Hello from Kansas

[reflect23]

Hello all,

I am a courtroom technology specialist in Kansas. I have a new project getting cameras in the courtroom. I am setting up a server to stream three different cameras from one courtroom and also audio from the courtroom sound system to our intranet. My server is a dell rack mount that I am installing into the sound rack. I am using ubuntu server for the OS and the camera control program is called zoneminder. I am going to be using videolan (vlc) to stream each camera out to a web page. I am using a 4 video input card from Agile - the model is PCIe-RTV24. I installed a 4 serial port card in it to control the three cameras. The cameras are Sony EVID-70 P/T/Z. I got the serial card because I thought I would have a company come in and wire each camera back from their VISCA connections to rs-232 serial terminated ends. This was before I knew that you can daisy chain the cameras. Is there a disadvantage to daisy chaining? If one camera fails, with the other 2 still work? I know some advantages would be less wire to run, and I'd only need the integrated serial port.

Thanks for your help.

 

[CollinR]

I sorry to say but I think you will need to use serial to ethernet adapters as they don't seem to have an RS485 input, RS232 is only good for so many feet and I don't think zoneminder has support for RS422 which the it does have.

Do you already own these things?

EDIT:

Oh looping from cam to cam is IMHO not a good idea but may be the only practical way to do RS232 unless your courtrooms are much smaller then the ones here. Homerun is almost always best for everything.

 

[reflect23]

I sorry to say but I think you will need to use serial to ethernet adapters as they don't seem to have an RS485 input, RS232 is only good for so many feet and I don't think zoneminder has support for RS422 which the it does have.

Do you already own these things?

EDIT:

Oh looping from cam to cam is IMHO not a good idea but may be the only practical way to do RS232 unless your courtrooms are much smaller then the ones here. Homerun is almost always best for everything.

Hey thanks for such a quick reply. I have already purchased everything but cables. If I do it seperately, the longest rs-232 run would be ~100 feet. Serial to ethernet adapters would be fine for me to purchase in addition to what I have already. I am also not set on zoneminder, it was suggested to me to use, but I would like to stick with a linux program if possible. I am not familiar with Homerun. I will check that out. Is there a particular reason why the daisy chaining is not a good idea? I just want to be sure I understand everything so I don't screw something up.

Thanks again,

 

[reflect23]

http://www.lammertbies.nl/comm/info/RS-232_specs.html

The above link states that if you are running speeds of 9600 baud, your max legnth can be 500 feet. So, I think that this is going to work out ok if I run seperate (or daisy chain). Now I just need to know if one way is better than the other. I am up for either, I just want to make sure that I do the best option.

 

[reflect23]

heh, I just googled "home-run wiring" and found that you were talking about the star topology configuration. I thought it was a brand or something. So, you already answered my question :-D thanks so much.