I've been robbed, need a video camera asap

[dalepa]

might pickup one of these: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=105&cp_id=10524&cs_id=1052401&p_id=8138&seq=1&format=2

Ive used my network tester twice so far with my first camera, im sure I'll use it a few more times before I am done with the rest.. its nice to get a good visual indication everything is AOK before proceeding.

Love this little tool...

 

[nayr]

Any recommendation for a PoE switch with at least 6 ports?

If your not keen on the midspan this is the switch I would recommend: http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-TS-8-PRO-ToughSwitch-Advanced-Controllers/dp/B00CXU1NHY

I have there Edgerouter POE and also there access points; great stuff.

 

[bp2008]

I wouldn't buy the Toughswitch. I have two of the 5 port versions (which do non-standard 24v only) from back when I ran mostly ubiquiti cameras. I have mostly phased out those ubiquiti cameras with far superior Hikvision cams. The toughswitches run unnecessarily hot and one of them won't boot up if it is powered on at a high temperature. Add to that the inflated price and I can easily recommend you buy a TP-Link instead. See: http://amzn.com/B003CFATT2

I ran 4 of the cheap $42 switches (4 PoE ports, 10/100 speed) for a while, though I didn't daisy chain other switches off of them because they don't do gigabit speed. I only plugged cameras into those switches, and I used a separate gigabit switch to link them all together and back to the router. Eventually I replaced this stack of PoE switches with a single Netgear managed switch that has 24 PoE ports and 4 gigabit non-PoE ports. It cost about $320 new though you can often find similar for about $100 on ebay. The only real downside of the netgear is that it has some noisy fans in it while the 4-PoE TP-Link switches are silent.

 

[Vin Tekiel]

Thank you all for your help. I'm not done yet, far from it , but I have my first camera up and running. Just to make you laugh, here's why it wasn't working. After I installed everything in the attic (it's probably 120F in there), nothing was working. I removed the PoE injector, plug-in my computer, and haha, it was not working. I bought another cable, plugged-in my computer, it was working, put it through the wall, in the attic, put back the poe injector and ... it wasn't working. Went back up there with my laptop, it was not working... grrrrrrr... and it did go on like that for a few more hours until I did a test without shutting down the light in the attic.. Yeap, you guessed it. The plug I was using for the PoE injector is linked to the light...

 

[milkisbad]

Looking good Vin!

 

[nayr]

haha, thats classic.

on plus side the image looks great.

 

[bp2008]

Hehe that is funny. Looks like you have a good view there. You may want one closer to head level though so you can see faces under hats.

 

[Vin Tekiel]

@bp2008: Yes, this one is the only one who's going to be so high. All the others will be under the eaves (9 feet). Now to the next one. I'd like to have one for the front door. Should I get a bullet camera, set in the corner of the house, that would cover the alley coming to the front door, or a dome right at the front door? Or both? Probably both. Any recommendations?

 

[bp2008]

My favorite cams are:

Hikvision ds-2cd2032-i (bullet)

Hikvision ds-2cd2332-i (turret).

Both are 3 megapixel, PoE, outdoor rated, and have very flexible mounting options, though I prefer the bullet because it is a bit cheaper and has a smaller footprint. However the bullet is not available with a lens wider than the standard 4mm, while the turret is available with 2.8mm which gives about 20 degrees wider field of view.

Since LTS doesn't have them on sale this month, you may consider buying through aliexpress.com, where I and a lot of others would recommend the CCTV CAMERA CHINA seller. This way you can buy them a lot cheaper than from sellers in the USA -- about $89 for the bullet and $107 for the turret. You need to specify the lens size you want for each camera in the order notes field or you'll get the default which I believe is 4mm. The downside to this is that return shipping to China is cost prohibitive, but at that price you still come out ahead if a third of the cameras die ... which would be terrible luck. Also you get the China versions which means if you try to upgrade the firmware they will revert to Chinese language in the UI. You can work around this, for example by buying and applying CBX's region change hack.

