As the co-founder of CCTV Camera Pros, I have been asked the following question quite often over the past 7 years: what is the best IP camera to use as a baby monitor cam? As a recent father of twin girls, I have been given the opportunity to ask this question myself based on my personal wants and needs. For me and my wife, we wanted our baby cam to accomplish the following.

1. Monitor our baby girls entire playroom, so it needed to have a wide angle lens
2. Capture live video in high definition
3. Capture live audio
4. Display live video feed on the HD Television in our family room
5. Display live video and audio on our Windows laptop
6. Record on demand (when we see the girls doing something cute or funny)
7. Display live video on iPhone

Wide Angle High Def IP Camera with Audio

Based on the first three requirements listed above, I chose the Zavio F3210. The F3210 supports full 1080p HD resolution (1920 x 1080) with a 4.3mm lens and 1/2.7” image sensor. This gives the camera a nice wide viewing angle (approximately 88 degrees), which lets me focus the camera on the complete width of the room for the entire 16 feet. The F3210 also supports excellent audio monitoring using the built in microphone. The one drawback for the F3210 is that is does not have built in WIFI, but in my experience if you can avoid wireless cameras, you should. CCTV Camera Pros only recommend wireless cameras as a last resort if running cable is not possible. The reason is that it is almost always impossible to get a wireless signal that is as strong and reliable as a wired connection.

For those that can not run cable and need a wireless baby monitor camera, I highly recommend the Zavio F3107 or Zavio F3115. If you do not need infrared / night vision support, the F3107 is a lot cheaper in price.

Here is a picture of my F3210 IP camera being used as a baby cam mounted on the wall of the look-through in the playroom.

Baby Cam for Playroom

Baby cams are typically used to monitor babies in their bedroom while they are sleeping. We did not plan on using our baby camera in the twins bedroom, instead, we wanted to monitor their playroom (which is actually the dining room of my house converted to a playroom). Periodically during the day, we let the girls play in the playroom by themselves. This is the only room in our house that is absolutely 100% baby-proof. I should mentioned that our twin girls are 22 months old at this time (so you do not think we are crazy to let them play by themselves). Their names are Emily (twin baby a) and Julia (twin baby b).

When we let them play in their playroom we are actually very close to them (right around the corner in our family room), but we like to remain out of sight so that they play independently (and so we can get a little break). If they spot us checking on them, they get distracted and want us to hold them or join them in the room, which brings me to requirement #4 in our list, which is the ability to display the live video from the baby camera on our TV.

Baby Camera Display on TV

If you already have a basic understanding of how IP cameras work, you know that they connect to an IP network using CAT-5 cable or over WIFI (if the camera supports wireless), just like a laptop, iPhone, iPad, Android and any other network device. So unlike CCTV cameras (which transmit video over coax cable), IP cameras can not be hard wired to a TV using a coaxial cable. However, it is very easy to display the video on a laptop, tablet or smartphone because those devices can use the same network. Being that we also wanted to display the video and listen to audio on a laptop computer (requirement #5) and we always have our laptop on a table in the family room, here is how we are able to display the video on both a laptop and the LED TV in our family room.

Our baby camera is hard wired to out network router using CAT-5 cable (can be over WIFI for a wireless IP camera). We have a laptop in our family room that connects to the same router over WIFI. We also have an Apple TV box connected to our 37″ LED TV in the family room. The Apple TV connects to our network over the wireless connection. We can access the camera from our laptop directly by entering the local IP address of the camera into a web browser. Internet Explorer is able to display live video as well as real time audio captured by the baby cam.

We installed a software application called Airparrot on our laptop which lets you display the screen from a Mac or Windows PC on an Apple TV. This program is a great value at just $9.99. It lets you basically create a virtual spot monitor for IP cameras.

The combination of a laptop running Airparrot and our LED TV connected to an Apple TV box let us fulfill our baby camera requirements #4 and #5 defined in the beginning of this article.

Record Video on Demand

Since we installed our camera we have been able to observe the girls doing things that we would miss before the camera was installed (some cute things and some mischievous). By having our laptop connected to the video feed of the camera, we can hit the record button on the screen any time we want to capture a video clip of the girls. Honestly, I did not think of using the camera in this way ahead of time, but now that we have had it installed for a few weeks, I recommend it for other parents. Although this was not initially required, I made it requirement #6 after the fact.

Sample Baby Cam Video

This video shows a sample video that I captured using our camera. It also shows what the live video feed looks like on my LED television connected to an Apple TV box.

Display Baby Camera on iPhone App

My wife and I are both iPhone users, so requirement #7 was to be able to watch live video of our babies from our iPhone. We use this when we are not in the family room and want to check in on the girls. Although we do not have the need to watch video remotely (when we are away from our house), parents can also enable access to watch live video remotely from iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, and Mac PCs.

