Gonna need a little help...

• Two poles, one at each end of the street, one with 3 cameras and one with 2. 1500 ft apart - no direct LoS
• 2 Axis dedicated LPR cameras and one Dahua 52A1EN at entrance. All 2MP
• 1 Axis dedicated LPR cam and 1 Dahua 8131 Starlight at culdesac
  
• There will never be more than 4 cameras per pole, likely wont add any at all, but will upgrade in time
  
• I have a separate high speed business dedicated IP connection at each location through Spectrum Cable
  
• I have a nice weatherproof box where everything terminates about 20 ft from each pole
  
• I think I want to install a NVR5208-8P-4KS2 at each location (looks to fit easily)
• I think I want the one with POE as I wont need to run anything off an external POE switch?
  
• I think I'll need a router that I can use OpenVPN with at each location (Netgear Nighthawk?) I'm Assuming that the cable provider simply terminates at a modem and I take that into my router like I do at home..

1. Anyone have a better idea on the NVR's? I would rather have overkill than scrimp
2. If I use POE NVR, will I access the cameras same way I do via my home DVR in that the NVR will be where all controls happen? or will each IP cam still have its own address I can also access direct? In other words is their a downside or upside to using the POE NVR?
3. How do I manage accessing the different devices using OpenVPN on my iphone/laptop remotely? In other words do I see a separate profile I assume for my own home network, and each of the two HOA "networks" based on generated/installed separate credentials for each? I think so
4. I'll use SmartPSS to monitor cameras alng with the iDMSS app on smart phone. Wont be sending email alerts, but wiull be recording using MD and IVS. When i need to tweek settings, I'll go right into the NVR interface which I'm already comfortable with.
5. OK so WEATHER. Its hot in FL, but as a reference, for two years those same boxes have housed a cable modem, router and EagleEye bridge device with a small HD for buffering with no ill effects
   
6. What am I missing?

fenderman said:

You dont need nvr's at each location...pop an sd card into the cams, then stream the cams to a dedicated NVR at a single location....these are dedicated lines so who cares...

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bigredfish said:

Hmmmmmm ...hadnt thought about that...

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bigredfish said:

Thanks Matt, I see that and some other things that are troubling. I suppose I should stick to the 52xx series.

Now I'm re-thinking the POE NVR - having a CVI DVR I love the simplicity. Camera specific control access is through a simple OSD menu even though the setting options are extensive and rival that of an IP cam.

It seems the POE NVR presents a problem of remotely connecting directly to the cameras web GUI? I see some posts that there is new firmware that may allow direct connection to the camera web gui from the NVR but info seems limited... Soooooooo, I suppose I go back to the
NVR5208-4KS2 and use a POE switch which will allow me easy remote access to both the NVR AND cameras?

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bigredfish said:

Unfortunately the poles are 1500ft apart and I cant lay cable to a central point, and streaming to a central point has its own set of problems.. Definitely resigned to dual NVR's.

At this point I just need to learn whether I can access camera web gui directly using a POE NVR or if I must go non-POE NVR and POE switch. I need to be able to remotely access both the cams and the NVR. Prefer the POE NVR if I can do this.

I saw a post by @Crazykiller that showed promise accessing both cams and NVR web gui's without having to connect a computer to the POE switch
https://ipcamtalk.com/attachments/19429/
Dahua NVR5216-4KS2 / NVR5216-16P-4KS2

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bigredfish said:

Not a dumb question at all Kawboy. The CVI stuff has come along way in just the few years I've been dabbling in the hobby. Light years compared to old analog I first installed in 2012.

I'll get you some better insight/screen shots tonight when I get home from #dayjob, but probably the biggest downside issue is generally the lack of being able to set completely different profiles for day/night with regards to manual exposure settings. However you are able to effectively compensate with some models...for instance the 3231E-Z is smart enough to automatically turn off WDR in IR mode and thus allow different master exposure settings.

Most of the normal features you see on the avg IP cam are now present in CVI cams, just pop into the DVR web gui, open a camera view, and popup the OSD menu for each cam.
Exposure, gain, shutter, normal image settings, WB, IR settings, WDR/BKL/HLC, 2D/3DNr etc, Alarm in/out, audio settings

Resolution, compression, bitrate/FPS/iframe - type settings are done at the DVR by camera channel, both main/substream, almost identical to IP cams.
MD can be done at the DVR and/or the Camera as with privacy mask, settings/notifications same as IP cams
IVS features are standard now but controlled at the DVR (there is a limit to how many cams can utilize IVS by DVR model)
Motorized lens/auto focus on many VF camera models
Push and email notifications through iDmss/gDmss app, ability to manage via SmartPSS
PTZ controls primarily at the DVR

Master settings for Alarm, Account, Event, Network, Storage/RecordingSchedule/HD management, System stuff, all mostly all done at the DVR of course.

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