So for once in a long time Meh is actually selling a product I have first hand experience with. These are the exact camera Swann sells in their NVR sets: http://www.swann.com/us/swnvk-874004
I installed a set of these in an airplane hangar for a client last year and, although we’re in the process of getting ready to replace them with a far more expensive solution, the cameras are pretty good, especially at this price.
Some highlights:
Great picture quality
Extremely solid build quality
We’ve had four cameras installed internally and two externally with no failures for around a year and a half now
Some cautions:
Useless for viewing detail at long distances, there are no zoom/focus adjustments
Bug Magnets – Motion Detection capabilities are completely ruined by bugs’ attraction to the IR LED emitters.
If you all have any questions please feel free to ask.
@ruouttaurmind Interestingly, IR is what I’m most curious about. Looking through the API manual, there is an IRCut flag, so I’m assuming it can be manually controlled.
I would hope that these aren’t the hokey “IR tied to light filter hardwired to illuminator/IR filter and no way to control” type systems.
@hanzov69 Indubitably. I have some Samsung cams that can do 0.1 Lux very well, but for whatever reason, Samsung configured the cut at >2 Lux. So at the slightest hint of dusk the cams switch to IR, leaving me with that blah, flat, monochrome image instead of the color image the cam is well capable of delivering beyond dusk. I can manually disable the cut, but I can’t vary the automatic cut level.
@jbartus Did you upgrade beyond 2tb for your NVR? Are you doing continuous recording or motion?
I’m probably doing the math wrong, but it seems like you would be hard pressed to get 1080@25fps with more than 48 hours. Divide that by six cameras and you’re down to 8 hours. Is that correct or am I just tired?
@hanzov69 we have not, it is bound to be replaced as it was a pilot project for feasibility purposes. 25fps is total overkill, 3fps is more than ample to catch most anything on. Bitrate matters too. Lots of calculators for it online. We’re meant to be on Motion but it hasn’t quite worked due to the bug issue.
@stilesja Motion actually works pretty well on my Samsung system. The Samsung app running native on the Samsung DVR allows pretty decent control of motion zones and multiple levels of sensitivity, so I seldom encounter false alerts due to insects (to differentiate this issue from software bugs). Though… I’m in suburbia in the southwest where we don’t often have the super thick insect clouds many others in various parts of the country experience.
@stilesja Generally. Best way to avoid it is to disable the IR emitters on the cameras and use IR emitters placed some distance away but that costs $$$.
There’s really no reason in common use to record at more than a few FPS, bear in mind we’re talking fractions of a second, you really won’t miss anything.
@RedOak Hanwha bought Techwin from Samsung, Samsung is uninvolved. When you say a Samsung kit do you have an example of what you mean?
@jbartus
It was a Samsung security kit-in-a-box like today’s deal. Failed a couple months out of warranty. Originally thought the hard drive crashed but a new video-HD did not fix it. Figured it was a fried motherboard - no burned/leaking components visible. Gave up.
Someone might want to tell whomever is responsible for Hanwha’s website Samsung is out of the picture. Samsung is littered throughout, including the copyright notice at the bottom of each page and the banner promo on their employment page.
@jbartus no need to say anything. It was crap. Even when it did work, the user interface might as well have been designed by a 3rd grader. I think it was about $500 at one of the warehouse clubs.
Bought it after some clown tried to jack the nav head out of our, at the time, Routan. Of course it used the ubiquitous and oft stolen chrsyler family nav head.
The idiot did $1,900 damage to the van by simply throwing a rock at the driver window twice. One of the throws simply scratched the driver side window and the other throw rolled around the A-pillar (denting it) and scratched the windshield. Didn’t get in! Wish they had simply broken the driver window. The cost wasn’t an issue since it was a company vehicle. But what a hassle.
@RedOak weird. Sounds almost like it might have been a cheapo generic unit (like these ones) with the Samsung name tacked on for brand identification purposes to drive sales. That or maybe Samsung proper made a cheapo set that has no relation to Samsung/Hanwha Techwin.
@medz +1, and avoid DDNS services. As recommended by @thismyusername use VPN, or get a static IP, or just make it a habit to know your current assigned IP addy. On CenturyLink mine usually only changes when I reboot my modem, so I have a timer switch that reboots it nightly to force a fresh IP every day. Then a script to email myself the current IP Config.
and also put the dvr and cameras behind a real firewall dmz (not the dmz section on your home routers) you’ll want these guys on a segmented piece of your network, and blocked from calling out to the internet, and only allowed to speak to your lan when spoken to…
i’ve messed with a handful of similar chinese security systems and every single one talks back to china, aws, etc quite frequently.