More Benefits

My wife and I are only using some of the capabilities of our Zavio IP camera. In reality Zavio cameras are commercial grade IP cameras used in video surveillance systems for security. Because of this, they have a lot more featured than the typical baby cams that are available in retail stores. Some things that we are not yet doing that the camera is capable of are:

• Using audio detection to let us know when our baby wakes up or cries
• Using push video notifications to our iPhone to alert us
• Connecting our camera to a network video recorder to continuously record video or set a recording schedule
• Connecting our camera to an external control to turn a light on/off (requires an IP camera with digital IO controls). Read more about IP camera IO setup here.

About the Author

Mike Haldas is the co-founder and managing partner of CCTV Camera Pros. Mike is in charge of product research and development at CCTV Camera Pros. He can be contacted for questions about this article and anything related to video surveillance systems at mike@cctvcamerapros.net.

CCTV Camera Pros recently performed a video test using the latest generation DPRO-OL952 bullet CCTV camera. Some noteworthy improvements to this model are the smaller size, just 2.25 inches long and .75 inch circumference, the higher resolution at 700 TVL, and greater low light performance. Mike captured surveillance video clips in normal office lighting conditions as well as low light conditions. The camera performed extremely well in our testing. Please check out the below video and image gallery to see the results.

If you have any questions about this camera or anything related to video surveillance, please contact Mike at mike@cctvcamerapros.net.

For more information an pricing on this camera, please visit the DPRO-OL952 product page.

Video Demo

Image Gallery

The below image gallery was posted on our Google+ page. Please click to view the full size images and complete gallery.

Here is an image gallery that shows the high definition video surveillance quality of the Viewtron DVR viewer app for iPad. At CCTV Camera Pros, we have a Viewtron VT-HD404 DVR connected to 4 HD-SDI CCTV cameras and 4 traditional CCTV cameras.

If you are not familiar with HD-SDI cameras, they use the same RG59 or RG6 coaxial cable as traditional CCTV cameras but they are able to support full 1080p resolution. They also require an HD-SDI compatible DVR to work. Some Viewtron DVR models are hybrid which means they work with both HD-SDI and traditional CCTV cameras. If you would like to learn more, there is an article here that explains further and explains HD-SDI vs. CCTV resolution.

In the above views, channels 1-4 are HD-SDI cameras and 5-8 are regular CCTV (this can be seen in the 8 camera view image). In addition to iPad, the Viewtron iOS app also works great on iPhone and iPod Touch. There is also a Viewtron DVR viewer app for Android that works on both phone and tablet format Android devices.

Here is the question

A customer contacted CCTV Camera Pros sales team today and asked if it was possible to place a camera on a ceiling 10 feet above a cash register at a point of sale counter and be able to see clearly enough to identify the type of bill that was being passed to the sales clerk.

These were the images that we captured while testing to put this question to the test.

How the Surveillance Images Were Captured

We used our PRO-680DN-100 box style CCTV camera with 5-100mm varifocal lens to put this question to the test. The reason that we chose the PRO-680DN-100 was because of it’s 5-100mm varifocal lens, which lets installers zoom the field of view very close for fine details, even on small objects.

Please click here to learn more about this camera.

We placed the camera 10 feet away from our Mike Myers cardboard stand-up and taped a dollar bill to his hands. We then adjusted the camera lens to the most narrow / zoomed in setting, 100mm. As you can see in the first picture, not only can the denomination of the bill be clearly identified, but details like the serial number can even be read clearly.

The other surveillance images were captures at wider lens settings. The widest photo is set all the way out at the 5mm setting.

During the test, our camera was connected to CCTV Camera Pros iDVR-E4 4 channel DVR.

Please click here for more information on the iDVR-E4.

Please submit any questions related to this test or anything related to video surveillance systems to Mike Haldas, co-founder of CCTV Camera Pros at mike@cctvcamerapros.net.

CCTV Camera Pros created this image gallery for customers to compare the angle of view (zoom level) of different CCTV lens sizes. We used four different varifocal lenses attached to the same PRO-680DN box security camera to capture all images. The camera was positioned at the same location for all images captured, which was 20 feet away from the Mike Meyers and Marilyn Monroe stand up cut-outs.

A 3 inch sticky note was attached to the wall between Mike Meyers and Marilyn Monroe with text written on it. You can see an arrow that we added to the 5mm and 6mm images to point it out. The 60mm and 100mm images show that even small text can be recognized when a high powered lens is zoomed in and focused properly.

A varifocal lens provides a range that can be adjusted to allow installers to adjust the angle of view to just the right angle to monitor a specific area. Fix lenses, on the other hand, are just that, fixed and unable to be adjusted. The following varifocal lens sizes were used in this test: 2.8-12mm, 3.5-8mm, 6-60mm, and 5-100mm.

We captured two images with each lens. One at the widest setting and the other at the most narrow / zoomed in setting. We also have a video on this page that compares various CCTV lens sizes as well.

Here are the images that we captured.

2.8mm

3.5mm

5mm

6mm

12mm

60mm

100mm

Surveillance Camera & DVR Used

The following video surveillance equipment was used for our test.

Learn more about the PRO-680DN box camera that was used to capture all of these images here. You can find different versions of the PRO-680DN with all of the different lens sizes on this page.

