Camera Gurus - your opinion?

[SecTrainer]

I'm familiar with this company's software for audio/phone logging (and some other things) and everything I've used from them is excellent. I happened to visit their site on another matter and spotted this video surveillance software, called EyeLine.

What's astonishing to me is that it seems to offer a lot of capability (including record-on-motion-detection, email/messaging on event, etc.), handles as many cameras as the PC system can handle, etc....and it's completely FREE.

If any of our CCTV experts would care to download it and take a look at it, I would be really fascinated to get your opinion, because this doesn't come from any fly-by-night software company.

Here's the link: http://www.nchsoftware.com/surveillance/index.html

While you're on the NCH site, you'll probably find a lot of other very useful software (recording, audio/video file conversion, dictation/transcription, invoicing, time-keeping, etc.) - and their prices are always extremely reasonable. It's kind of an odd company in a way because of the really wide range of things they do (they even have a free alternative to Microsoft's Photo Story that's more capable), but I've never gotten a lemon from them and they've been around quite a long time.

In fact, here's a link to an "index" of all their products - pretty amazing, actually: http://www.nch.com.au/software/index.html

[integrator97]

At first glance, this is mainly for home use. It only supports USB cameras, not IP or analog. Basically that means webcams for the most part.

The specs don't tell much at all, and you have to install the program to see the manual, which I haven't done yet. It says it records 100+ cameras, but I doubt that's realistic. First of all, 100 USB ports? That's alot of hubs. Second, at what frame rate and resolution.

But, for home, and it's free, and webcams are dirt cheap. Or if you want to see who comes in your office. If I can find a couple USB cams laying around I'll try it on a laptop I just put a hard drive in.

[SecTrainer]

At first glance, this is mainly for home use. It only supports USB cameras, not IP or analog. Basically that means webcams for the most part.

The specs don't tell much at all, and you have to install the program to see the manual, which I haven't done yet. It says it records 100+ cameras, but I doubt that's realistic. First of all, 100 USB ports? That's alot of hubs. Second, at what frame rate and resolution.

But, for home, and it's free, and webcams are dirt cheap. Or if you want to see who comes in your office. If I can find a couple USB cams laying around I'll try it on a laptop I just put a hard drive in.

Sorry but I don't understand. I'm sure this isn't "industrial" grade, but I don't quite think it's all the way down at the "home" end of the range, either - at least by what I see.

There are Ethernet (wired and wireless) adapters for USB ports, and for that matter there's even technology to take USB itself directly to IP now (e.g. http://www.usb-over-network.com/usb-over-network.html). My understanding (and unfortunately I don't have the gear available to test it) is that if you can install a camera to your computer that inputs a digital signal via any port, this software will recognize any cameras installed on that computer and do its thing with the signal.

In other words, this is just recording software, and I don't think it really cares which port the signal comes from? In fact, it says the requirements are "adequate USB or other ports for cameras" and they also say "any PC-installable camera", which obviously includes IP cameras or even analog cameras with a digital encoder/converter (i.e. http://www.smarthome.com/78092/Two-C...-Server/p.aspx). USB is just a very simple high-speed serial port for digital signals and the computer can do whatever it wants to with them. Can you explain it using simple words for me? I do a lot of networking technology but I'm no camera expert for sure!

Care to jump in, CameraMan?

[CameraMan]

I'll try to play with it, but it as Integrator points out, it only works with USB cameras, and there are no USB cameras on the market today that i would trust to a critical application.

Basically, it's an extremely high end application specifically designed to work with Mickey Mouse cameras, like putting a turbocharger, sway bars, and a spoiler on a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe.

The other stuff this company offers looks interesting, though.

[integrator97]

Bro, I'm not knocking the product for what it is, just pointing out the limitations. The website & faq says it only works with USB & firewire cameras. On their forum people have tried IP and asked for help, but it doesn't work.

As far as converters, if you have pro grade cameras, instead of spending money on USB converters, just buy software that supports it. It might be worth it if you only have a few cameras, but after that you're just trading software dollars for hardware dollars.

take USB itself directly to IP now (e.g. http://www.usb-over-network.com/usb-over-network.html).

