FYI, folks...

A 3.6mm lens on a typical CCTV camera will provide approximately a 72 degree field (or angle) of view. The 3.6mm focal-length is quite common in systems such as these. If you're wanting to record a target that is some distance away, say perhaps more than 50 feet, you'll want to find a camera with longer focal length, or variable focal length lens.

A useful article can be found here. It focuses (no pun intended, well maybe yes) on lens relationships with 35mm film, but the concepts are still the same.

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.

When I travel, this would give me the option to check in on both interior and exterior of the house. If something's wrong (broken window or whatever), I can call a friend to take care of it while I'm gone and minimize damage.

If someone broke in, there's day/night mode on the cameras and the DVR records it. In an average week, I'm only at home half to two-thirds of the time, so that leaves a lot of room for someone to break in. I'm not in a high risk neighborhood, but any time a pizza is delivered or whatever, there's always a chance of someone saying "huh, that's a nice computer" and hitting the place with a friend later. I live alone, so there's a lot higher chance of the house being empty at any given time.

joshobra wrote: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-

i thought that amazon bought woot awhile ago. they have a decent server farm. OR DO THEY?..............

helibobber wrote: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.

OK, I had to reply to this because you're giving out information as fact and you're simply misinformed. You do not need a special AV hard drive for this unit. Regular hard drives don't "fail" in a couple months from 24/7 use. Gimme a break. I've got server drives that are 7 years old going strong 24/7. The only difference between AV drives and regular PC hard drives is that the drive firmware is optimized for streaming video files (generally speaking we're talking about HDTV hi-def streams of high bit rate data like blu-ray). These cams are LOW DEF and a cheap PC hard drive is not even going to break a sweat. I've purchased and used both types of drives in surveillance dvrs over the years and saw no difference or improvement from the AV type except that the AV type are more expensive. Of all the drives in the DVR's that I've set up, only one using an AV drive had a drive failure! Don't waste money on an expensive AV drive.

beck12 wrote:Are the cameras going to give me enough of a wide angle that I would see the whole room?

Maybe. That question can't be answered without target distance and target width specifications. The following site does a fairly good job of explaining everything regarding proximity of the camera and the field of view: http://www.ezcctv.com/cctv-lens-guide.htm

It should be noted that these are 3.2mm lenses which are accepted as a sort of 'industry-standard' of "Wide angle lens". There do exist wider lenses (I think my front door's peephole camera is 1.2mm) so if you need wider you may look at 2.5 or 1.8mm cameras. 6mm is the usual "next step up" and are typically used for short hallways. 3.6 and 6mm are the two you should expect to find/use in home surveillance.

It's a sliding scale: You move the camera back, you see more area. You push the camera forward, you see more detail. If you're just monitoring your kids, wide angle works fine. If you're trying to identify a criminal later, you'll need a detailed shot of his face to do anything involving legal action. Both of these are "after the fact". My 1.2mm front door cam caught someone breaking into my neighbor's car, but couldn't see his face. Had he broken into my car, the 6mm camera I have pointed there would have a better chance of doing so.

Personally I use my system far more in real time than reviewing footage:
Doorbell rings -- Who's there? Well now I can check without using the peephole. A solicitor? Ring all ya like, buddy.
Bumps in the night -- Is someone in the house? Did I set the alarm? *check the computer* House looks clear. (Laptop in bedroom)

There are a lot of good reasons to have a surveillance system but most of them boil down to gathering intelligence. It should not be considered a substitute for a security system.

These units typically get kinda hot. Don't plan on putting it somewhere that doesn't have good ventilation or you're going to burn it up.

helibobber wrote: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.

Mines been running for over a year now.

werikblack wrote:When I travel, this would give me the option to check in on both interior and exterior of the house. If something's wrong (broken window or whatever), I can call a friend to take care of it while I'm gone and minimize damage.

If someone broke in, there's day/night mode on the cameras and the DVR records it. In an average week, I'm only at home half to two-thirds of the time, so that leaves a lot of room for someone to break in. I'm not in a high risk neighborhood, but any time a pizza is delivered or whatever, there's always a chance of someone saying "huh, that's a nice computer" and hitting the place with a friend later. I live alone, so there's a lot higher chance of the house being empty at any given time.

Just keep in mind this is not a security system. It's a surveillance system... I use this with my home security and it gives me piece of mind when I'm not home. My pow pow gives me piece of mind when I'm home.

bhammark wrote:These units typically get kinda hot. Don't plan on putting it somewhere that doesn't have good ventilation or you're going to burn it up.