You can learn more about the iDVR on this page.

Lenses Used

The following varifocal lenses were used.

• 2.8-12mm
• 3.5-12mm
• 6-60mm
• 5-100mm

Have Questions

We hope that this article helps to provide a good comparison of the angle that different CCTV camera lenses provide. If you have any questions about this article or anything related to video surveillance, please email me at mike@cctvcamerapros.net.

Here is a quick video that Mike made to demonstrate how to adjust a varifocal CCTV camera lens. The video is filmed with dual screen. One video is captured through Google Glass while Mike is making the adustments to a HD-BX7-5 HD-SDI CCTV camera. This particular camera has a 5-50mm varifocal lens. The other video screen is recorded from the HD-SDI camera that is being adjusted. Please let us know if you have any question about video surveillance.

We would also love to know what you think about CCTV Camera Pros using Google Glass for product demonstrations like this one.

When using an Internet Explorer web browser you may have to enable Compatibility View mode to view your camera or DVR. The Instructions Below explain how this is done.

1. Open an Internet Explorer web browser and press the ALT key on your keyboard.

2. Once the ALT key is pressed a drop down menu will appear under the address bar. On this menu click Tools, followed by Compatibility View Settings. (Shown Below) Note: Depending on the version of Internet Explorer you have, you may also access this menu by clicking the gear icon in the upper right corner, then by selecting Compatibility View Settings.

3. Then in the “Add this website” bar, enter the IP Address / Hostname of the camera / DVR you wish to view. Click Add once you finish entering that information. (Shown Below) Note: You are also able to click “Display all websites in Compatibility View”, which will enable this mode for all websites.

4. Now you should be able to view your camera / DVR using Internet Explorer.

CCTV Camera Pros has been testing the use of power line Ethernet adapters as an alternative solution to wireless IP camera systems. For those that have never head of them before, power-line adapters allow standard electrical power outlets and cable to be used to connect devices to a network. The diagram in the picture below illustrates the setup.

“In many cases we have found power line adapters to be more reliable than WIFI when connecting IP cameras to a network and they are certainly easier to setup. When it comes to indoor to outdoor communication, it is a no-brainer to use powerline Ethernet because most of the time that is not even possible to transmit a WIFI signal from indoors to outdoors.”,  says Mike Haldas, CCTV Camera Pros co-founder.

As most people know, wireless can suffer from interference and connection drops. There is also the more technical setup process that comes with setting up a wireless bridge between an IP camera and access point.

Power line adapters provide a true plug and play setup experience. The installer simply connects one adapter to a power outlet, then runs a CAT5 cable from the adapter to a network router.

Then the installer connects the seconds adapter (two are included in a kit) to an IP camera and a power outlet near where the camera is located. That is all!

Click here for more information on power line adapters that CCTV Camera Pros has tested with network IP cameras.

iCamViewer, the free iPhone app from CCTV Camera Pros used to remotely monitor security cameras, has many great uses. Some users have found it very useful when used to remotely monitor construction sites. It is very convenient for a construction project managers to be able to check on the progress of a job site at any time from his iPhone or iPad with the touch of a finger from anywhere in the world. In addition to commercial construction projects, CCTV Camera Pros has also helped many homeowners monitor smaller construction projects that they want to keep an eye on.

Commenting on the iCamViewer, CCTV Camera Pros co-founder and appliction architect Mike Haldas says: “I have personally used the iCamViewer to monitor a construction project at my house. My wife and I added a loft to our house last year and I used Vivotek IP cameras and network video servers on the site to monitor what was going on. Not only was it nice to be able to see the progress of the project whenever I wanted to, but it gave me some peace of mind to be able to keep an eye on the workers that were in my home when I was not there. I am very happy that we are able to offer this app for free to users around the world.”

Some screen shots of the iCamViewer app being used with Axis IP cameras can be seen below. Please click on any of the images for a larger view.

For additional information about the iCamViewer and to download the app for free, please visit:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/icamviewer-cctv-camera-ip/id346469891?mt=8

My first Google Glass app is almost ready for public beta testing. I am integrating Zavio IP cameras with the Google Mirror API so that alarms will trigger a push notification alerts to Google Glass that include a snapshot image of the event that caused the alarm (captured by the IP camera). There is more than one way to implement this and more than one type of action that can be used to trigger the alarm. For this first test, it will work as follows.

1. I wrote an application using the Google Mirror API that can grab a snapshot from the configured IP camera and send the image and an alert message to a Google Glass device
2. The Glass application is configured in the Zavio IP camera as an HTTP notification server
3. A magnetic door sensor is connected to the digital alarm input of a Zavio F3210 IP camera
4. An alarm trigger is configured in the camera to take two actions when the door sensor is opened
5. The first action is to trigger the digital output of the camera
6. The digital output is connected to a relay that closes when the alarm is triggered
7. When the relay closes, power is supplied to a strobe light / siren, which stays powered until the door sensor is closed
8. The second action that is triggered is a call the the HTTP server that calls my Google Glass app
9. The Glass application already has the owner of the camera and Google Glass registered and knows which Glass device to send the push message and image snapshot to

IP Camera Digital IO Alarm Wiring

Here is a close up of how the IP camera is wired to the magnetic door sensor, relay, and strobe light / siren. Please click on the image for a larger view.