@outz Sadly the NVR doesn’t seem capable of using a different subnet for the LAN port, which will make it an ass-pain for less technical users to isolate from their regular LAN traffic if these things are chatty.
Wow even my wife is impressed: been a long time since a meh deal had WAF (wife approval factor) points. Need to check the old bank account for the 4 camera deal…
What I want is one of those spy ones that you can’t tell is there… like in a clock or something where you can add memory and is motion activated. We are having problems where I live with people (who work here likely as who else has keys?) entering apartments and things vanishing. It gets blamed on their “memory” (as the folks hit so far are, for the most part 70+ and for some of them this might be what is going on, but some I don’t think so). So far I have missed that bullet (and I also have a cat whisker in the bottom of the door but with a spy camera I could see who was in there if it ever happened to me. And if they entered in here I have little of monetary value here anyway. But still…
There was a missed opportunity here. The video today should have been the surveillance camera video of say Irk stealing @snapster lunch out of the company fridge.
I wouldn’t mind a set of these to monitor the ol’ sprawling desert compound, but we’re low on new recruits and the money just isn’t coming in. You understand I’m sure.
If you bought the last round of Foscam Cameras, provided you use them wired, they should work with this NVR (Seriously). You will still need to power them independently, those aren’t PoE.
The HDMI out port on this model carries video and audio. Interestingly, this seems to be a slightly different rev than other units bearing the same model number that also included a VGA and RCA jack. We also lose the eSATA port… which is strange.
These cameras are 802.3af, and the NVR uses a 48v power supply. You should be able to get up 300ft on Cat6 (according to google, not my own experience). I found this 200’ piece of patch on Amazon for $15, so it might be worth a shot.
Speaking of the cameras, these support all the good stuff (RTSP, ONVIF, etc etc).
These cameras will work standalone, if you were to decide to upgrade to a larger system or wanted some flexibility the NVR won’t offer (say, using a Synology NAS or rolling your own video server).
Finally, I wasn’t able to find these for less than $80/per, so IMO this deal is decidedly un-meh.
@bkharmony I have a few of the FOSCAM cameras; They work pretty well for monitoring a remote property. FOSCAM’s software and app are pretty crappy, but I don’t use either. I have several cameras at site A and I have open-source “ZoneMinder” configured to Motion record at site B with only a 5MBit link between them.
I could use the six camera. My one on the porch that you sent me instead of a flashlight or whatever it was will have to do for now, though. My house has only been broken into once, and I’m pretty sure it was the old tenants…
@summetj Not necessarily true- I use my FOSCAM cameras with Zoneminder over RTSP. Yes, I had to have IE to initially configure them, but that’s what a Windows XP Virtual Machine is for. I used XP/IE to initially configure them and set their IP addresses, password, change ports, and disable everything else they support. I also have a crappy old android phone/tablet lying around I can use for installing the Foscam app if I really wanted to. But now I use them with Linux and Zoneminder and they work pretty well. I have two of the 720P cameras that have been in service 2 years.
@caffeineguy ^ this. I’m using FOSCAM cameras with motioneye on a raspberry pi. It’s been working great for going on 2 years now. The only downside is I can’t pan/tilt them, but if I need to that I use the ipcam app on my Android phone. My cameras are positioned so they never really need to be moved, though. Aside from the initial setup mentioned above, I never use the FOSCAM software.
@wozzukes If you want to control it, the CGI for PTZ controls is available and scripts developed for various platforms. I can control my camera in Zoneminder thanks to 'Christophe’s script
@summetj I got one of the low-res, cheapy ones a while back.
I use OWLR Foscam or some such on iOS, so not too invasive. It’s fun enough. I’ve probably gotten my mehmoney out of it, and the Russians have probably gotten bored of my living room & moved on.
I do wish there was an easy way to cloudify activity alerts and pix. One time when I left the house for a while, I logged in off-site with Safari & set up a cron job on macOS to take screenshots every few seconds (with the resolution waaaay down). Worked surprisingly well.
@caffeineguy I don’t want to have to fire up a virtual machine and load windows/IE just to configure them. If I can’t configure them with Safari/Mozilla/Chrome without installing extra binaries I’m not interested.
@thismyusername - while I agree with you, wires aren’t that hard to cut, & making holes big enough for an ethernet connector to fit through, is quite invasive & messy. This would be better in new construction IMHO.