The problem isn't to get USB over the network, it's to get IP cameras over USB. This doesn't do that. You would just be using cheap webcams from far away.

http://www.smarthome.com/78092/Two-C...-Server/p.aspx)This gets analog onto IP, but that's not the problem. The software website links to this converter, which is what you do need to use analog cameras with this software. I've seen these before. Again, at $45 each, it's fine if you need to do a couple, but after that, there are better options.

In a quick search, I haven't found a ready made product or software that converts IP to USB.

[SecTrainer]

In a quick search, I haven't found a ready made product or software that converts IP to USB.

I have two computers on my Ethernet (IP) network using wireless USB network adapters right now...obviously, these are just wireless IP cards (i.e., NICS with MAC addresses and everything else) that connect using a USB port instead of the NICs that use an internal PCI adapter slot. These are installed by the millions and made by Linksys, Belkin and everyone else. So if you can do that, obviously you can run IP over USB ports.

They clearly say that the software works with "any camera that can be installed on a PC", also, and IP cameras can be installed on a PC with the proper drivers, right?

Believe me, I'm not arguing with you experts here - merely confused! I'll contact the company tomorrow and ask them directly and report back. (And pictures like the one below, of an IP camera that can apparently use its USB port either for a wireless USB NIC or for a USB (hub?) connection to multiple USB cameras, confuses me even more! Heck - it even has a regular old POTS phone jack!) Here's the link to the page for this camera with the specs for you specky-tecky guys http://www.raidentech.com/ip-320e-network-camera.html

I'd like to learn more about this stuff but not sure about a good source? (Preferably online - our travel budget is approximately, let's see....oh yeah, $0)

[integrator97]

What you're missing is that the software doesn't recognize an IP address, which is how the camera is communicating with the computer. TCP/IP is a protocol, which this software doesn't recognize. Connecting to a computer via a network is not the same as directly connect to a PC, even if the network connection comes in through the USB.

The USB slot on the camera you linked to isn't for a direct link to the computer, and using a wireless adapter still uses IP. The slot can also be used for storing images on a USB drive, or possibly to connect a USB camera to the video server on the camera. The rj11 (POTS jack) is used for rs232 protocol data, though I'm not sure what for. Sometimes rj11's are use to input alarm triggers.

Don't confuse "PC connectable" with "any camera that can be installed on a PC".

[SecTrainer]

Okay, thanks to both of you. After a lot of poking around on the support pages and help stuff, I finally located a page that says only USB cameras are officially supported, although some Firewire cameras also do work (hence the "other port" stuff, I guess). What finally got through my thick noggin by reviewing both of your replies is that this software isn't designed to request network services from the TCP/IP stack.

As Roseanne Rosanadana used to say on SNL: "Nevermind!"

Now for a different question (yes, I'm a pest): What's the POTS phone jack shown on the camera above used for, do you think? (I provided a link to the spec pages in that post if it helps)....

[integrator97]

I looked at the manual last night, but all I saw was that it's an RS232 IO (input/output). I have no idea what this would be used for in this instance. First of all, you would likely send any data over the network. Second, RS232 has a maximum distance of 50 wire feet, and is one to one, meaning you don't connect 3 devices over a single RS232 line.

"POTS" jacks are fairly common for simply providing a 4 wire connection plug for any number of things, expecially on cheaper equipment. I don't prefer it.

[SecTrainer]

I looked at the manual last night, but all I saw was that it's an RS232 IO (input/output). I have no idea what this would be used for in this instance. First of all, you would likely send any data over the network. Second, RS232 has a maximum distance of 50 wire feet, and is one to one, meaning you don't connect 3 devices over a single RS232 line.

"POTS" jacks are fairly common for simply providing a 4 wire connection plug for any number of things, expecially on cheaper equipment. I don't prefer it.

Thank you, sir. I thought it might be for transmission of an alarm signal (i.e. on motion-detect) to a separate panel or something like that.