Still Pondering Camera Options

[upstatemike]

As you can see it is a big place and I will have to use a lot of bullet cameras if I give up the pan/tilt.

I have to do some thinking about a dedicated PC for cameras. I have a dedicated music server, a dedicated HS automation server, and a dedicated PowerHome/Weather Station server all running 24/7. Unless one of these can do double duty with cameras I don't think I want any more PC overhead.

 

[afenn]

You might consider using a Dedicated Micros DS2 for a DVR. It will integrate with the TS07. In addition, it would give you the ability to use analog (cheaper) cameras, and it would give you a lot more options in the process. Another super benefit is that you get recording on too. Depending on the number/type of cameras you use, you might even save enough to pay for the DS2. I use a DS2, and have some PTZ, and some not. I have the Elk trigger relays to activate presets on the PTZs on the DS2 automatically when doors open/close, and motions, etc..

Adam

 

[electron]

They sell appliance type DVR units which do all of this stuff for you. Just pop in a hard drive, and you are good to go. I have seen them for sale for as low as a few hundred dollars, and some of them even support backup to CD/DVD. Obviously, the top of the line units will cost a litlte more, but might be worth checking out.

 

[upstatemike]

You might consider using a Dedicated Micros DS2 for a DVR. It will integrate with the TS07. In addition, it would give you the ability to use analog (cheaper) cameras, and it would give you a lot more options in the process. Another super benefit is that you get recording on too. Depending on the number/type of cameras you use, you might even save enough to pay for the DS2. I use a DS2, and have some PTZ, and some not. I have the Elk trigger relays to activate presets on the PTZs on the DS2 automatically when doors open/close, and motions, etc..

Adam

Isn't a DS2 like $3,000 or more?

 

[CollinR]

Those dedicated units leave much to be desired. I'm especially not a DM fan. Even the ones I don't have a problem with aren't equal to PC based systems.

Mike I know I could combine some of those servers, you might have to upgrade hardware.

This is based on you wanting to actually record the video, if you don't want to do that you don't need any PC hardware or a dedicated DVR.

I have a dedicated music server, a dedicated HS automation server, and a dedicated PowerHome/Weather Station server all running 24/7.

Really with top of the line hardware you could probably run it all on one box plus a hardware based CCTV system if you wanted. I would still think you could run all three of your current processes on 1 P4 D box.

You should bring up your task manager on each box and see how much of your resources you are really using. I know lots of you guys (well me too!) hang onto old hardware. If those are maxed out 333mhz/64MB boxes a motherboard+CPU+RAM upgrade would get some if not all of them combined. That obviously assumes you don't have ISA devices or really picky PCI devices. In power consumption I assume it would pay for the upgrade eventually.

You might Ghost a backup of each OS disk and then play with combining them.

I have never tried the MS XP transfer but it has app for transfering stuff from one PC to another. Once you have a good Ghost image you can try doing the transfer to combine 2 at a time. I have very little faith in it working but geeze if it did it wouldn't take you an hour.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/s...november12.mspx

That article specifically says you have to install the software itself on the new machine but it's configuration should be automatically transfered if it's in the program files directory or manually selected.

What are you using as your music server? Mine is just a fileserver, the clients use Winamp, WMP, MCE or Beyond Media and keep their own library info. I use Exact Audio Copy to Rip the disks to the server locally but you could do it over your network from more advanced clients. If you use that method you don't have much system resources. If you do music on demand you will have more load. Mine is actually doing pictures, music and video (TV, DVDs and CCTV) but it's not transcoding anything so CPU is low.

 

[upstatemike]

Mike I know I could combine some of those servers, you might have to upgrade hardware.

This is based on you wanting to actually record the video, if you don't want to do that you don't need any PC hardware or a dedicated DVR.

I could probably add CCTV to the Homeseer server but I need to look into it more. These are just off-the-shelf boxes that are some 3 or 4 years old. I think they 3.2G HT machines (don't know if that means anything).

I don't really want to record anything but without PC hardware how do I get the analog cameras onto the Elk touch screen or view them over the Internet?

My music server just runs Slimserver plus an xPL hub and it serves 16 music players around the house. I don't really want to share that with anything else.