@hanzov69 They should but unfortunately they run like a pile of dogshit if you aren’t using the qcam app or the web interface. I imagine the paired DVR would be fine.
Watching the feed via the included web UI was great. As soon as I tried to use any 3rd party server apps… complete garbage. The other Amcrest cameras, like the proHD and their dome cameras are like night and day compared to these.
Bought four of the 2MP cameras. I can’t imagine needing better than 1080P and most equivalents are usually 720P. Drilling holes sucks once, but then I don’t have to change batteries, hunt down WiFi dead zones, or any other crap.
@mechcozmo I discovered when I did mine… no matter how many cameras you think will be enough before you install, you seem to always wind up with blind zones and need a few more…
@michealsoft72 avoid these for BI. They run like complete shit on 3rd party apps. I tried everything. Replaced it with an Amcrest dome camera (the one without the vandal cover) and couldn’t be happier.
Answering my own question, the VERY little research I did suggests that the extra pixels tend to go toward making the picture taller (more square) than the 16:9 ratio of the 2 megapixel version. Given my use case, that would probably just allow me to see more sky, so I went with 2 megapixel.
@nogginboink You want to position the camera so that it’s in the face of whoever walks onto your porch etc. Not mounted up high…that way wearing a hat doesn’t obscure the view of the face.
Oh Great! Thanks Meh! You Finally sell a decent product that gives me the opportunity to see somebody break in to my house, steal my stuff, make a sandwich, take a dump on my Trump Gold plated toilet, make some microwavable popcorn, take s nap, eat my kids porridge, sit on my recliner, mess up my beds, make some quesadillas, smoke my Cuban cigars, take my chihuahua for a walk, watch the fake news about that crazy president that was elected on CNN, take a shower, have some Makers Mark on ice, give them self an enema, go crap all over the Trump toilet again, back up the toilet, play mine craft on my Xbox, do the laundry, mop the kitchen, pick up my dogs shit, fold the laundry, make phone call calls to Eastern Europe, order pizza, order a mail order bride from Russia, take selfies imitating Trumps “Your Fired” line, cook dinner, eat the 20 cases of Girl Scouts cookies my daughter has to sell, clean out my garage, and do the dishes. No thanks, Meh!
Bought the 6-camera, 3MP system (only because the 8-camera 3MP was sold out). Got it delivered today. It had a box with a 4-camera 3MP system, plus two boxes with individual cameras each. Only problem is the individual boxes cameras are the 2MP version. Waiting to hear back from meh.
@bigmac1336 if you contacted them via the support form (or my orders) give em a few days, there are only a couple of them and they can take some time to reply… if you didn’t contact them, and you think any forum post is contact, then you should instead contact them using the form and give them a few days… also check your spam folder.
@PlacidPenguin no idea… but they are moving slower than normal it seems so I would guess it is that, at least, or trying to catch-up from a vacation if one did occur.
Can the hard drive/recorder box connect wirelessly to my network? My Plan would be with router in my downstairs office i would keep the recorder box up on the second floor connecting the cat5 cabling in the attic to be perimeter cameras at eaves.
@numonerung I use one of these with great success. It has an Ethernet port on the bottom & I connect the DVR/NVR to the device and it becomes basically a wifi connection to my router.
@jbartus Agreed, but one of the major tools for my purposes is the ability to receive event alerts (via email) and view remotely. Documenting (via video recording) is useful, but I also have a need to view/review an active event when I’m not onsite. In my case, a network connection is a must.
It will get cheaper. I just bought the ring security bundle from Best buy for $399.99. For that I get a battery operated doorbell cam, and two of their outdoor stick up cams all with batteries that last a few months. That was almost half price. I am waiting for a sale on the solar panels made for them so no battery charging needed. The charge percent is displayed in the phone and PC apps. No wires and online viewing make a better security that wired. Mine record in the cloud and at home. I have a new boxed wired set still in the boxes with a 4TB drive and DVR system that cost the same. And they have Windows apps in addition to iOS and Android.
Drilling holes and running cable is easy if you know how to do it. Youtube probably has some good videos. also, buy some tools at Harbor Freight. They sell the 4 foot long drill bits to go up into attics and they sell the 33 foot long fiberglass wire running push rods (bunch of screw together sections). They make it really easy to run cabling without crawling on top of trusses. These same type of tools are 2-3X more expensive at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
Has anyone had any luck with the 3MP NVR? ( NV3108E ) I’m having serious stability issues right out of the box, and I haven’t been able to find a newer firmware (nor any way to reflash with the same firmware). The manual is useless, as it’s showing a completely different UI from what I’ve got. I haven’t been able to get either of the QCam apps working, either.