IP Camera Digital IO Configuration

The below images show the setup screens in the camera firmware that define the rules of the digital input and output. This screen shows how a URL can be configured as an “HTTP server”. This basically means that a URL on the Internet can be called as the result of an alarm being triggered.

The below screenshot shows the default settings of the digital in and digital output ports. The input port is set to default to be grounded (closed) because the door sensor is closed by default and we want the input to be activated when it is opened. The output port is set to open by default so that when the input triggers it, it closes and provides power to the strobe light.

The below screenshot shows the configuration page of the IP camera where the digital input / output rules are defined. An event named “DoorSensor” is defined as follows. If the digital input is activated (by the door sensor opening), then send a notification to the Google Glass push application and activate the digital output. The digital output is connected to a relay which triggeres the strobe light to turn on.

Please note: I could have also set this up without the use of the relay and strobe light. Those actions have nothing to do with the snapshot and message send to Glass.

IP Camera Push Message to Google Glass Video

This video gives an overview of the project and also shows the view from Mike’s perspective through Google Glass.

Glass Explorers Wanted for Beta Testing

A few more things need to be worked out and this application will be ready for public beta testing. If you are a Google Glass explorer and want to test this application, please follow +Mike Haldas or +CCTV Camera Pros on Google plus. Mike will be posting updates about this project on this blog and on those Google Plus pages. You WILL NOT need your own IP camera to test this application. We can give you access to a demo camera when the beta test is ready.

The Mobile CMS DVR viewer app for Android now supports push notifications based on motion detection from CCTV cameras and other triggered alarms. Business owners and homeowners using iDVR-E and iDVR-RT16 surveillance DVRs can now get push notifications in real time sent directly to their Android phone or tablet device.

Here is how it works.

Users can access a configuration screen in the app to choose the types of alarms and events that they want to receive push notifications for. The times frame and days that the alerts are applicable to are also configurable.

Push notifications can be sent based on motion detected by one or more security camera channels.

Push notifications can be setup based on external alarm sensors that are connected to the DVR such as magnetic window and door snesors, PIR motion detectors, audio detectors, virtual trip wires, and any other type of security system sensor.

Some additional DVR system events that can trigger an alarm push message are: video loss, hard drive full, hard drive failure, recording stopped, DVR temperature too hot, fan failure, network loss, admin login, power loss, and auxilary alarms.

Here is what a push alert from an iDVR-E8 looks like on an Android Samsumg Galaxy Note3.

When the app user recieved the push alert, they can immediately click on it and log in to the DVR viewer app to see a live view of their CCTV cameras. Here is a four camera view from an iDVR-E8.

Users can tap on any of the cameras in the 4, 8, or 16 camera grid views to see a single camera view like the one below.

iPad and iPhone Push Notifications

There is also a Mobile CMS DVR viewer app for iOS which supports push notifications to iPhone and Android devices. The setup and user experience on iOS is almost exactly the same as Android. You can find setup instructions for CCTV push notifications to iOS here.

Learn More & Request a Demo

If you would like to experience an iDVR and push notifications on your device, please email us at demo@cctvcamerapros.net and mention that you would like demo an iDVR.

Want to learn more about what else the iDVR can do? Click here.

The images in this photo gallery show the live remote camera viewing capability of the Android Mobile CMS app for iDVR. This Android app allows users to connect to one of more iDVR surveillance DVRs and view live streaming video from the CCTV cameras that are connected. The app supports single, four camera, eight camera, and sixteen camera viewing modes. When viewing in single camera mode, users can swipe the screen left and right to view the other cameras.

The Pro version of the Mobile CMS app allows users to create virtual devices which means that users can choose up to 16 cameras from multiple DVRs / locations and bring that group of cameras into a single view.

In addition to the excellent support for live camera viewing, users can also search through and playback recorded video surveillance footage using the Android app. This app currently works with all iDVR-E4, iDVR-E8, iDVR-E16, and iDVR-RT16 model DVRs.

Request a demo

Would you like to login to a DVR using the Android app to test out the experience for yourself? Please click here to request a demo login.

How it Works

Some Zavio IP cameras have digital input and digital output ports (DIDO). On this page, you can find all of the Zavio camera models with DIDO. Zavio cameras also have an SDK / API in which developers can integrate 3rd party applications. One of the API methods provided by Zavio allows you to turn the digital output port of the camera on and off. So, we used this method to create three new controls in the our iCamViewer app: On, Off, and Pulse (on, then off). You can see the digital out controls in the app below.

The iCamViewer app can be downloaded here for free: iOS download and Android download.

