Monthly Archives: June 2011

New ACTi GNR-2000 Compact Network Video Recorder
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Realizing that the 64-channel rackmount ACTi XNR-4200 NVR has enviable features at a price and scale that smaller operations can’t touch, ACTi has released an NVR based on that platform better suited for smaller systems and limited budgets.

Small and Powerful

The standalone ACTi GNR-2000 NVR is smaller in size but maintains the same great user interface, support for up to 5 hard drive disks (not included), and packs the same powerful features such as:

  • Manage up to 16 IP cameras or video encoders
  • Support H.264/MPEG-4/MJPEG formats up to 4-Megapixel resolution
  • H.264, MPEG-4, MJPEG with dual stream
  • RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 10
  • Instant event playback, 4-channel synchronized playback up to 500x speed
  • Intuitive and friendly user interface

Standalone NVR vs. IP Camera Software

For …

To Protect and Converge – Axis Police Car Offers Rugged Mobile Surveillance
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The 2011 ISC West show featured Axis displaying the aggressive Dodge Charger police car outfitted with their rugged IP surveillance products. 

Designed for mobile video surveillance, the Axis M3114-R IP Camera was mounted on bumpers and throughout the car while the Axis Q8108-R network video recorder (NVR), purpose built for public and commercial transportation applications, provides a wireless video stream back to the command center.

Axis mobile surveillance demo at ISC West:

Axis Mobile Surveillance Police Charger in action on the street:

For more videos in action, check out the Axis Mobile Surveillance Police Charger page.

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5 Reasons Surveillance In the Cloud Makes Sense
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One huge advantage of an IP camera based surveillance system over their analog, coaxial cousins is vastly better image quality.

So why are so many analog cameras still in use? 

Dragging Surveillance Into the Digital Age

Matt Krebs at TechNewsWorld asks, “In a world where HDTVs, Blu-ray and 3D IMAX features dominate the entertainment landscape, how can video from surveillance cameras be so poor?”

Cost is always factor but the gradual shift to higher quality, full-featured IP cameras can also be attributed to surveillance systems that haven’t broken down yet.  Many systems still employ analog components that have not out-lived their usefulness on fully functioning infrastructure that was expensive to install.

That may now change with surveillance in the Cloud.

Hosted Video Partnership 

Krebs …

QNAP Next Generation NVR’s
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We’ve updated the QNAP line of network video recorders for IP surveillance video storage and playback.

Popular models of discontinued QNAP NVR Surveillance Recorders have been replaced with new generation models powered by the latest Intel Atom processors such as the affordable VS-2004L (4-channel) and the VS-2008L (8-channel) consumer-ready standalone systems.

Mobile Viewing AppQNAP VS-2004L

QNAP updates include a mobile viewing app that keeps an eye on your IP cameras remotely via iPhone, iPad, or a Windows PDA with instant alerts sent to your mobile device should an event occur. 

Choice of Hard Drives

On all QNAP NVR’s with multiple hard drive bays IP Camera Supply offers your choice of:

  • No hard drives.
  • 1 TB hard drives.
  • 2 TB hard drives.
  • Any combination of the above.
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How To Repurpose Webcams into Surveillance Systems
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If you’re looking for a simple and cost-effective (read: Free) way to keep an eye on all of your stuff using computers and webcams that are lazily laying around the house doing nothing, then check out the Windows based iSpy security software.

Free and Open Source

iSpy is a free, open source, camera security software that can be used with your own computers, webcams, microphones and even IP cameras. Besides costing you nothing, iSpy software has the same functionality as  high-level IP camera software systems:

  • Event Management: Set up alerts and scheduling and get instant, mobile notification when motion or sound is detected.
  • Recording and Viewing: Continuous, triggered, or scheduled recordings. View recordings locally or remotely (Searching recorded video via different search
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Surveillance On Demand – Camera Emails Pictures When Asked
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There’s a DIY surveillance camera project outlined at Making of the Autonomous Surveillance Camera that aside from acutally working, can email you photos of the room it’s watching when you ask it to.

Here’s how it works:

It uses cellular network for communication. The device checks pre-defined email mailbox once an hour. If a new email is received the camera takes a picture, saves it on a SD-card and emails the image to its owner.

This produces still images on a time delay but, it can provide you a little peace of mind if you need to check on your home. You can build your very own camera with:

  1. A modem
  2. JPEG camera
  3. SD memory card
  4. Micro-controller and integrated circuit

Watch the video to see …