Need help picking out Equipment for remote Location- Needs to boot back up easily

CaliGirl

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Another great product that I find quite useful for remote locations is a web power switch like these:

http://www.digital-loggers.com/lpc.html

https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Digital-Loggers-Outlets-Protection/dp/B00EZWD146

You can then reboot and control power remotely which you can do with other smart home solutions, but the real winner here is that is will monitor the internet by pinging sites every so often and reboot automatically when there are issues. You can program which outlets do what, so say I want my modem and router to reboot after it cannot ping google for 15 minutes. I want them both to shut off for 15 seconds, and the modem to come on in outlet 1 first, after 120 seconds then power up my router in outlet 2. Now hopefully internet is restored, if not I can say I want it to now wait 30 minutes before trying again, and then I want it to wait an hour before the next one and so on. SUPER handy as so many times a simple reboot is all that needs to be done to restore internet but that's not easy when its a remote location!

I have 80+ of these in operation at sites and like them a lot. Super inexpensive, and so handy. I can access and power cycle just a POE switch, or just an NVR or whatever I want all from a web page. It has saved literally hundreds of visits from techs for simple stuff. You may have zero need for one of these in many cases, but for those that have remote locations they are pretty nice.

Great concept and glad to hear you are having good experiences. How long have yours been installed?

I was looking into getting one of these but the there was a really bad review about them failing. I figured I might be introducing an added complexity that could take down my entire system. So I decided against it and got a simple wifi power switch that I can control with an app.


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BUYER BEWARE, 75% FAILURE RATE AFTER 1 YEAR, WE INSTALLED HUNDREDS OF THESE

By Beyond HiFi on May 1, 2015

Think you are saving money by buying this piece? Think again, we put hundreds out in the field on critical equipment. They are all ticking time bombs because they are failing left and right after about a year of use due to 12v/5v power supply failures of the main board or the actual relays failing themself. This has cost my company so much money with customers equipment going down causing us to drop everything and rush out to replace them with a different product. We've lost customers due to this being that they were so mad that EVERYTHING we plugged into these things goes off-line. You'll think they are gold until they fail (thus why they have such good reviews). Take it from someone who has EXTENSIVE experience with these units. BUYER BEWARE."
 
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CaliGirl

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Can someone point me to a link or place to find more info about how to store jpeg images from the cameras at set intervals? Either to a webpage or more importantly dropbox or a file service. I'd like to store images from the tree camera to turn into a time lapse. I can make the videos myself, but need a way to store the images online since my laptop is not always running.

Is this remote page attached the key? What company or service do I need to host the images?

I need to pull the images from this link every 10 mins or so and store the images. http://192.168.20.101/cgi-bin/snapshot.cgi?channel=2

Using my VPN as well.

And if that is not possible, then how to do leave my MacBook Running and have the images stored in a folder on my hard drive every 20 mins?


Thanks
 

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nayr

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you have a couple ways to do this, you can grab the snapshot URL using an applescript that runs: curl -O http://192.168.20.101/cgi-bin/snapshot.cgi?channel=2 at your interval in the path you want em to be saved (DropBox folder?).. search around google for tutorials on using the OSX Automator tool

or you can run a ftp server, either locally at your cabin.. or somewhere on the internet your NVR can reach.. and configure the built in snapshot scheduling feature to store it remotely via FTP.. you'll want to set this up with the WebUI, dont know if SmartPSS is up to the task.

If your doing the first, it might be wise to setup a point-to-point VPN between your home router and your cabin router so they are permanently connected.. then you wont have to use VPN clients when your at home either.
 

CaliGirl

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Screen Shot 2016-10-25 at 10.32.42 PM.pngScreen Shot 2016-10-25 at 10.35.19 PM.png

Ok, I finally figured out an FTP server to run off my router with a USB hard drive. I entered all the data in Smart Pss but not getting any files written.

What config or tab am I missing on the NVR to tell it to write files to the ftp every 5 secs?

Is there a way to test that the settings I entered are correct for the NVR to talk to FTP?

I am able to access the ftp via web browser remotely with: ftp://(my local ip address)/shares/USB_Storage/
 

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nayr

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try setting this up on the NVR webUI, I think it has a test button that SmartPSS dont.
 

CaliGirl

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try setting this up on the NVR webUI, I think it has a test button that SmartPSS dont.
Did not realize I could get the webUI to load on a Mac. It worked with Firefox, can't load the images, but you can access all additional settings!! This is great!

1. Setup FTP info, FTP says Success during a test
2. Went to event and selected every possible way to get channel 3 to record a snapshot and upload motion detect alarm to FTP

3. No files showing in the ftp folders still :-(

Here is what it looks like:
 

nayr

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login to your ftp server with a normal ftp client and ensure you can create folders and upload files, could be a permissions issue.

I recorded video directly to FTP for a couple of years before I got my NVR; I know it works.. but I could access the FTP server's log files and see all the commands the cameras were trying to run and that helped me alot in getting things working.. does your router expose any logs? if not does your router allow terminal access (SSH/Telnet?), you might be able to access the ftpd's log files that way and see.

