then normal since they normally sell 2k-3k Bucket of Coral Here's hoping!

Yeah, it's highly likely they'll end up with at least three times the rations possibly.

Oh well, can't blame Woot anyways. The servers just can't handle the load this time around. I'm speculating that the developers are ordering some new hardware for next months woot-off.

I'm not even going to bother reading the Bucket of Coral thread for this month.. it's just going to make me just sad to see what everyone gets. But I wish you all the best!

-tears-

Not to bad when compared to my local price at Costco for something somewhat similar. Although I would prefer this model with the variety of different camera styles.

I might not like Woot Plus, but I DO like the new Woot Plus "Sold Out" icon with the jolly roger!

It actually comes with Sharp CCD cameras this time. Good deal compare with previous Woot.

CCD vs.CMOS in video surveillance

http://www.securitycameraking.com/securityinfo/2009/08/ccd-vs-cmos/

A long time ago I bought a cable box...it can survey a lot more than 8 channels, just not at once...I've never seen 8 things worth watching on at the same time anyway. Overkill, anyone?

I have one of the prior models (there were several).

Mine came with 4 fixed cameras, and that's all it can handle. This comes with 2 fixed and 2 pan/tilt ones, and can connect up to 4 more if you buy them.

Neither this one, nor mine, came with a hard drive, but it needs one for the DVR to be useful. I put one in mine and the DVR (and everything else) work great.

I also paid $50 less for mine, but the pan/tilt and extra cam capacity are well worth $50 IMHO.

Highly recommended.

I don't think those are pan/tilt cameras, however, they are much better cameras with Sharp CCD sensor. The image will look much better than CMOS ones Woot ran before.

tsfisch wrote:I have one of the prior models (there were several).

Mine came with 4 fixed cameras, and that's all it can handle. This comes with 2 fixed and 2 pan/tilt ones, and can connect up to 4 more if you buy them.

Neither this one, nor mine, came with a hard drive, but it needs one for the DVR to be useful. I put one in mine and the DVR (and everything else) work great.

I also paid $50 less for mine, but the pan/tilt and extra cam capacity are well worth $50 IMHO.

Highly recommended.

Holysin wrote:Woot, you should get some fun things if they make up for the 1500-2k fewer ;) (I got as far as the press the stupidly large button to confirm your order when the servers burned. No crap for me.)

I pressed that bloody thing at least a dozen times. Never resulted in actually getting a Basket of Crawfish. I've been actively trying since January.

I am completely new to this, but after I found out my garage was robbed tonight, I need this.
What kind of hard drive do I buy?
Do I need to put an OS on the new hard drive? Is the hd easy to install and configure?
Any additional tips on install and/or setup would be gReAtLy appreciated!

I've got both a 4 camera and 8 camera version from previous Woots. Nice entry level systems once you've run all the wiring. If you have to run wires longer than the cables provided, you might want to try using a balun (google it) on each end with regular CAT-5 connecting them. Much easier than dealing with coax cable.

Can it backup over LAN to another computer or FTP? Or can I have another computer connect and download the video files?

It does say it has USB Backup/USB 2.0 though.

yuxiet wrote:It actually comes with Sharp CCD cameras this time. Good deal compare with previous Woot.

CCD vs.CMOS in video surveillance

http://www.securitycameraking.com/securityinfo/2009/08/ccd-vs-cmos/

Um... I think you are misled. I do NOT believe that these are "Sharp Brand" cameras, they are "sharp color cameras" meaning they are not intentionally blurry. Marketing, not branding here...

Does anyone know if this unit can send still images via sms or email when trigger occur?

tsfisch wrote:I have one of the prior models (there were several).

Mine came with 4 fixed cameras, and that's all it can handle. This comes with 2 fixed and 2 pan/tilt ones...

Nowhere does it say there are PTZ cameras with this. No implication of it at all. Quite the opposite, the connectors clearly show the video and a power connector. The "dome" cameras are adjustable aim, manually.

lantera wrote: If you have to run wires longer than the cables provided, you might want to try using a balun (google it) on each end with regular CAT-5 connecting them. Much easier than dealing with coax cable.

Thanks - I was going to ask that question.

Also - How big of a hole do you need to drill to run the wires through walls?

Also - 4 Audio channels... Do all 4 cameras support audio? I looked through the camera specs and it wasn't clear (Except for the mention of AGC)

One more also... What's the best app for remote viewing. I have an Iphone as well as a Driod tablet.