Input / Output Sensor Wiring

This is how the digital output of the Zavio F3210 IP camera was wired to a GV-Relay switch to control a 12V DC strobe light. To test a 120VAC light, I used a PowerSwitch Tail II. In the below demo video, you will see that I re-wired the digital output connection from the camera from the GV-Relay to the PowerSwitch Tail II.

Demo Video

Watch this video to see a demonstration of a 12V DC strobe light and a 120VAC floor light turned on and off using the iCamViewer app. This can be done on the local area network where the IP camera is located or remotely over the Intermet (as long as you setup port forwarding on your router).

Detailed Setup Instructions

If you are interested in learning more or  want to set this project up your self. You can find step-by-step setup instructions here.

Have Questions?

If you have any questions about this article or anything related, please email me direct at mike@cctvcamerapros.net.

The Mac software for iDVR-PRO lets users view the CCTV cameras connected to iDVR-PRO surveillance DVRs from any Macintosh computer. All iDVR-PRO model recorders works with this viewer software and users can configure multiple DVR locations to be monitored.

If you are a business owner with multiple locations or want to view the security cameras at your home and business, the iDVR-PRO software lets you view cameras from multiple locations on a single screen. Up to 36 cameras can be displayed per screen. The below screenshots shots were taken using the 16 camera iDVR-PRO DVR that monitors CCTV Camera Pros office and warehouse in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Live Camera View from Mac Software

The 4 screenshots below show the live camera view of CCTV Camera Pros office using the Mac DVR viewer software for Mac. We use a 16 channel iDVR-PRO to monitor our business.

Video Surveillance Playback from Mac

The two screenshots that are seen below show the calendar and timeline scrubber menus built into the Mac software that allow users to search through and playback surveillance video that has been rerecorded to the DVRs hard drive. Users are also able to search for video footage by event (such as motion detection or alarm triggered events). Just like the live view operations of the software, search and playback can be performed onsite where the DVR is located or from remotely over the Internet.

Request a demo

Would you like to login to an iDVR-PRO using the Mac software to test out the experience for yourself? You can also login from iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows if you would like. Please click here to request a demo login.

The iDVR-PRO Viewer App for Android lets uses view all of the security cameras connected to any iDVR-PRO surveillance DVR from any Android mobile or tablet device. Users can view their security cameras in single, four, eight, nine, and sixteen camera grid views.

The app works in landscape mode to take advantage of the 960H widescreen CCTV format supported by the latest iDVR-PRO models. 960H CCTV cameras capture video in 16:9 aspect ratio, which takes advantage of the widescreen format of almost all modern mobile devices and monitors. Please note that the new 960H iDVR-PRO DVRs will also work with traditional non-960H CCTV cameras (they are backwards compatible).

Android App Live Security Camera View

The below images were captured using an 8 channel iDVR-PRO8A model recorder and show the one, four and eight camera views using a Samsung Galaxy S III phone. If we would have used a 16 channel DVR for our demo with more than 8 cameras connected, the 9th channel would also have video in the 9 channel grid view that you will see below.

Android App Recorded Video Playback

In these screenshots, we captured how to playback recorded surveillance video from the DVR’s hard drive from the Android app. Users can bring up the display and menu controls that are seen below by single tapping on the app. To access the search and playback feature in the app, users tap on the search icon.

After the search icon is tapped, the video timeline scrubber is visible where users can select the date and time that they want to playback video from.

After the user selects the exact date and time to start playing from, controls appear on the screen to playback the video in forward, reverse, fast forward, and fast reverse. Users can also pause the video when it is playing back.

Users can return to the live camera view in the app by tapping on the live view icon in the upper right hand corner of the app.

Android DVR Viewer Video

The above video demonstrates the Android DVR viewer app for iDVR-PRO surveillance DVRs.

Request a demo

Would you like to login to an iDVR-PRO using the Android app to test out the experience for yourself? You can also login from iPhone, iPad, Macintosh, and Windows if you would like. Please click here to request a demo login.

This article explains what 960H video is and answers frequently asked questions about how 960H resolution is used in modern CCTV cameras and security DVRs.

What is 960H?

960H is the latest video resolution used by analog CCTV camera surveillance systems. The “H” in 960H stands for “horizontal” and 960 is the number of horizontal pixels in the video resolution. 960H is 960 x 480 video resolution. Unlike the generation of CCTV cameras and DVRs before 960H became a standard, 960H uses the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio which makes it more suitable for use with modern widescreen format monitors and HDTVs. Almost all of modern monitors are 16:9 aspect ratio.

What resolution was used in CCTV before 960H?

Before 960H cameras and DVRs were available, the most popular video standard for CCTV systems was D1 resolution. D1 resolution is 720 x 480 pixels, sometimes D1 is 704 x 480 pixels. Notice that the width of the picture is wider when comparing 960H to D1, but the height is the same. D1 resolution uses a 4:3 aspect ratio which was much more popular 10 years ago, before the advent of widescreen monitors and high def television. CIF resolution (also shown in the top image on this page) is 360 x 240 (sometime 352 x 240). It is basically half the size of D1 and also uses the 4:3 aspect ratio. CIF resolution is typically used when bandwidth or recording hard drive space is limited.