 

[bp2008]

I'm sure Hikvision sells the Chinese versions locally at a much lower profit margin, and what we see on aliexpress is people capitalizing on it.

 

[catseyenu]

After a couple of trips back up the ladder to readjust cameras I'm beginning to wish I had picked up the ds-2cd2332-i (turret) over the ds-2cd2032-i (bullet).
FWIW, has anyone used HUABEN Technology Co., Limited on Aliexpress?
They seem to have good ratings and have the turret on sale for $95.99 after a $5 coupon.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hikvision-outdoor-ip-camera-DS-2CD2332-I-Network-Kamera-ip-3MP-dome-Camera-w-POE-3D/1386178269.html

 

[bp2008]

I haven't used that seller. They do have a good rating though so they are probably fine.

Yes, the turrets do sit a lot more solid than the bullets, but I haven't had any trouble with the bullets moving out of position. I'm sure you tightened the mount as hard as you can?

 

[catseyenu]

Yeah Alieexpress sells it cheaper than the price we get from Hikvision lol I don't know how they do it.

Well business is bad, i'll probably just keep the $139 sales price for August :<

I feel you, buy them from Alieexpress?

I'm sure Hikvision sells the Chinese versions locally at a much lower profit margin, and what we see on aliexpress is people capitalizing on it.

China's small business sector (resellers in this case) is a thriving entity in all arenas.
Small business plays a major role in their economy. They are flexible and quick to see new angles.
China is a nation of people looking for a business opportunity, we could learn (re-learn) a few things from them IMO.

 

[catseyenu]

I haven't used that seller. They do have a good rating though so they are probably fine.

Thanks, I've been informed from another member that they have successfully purchased from them.

Yes, the turrets do sit a lot more solid than the bullets, but I haven't had any trouble with the bullets moving out of position. I'm sure you tightened the mount as hard as you can?

Well... I thought I tightened them enough but I didn't really go to the dirt with them. :sad2:
You can bet I will on the next trip up. :laugh:

 

[bp2008]

Well... I thought I tightened them enough but I didn't really go to the dirt with them. :sad2:
You can bet I will on the next trip up. :laugh:

Well mine are all sheltered under the eaves and it doesn't get very windy very often where I live, so they don't take much of a beating.

 

[catseyenu]

30-40 mph gust are a common occurrence here.
You don't want to be above ground when it blows big.

 

[croft.arthur]

Camera and software recommendation

Hi, Vin!

I am sorry you were robbed! Regarding to your question:

1)I would totally recommend you the Axis camera - their cameras are a bit more expensive, but the reliability is simply great. Also they have implemented the One-Click technology - with this together with click2stream.com you get the simplest way how to add the camera. I have just found there is also the video for it:
2) Great decision! I would recommend cloud recording supported with the cam which includes the SSD card - just for case of internet disconnection.

3) As I mentioned, I am using the click2stream.com and I am more than satisfied. Also they are soon coming with the App store with great functionalities, intelligent alarms which can also help. I have also tried ustream and other services which were good as well, but I missed some parameters and they don't have the app store.

I hope I have helped you and this situation will no longer happen.

Arthur

 

[bp2008]

Equivalent Axis cams are perhaps 5 times the price compared to Hikvision, but yeah if I was loaded with cash I would probably buy them too

Click2stream works easily with practically ANY camera, according to their website. Looks like a decent choice if you have the upload bandwidth available, and no monthly cap from your ISP.

 

[Vin Tekiel]

Click2Stream... I sent them an e-mail a week ago to try their cloud recording application. They did not even answered my e-mail. I can imagine what would be their support if you had any problem.... lol, they'll never make me pay for that kind of service...

 

[bp2008]

Yeah, I hate it when companies do that. If they can't take the time to reply to my email (or worse, if they can't receive my email due to their stupid spam filters), then they can't have my business either.