 

[CollinR]

I will check into how you are doing your music though. I haven't done any xPL or slimserver stuff so I have no clue what it entails. Not really so much for you but for my own benfit, I assume the slimserver can control the clients as well?


What the TS07 is capable of is the highest importance for you at this point. If it can only handle the JPEG and server side fresh stuff you will have to go IP based or use CCTV DVR software (to my knowledge). If the TS07 can display real video you can use analog cameras and cheapo capture hardware with video lan to stream it. If you have to have video lan transcode the video

 

[electron]

TS07 supports IP cameras using the JPEG and MJPEG method from what I can tell.

 

[upstatemike]

So to summarize:

1- The only touch screen I have right now is an Elk TS07. Might do something different with ML and RedRadio in the future but for now it is the TS07 and PCs either on my LAN or over the Internet.

2- IP camera and I am good (as long as it is one that the TS07 can control) but no night vision.

3- Analog and I get better resolution and night vision but probably have to lose P/T. Also not clear how the analog gets onto the network for Elk and PC access.

4- Can maybe add video functions to HS box if I don't need recording. (Forget sharing with Music Server. I'm just not willing to do that).

5- IP camera is expensive but by the time I add IR illuminator and analog-to-IP hardware is it really that much more than the analog setup?

 

[CollinR]

So to summarize:

1- The only touch screen I have right now is an Elk TS07. Might do something different with ML and RedRadio in the future but for now it is the TS07 and PCs either on my LAN or over the Internet.


2- IP camera and I am good (as long as it is one that the TS07 can control) but no night vision.

I have IP cams with JPEG and MJPEG cams with nightvision.

I have no idea how the Elk is controlling that panny's PT functions.

3- Analog and I get better resolution and night vision but probably have to lose P/T. Also not clear how the analog gets onto the network for Elk and PC access.

You don't necessarily get better resolution but better bang for the buck, I am against the specific model you posted for the price you posted. If it was $250 I would be telling you go for it, cause thats what I think its worth.

Devices exist that put analog cameras on TCP/IP networks, basically they are the same thing that is internal to all VGA quality IP cameras. Their guts were for analog camera use and the IP is usually an after thought add on.

4- Can maybe add video functions to HS box if I don't need recording. (Forget sharing with Music Server. I'm just not willing to do that).

Not a big issue since you don't seem to want to record, you'll be fine with a IP cam I just wouldn't spend $650 on a VGA digital day/night unit without WDR.

5- IP camera is expensive but by the time I add IR illuminator and analog-to-IP hardware is it really that much more than the analog setup?

Yup, just need to spend a little more and get a better camera or stay with those specs and find one cheaper. I personally don't see the point of VGA quality IP cams and I have found few worth having. I have the perfect cam but it's a box unit so it probably wouldn't be discrete enough for you. It's also more money...

 

[afenn]

Isn't a DS2 like $3,000 or more?

I think they are in that neighborhood if you buy them new. You can find them on ebay for $1000 or less.

Adam

 

[Ripper99]

Temps lately have been between zero and 20 degrees Farenheit but 20 below zero is not unusual.

Mike, ...just though to mention I have an Axis 225FD camera and it is an IP based cam rated at -20 Celsius...our weather up here always goes above -20 sometimes for a week or two at a time and everytime this camera gets between -20 and -22 Celsius it blows a fuse on my external power supply.

The power supply I have can power multiple 12 vdc/24 vac cameras and it works fine *until* I get around the rated temperature for my camera and then its lights out...have to replace the fuse to get the camera working again and I have to wait until its warmer otherwise the fuse blows right away again.

The camera has a small heater powered by 12 vdc and also a cat5 for IP connection however the worst part is losing the image whenever it gets too cold..I have spoke to Colin also about colder weather cams but at this time haven't really found a good solution for my problem...for now I'll just keep replacing fuses!

In the summer when its warmer I plan to take it down and see if I can somehow insulate it better..our temperature many times through the winter can drop to -30 or lower and then we will have a -10 to -15 Celsius windchill on top of that so I have to figure out how to keep the cameras warm to operate at all temperatures.

This is the cam I am using for our driveway
http://www.axis.com/products/cam_225/

 

[upstatemike]

Nice looking camera... How much does it cost?