The difference between my bathroom and Donald Trump’s is that in my bathroom, the shit only comes out one end.
I think it works better if you work an orafice reference in there instead, @Mehsturbator.
@Mehsturbator so you have your head in the toilet? Please don’t come up for air
@Mehsturbator careful you dont cut yourself on that edge.
So for once in a long time Meh is actually selling a product I have first hand experience with. These are the exact camera Swann sells in their NVR sets: http://www.swann.com/us/swnvk-874004
I installed a set of these in an airplane hangar for a client last year and, although we’re in the process of getting ready to replace them with a far more expensive solution, the cameras are pretty good, especially at this price.
Some highlights:
Some cautions:
If you all have any questions please feel free to ask.
@jbartus Thanks for this. How’s the IR cut?
@ruouttaurmind Interestingly, IR is what I’m most curious about. Looking through the API manual, there is an IRCut flag, so I’m assuming it can be manually controlled.
I would hope that these aren’t the hokey “IR tied to light filter hardwired to illuminator/IR filter and no way to control” type systems.
@hanzov69 @ruouttaurmind
The implementation described by hanzov69 is essentially correct in the case of the Swann units, not sure if these will have more freedom or not.
@hanzov69 Indubitably. I have some Samsung cams that can do 0.1 Lux very well, but for whatever reason, Samsung configured the cut at >2 Lux. So at the slightest hint of dusk the cams switch to IR, leaving me with that blah, flat, monochrome image instead of the color image the cam is well capable of delivering beyond dusk. I can manually disable the cut, but I can’t vary the automatic cut level.
@jbartus Did you upgrade beyond 2tb for your NVR? Are you doing continuous recording or motion?
I’m probably doing the math wrong, but it seems like you would be hard pressed to get 1080@25fps with more than 48 hours. Divide that by six cameras and you’re down to 8 hours. Is that correct or am I just tired?
@hanzov69 we have not, it is bound to be replaced as it was a pilot project for feasibility purposes. 25fps is total overkill, 3fps is more than ample to catch most anything on. Bitrate matters too. Lots of calculators for it online. We’re meant to be on Motion but it hasn’t quite worked due to the bug issue.
These are my new toys: https://www.hanwhasecurity.com/products/Security-Network-Systems/NetworkVideoRecorders/32-Channel-Network-Video-Recorder/XRN-2011.aspx
@jbartus So is any IR camera basically going to have the bug issue? Is the solution to basically just record constantly at a lower frame rate?
@stilesja Motion actually works pretty well on my Samsung system. The Samsung app running native on the Samsung DVR allows pretty decent control of motion zones and multiple levels of sensitivity, so I seldom encounter false alerts due to insects (to differentiate this issue from software bugs). Though… I’m in suburbia in the southwest where we don’t often have the super thick insect clouds many others in various parts of the country experience.
@jbartus
So one wonders, with a daughter company like this, why is are the Samsung security kits crap? (At least in our experience.)
@stilesja Generally. Best way to avoid it is to disable the IR emitters on the cameras and use IR emitters placed some distance away but that costs $$$.
There’s really no reason in common use to record at more than a few FPS, bear in mind we’re talking fractions of a second, you really won’t miss anything.
@RedOak Hanwha bought Techwin from Samsung, Samsung is uninvolved. When you say a Samsung kit do you have an example of what you mean?
@jbartus
It was a Samsung security kit-in-a-box like today’s deal. Failed a couple months out of warranty. Originally thought the hard drive crashed but a new video-HD did not fix it. Figured it was a fried motherboard - no burned/leaking components visible. Gave up.
Someone might want to tell whomever is responsible for Hanwha’s website Samsung is out of the picture. Samsung is littered throughout, including the copyright notice at the bottom of each page and the banner promo on their employment page.
@RedOak Not really sure what to say there. How much was said boxed setup? The ones I know of they did tended to start at $1000 and up.
@jbartus no need to say anything. It was crap. Even when it did work, the user interface might as well have been designed by a 3rd grader. I think it was about $500 at one of the warehouse clubs.
Bought it after some clown tried to jack the nav head out of our, at the time, Routan. Of course it used the ubiquitous and oft stolen chrsyler family nav head.
The idiot did $1,900 damage to the van by simply throwing a rock at the driver window twice. One of the throws simply scratched the driver side window and the other throw rolled around the A-pillar (denting it) and scratched the windshield. Didn’t get in! Wish they had simply broken the driver window. The cost wasn’t an issue since it was a company vehicle. But what a hassle.
