What Brand / Model DVRs ??

Hi Bob,

Forget the "trusted" brands with their so-so tech support. It's all made in China and other fareaway places. The latest stuff is from overseas. We buy either directly overseas or with overseas companies that have stateside locations usually on the east and west coast. Where do you think ADI and all others get their stuff from? It's all bought overseas and they think up these great sounding BRAND Names that will stimulate people's minds to believe it must be a great product. Arecont cameras are stealthily made to look like they are american made, no, just Assembled in the Usa. They buy the parts overseas.

The only time I have seen faulty equipment was due to surges coming in on the system either because there was no UPS power supply protecting the dvr, hard drives, or cameras; or, the building was prone to close lightning strikes and there was no surge protection installed because the customer did not want to pay for it up front.

With HDMI output problems, sometimes it's just the cable. Sometimes the customer jammed the crap out of the dvr against the wall and the input on the dvr has been compromised also. They just don't go blink, "I am going to stop working now". Of course, the customer is not going to say anything, nor his employees. The tv monitor that is showing the HDMI output of the cams may have been plugged just straight into the wall without a UPS protection. I remember a new system of 10 cams a few years ago that had problems with 3 cams and the tv monitor just a few months after installation. I ask a lot of questions to first investigate how this might have happened. The customer finally says, "Oh yeah, the electrician was doing work on our main panel right at that time and he shorted something ..." He bought himself a new tv and he paid for new cameras, end of story. Rarely do I find that equipment just blinks out all by itself.

If you want some leads about where to go for quality affordable equipment, you will have to contact me directly. I will not post publicly this information.

Hope this helps you somehow.

On 6/22/2015 5:50 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:

On 6/22/2015 5:50 PM, Bob La Londe wrote: > I was a hard corp Dedicated Micros fan for a long time. Many years. > Unfortunately they have priced themselves out of the market. In general > I had pretty good luck with their units, but the price was just too > high. When they came out with their ECO units I thought that was a nice > answer. Slimmed down feature set at only a little over the average price > for other name brand units being installed. Sadly they had issues. I > had to send units in for repair in relatively short life spans. Some I > sent in more than once, because they came back unfixed. (I know Moore's > in a separate company, but they are the official repair center for DM.)> > I decided to give Digital Watchdog a try. For the first couple years > they were great. Competitive price, decent feature set, and seemed to > just work. Lately I've had multiple problems with very low usage. A > couple months to a year. When I called tech support today I was hung up > on three times. I said please, and thank you and I never raised my > voice. I know. Seems unusual for me. They seemed to have a chip on > their shoulder from the moment they answered the phone. Then they > proceeded to lecture me on my lack of professionalism even when I asked, > can we please just address the problem. A DVR with no video output on > the HDMI ouput. Last week video failed. I had to hard power cycle the > unit to get video back. It dropped HDMI video out again on Saturday. > They finally on the third (or maybe it was the 4th) call gave me a list > of things to try. All of which I tried when I was there on Friday.> > So, I am off to the customer site to repeat the things I did on Friday, > and then call them back and say , "ok I tried them again."> > When I get back I plan to start shopping. Any suggestions?> Gee Whiz Bob, not a happy camper??

I think they all have their issues. I have been using Everfocus for a number of years. Just recently (over past 2 years) I have tried FLIR, Hikvision, and may try a Nuvico in the future.

The FLIR was with IP cameras. It worked ok. Had some issue at the start due to the learning curve thingie. The biggest challenge was with the original spec'd outside dome camera that when mounted would not allow the lens to tilt up to 90 degrees. Could not get the desired view. Had to swap out for a bullet cameras.

The latest with the Hikvision was nice with the built in 16 channel PoE for each IP camera. All came up with little difficulty. Then the customer called after about 3 weeks with a report that the monitor showed "No Link" on all cameras for about 2 hours. Talked him through a power cycle and all came back. Checked the playback remotely and all cameras were actually recording when the VGA was not displaying cameras. Called tech support and "she" said that is was not normal and asked if there was a power issue at the time. I told her that the cameras were recording and that a power issue should not be the issue. She kept discussing how am I powering if I am not using the on board PoE. But, I am using the on board PoE and the cameras were recording at the time since I watched the customer on the phone talking to me before he did the power cycle to bring all the cameras back on line. After allowing "her" to connect remotely and making a big issue out of the slow connection speed and maybe it contributed to the issue and I again had to say but the cameras were recording...................... After about

35 minutes of this abuse I left at, when or if it happens again I will attempt to get more detailed information and hung up. That was last Monday and have not heard of a problem since.