960H vs D1

The below images compare 960H vs D1 video resolution. Please click on the image for a full sized view.

Do 960H cameras provide more video coverage than D1 cameras?

No. The angle of view / view-able area covered by a security camera is determined by the size of the lens and the size of the image sensor (the electronic chip that actually captures the image). Almost all CCTV cameras use a 1/3 inch image sensor. This includes 960H and D1 format cameras. Lens sizes do vary. In the above images, a 3.6mm lens was used. Notice that although the 960H image is wider than the D1 image, the angle of view is the same. The wider format image does not mean that a wider angle of view is captured. It just means that more pixels were used and the picture is wider.

How do I know if a CCTV camera is 960H resolution?

It is easy to confirm if a CCTV camera is 960H resolution by looking at the technical specification of the camera. Typically, there is a section in camera spec that documents the effective resolution of the camera in pixels. If the resolution width is 960 pixels or greater and the height is 480 pixels or greater, the camera is 960H. Below is a snapshot taken from the specification of a 960H camera.

Most CCTV cameras that are 960H resolution are 650 TVL or greater. TVL stands for television lines and is a another way to measure the resolution of analog cameras. You should not assume that all 650TVL or 700TVL cameras are 960H. In some cases, the image sensor of a 700TVL camera is not actually capable of capturing 960 x 480 pixels. You should always go by the effective pixels on the camera’s spec.

How can I use the new 960H format?

In order to full take advantage of the 960H format in video surveillance applications, you should use both a 960H camera and a 960H DVR.

The above picture is a screenshot taken from an iDVR-PRO4A DVR (supports 960H video format) connected to 4 960H cameras. This is what the user sees from a monitor connected directly to the DVR’s VGA or HDMI video output. The DVR actually supports full 1080p monitor resolution, but unfortunately the video capture card that we used to grab this image only supports 720p resolution. Please click on the image for a full size view.

Can I use 960H cameras with a D1 DVR?

Yes. Actually, 960H resolution cameras were available in the market before 960H DVRs were available. CCTV camera resolutions seem to always advance before DVR resolutions catch up. When you use a 960H camera with a D1 resolution DVR, the image is simply compressed by the DVR to fit the maximum resolution that the DVR supports. No view of the image is lost. The image as a whole is just shrunken down to fit. It makes sense for customers shopping for new CCTV cameras to purchase 960H cameras even if they do not plan on updating their DVR to 960H right now. When the time comes to replace their DVR, they will already have cameras that take advantage of the wider format resolution.

Can I use my older non-960H cameras with a 960H DVR?

Yes. This is also a typical scenario. Many customers have existing CCTV cameras that are not 960H but provide a perfectly good picture that they are happy with. D1 / 4:3 apect ratio CCTV cameras will work fine with 960H DVRs. The DVR simply stretches the width of the image to fit the 960H resolution. This stretch is not drastic and most people do not even notice. 960H DVRs are backward compatible with non-960H cameras.

Do 960H and D1 cameras use the same cable?

Yes, the same coax cable (typically RG59) is used for both 960H and D1 CCTV cameras. The same BNC video connectors are also used. The only differece is the size of the image that they capture. All of the same wiring can be used.

How does 960H compare to HD CCTV (HD-SDI)?

Although 960H cameras and HD-SDI cameras use the same type of coaxial cable (RG59 or RG6), they are two very different technologies. HD-SDI is a digital video signal and can support much higher resolutions than analog CCTV. HD-SDI cameras require HD-SDI recorders and support full 1080p video resolution. In this article, you can see a comparison of HD-SDI vs CCTV video resolution.

Request a 960H System Demo

Would you like to login to an 960H surveillance system from iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows or Mac to experience 960H video surveillance for yourself? Please click here to request a demo login.

The iPhone app that is included with iDVR-PRO surveillance DVRs from CCTV Camera Pros has outstanding support for PTZ cameras. Users can control PTZ cameras from the iOS app, which works with iPhone, iPad, and iTouch devices from Apple.

The Android app also supports controlling PTZ cameras. The pan tilt zoom controls work over WIFI and cellular networks (3G, 4G, LTE, etc.), so users can access their camera and control movement on the local network where the camera and DVR is located or from remotely over the Internet.

How it Works

Any analog CCTV camera can be connected to any iDVR-PRO surveillance DVR. The video for the camera is hard wired to the DVR using coaxial cable (usually RG59 or RG6). 18/2 guage power wire or a single twisted pair from a CAT5 cable is used to run the RS-485 controls from the camera back to the DVR. This is what enables the DVR to control the pan tilt zoom of the camera. Because iDVR-PRO DVRs are network-able and can be accessed over the Internet, users can control any PTZ camera connected to the iDVR-PRO from any of the software clients that are included. iDVR-PRO includes apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry mobile devices. Remote camera viewing and control is also supported via Mac and Windows computers.