@RedOak weird. Sounds almost like it might have been a cheapo generic unit (like these ones) with the Samsung name tacked on for brand identification purposes to drive sales. That or maybe Samsung proper made a cheapo set that has no relation to Samsung/Hanwha Techwin.
Pro tips:
-Change default user name and password
-Change default port numbers
-Keep firmware up to date
@medz +1, and avoid DDNS services. As recommended by @thismyusername use VPN, or get a static IP, or just make it a habit to know your current assigned IP addy. On CenturyLink mine usually only changes when I reboot my modem, so I have a timer switch that reboots it nightly to force a fresh IP every day. Then a script to email myself the current IP Config.
@medz yeah…
and also put the dvr and cameras behind a real firewall dmz (not the dmz section on your home routers) you’ll want these guys on a segmented piece of your network, and blocked from calling out to the internet, and only allowed to speak to your lan when spoken to…
i’ve messed with a handful of similar chinese security systems and every single one talks back to china, aws, etc quite frequently.
@outz Sadly the NVR doesn’t seem capable of using a different subnet for the LAN port, which will make it an ass-pain for less technical users to isolate from their regular LAN traffic if these things are chatty.
Wow even my wife is impressed: been a long time since a meh deal had WAF (wife approval factor) points. Need to check the old bank account for the 4 camera deal…
@seraphimcaduto are WAF points related to GBP, Good Boy Points?
What I want is one of those spy ones that you can’t tell is there… like in a clock or something where you can add memory and is motion activated. We are having problems where I live with people (who work here likely as who else has keys?) entering apartments and things vanishing. It gets blamed on their “memory” (as the folks hit so far are, for the most part 70+ and for some of them this might be what is going on, but some I don’t think so). So far I have missed that bullet (and I also have a cat whisker in the bottom of the door but with a spy camera I could see who was in there if it ever happened to me. And if they entered in here I have little of monetary value here anyway. But still…
I second a decent spy/nanny cam offering!
The obligatory . . . . Rockwell
There was a missed opportunity here. The video today should have been the surveillance camera video of say Irk stealing @snapster lunch out of the company fridge.
I’m genuinely tempted, so no Meh from me… but I’m too poor for this after the divorce.
I wouldn’t mind a set of these to monitor the ol’ sprawling desert compound, but we’re low on new recruits and the money just isn’t coming in. You understand I’m sure.
Man, super super tempted to jump on this. Anyone here have one of these rigs? Any feedback?
@Huxley don’t put it on the internet… if you do want remote access build a vpn server to connect back to it.
Be aware that these are not ip cameras. They are simplified power over Ethernet. You can’t use the cameras stand alone connected to a Poe switch.
@jzmacdaddy They are ONVIF compliant, not standalone IP.
For whatever it’s worth…
If you bought the last round of Foscam Cameras, provided you use them wired, they should work with this NVR (Seriously). You will still need to power them independently, those aren’t PoE.
The HDMI out port on this model carries video and audio. Interestingly, this seems to be a slightly different rev than other units bearing the same model number that also included a VGA and RCA jack. We also lose the eSATA port… which is strange.
These cameras are 802.3af, and the NVR uses a 48v power supply. You should be able to get up 300ft on Cat6 (according to google, not my own experience). I found this 200’ piece of patch on Amazon for $15, so it might be worth a shot.
Speaking of the cameras, these support all the good stuff (RTSP, ONVIF, etc etc).
These cameras will work standalone, if you were to decide to upgrade to a larger system or wanted some flexibility the NVR won’t offer (say, using a Synology NAS or rolling your own video server).
Finally, I wasn’t able to find these for less than $80/per, so IMO this deal is decidedly un-meh.
@hanzov69 I’m pushing the same cameras on 300’ of Cat5e in an airplane hangar with no issues.
"In case the price hasn’t clued you in, this is a much more serious video security system than the cute little kittycams we’ve sold before. "
So, you mean it actually works, unlike the FOSCAM I bought a few weeks ago, which you refuse to refund?
@bkharmony I have a few of the FOSCAM cameras; They work pretty well for monitoring a remote property. FOSCAM’s software and app are pretty crappy, but I don’t use either. I have several cameras at site A and I have open-source “ZoneMinder” configured to Motion record at site B with only a 5MBit link between them.
Oh, hell. I’ll take three. My kitty insists!
@gertiestn I wonder how easy it is to get all eight cameras hooked up to live broadcast on YouTube… 24 7!