(Really thinking about buying this one)

I will give you the ultimate review. I own and USE this.


Do I think this is a deal? Yes and No.

If you would like to have the maximum number of cameras and a hard drive this is not a deal. I purchased this same system with 8 cameras (no dome cameras) with a 500gb hard drive last year for $189 plus $5 to ship.


If you would like to use these 4 cameras with the highest possible resolution available on this device and you are not interested in having a hard drive then it is a deal. The more cameras you add to this the lower resolution each camera will have. You can maximize the settings with these 4 cameras giving you better quality. Without the hard drive, you can still stream the video over your phone and PC. I would also like to mention that CCD cameras alone cost as much as this system.


Issues I've ran into:
-this is a linux based system that will NOT work on your linux PC. Windows only (possibly apple/Big Mouth Billy Bass users I'm unsure).
-cameras are of average quality
-cameras do not look great in complete darkness.
-The browser viewing ONLY works in IE with an activeX plugin. WILL NOT WORK in mozilla or chrome.
-If you are not familiar with your router, forwarding the ports to get the streaming to work can be a bit difficult to figure out
-the remote feels cheap but it does work

Pros:
-It's cost effective
-you can stream the video over your phone and PC from anywhere
-has the potential to record.
-you can review video on the hard drive while it is recording.
-It compliments a good home security system
-wired connection to cameras
-mostly plug and play with the exception of setting up streaming


Other thoughts:
Its not the best security camera system but it is a good one to have now. Something, IMO, is better than nothing. My DVR has given me no trouble and doesn't seem to have any heat issues but does get warm at times (not nearly as hot as my router or roku box). Adding a hard drive is easy. I did have a defective power supply when I bought this but woot/zmodo quickly replaced it. In the year that I've had it, I have had only one camera go bad (at least I think it is bad. It went out last week and I haven't had time to troubleshoot it yet).

vanpattenv wrote:I am completely new to this, but after I found out my garage was robbed tonight, I need this.
What kind of hard drive do I buy?
Do I need to put an OS on the new hard drive? Is the hd easy to install and configure?
Any additional tips on install and/or setup would be gReAtLy appreciated!

Read my post before this. You do not need to install an OS. Format the hard drive, open the case, mount and connect sata cable, PROFIT!. The most difficult part of this was port forwarding and setting up DNS (I thought was somewhat easy) and the physical part of running all of the cables and mounting the cameras and adjusting them to you liking.

nmctwx wrote:Thanks - I was going to ask that question.

Also - How big of a hole do you need to drill to run the wires through walls?

Also - 4 Audio channels... Do all 4 cameras support audio? I looked through the camera specs and it wasn't clear (Except for the mention of AGC)

One more also... What's the best app for remote viewing. I have an Iphone as well as a Driod tablet.

(Really thinking about buying this one)

The hole you will need to drill will be about the size needed to run a coaxial cable. The wires are skinny but you have to fit the BNC connectors through.

The best app is IP Cam viewer for android. Link below.

IP cam viewer app here

anachronistic wrote:Does anyone know if this unit can send still images via sms or email when trigger occur?

It has setting for each camera if you would like it to send you an email. This does work but you email account will explode with pictures of stray cats, mail men, flying bugs, and shadows if these are mounted outside. For outside I cannot recommend but for inside use I would. However, if you use these inside we can no longer be friends because I will be too paranoid to come over and hang out with you.

dralezero wrote:Can it backup over LAN to another computer or FTP? Or can I have another computer connect and download the video files?

It does say it has USB Backup/USB 2.0 though.

I was looking to set something similar to this up with mine. It is not supported naively. If you are a code writing Ninja, then maybe. (if you figure it out let me know). Camera DVR's are primarily used to record data on a solid drive in the device. If you want something that records over LAN you are looking for an NVR (which this is not).

so... if i was to get these, and have a camera in my garage, and my office, and my front porch, i would need to have these all wired together? thanks.

I keep seeing these on woot and elsewhere, but it seems like such a niche item, what's the draw? Is this the next generation in home security to be used in place of a motion sensored alarm system or do people just like to look at video feeds of their empty rooms and backyards all the time? Useful for keeping tabs on teenage kids while you are away? Live in Gotham City? Bigfoot raiding your trashcans? I'm not fishing for stories of people's misfortunes, but I have a hard time understanding making an investment of time and money into something like this.