PTZ Control from iPhone

The below images were captured using a PTZ-A10X pan tilt zoom camera that is mounted on the front of CCTV Camera Pros warehouse. The camera is connected to a 16 channel 960H iDVR-PRO DVR. We used the iPhone app to zoom in on a car that is parked in the marking lot in front of our building. The car is parked 70 feet away from where the camera is mounted and the camera is mounted 10 feet high. We captured images at 6 different zoom levels. When the camera is zoomed all the way in, the license plate of the vehicle can clearly be read.

iPhone PTZ Demo

Would you like to login to our iDVR-PRO and control this PTZ camera using the iPhone app to test out the experience for yourself? You can also login from Android, iPad, Macintosh, and Windows computers. Please click here to request a demo login.

The Android app for iDVR-PRO CCTV DVRs supports pan tilt zoom controls for PTZ cameras. The PTZ controls from the mobile app work over WIFI and cellular connections (3G, 4G, LTE).

The app supports all iDVR-PRO model surveillance DVRs, which currently come in 4, 8, and 16 channel models. The app allows users to view the cameras connected to the DVR in single, four, nine, and sixteen camera grid view on one screen. To control a PTZ camera, the user must switch to that camera in single camera mode, then tap on the screen and select the PTZ controls. Once selected, the PTZ controls for up, down, left right, zoom in, and zoom out appear. There is also a setting to control how fast the controls move the camera.

PTZ Camera at CCTV Camera Pros

The above image shows the PTZ camera that was used to capture these images. The camera on the right (the larger CCTV camera) is the latest PTZ-A10X from CCTV Camera Pros. The camera is mounted above the front to our warehouse in West Palm Beach, Florida.

PTZ Controls from Android App

These images show different zoom levels using the PTZ camera from the Android app. The van that is zoomed in on is parked 70 feet away from the camera. The 12x optical zoom built into the PTZ-A10X is capable of zooming in on the vehicle close enough to see the license plate.

Android Security App Video

This video demonstrates the Android DVR viewer app for iDVR-PRO surveillance DVRs. This video does not include a PTZ camera, but users can still see the awesome video quality captured by the fixed lens CCTV cameras that are connected to the DVR.

Request a demo

Would you like to log in to the demo iDVR-PRO at our office using the Android app? You can also login from iPhone, iPad, Macintosh, and Windows if you would like. Please click here to request a demo login.

What is the best iPhone app to view CCTV cameras remotely over the Internet? This is a very common question that the support and sales engineers at CCTV Camera Pros receive. With the exploding growth of iPhone usage worldwide, it is no surprise that users with video surveillance systems want to view security cameras installed in their home and businesses from their iPhone.

I original wrote this article in May of 2011. I am updating it today, 7/28/2014, with my latest observations, opinions, and updates. My name is Mike Haldas and I am the co-founder and managing partner of CCTV Camera Pros. I started CCTV Camera Pros with my business partner is May of 2006 and ever since the advent of iPhone, I have constantly tested the latest DVRs, cameras, and video servers from leading manufacturers worldwide to find the very best ones for CCTV Camera Pros to supply to customers.

My originally review included two iOS apps, the MobileCMS app for iDVR-E model CCTV DVRs and the GV-Eye app for Geovision surveillance systems. I am adding one additional app to this updated review: the iDVR-PRO Viewer App for iOS. This app is used to access iDVR-PRO CCTV DVRs from iPhone and iPad.

Here are three of the best iPhone apps and surveillance solutions that CCTV Camera Pros recommends for viewing CCTV cameras. The first two solutions use an Internet enabled stand alone DVR and the third uses an add-on device called a network video server that enables Internet access for CCTV cameras (with or without the use of a DVR).

iDVR-PRO Viewer App for iOS

The latest iDVR-PRO DVRs are 960H format and use the latest H.264 video compression. The iOS app used to access these DVRs is truly outstanding and the reason that I needed to update this blog post. I can not recommend iDVR-PRO surveillance systems highly enough for iOS users.

The app runs in landscape mode and lets users switch the view between single, 4 camera, 9 camera, and 16 camera grid views. When the DVR is connected to high resolution 960H CCTV cameras, there is a high quality setting in the app so that the video stream is in HD mode. This animated GIF shows the app being switch between single and multiple camera views. It also shows how the menu system can be make visible / hidden by tapping on the screen.

You can see how clear the video is by watching the below video. Be sure to click on the setting button (gear icon in the lower right) and set the video resolution to HD 1080p HD when you watch.

In addition to the excellent live remote viewing quality, users can also search and playback video footage that has been recorded to the DVR’s hard drive. The app makes this extremely simple to do.