@kus The entire Meh world could try it. We could broadcast speaker docks and pocket knives!
Oh my god. Something worth buying! In for the 8!
I could use the six camera. My one on the porch that you sent me instead of a flashlight or whatever it was will have to do for now, though. My house has only been broken into once, and I’m pretty sure it was the old tenants…
@fuzzmanmatt
I always take all measures possible to ensure the safety of my home, valuables, dear ones, pet & vehicles. I have a two cameras installed. Top notch locks and window films to bolster the security of my home. I was reading an article the previous day which said that one cannot assume that burglary couldn’t happen to you ([http://protectionplus.ca/5-common-home-security-mistakes/#sthash.67d522bD.dpbs][1]).
[1]: http://protectionplus.ca/5-common-home-security-mistakes/#sthash.67d522bD.dpbs
One interesting tip I found in the article is that one common home security mistake is to leave second-storey windows unlocked.
for external use only.
@alacrity And watching someone make me margaritas.
More FOSCAMs on the way? That’s a big warehouse you’ve got.
@stinks FOSCAM’s require you to install their proprietary software just to view, and don’t work on standard browsers, avoid them.
@summetj Not necessarily true- I use my FOSCAM cameras with Zoneminder over RTSP. Yes, I had to have IE to initially configure them, but that’s what a Windows XP Virtual Machine is for. I used XP/IE to initially configure them and set their IP addresses, password, change ports, and disable everything else they support. I also have a crappy old android phone/tablet lying around I can use for installing the Foscam app if I really wanted to. But now I use them with Linux and Zoneminder and they work pretty well. I have two of the 720P cameras that have been in service 2 years.
@caffeineguy ^ this. I’m using FOSCAM cameras with motioneye on a raspberry pi. It’s been working great for going on 2 years now. The only downside is I can’t pan/tilt them, but if I need to that I use the ipcam app on my Android phone. My cameras are positioned so they never really need to be moved, though. Aside from the initial setup mentioned above, I never use the FOSCAM software.
@wozzukes If you want to control it, the CGI for PTZ controls is available and scripts developed for various platforms. I can control my camera in Zoneminder thanks to 'Christophe’s script
…and this one on github
@summetj I got one of the low-res, cheapy ones a while back.
I use OWLR Foscam or some such on iOS, so not too invasive. It’s fun enough. I’ve probably gotten my mehmoney out of it, and the Russians have probably gotten bored of my living room & moved on.
I do wish there was an easy way to cloudify activity alerts and pix. One time when I left the house for a while, I logged in off-site with Safari & set up a cron job on macOS to take screenshots every few seconds (with the resolution waaaay down). Worked surprisingly well.
@caffeineguy I don’t want to have to fire up a virtual machine and load windows/IE just to configure them. If I can’t configure them with Safari/Mozilla/Chrome without installing extra binaries I’m not interested.
Wtf kind of valentine’s day gift is this!?
What’s up with South Dakota? Maybe Badlands National Park is getting ready for the war with DJT and setting up security ahead of time.
@melwin They’ll be peddling the individual cameras on eBay next week at $80 a piece…
@ruouttaurmind might have something to do with the pipelines!
This is a great deal…in for the 6 camera 3MP.
For all meherr"s - be secure in knowing you are being watched – big brother 2017
60 feet Ethernet cables? Cat5e? What length would the PoE be supported up to?
@DJ Theoretical distance is 100m. Use CAT6 and you might coax that up to 130m to 160m.
@ruouttaurmind what if i use coax? Can i connect it to my Quadra 900 then?
@fuzzmanmatt Only if your Quadra is 60m or nearer, and NOT on display in the Smithsonian.
Wired?
Dinosaur vision
Yeah, I want to string wires though the attic, drill through walls and…Meh.
@craigcush wired is really the only way to do security… wireless is easy to jam.
@craigcush You know they have to be powered right? They’re going to have wires no matter what…
@craigcush I have both wired and wifi cameras. I can tell you in my experience:
Wired ALWAYS WORKS.
Wifi usually works to some degree.
On the wifi cams I frequently get video artifacts, sound but no pic, or choppy video.
On the wired cams… well, see #1.
@thismyusername - while I agree with you, wires aren’t that hard to cut, & making holes big enough for an ethernet connector to fit through, is quite invasive & messy. This would be better in new construction IMHO.
@Achromatter if you leave the wires to your security system exposed you get what you deserve. whatever you do don’t click this link
@Achromatter You don’t need the connector to fit through it, you need the cable to fit through it. Seriously, RJ45 is dead-simple to crimp…
@thismyusername Really? That’s not a stripper, mate. Now, this is a stripper!