Mine doesn't get to hot. Like I said before, my roku gets hotter than this thing does.

Bay Area John wrote: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...

That's not marketing or branding. SHARP manufacturers the CCD within the camera.

Other manufacturers also create CCD, however SONY and SHARP are the most popular. SONY CCD are said by some to be superior to SHARP CCD. I've no first hand experience with each.

Good method to tell them apart.

Edit: Ah, and SONY are said to give a wider field of view due to their CCD chip's size. (1/3" vs SHARP's 1/4")

Id like to view these cameras on my android/Google TV.

The included kmeye or ip cam viewer app works great on the phone but not on TV for some reason. Any idea how I can get this working?

bhammark wrote:OK, I had to reply to this because you're giving out information as fact and you're simply misinformed. You do not need a special AV hard drive for this unit. Regular hard drives don't "fail" in a couple months from 24/7 use. Gimme a break. I've got server drives that are 7 years old going strong 24/7. The only difference between AV drives and regular PC hard drives is that the drive firmware is optimized for streaming video files (generally speaking we're talking about HDTV hi-def streams of high bit rate data like blu-ray). These cams are LOW DEF and a cheap PC hard drive is not even going to break a sweat. I've purchased and used both types of drives in surveillance dvrs over the years and saw no difference or improvement from the AV type except that the AV type are more expensive. Of all the drives in the DVR's that I've set up, only one using an AV drive had a drive failure! Don't waste money on an expensive AV drive.

Ok thanks!. My research continues as you can see.

Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean that people aren't watching you.

It's less common to find surveillance DVR with "bundled cameras" that are not 6mm. These are 3.2. That's something to keep in mind for any homeowner that is looking for their first surveillance system.

My system came with four 6mm cameras, so now I have spares as I had to buy a few with lower focal lengths. I'm considering buying this one just because the cost of the cameras alone is worth the price, and this system would give me 8 channels.

yuxiet wrote: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.

Technically they are considered pan/tilt cameras. That simply means that they move left and right, and up and down, however, you have to do that by hand. They are not remote controllable.
I bought a few of the 8 channel models that woot had a few months ago, and for the price, the dvr is an excellent value. However, the cameras are junk (do not display color well, barely better than black and white and colors are way off). At least the ones they included with the previous model. I called tech support, and they told me that these cameras are very cheap, quote "these cameras are very cheap and they will not display color well, however, you do get a sharp picture. You can however purchase cameras from us that are in the $100-200 range that are much better quality." I was not happy hearing that from the manufacturer. What kind of buisness practice is that.
With that said. I probably won't buy from Zmodo anymore. There are enough other manufacturers that don't missrepresent their products.

Does anyone know if you can move the dome cameras remotely? I know some models can, was not sure if these could a google search of the model # just gives me links to sites selling them with no details.

torn between which to get! Can anyone shed some light on the differences for me compared to this system:

http://moofi.woot.com/offers/zmodo-8-channel-8-camera-system

thanks!

I bought the 4 channel variant of this one from sellout a few months ago. They're decent cameras, the quality isn't the greatest. Mine didn't come with an HDD either. I popped in a 320GB and I get over 3 weeks of recording on all four cameras. I only have two hooked up now (front and back yard) and I'm well over a month of recording on medium quality.

The software that it comes with is pretty nice too, you can access it from your smartphone with this app (if you set it up) and from any PC within your network. I currently have it set to just record to the DVR itself, but if you wanted to install the software on a computer (server) you can have it to record directly the server's hard disks.

All-in-all for how inexpensive these are, they're very nice, have a lot of "expensive" features, and get the job done.

These seem a good deal at the price, but what's up with this 'all four cameras are powered by a single power supply with a 4-way splitter'. unless there is a very long cable, this means all 4 camera's must be pretty close. Good for a single monitor section, but would not work for the front and back of my house.

helibobber wrote:since they run 24/7 the HD
will likely fail in a couple months.

Since 1987 I've had a dozen computers running constantly, at home and at work. Every few years I lose a hard drive. "A couple of months" is ridiculous.

What time did the Barrel of Crud hit? This morning? Or last night?

Ready to lock down the house! Will the neighbors think I'm crazy?

Just wondering, if the camera cables are not long enough to reach from camera to DVR, does anyone know how difficult it would be to add cable length?

Can 2 (or more) cables be connected together?

