Arecont Vision AV8180 SurroundVideo® 8 MegaPixel 180° IP security camera

AV8180 Arecont Vision 180 Degree 8.0 MegaPixel IP Camera

   Arecont Vision’s AV8180 180° Panoramic 8.0 MegaPixel IP security camera provides a great way for businesses to provide security video of their facility with minimal security cameras.  This camera has 4 x 2.0 MegaPixel 1/2″ CMOS image sensors which cover a full 180° viewable area.  Now with a single IP security camera, a business owner can have complete coverage of the indoor or outdoor areas of their business.

   This camera is a totally unique offering from Arecont Vision, which not only provides optimum high definition megapixel video coverage of the business, but even saves business owners on licensing for their IP NVR software, as the camera only uses a single license for connecting to the AV8180 security camera.  This camera can be mounted inside or outside with optional outdoor ceiling and wall mount brackets.  For example, our a 4-camera license of our Alnet Netstation NVR or Hybrid DVR software will allow for connection to 4 of these AV8180 SurroundVideo® IP security cameras, but will display as 16 different cameras on the screen.

The Arecont Vision AV8180 8.0 MegaPixel IP Camera provides a full 180 degree view

   Just like the rest of our Arecont Vision MegaPixel IP cameras, the AV8180 panoramic 8.0 MegaPixel IP Camera provides the ability to zoom in after the fact and grab license plates or other distinguishing features during playback.

Check our our full line of Arecont Vision MegaPixel IP Cameras here

Viewing IP Cameras on your PDA Phone – part II

Due to the popularity of our previous post on viewing IP Cameras on your PDA phone, we have expanded that information into a second post to further explain how to accomplish viewing of your IP Camera on your Windows Mobile PDA Phone or Smartphone.

First, IP Cameras are cameras that are plugged directly into a Network Connection.  These cameras do NOT have a BNC coaxial video cable, because the video is sent directly over the network cable.  (See illustrations below)

BNC Connection - Analog CamerasThis cable is used to plug in your IP Camera

This cable is used to plug in your IP Camera

 

 

No matter which connection your camera has, you CAN view your cameras over a Windows Mobile PDA phone. 

   The Cameras with a cable connection like the BNC connection on the LEFT will require a DVR Card and software to install into a PC, with a software that will run on the PC and will allow for broadcasting the video over the internet so that you can view it on your PDA Phone.  For analog cctv security cameras, our Alnet PC-Based DVR Cards should be used to achieve PDA phone remote viewing.

   Cameras with the RJ-45 Network connection like the picture on the RIGHT above, is most likely an IP Camera.  These cameras can be viewed on a Windows Mobile PDA phone as well.  With these cameras, you would simply run our Alnet Netstation IP Camera NVR Software on a PC on your Network with the camera(s) and it will allow you to record from your IP camera(s) and broadcast them over the internet so that you can view them from your PDA Phone.  For systems that include IP Cameras, the Alnet Netstation NVR Software should be used.

   The Alnet Software can also be set up in a Hybrid arrangement, providing the ability to record from some analog security cameras with the BNC connector, and some of the IP cameras onto the same system.

 

Once your system is running and recording from your cameras onto your PC from your IP Cameras or Analog security cameras, you will be able to setup remote viewing in the Alnet Software to provide remote viewing capabilities from your PDA Phone.  The software will now treat all cameras the same, regardless if the camera is an IP camera or an Analog security camera. 

The VDR-C Mobile client for Windows Mobile 5 & 6 PDA Phones (touch screen) and WM5 & WM6

View your Cameras on a PDA Phone

Smartphones (non-touch screen) will allow you to perform all of the same tasks as if you were on the server, including:

• View live IP or analog cameras on your PDA
• Control PTZ Cameras
• Control System Outputs
• View System Inputs and Alarms
• Playback Pre-Recorded Video

You can even store multiple Alnet server addresses, so you can connect in to view cameras from one of several different servers.

Note: The Alnet Pocket VDR-C software will ONLY work with Alnet DVR (analog), Alnet Netstation (IP Camera) or Alnet Hybrid Systems.  If you already have an existing DVR System, you would need to replace your existing IP camera NVR software, standalone DVR or PC-Based DVR Card with one of the Alnet systems software/hardware combinations.

Take a test-drive of the Alnet Pocket VDR-C software, which allows you to view your IP Cameras as well as Analog Cameras right on your Windows Mobile PDA Phone here:

Demo the Alnet Pocket VDR-C Client for IP Security Cameras

Playing Back video from your DVR or NVR System

Alnet DVR Cards and Systems for Analog Security Cameras

   There are MANY different DVR (Digital Video Recorder), NVR (Network Video Recorder) and Hybrid systems available on the market that can record from either analog or IP security cameras.  However, one of the most ignored but important features of the software is the playback capabilities.  After all, the whole point of installing a security camera system in your home or business in the first place, is to be able to play back your video, right?