I am trying to move towards more IP cameras with the 3MP or higher. I am now officially a Mobotix Dealer. Really cool stuff, and no NVR/DVR to deal with. Just camera and software. Thought I was going to get a project about 6 months ago but they decided that they needed to spend their money on other projects first. Tire kickers!!!

Then there is the new HD stuff on coax that is/has hit the market. Nuvico makes a HDoCS product that will produce 1080P on coax. As I understand it you can mix and match analog and HD on the same DVR. Check it out.

It will be a easy decision if I have a customer on COAX with a dead DVR.

Not sure if any of the above is a help to you or not. I never used a DM unit.

Good Luck!!

Les

I do not know if I have solved the problem, but on the 4th call the guy asked if I had my "ticket number." Kinda hard to get that when they are not talking about the problem at all. Finally on-site I got something that I didn't get before. They suggested upgrading the firmware. Their FTP upgrade was not working. Had that been mentioned before I left the office I would have had a copy of the latest Firmware on a thumbdrive. Instead I walked across the street, bought a thumbdrive, used my cellphone and my laptop to download it directly from their website, and finally upgraded the firmware. I don't know if it will fix the problem. I don't see how unless their firmware includes a command that says don't stop putting out video. LOL. I hope its fixed because I sure don't want to have to call them again.

Yes. Every manufacturer has issues sometimes. Its how they handle it that matters (and how often they have issues.) I have been a very loyal Napco user for most of my alarm installs now for 16-17 years I think. Maybe longer. They are always one generation behind in development, and they have had some problems (bad memory on the P1632 a decade or more ago and the question mark bug in PCD Manager), but they don't give you any shit about it. They admit it and they actively work to take care of it.

I am gun-shy about Everfocus. I used several of their cameras (10 or 12) on a repair and upgrade job a number of years ago. They started failing after about a month at a rate of one a week give or take. They told me to send them back to the distributor for replacements, and the distributor told me to take it up with Everfocus. I took it up with Toshiba instead and they have all been working for many many years. It cost me out of pocket, but the customer was taken care of.

I've had reason to call FLIR since they seem to have bought out the remains of DigiMerge, and I have a customer who is a DigiMerge fan. Except for the normal long wait time they seemed to be pretty quick to just tackle the problem.

Certainly it is some. I now have more to consider.

The DM Digital DS2A & DS2P were solid performers. Very expensive, but solid. My current rant was about Digital Watchdog however. DM was just mentioned for background.

Thanks Bob

New surge suppressor installed with the system. No storms (unless you count weeks of 115F highs) and no lightning. Monitor works perfectly as tested with a DVD player using multiple output resolutions, and autodetect worked within a second on each res change. DVR also tested with second brand new monitor and second brand new HDMI cable. The DVR was not putting out video on the HDMI port. Power cycling the DVR caused the unit to start putting out video. It stopped putting out video a second time. Repeating all testing a few days later produced identical results.

I may not have your experience with video systems, but I have experienced that sometimes things just fail.

I would note that the DVR HDMI port was putting out a signal. It was BLANK. The monitor instantly detected the BLANK signal and showed a blank screen instead of the NO SIGNAL screen when the HDMI cable was connected.

The monitor could have been bumped since it is mounted on an articulating arm for the customer's convenience, but the odds of the DVR being bumped are slim since it is inside a locked (well vented) cabinet bolted to shelf brackets, bolted to the wall. A bump hard enough to do something to the DVR would be unlikely to not show signs of other damage. I detected no issue at anytime though with the monitor or cable.

I used to think that about some product models. They just always work. Until I would run across one that didn't.

The monitor works perfectly and is plugged into the UPS.

About 20 years ago I had an electrician drop 220 across several 110 circuits frying all the camera transformers. Then they replaced all the fried 24VAC transformers with 16VAC transformers. I am sure the double voltage or the under voltage killed the cameras, but they were certainly dead. The electrician didn't like it much when he tried to say that the cameras probably just died on their own and I said, "You are f'in kidding right?!"

I would and I will. That being said, I've seen a lot of stuff lately installed by others that has failed with no name, no model, no anything on the unit. Not even inside on the circuit boards. They wind up calling me when they can't get a hold of the guy who installed it.

It does. Thank you.

UPS & Surge Suppressor.

Some of the HIK Vision stuff looks promising. I may buy a couple IP cameras and one of their NVRs to play with in the shop to see how I like them. Price seems to good though on some of it. Always makes me nervous.

I'm gearing up to do a job in about a month with Hikvision products.

DS-7608NI-E2/8P 2TB

and

DS-2CD2332-I (either 2,4,6 or 12 MM)

ADI is having a sale this month on the cameras. I haven't checked on pricin g of the NVR yet.

Junction boxes for the cameras are DS-1280ZJ-DM20

The cameras look like all they need is a smile to make them look like a "Ha ppy Face" but I've seem them side by side with some others and they look pr etty good. Reviews are generally pretty good with some complaints about set up ....but what else is new?