(Read aloud with an audience accent).
@mike808 s/audience/aussie/
@mike808 Autocorrect is my worst enema…
@ruouttaurmind I call it unautocorrect. I have it disabled and words are still messed up. Maybe some of it could be blamed on pilot error.
It seems like a bit of overkill, but in this “New World” we live in this system just may keep you alive.
@growyoungagain Or at least record an HD video of your grisly demise, which is sure to get many likes on YouTube.
Does it RTSP? Does it Audio?
@abennett RTSP probably not, but specs say cams have built in mic. Though I did note the 2mp NVR has no audio-out capability.
@abennett The cameras themselves do:
Manual
More important, this are ONVIF so they (the cameras) should work with damned near anything.
@hanzov69 They should but unfortunately they run like a pile of dogshit if you aren’t using the qcam app or the web interface. I imagine the paired DVR would be fine.
Watching the feed via the included web UI was great. As soon as I tried to use any 3rd party server apps… complete garbage. The other Amcrest cameras, like the proHD and their dome cameras are like night and day compared to these.
Shipping kills it
@medz - Eh?
@Achromatter shipping cost kills the deal
The reviews on another page (same model number for the 3MP) are, well, meh.
Lots of DOA and seems like the MP rating is inflated.
Amazon 3MP unit
@jnanas That’s the listing for the 1.0MP version (AKA Potato quality)
@troy Have a look at the model number - it’s the same, and some reviews mention they’re 3MP cameras. Seems that the product title is wrong.
Bought four of the 2MP cameras. I can’t imagine needing better than 1080P and most equivalents are usually 720P. Drilling holes sucks once, but then I don’t have to change batteries, hunt down WiFi dead zones, or any other crap.
@mechcozmo I discovered when I did mine… no matter how many cameras you think will be enough before you install, you seem to always wind up with blind zones and need a few more…
@ruouttaurmind true story. I have specs for a single aircraft hangar requiring no less than 17 cameras and we haven’t even covered outside yet.
Just shoot me now, 475 dollars? This is Meh.?
Would these cameras work with Blue Iris?
@michealsoft72 Check out ipcamtalk.com
@michealsoft72 avoid these for BI. They run like complete shit on 3rd party apps. I tried everything. Replaced it with an Amcrest dome camera (the one without the vandal cover) and couldn’t be happier.
@davebsd thanks a ton for the info
Do I want 2MPixels or 3?
Answering my own question, the VERY little research I did suggests that the extra pixels tend to go toward making the picture taller (more square) than the 16:9 ratio of the 2 megapixel version. Given my use case, that would probably just allow me to see more sky, so I went with 2 megapixel.
@nogginboink You want to position the camera so that it’s in the face of whoever walks onto your porch etc. Not mounted up high…that way wearing a hat doesn’t obscure the view of the face.
@sparks66 But then the creeps can also destroy and remove your cams.
@sparks66 Just put a sign with an arror that says look up. They’ll look up at the camera without even thinking.
Oh Great! Thanks Meh! You Finally sell a decent product that gives me the opportunity to see somebody break in to my house, steal my stuff, make a sandwich, take a dump on my Trump Gold plated toilet, make some microwavable popcorn, take s nap, eat my kids porridge, sit on my recliner, mess up my beds, make some quesadillas, smoke my Cuban cigars, take my chihuahua for a walk, watch the fake news about that crazy president that was elected on CNN, take a shower, have some Makers Mark on ice, give them self an enema, go crap all over the Trump toilet again, back up the toilet, play mine craft on my Xbox, do the laundry, mop the kitchen, pick up my dogs shit, fold the laundry, make phone call calls to Eastern Europe, order pizza, order a mail order bride from Russia, take selfies imitating Trumps “Your Fired” line, cook dinner, eat the 20 cases of Girl Scouts cookies my daughter has to sell, clean out my garage, and do the dishes. No thanks, Meh!
@kramarrap I suggest you need the 8-camera model.
Bought the 6-camera, 3MP system (only because the 8-camera 3MP was sold out). Got it delivered today. It had a box with a 4-camera 3MP system, plus two boxes with individual cameras each. Only problem is the individual boxes cameras are the 2MP version. Waiting to hear back from meh.
And still waiting…
@bigmac1336 Same situation for me, too!! Ordered the 6 @ 3MP setup, received the 3MP NVR and two individual 2MP cameras.