[quote postid="5061368" user="tiredoftry"unless there is a very long cable, this means all 4 camera's must be pretty close.[/quote]

"Each camera comes with a 60-foot power and BNC video all-in-one cable"

If your power supply is in the middle of the house, two cameras can be 120 feet apart.

Everybody says the camera's aren't the greatest but sufficient for the price. What are some of the better cameras that fellow Wooters are happy with? Night vision? Wide Angle? Links would be appreciated.

Can someone confirm if you can add additional cameras to this system in the future? It says it has 8 video input channels and 4 audio channels, but I can't confirm in the picture or on zmodo.com and it doesn't say anywhere "supports up to XX cameras". They have so many combo options it's making my head spin!

01bar wrote:Just wondering, if the camera cables are not long enough to reach from camera to DVR, does anyone know how difficult it would be to add cable length?

its easier to just buy longer cables, look up siamese cables on ebay, you can get 120ft for $17.

I have the 4 channel version of this system. One of the cameras is mounted on the front of my house above the driveway and has survived several big thunder storms. picture quality is adaquate. I have been considering upgrading to an 8 channel so i can see more areas around the house and keep tabs on the dogs while they are in the back yard.

brianpitt wrote:Can someone confirm if you can add additional cameras to this system in the future? It says it has 8 video input channels and 4 audio channels, but I can't confirm in the picture or on zmodo.com and it doesn't say anywhere "supports up to XX cameras". They have so many combo options it's making my head spin!

yes, it comes with 4 cameras and you can add 4 more

madmanjustice wrote:its easier to just buy longer cables, look up siamese cables on ebay, you can get 120ft for $17.

I have the 4 channel version of this system. One of the cameras is mounted on the front of my house above the driveway and has survived several big thunder storms. picture quality is adaquate. I have been considering upgrading to an 8 channel so i can see more areas around the house and keep tabs on the dogs while they are in the back yard.

Thanks for the help

mitch84208 wrote:torn between which to get! Can anyone shed some light on the differences for me compared to this system:

http://moofi.woot.com/offers/zmodo-8-channel-8-camera-system

thanks!

Waiting for someone to answer my similar question.

01bar wrote:Thanks for the help

I'm in for 1. this is my first Surveillance System, how do most people veiw? with the PC monitor? connect DVR to flat screen TV?

This appears to be a very good deal. As someone else pointed out, the CCD cameras included in this are rated at over 400 TV lines and are high resolution, and are generally better than CMOS type for this application. Also, to make a nice clean installation, you can run your own cable using ordinary CAT5 ethernet cable that will supply power, video and audio using inexpensive baluns that convert 75 ohm to 300 ohm. You can then run up to 1000' of cable.

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.

Teenagers, Pets, contractors, Teenagers, evidence in case you do get robbed, damn untrusstworthy teenagers.

miketyner wrote:Since 1987 I've had a dozen computers running constantly, at home and at work. Every few years I lose a hard drive. "A couple of months" is ridiculous.

Ok,ok so I bought the company line. Zmodo says so on their site. Tough crowd here....

Can one run this straight to a TV? I'd love to run it tot he living room Vizio through one of the sources and be able to quickly change the TV source to these cameras to see who's at the door, or who's just come up the driveway. I would think this would be possible.

beloved wrote:Waiting for someone to answer my similar question.

the moofi deal is a different version of the dvr with a slightly different OS. it also has 8 cameras instead of 4, and the cameras have the larger 1/3 Sony sensors as opposed to the 1/4 Sharp branded sensors

01bar wrote:I'm in for 1. this is my first Surveillance System, how do most people veiw? with the PC monitor? connect DVR to flat screen TV?

i have a 15" lcd monitor hooked up to mine via the vga port. My wife views the cameras over the network on her pc

They say that they are waterproof. However, I live in the snow belt so I need freeze proof. How are these in cold weather. Anyone with premature failure in cold weather areas?

geraldnc wrote:Can one run this straight to a TV? I'd love to run it tot he living room Vizio through one of the sources and be able to quickly change the TV source to these cameras to see who's at the door, or who's just come up the driveway. I would think this would be possible.

if your tv has a VGA input, it can be connected directly to the DVR with a VGA cable

madmanjustice wrote:the moofi deal is a different version of the dvr with a slightly different OS. it also has 8 cameras instead of 4, and the cameras have the larger 1/3 Sony sensors as opposed to the 1/4 Sharp branded sensors

They are also rated for 80ft vision at night, these woot cameras are much less!!