It's my first job with IP Cameras. Recently I've been using HD over coax up till now. So we'll see how it goes. I've got enough room in the price to c over the learning curve and I'll set up one camera and the NVR before I go to the job. I just want to see if there's enough improvement in the picture compared to HD over coax to make it worth the additional cost and compare the set up time.

(Just what I need. Another opportunity to stuff my brain with MORE F.... g information.)

My anxiosity overwhelmifies me as I awaitses yer opinionses.

Seriously I am curious to know what you think of the net result. I have a handful of inexpensive IP cameras strung around the shop for demo purposes, and so far none of the cheap ones have impressed. One noname Chinese one I even suspect of trying to load malware into your browser as a plug-in / addon. I found a third party ap to view it instead.

Could that be how the Chinese have hacked into government computers????

Hmmmmmmmmm I wonder..............................

I have not personally confirmed it, but I was told by one my old hac... I mean computer security buddies, that for a little while atleast some Chinese motherboards were shipping with spyware in the BIOS.

Gollum? is that you?

It'll be awhile maybe August.

Unfortunately I've got to line up someone for help. Big house two story and snaking in a number of insulated walls. I need someone to put their eye up to the drilled hole and look for the snake and I'll need someone to yell at too.

LOL I have one of them as well on a as need basis. I know he is lying when he says he "loves attics."

He has is own business doing awnings, sadly he has been very busy lately, so I have had to resort to others.

We do 'git-r-dun".

Make sure you find the right guy. Have had some in the past that once they hooked the string from the other side said; "I got it!! Now what??" ................. "pull it!!" .................. "You want MEee to pull it??" "Well I can't pull the string, I already have it all on my end."

It was a very L-O-N-G day.

I had heard "HE" moved back east. Sorry about that.

and snaking in a number of insulated walls. I need someone to put their ey e up to the drilled hole and look for the snake and I'll need someone to ye ll at too.

Reminds me of a guy I once hired. I put him at the other end of where I was trying to get a snake to. I guess I must have said something like " You st ay here, I'm going to go on the other end and try to get the snake through.

So, I go to the other end and maneuver the snake a few times. I don't hear from him. So I keep trying. Nothing from the other end. I keep trying. Noth ing. Finally after numerous tries I go to the other end and the snake is st icking out of the hole. I said ..... Why didn't you tell me it was through? He say's OH, I thought you knew! It's been going in and out of the hole. Agggggggghhhh!

Hey Bob,

Here's the Hikvision cameras and DVR I got.

Cameras DS-2CD2332-I (They come in 2,4,6,&12 mm)

NVR DS-7608NI-E2/8P ... Eight channel NVR I got a 2-TBHD but it can take more

I set it up with three cameras to start and the NVR manual gives you step b y step instructions for setup. Took maybe about an hour but it was the firs t time and I was experimenting some. Probably with practice take about a ha lf hour. It's still set up here and I have viewed it remotely on my IPhone but not from a remote desktop. Works pretty good on the IPhone, not much la tency. Looking at the cameras locally through a 780P TV monitor the pictur e seems a little grainy but I haven't fooled around with the picture qualit y and FPS. etc. It's a residential job with 7 cameras (big house) so it's n ot that critical. If you're looking for excellent picture quality I'd go wi th higher MP cameras.

ADI is having a sale @ $119.00 ea for the cameras that ends the end of this month (I think)

These same cameras and NVR were recommended to me independently by ADI and another local CCTV supplier. All the local distributors were higher than th e CCTV supplier for the NVR at $470.00 with the 2-TBHD. Normally He'd have beat everyone on the price on the cameras except for the ADI sale price.

by step instructions for setup. Took maybe about an hour but it was the fi rst time and I was experimenting some. Probably with practice take about a half hour. It's still set up here and I have viewed it remotely on my IPhon e but not from a remote desktop. Works pretty good on the IPhone, not much latency. Looking at the cameras locally through a 780P TV monitor the pict ure seems a little grainy but I haven't fooled around with the picture qual ity and FPS. etc. It's a residential job with 7 cameras (big house) so it's not that critical. If you're looking for excellent picture quality I'd go with higher MP cameras.

is month (I think)

d another local CCTV supplier. All the local distributors were higher than the CCTV supplier for the NVR at $470.00 with the 2-TBHD. Normally He'd hav e beat everyone on the price on the cameras except for the ADI sale price.

By the way, the NVR has built in POE

Looks like they don't have any of those out west. I need a 6mm or a 12mm for one location. (actually 8mm would be ideal)

I think HIKvision has office in California. Check it out. But most distributors carry their products.