The NVR WebUI will work with Safari if you have plugin loaded, and it'll work with chrome too with this app: https://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php/13919-Chrome-App-for-Dahuas
 

CaliGirl

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Ftp uploads are working fine with the foscam camera. I entered the same info and it is uploading a photo every minute. So I'm confident the ftp system and permissions are ok. (see photo)

The router logs are showing the Foscam FTP activity but nothing from NVR. (see photo)

ftp2.jpgftp.jpg
 

nayr

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is there a setting for number of allowed users, the cameras keep several logins running and if you have a foscam it might be out of users.. is the foscam creating folders? in ftp world thats a separate permission and dahua does not dump images in root, it has to create a whole directory structure.

you still using the oem asus firmware or a WRT based one?
 

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Great concept and glad to hear you are having good experiences. How long have yours been installed?

I was looking into getting one of these but the there was a really bad review about them failing. I figured I might be introducing an added complexity that could take down my entire system. So I decided against it and got a simple wifi power switch that I can control with an app.


-------

BUYER BEWARE, 75% FAILURE RATE AFTER 1 YEAR, WE INSTALLED HUNDREDS OF THESE

By Beyond HiFi on May 1, 2015

Think you are saving money by buying this piece? Think again, we put hundreds out in the field on critical equipment. They are all ticking time bombs because they are failing left and right after about a year of use due to 12v/5v power supply failures of the main board or the actual relays failing themself. This has cost my company so much money with customers equipment going down causing us to drop everything and rush out to replace them with a different product. We've lost customers due to this being that they were so mad that EVERYTHING we plugged into these things goes off-line. You'll think they are gold until they fail (thus why they have such good reviews). Take it from someone who has EXTENSIVE experience with these units. BUYER BEWARE."
Sorry for the delay, I forgot to check the thread after I replied!

I have purchased quite a number of these, in the neighborhood of 100+ of them now. I have had three fail, each one due to a lightning strike. The strike took out multiple pieces of equipment, the strikes seem to come in through the cable internet connections most often. Kills the modem, the router, and then usually whatever is directly plugged into the routers. In the cases where I lost the web power switches the routers were fried. One site actually had an arc mark on top of the switch the router was sitting on where electricity arced from the board inside the router through a vent slot clear to the metal switch case! Two of the power strips were totally cooked, one was still powering equipment but the screen was gone and it was beeping non stop when I arrived to fix the site. Dumb thing is quite loud I will say that!

I have not had a single one have issues with failing normally yet, and they have been in use for 2+ years at this point. I had one bad out of the box I purchased from Amazon but that is it for unusual failures. I have these installed inside, and outside in weatherproof boxes with no issues so far. I used to use a similar device called a powerstone and we had several failures on those which is why we started with the web power switches and as of yet we are happy with them. I have 10 more on the shelf in my stock area and 5 sitting behind me configured and ready to go to specific new installs/sites.

So far they have massively improved up time and reliability of locations so we'll keep using them until when/if they cause issues. Even then, if I had to replace them every few years we would as $100 every few years is much cheaper than sending a guy to a site for reboots and such all the time. We have saved a ton of time and effort, not counting the money, by having these installed so we'd likely keep using them.
 
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CaliGirl

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is there a setting for number of allowed users, the cameras keep several logins running and if you have a foscam it might be out of users.. is the foscam creating folders? in ftp world thats a separate permission and dahua does not dump images in root, it has to create a whole directory structure.

you still using the oem asus firmware or a WRT based one?
Hmmmm....no number of users specified. Good idea. Deleted all the Foscam ftp info to make sure it was not conflicting. Foscam was not creating folders, just dropping files into the folder I specified.

I removed all username and password requirements on the FTP to prevent a permission issue. Will add them once I get it working (see photo)

I was able to log into the ftp folder via the OSX connect to server address (\\readyshare\T_Drive). I am able to create folders and add files in the ftp folder from the mac.

Just not getting any Dahua NVR photos to appear anywhere on the USB drive. Even with the changes above despite successful FTP test on the interface. No hint in the logs that the NVR is attempting to talk.

ftp3.jpg
 

nayr

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whats that ftp and ftp via internet thing? is this not on the inside of your network?
 

CaliGirl

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1. FTP (inside your out network) for example ftp://readyshare.routerlogin.net/shares

2. FTP via internet (remote ftp) for example ftp://(my current ip address at home)/shares
I am using the via internet as the NVR needs to reach across the web to access this ftp server as it is not at the remote location. This is setup at the house. I don't have access to the remote router for quite a while.

3. Still using stock firmware on the Asus. And stock firmware on this WNDR4500 Netgear router at home running the built in ftp server and usb memory stick.


basically all the devices appear to be doing their part and have been tested to do so, with the except of the Dah NVR. SO I'm really thinking it is a simple tab on the NVR that I have incorrect to tell it to store snapshots.

This is what it is looking like:
 
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CaliGirl

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If you are not using snapshots for emails or ftp, where do they go and how do you play them back? I don't see any way to confirm that the NVR is in fact taking snapshot intervals or snapshots during a motion detect. The playback window only has video playback, no snap shot playback. Don't they get stored on the HDD somewhere to access later?
 

CaliGirl

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My NVR appears to be missing these tabs that send the snapshots to FTP?Screesdfsdfn Shot 2016-10-26 at 5.27.57 PM.png This is from someone's camera interface.
 

CaliGirl

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Don't have access to the camera directly. Or at least I didn't think that was possible once they were hooked up to the NVR unless I am on site? I'm sure all of this would be easy to enter directly in the camera web interface. That is why is worked on the Foscams. Because I can talk to them directly on the router.

I guess all the options and settings are in the NVR but I am chasing a dead end.
 

nayr

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oh yeah forgot, will your home router take one of the WRT open source firmwares?
 
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