In addition the the excellent support for iOS devices, these DVRs are also Mac compatible. Users can access iDVR-PROs from a web browser or the included client application on Macintosh. A free DVR viewer app for Android mobile is also available. These Please visit this page to learn more about iDVR-PRO CCTV DVRs and to request a demo login.

iDVR Mobile CMS App for iPhone

The iDVR is another on of the best CCTV DVRs in its price range that has the type of high end quality and remote viewing support that it does. The iDVR is exclusively sold by CCTV Camera Pros and is available in 4, 8, and 16 channel models. There is a free mobile CMS iPhone app that is compatible with the iDVR (iDVR-E and iDVR-RT16 models – these are a different interface than the iDVR-PRO reviewed above) that allows users to view their cameras remotely in single screen view as well as 4, 8, and 16 camera view grids on one screen. The quality of this app is among the best that we have seen for a stand alone recorder.

Push Notifications

Although the overall quality of the app is not quite as outstanding as the iDVR-PRO, there is one feature in the app that is very significant and makes this app stand apart from most others. The Mobile CMS app for iDVR-E has awesome support for push notifications. Watch the below video to see this feature in action.

The app connects to the DVR’s H.264 video stream which enables very fast response time even over slower Internet connections. In addition to supporting remote view for iPhone, the app also works in 2x display mode for iPad and an app is also available for Android and Blackberry smart phones. If you want to view from a laptop or desktop computer, both Windows and Mac computers are supported. The iDVR pricing currently starts at $599 for the 4 channel model.

Click here to view an image gallery and demonstration videos of he remote iPhone viewing capability of the iDVR. Click here to download the mobile CMS iPhone app for iDVR.

Geovision GV-Eye iPhone App

If you already have a DVR that you do not want to replace but it is missing support for iPhone access, then a Geovision GV-VS04H IP video server and the GV-Eye iPhone app may be the perfect solution for you. The GV-VS04H allows you to connect up to 4 CCTV cameras to it. The video server enables access to your cameras from the iPhone using the free GV-Eye app.

Users can easily split the video signals from each of their cameras between their existing DVR and the Geovision video server. Click here to view video server installation options. The GV-Eye iPhone app supports viewing one or 4 cameras per screen and also supports connecting to multiple video servers and Geovision IP cameras. This allows users to view multiple locations from the same app session. Click here to watch a video demonstration of the GV-Eye App connecting to a Geovision video server. Click here to download the GV-Eye iPhone app.

About the Author This article was written by Mike Haldas, co-founder and managing partner at CCTV Camera Pros. Mike is a subject matter expert in the area of video surveillance and mobile software applications. Before starting CCTV Camera Pros with business partner Greg Bond, Mike worked as an Internet software engineer and product manager. Mike has a passion for finding and testing the best video surveillance equipment and software applications available so that CCTV Camera Pros can provide them to their customers. If you have questions about this article or anything related to video surveillance systems and mobile viewer apps, Mike can be contacted at mike@cctvcamerapros.net.

What is the best Mac compatible CCTV DVR software? This is a questions that I have heard countless times since I started CCTV Camera Pros with my business partner. Being a Mac user myself, I have always sought out to find the best surveillance software and security systems that works well with Macintosh computers. My name is Mike Haldas. I am the co-founder of CCTV Camera Pros and I am in charge of the company’s product research and development.

Eight years ago, when Greg and I started the company I noticed that there were very few surveillance system manufacturers that were developing surveillance software for Mac users. Almost all of the security camera viewing software was based on Active X controls and only worked on Windows. Since that time, I have constantly been testing DVRs (stand-alone and PC based models) to find the ones that work best with Mac. I believe that I have recently discovered the very best one – the new 960H model iDVR-PROs stand alone CCTV DVRs.

Here are some of the reasons why I love the new iDVR-PROs and the apps used to monitor them (not just for Mac users, but for all users).

Easy to Use Software Interface

Mac users expect the very best graphical user interfaces on the devices that they buy. We like things to be intuitive, easy to understand, and useful. The user Interface of the new iDVR-PRO CCTV DVRs is outstanding. Users can navigate the interface using the USB mouse or wireless remote control that is included. Watch the below video to see how easy the interface is to use.

Live Camera View from Mac Software

Everyone with a video surveillance system expects to be able to login remotely to view their security cameras live from over the Internet. It amazes me how some manufacturers still do not create client software for Mac users to do this, being that the global market share for Macintosh based PCs is growing.

The DVR viewer software for Mac that is included with the iDVR-PRO is excellent. Watch the below video to see me login to the DVR at our office from my MacBook Air laptop.

Recorded Surveillance Video Playback on Mac

In addition to the outstanding live camera viewing, the Macintosh software also supports remote search and playback of surveillance video footage that has been recorded to the DVRs hard drive. Using the DVR viewer software, users can also export segments of video and save them as MPEG-4 files that can be played back on any Mac or Windows PC using Quicktime or Windows media player.

DVR Viewer App for iOS

Most Mac users also use iPhones and iPads as their choice for mobile and tablet devices. The iOS app for iDVR-PRO security DVRs let users login to their DVR over WIFI, 3G, 4G, and LTE to view their cameras live. Like the desktop software, app also lets users search and playback recorded video footage from the DVR’s hard drive.

Request a demo

Would you like to login to an iDVR-PRO using the Mac software to test out the experience for yourself? You can also login from iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows if you would like. Please click here to request a demo login.