Re: Cheap network dvr 4-8ch

["Bob La Londe" <none@xxxxxxxxxx>]

"Jim" <alarminex@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:349f6d3b-8f10-490b-b7af-89ec1689016f@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> On Saturday, November 17, 2012 2:23:39 PM UTC-5, Bob La Londe wrote:
> Jim, I have done quite a bit of research on IP cameras and NVRs recently.
> The big thing if the customer is going to max out their number of camera
> licenses over time going into an NVR is that IT HAS TO BE ITS OWN NETWORK.
> I did some calculating using H.264 with good resolution and good frame
> rates. You can very quickly put a serious load on the bandwidth of a
> network. IP cameras got popular with IT techs because they could slap one
> on their network and be up and running in minutes. They put in a POE
> injector or on a more advanced switch just configure the port for POE and
> the don't even have to run any wire if the site was wired to modern
> standards with redundant wire. Literally. Up and running in minutes. Since
> many IP cameras have onboard storage or the option for onboard storage and
> they never even bothered with any worries... until they started getting
> 10-15-20 cameras on their network and they started streaming all of them
> to a station for a security guard, operations manager, etc. For one or two
> cameras that are acting as their own DVR they put nearly no load on the
> network. Only when they are being checked. The onboard storage can be good
> for a couple days to a month or more depending on the capabilities of the
> camera, setup, and the storage capacity onboard. Storage affects price,
> and as rarely as customers check that a single main recorder actually
> works, they will never individually check every single standalone camera
> for complete operation. The big advantage to some of the IP cameras out
> there is the resolution allows them to do things we have been telling
> customers is impossible for the last 15-20 years. A single 3 megapixel IP
> camera can cover all 4 lanes of 2 gas pump islands AND allow them to
> expand an image and read a license plate. Ok, its not the same as they do
> on NCIS where they take a blurry image of a city block and recognize
> somebody from their poorly lit reflection in a car window, but it's a lot
> better than we have become accustomed to over the years. An order of
> magnitude better. Cameras with 2 megapixel resolution are common and 3
> megapixel or greater with all the IR, weatherproof, vandal resistant, and
> other features we have grown to use are available. Now back to NVRs. This
> last point of paragraph two above alone is an argument for a centralized
> storage system. "They will never individually check every single
> standalone camera for complete operation." A good NVR has two NICs. One to
> go to the clients existing network, and one to go to a separate network
> switch. Preferably with built in POE. They do not have to run all new
> network cable. Anyplace they have an available network cable they can just
> change the patch cable over to the switch managed by the NVR. The cameras
> can still have onboard storage as backup set as FIFO on an SD card or
> other internal media, but the NVR is the work horse of the system, and if
> properly setup puts very minimal load on the customer network. Only when
> streaming video to a client work station, sending alerts, or backing up
> data to another storage center. Even then the load is equivalent to only
> one or two cameras per client connected. In addition an NVR has the
> ability to manage load on a per camera basis. One with more activity will
> refresh more often then one with little or no activity. This maximizes the
> use of data storage over cameras with internal storage. Bob
>
> That's invaluable information. Thanks.
>
> I love the technology but doing the reasearch that " I " need to satisfiy
> my need to know, takes a long time. I usually put it off ..... and put it
> off until something happens .... like losing a job because I didn't know
> enough about it..... or something ..
>
> I've printed a copy of your response and put it in my "IP Camera Research"
> folder. Thanks.

Just remember that there is a lot of variety, and I am relatively new (just
a couple years) to using IP cameras and NVRs as opposed to analog cameras
with a DVR which I have been doing for more than a decade.  Some of my stuff
typed out off the cuff might not be exactly spot on.  You always have to
check the specs of each individual component, and then see if they live up
to their brags.