@bigmac1336 if you contacted them via the support form (or my orders) give em a few days, there are only a couple of them and they can take some time to reply… if you didn’t contact them, and you think any forum post is contact, then you should instead contact them using the form and give them a few days… also check your spam folder.
also they don’t work weekends… how meh.
@thismyusername @hollboll
Is @galmaegi still on vacation?
@PlacidPenguin no idea… but they are moving slower than normal it seems so I would guess it is that, at least, or trying to catch-up from a vacation if one did occur.
@PlacidPenguin No, I’m back! @bicmac1336 Thanks for hanging in there! We’ll reply to you as soon as we can.
Specs
What’s in the Box?
1x 8-Channel NVR w/ Pre-Installed 2TB HDD
1x 3ft Ethernet Cable
1x HDMI Cable
1x Power Supply
1x Mouse
1x Remote
1x User Manual + Quick Start Guide
4/6/8x Cameras
4/6/8x 60ft Ethernet Cables
4/6/8x x Installation hardware
4/6/8x x “24 hour surveillance” security stickers
Pictures
2MP Camera
3MP Camera
Hands for scale
2MP NVR
3MP with 8 cameras
3MP with 6 cameras
3MP with 4 cameras
3MP with cameras everything included
3MP NVR
2MP with 8 cameras
2MP with 6 cameras
2MP with 4 cameras
Included with 2MP
Price Comparison
$699.99 at Amazon for 2MP
$569.99 at Amazon for 3MP
Find a relevant price comparison? Please share it in a comment in this thread
Warranty
1 Year Amcrest
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Nov 10 - Monday, Nov 14
Why the hell did I agree to be in the race on Sunday?
Eyes in the sky, all around!
What is the difference between SNOWFLAKES and a Group of moronic FOOLS ? NOTHING…
@veperl you wanna fight, bruh?
Wow, does someone have issues.
Judge for yourself:
/giphy SNOWFLAKES
/giphy Group of moronic FOOLS
@veperl Snowflakes already defeated Nazi’s once.
Can the hard drive/recorder box connect wirelessly to my network? My Plan would be with router in my downstairs office i would keep the recorder box up on the second floor connecting the cat5 cabling in the attic to be perimeter cameras at eaves.
@numonerung Not out of the box, but you could do something with a wired to wireless adapter or even powerline.
But you’ll be sad.
@numonerung I use one of these with great success. It has an Ethernet port on the bottom & I connect the DVR/NVR to the device and it becomes basically a wifi connection to my router.
@numonerung in addition to what @ruouttaurmind described you can also run the NVR without any net connection at all.
@jbartus Agreed, but one of the major tools for my purposes is the ability to receive event alerts (via email) and view remotely. Documenting (via video recording) is useful, but I also have a need to view/review an active event when I’m not onsite. In my case, a network connection is a must.
@ruouttaurmind yeah I was just mentioning because your or my needs are not of necessity theirs.
/image famous-familiar-firefly
It will get cheaper. I just bought the ring security bundle from Best buy for $399.99. For that I get a battery operated doorbell cam, and two of their outdoor stick up cams all with batteries that last a few months. That was almost half price. I am waiting for a sale on the solar panels made for them so no battery charging needed. The charge percent is displayed in the phone and PC apps. No wires and online viewing make a better security that wired. Mine record in the cloud and at home. I have a new boxed wired set still in the boxes with a 4TB drive and DVR system that cost the same. And they have Windows apps in addition to iOS and Android.
@RV
Say what?
Drilling holes and running cable is easy if you know how to do it. Youtube probably has some good videos. also, buy some tools at Harbor Freight. They sell the 4 foot long drill bits to go up into attics and they sell the 33 foot long fiberglass wire running push rods (bunch of screw together sections). They make it really easy to run cabling without crawling on top of trusses. These same type of tools are 2-3X more expensive at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
@robnelson2
Those 4 foot drill bits puncture plastic plumbing with aplomb. They’re pretty effective at gutting your 120 volt wiring as well.
(Gotta have a clue how & where & where not to use them.)
Upgrading one of our early Meh Zmodo camera systems with an 8 channel 2MP system. Looking forward to actually being able to see things!
Bring this back. 4 camera. 2MP. Please!
Has anyone had any luck with the 3MP NVR? ( NV3108E ) I’m having serious stability issues right out of the box, and I haven’t been able to find a newer firmware (nor any way to reflash with the same firmware). The manual is useless, as it’s showing a completely different UI from what I’ve got. I haven’t been able to get either of the QCam apps working, either.