   Even some of the most popular DVR and NVR software options on the

Alnet Systems Netstation IP Camera and Hybrid DVR/NVR Software

market do not make playback of the pre-recorded video as easy as they should.  This is one of the great benefits of a well-written DVR/NVR software like our Alnet Systems Software.  The same playback interface is used with Analog security cameras and IP Based security cameras, allowing you to playback from all of your cameras easily, both on-location with the cameras and remotely over the internet.  This software provides the ability to easily see when the cameras were recording based on motion detection.  Simply hover your mouse over the recording bars, and it will pop up a preview window, showing you a snapshot of what was happening on the camera at that period of time.  Once you have found the section of video that you want to playback from, then you can simply click your mouse on the time bar and use the easy playback controls.

Preview Mode – Find video fast:

With the Preview mode of the Alnet DVR and NVR Software, you can quickly find important video.  Simply hover your mouse over the time bars at the top of the screen, and it will update the pop-up preview pane with a snapshot of what was occurring at that point in time.  This helps you quickly find the video that you need to playback.

Preview mode in Alnet DVR/NVR Software lets you find video quickly

 

Playback Mode:

Once you have located the important video from your Security cameras, simply click your mouse to set the cursor at that point in time, and it will update the visible cameras to that timeframe.  Now you can simply use the simply VCR-style controls in the upper left hand corner of the screen to playback the video, move frame by frame, fast forward or pause.

Click on the timebar to set the cursor, and then use the VCR style controls to playback video from your Security cameras.

Make sure that your business security camera system or home security camera system allows for quick playback of your recorded video.

“…don’t get happy, they don’t get sad, they just run programs”

Still one of my favorite quotes from the character of Newton Crosby in Short Circuit circa 1985 or so.

And after tonight’s news, it reminds me of some of the reasons that business security cameras are so needed.  In many situations, we need to be able to remove the personal perception of a situation completely, and get “just the facts”.  Security cameras, like robots from the quote don’t get happy, they don’t get sad, and more importantly they don’t lie.

17 Year Old Faked the Police report about rape in Palos heights

This came especially to mind, since last month after hearing the horrifying news that a 17 year old girl in Palos Heights had allegedly been abducted while closing up her work and sexually assaulted for hours before showing up at her home, bare foot and disheveled.  We followed the news intently, praying for a break in the case, and praying that the girl and her family would be able to recover from the horrible tragedy.  We even posted a composite drawing of the alleged attacker from the news on the website, hoping that the criminal would be recognized and caught.  All the while wishing that there had been security cameras in place at the facility, since the alleged attacker had supposedly come into the store and even ordered a sandwich…quality footage could have at least offered more clues and evidence to help lead to an arrest.

   Well as of the news tonight, the truth has come out.  A month later, when the police kept coming back to the fact that none of the evidence supported the 17 year old’s story, the lawyer for the family made a statement today that the whole story was fabricated by the young girl…costing taxpayers $200,000+ during the investigation to find this alleged criminal.  No mention of why someone would fabricate such a tale or why the young girl would even get involved in the search, going as far as handing out fliers on the streets…

   My heart still goes out to her and her family, and I hope that they get all the help that they need.  But now, as a business owner, I also feel for the owner of the sandwich shop where she worked.  Hopefully these allegations didn’t keep people from visiting the store, especially in an economy where people are eating out less. 

   But that brings me back to the quote.  If you have ever been in an auto accident, or witnessed a traumatic event of any kind, then listened to the accounts of everyone else who was present, then you know that as human beings, we do get happy, we do get sad, we do get angry and most importantly we do assign feelings and interpretations to everything that we see.  So anyone who has to take statements from everyone who witnessed the event can get confused as to whether all of the people were actually viewing the same event, because every account will be entirely different.

   Security cameras on the other hand just report the facts…that is one of the reasons that security camera footage is so valuable for police investigations.  No hidden meanings or interpretations are ever assigned, just the actual video of what actually happened.  That leads to more concrete evidence, and quicker investigations.  How much more quickly could the police have debunked this false police report if they had been able to quickly review the video footage from the store just before and during closing time?

Pan Tilt Zoom Security Camera for Home

Outdoor Mini 4" PTZ Day/Night Dome Security Camera for home or business installations

Many Homeowners frequently ask us about PTZ (Pan/Tilt/Zoom) security cameras for their home.  Up to this point, PTZ security cameras have usually been too large fo mounting at a home, and were reserved mainly for larger business security camera installations.

However, we have finally released a smaller 4″ PTZ Dome camera, which can be easily mounted at a home to provide the homeowner the ability to control the camera’s movement from side to side, up and down as well as zooming up to 10x.  The PTZ-2000-10 provides great high speed camera movement and the ability to control the camera from your DVR or even over the internet when paired with one of our Alnet PC-Based DVR Cards.

Now it is important to keep in mind, that a PTZ Camera will allow you to control the camera live, to zoom in on what is happening on your property, but you have to be moving the camera at the time, you cannot pan the camera or zoom in after the fact.  For zooming in after the fact, it would be better to use a high MegaPixel IP Camera, like our new Arecont Vision IP Cameras, because these provide higher resolution recording and will allow for zooming in after the fact with much better results.

Hoping your Home stays secure.
Michael
Platinum CCTV Surveillance Solutions
Http://Platinum-CCTV.com