PC Based DVR

It's so HARD being me. RW

In his own mind

I have found units with Windows XP Embedded work well as PC based units go. I think once a certain number of cameras are reached it is easier to use a total Windows based PC solution. Genetec and Verint use a Windows approach where Intransa and AD Video Edge use a Linux Kernel. It is easier to use PC units with certain types of systems where integration with access control and such is necessary.

DM makes a cheap DVR line too. The EcoSense units start at less than a grand for a dealer. The thing I like about certain PC based units over units like DM is that WHEN the hard drive fails ( AND IT ALWAYS DOES) you can install a new hard drive and recover the units with having to send it in for repair.

eternal-september.org...

hi all, Stumbled on this post today. I have some input on this subject since I've always wondered which would be better. I have experience with both stand alone and PC based DVR's. Since I also do repair on windows PCs I don't have much faith in the security of windows so although I've worked with them, I'd never sell a DVR with a windows OS, it seems that someone @ the DVR location always ends up trying to use it as a desktop.

A couple of years ago i did a search on PC based DVRs and Zoneminder came up. If you haven't heard of it it's linux based and very stable. You can build the hardware with or without raid, and once it's up and going it pretty much just does it's thing. I built 3 of them 1 - 6 cam, 1- 8 cam, and 1- 3 cam @ my home. All are doing fine, and the owners love them.

When you look @ them cost vers features of stand alone DVRs, Zoneminder comes out ahead, an 8 camera DVR with 25 fps per cam and 1 TB hard drive would cost you about 700.00. Build, test, install, and hook it to a UPS back-up and spend 30 min's showing the user how to use it.

For those wanting to give it a try, I use Ubuntu 8.04.2 LTS desktop, Apache basic auth, fail2ban, and apcupsd for the "auto power down & power up". once built and tested i turn off the desktop and the PC runs as a headless server only booting to a login prompt.

For remote access i usually use a open source router with built in ddns update.

my 2 cents, it;s worth a look.

I have installed Ubuntu a couple times for CNC & it is very stable. I might want to pick your brain a bit more.

I recently purchased two Dell servers. A friend has set them up with Ubuntu for me. Until he told me about it I'd never heard of Ubuntu. The last time I dealt directly with the servers we were still using (ugh!) Windows.

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i have an update to this that makes ubuntu sound even better. my camera server got hit by lightning this weekend.

came in through the network nic and killed the MOBO it was an old IBM thinkcenter with a P4 socket 478 @ 2.8ghz

i took the 2 hard drives out and put the in an AMD socket 939 motherboard and 4000+ cpu

the system booted and ran OK. all i had to do is tell ZM where my events hard drive was from /device/sdb3 to /device/sda3

this would not be needed but i did a lil tweeking to use a seperate HD for events storage. after that it's up and running

If I knew what MOBO, a P4 socket and ZM are I might understand all that but it sounds great. :^)

Maybe Aunt Lil can explain it to you

I'll have to ask her when I see her.