Okay - so I am looking for something to allow my children more free run of the house while I do some at home work. Would this be the right kind of system to make that doable? Are the cameras going to give me enough of a wide angle that I would see the whole room? I already have several audio monitors so I don't need that feature - just looking for visual - because as you know, realistically it when you can't hear them that you are most likely needed to SEE what is happening.

clintmccaskill wrote:so... if i was to get these, and have a camera in my garage, and my office, and my front porch, i would need to have these all wired together? thanks.

All would be wired to the DVR. The cameras do not daisy chain to each other.

belowi wrote:I keep seeing these on woot and elsewhere, but it seems like such a niche item, what's the draw? Is this the next generation in home security to be used in place of a motion sensored alarm system or do people just like to look at video feeds of their empty rooms and backyards all the time? Useful for keeping tabs on teenage kids while you are away? Live in Gotham City? Bigfoot raiding your trashcans? I'm not fishing for stories of people's misfortunes, but I have a hard time understanding making an investment of time and money into something like this.

For me the draw is browser support and no linux support. That's it. The quality isn't the best but its better than anything you would buy at walmart or probably best buy IMO

beck12 wrote:Okay - so I am looking for something to allow my children more free run of the house while I do some at home work. Would this be the right kind of system to make that doable? Are the cameras going to give me enough of a wide angle that I would see the whole room? I already have several audio monitors so I don't need that feature - just looking for visual - because as you know, realistically it when you can't hear them that you are most likely needed to SEE what is happening.

Stick them in the corners of the room. If you need better coverage point the cameras at each other (from across the room at slightly different angels).

vanpattenv wrote:I am completely new to this, but after I found out my garage was robbed tonight, I need this.
What kind of hard drive do I buy?
Do I need to put an OS on the new hard drive? Is the hd easy to install and configure?
Any additional tips on install and/or setup would be gReAtLy appreciated!

I've been researching these for a while. I've learned that you can put a standard 500GB hard drive (recommended minimum) in it but since they run 24/7 the HD
will likely fail in a couple months. You need to get an AV designated drive which can take continuous usage. The drives merely screw in and internal connectors are included. It will self format.

do you have to have it hooked up to the internet to use it? or to see it by phone? My place in the MTs doesn't have internet, but would love to keep an eye on it and thought this would be perfect.

vanpattenv wrote:I am completely new to this, but after I found out my garage was robbed tonight, I need this.
What kind of hard drive do I buy?
Do I need to put an OS on the new hard drive? Is the hd easy to install and configure?
Any additional tips on install and/or setup would be gReAtLy appreciated!

I'm sorry to hear you were a victim of crime.

You will need a 3.5" SATA hard drive. I recommend nothing smaller than 500GB, especially if you're going to be adding more cameras. In fact, just get a 1TB. For the extra 20-30 bucks, it's worth it. A 1TB drive in this with the stock cameras should record about 45-60 days worth of video if this DVR support motion detection zones and recording. I did not read the full specs before posting here.

You will not have to install anything on the drive. The DVR has Linux, embedded into firmware. It will detect the new drive, format, and partition it appropriately and start recording, all automagically.

Hard drive installation will likely consist of turning four or so screws to pop off the cover of the Zmodo DVR, turning 4 screws to mount the drive in the reserved space for it, plugging in a power and SATA data cable, and replacing the cover to the DVR.

For me the draw was to see who is at the front door of my townhouse while I am on another floor. It's very handy for weeding out the salesmen. Getting footage of someone walking out of my garage with my leafblower was icing on the cake.

belowi wrote:I keep seeing these on woot and elsewhere, but it seems like such a niche item, what's the draw? Is this the next generation in home security to be used in place of a motion sensored alarm system or do people just like to look at video feeds of their empty rooms and backyards all the time? Useful for keeping tabs on teenage kids while you are away? Live in Gotham City? Bigfoot raiding your trashcans? I'm not fishing for stories of people's misfortunes, but I have a hard time understanding making an investment of time and money into something like this.

We all know whats REALLY in the baskets...Hp Pavilion Desktops with netbook parts inside.

What is the difference between the DVR-H9108V vs DVR-H9118V on moofi? Spec wise they look almost the same -- wondering why one would buy one over the other, looks?