It can be pretty frustrating when things don’t work out like they should. Sometimes, no matter how closely you follow the directions, you might not be able to connect to your security cameras from your Android PDA phone or iPhone. If you have our DVR-7004 4-Camera H.264 Standalone DVR or our DVR-7008 8-Camera H.264 Standalone DVR, then we have a great solution for you, to help you figure out the reason that you are unable to connect in and view your security cameras from your Android phone or iPhone. The video below will help walk you through the troubleshooting needed to find out what went wrong, and help you get your cameras up and going on your PDA phone.
Don’t have a Standalone DVR yet? Get one of ours with Android and iPhone remote viewing. Unlike other suppliers or manufacturers…we actually know how to use our equipment and put together instructional videos like these, so you can learn how to use them too.
While this isn’t a new feature for our H.264 Standalone DVRs, this is however a brand-spanking new video to make it easier for our customers to view their home or business security cameras over their Android phone or tablet. The first video below will show you how to collect all of the super-secret network information that is needed from your DVR-7004 4-Camera iPhone Standalone DVR or DVR-7008 H.264 Standalone DVR. If you don’t have a monitor or TV plugged into your DVR, then you should be tarred and feathered…go get one now…run before it is too late!
While you are checking the network settings of your DVR-700x, write down the IP Address that you find on your DVR, because you will need to use this in the KMEYE application for the Android to connect over WiFi. Also write down the Gateway address, because this will be needed later on.
In the next video, we will download and install the KMEYE app onto your Android phone and then configure it so that you can view the cameras over the LAN. Make sure to set your Android to use WiFi connection first though!
Viewing your cameras on your Android over WiFi now? SUCCESS!!!
But wait…what about connecting to your cameras from your Android phone over the internet? – Sorry, can’t be done. Ok, I jest…we can do that too…just need to do a little more work first. Hopefully you remember that Gateway address we had you write down? Well now you will need it. The following 41 long drawn out videos will show you examples of different brands of routers…each with slightly different configuration for port forwarding. So find out what brand you have first….then play the video you choose…but don’t forget to come back here for the grand finale!
Choose your Router Carefully (we won’t let you choose more than one):
Don’t jump the gun and grab your Android just yet…don’t forget to test your ports using http://canyouseeme.org once you have forwarded the ports. Once you can test ports 9000, 80 and 15961 with a success message, then you are ready to move on…but not before! Keep in mind, that there are thousands of different routers out there, so we can only provide you with a general overview of some of the popular designs. The router manufacturer could help you, then again they don’t care about you like we do…so maybe not.
Still unable to get it going? Don’t worry. We also offer a one-time service to forward the ports through your router for you, just $35.95 to configure your router for you. Just give us a call at (866) 537-5438. But make sure it is a DVR that you purchased from us, because if not we might tar and feather you instead.
Finally, now that the ports are open from the outside, it is time for the grand finale involving you, your Android, your security cameras and riding off into the sunset on a white horse screaming bloody murder…err well close.
In the video below, we will now configure the settings to allow you to connect from 3G or 4G, since many of you have it Make sure you are on 3G/4G first (not WiFi), otherwise you might not be able to connect and you will sit there scratching your head like a chimp with a tick.
Bazinga! Now, if you have followed the steps closely, you should be able to connect into your system. If so, then you have accomplished something that few local ‘IT Guys’ can Smile and pat yourself on the back, or pat us on the back for walking you through it. Then turn around and brag to 1000 of your closest friends on facebook…no seriously, we could use the positive publicity.
Oops, have you got a DVR from another company? Burn! Sorry then, these instructions will not be too helpful. I might have told you that at the beginning, but I thought I would make you keep reading instead. Get one of our Platinum CCTV H.264 Standalone DVRs that actually have Android remote viewing that WORKS today!
While this isn’t a new feature for our H.264 Standalone DVRs, this is a new video to make it easier for our customers to view their home or business security cameras over their iPhone, iTouch or iPad. The first video shows how to get the network information that is needed from your DVR-7004 4-Camera iPhone Standalone DVR or DVR-7008 H.264 Standalone DVR. This is performed on the monitor that the Standalone DVR is plugged into.
While you are checking the network settings of your DVR, write down the IP address that is in the DVR, because you will need to use this in the KMEYE application for the iPhone to connect over WiFi. Also write down the Gateway address, because this will be needed later on.
In the next video, we will download and install the KMEYE app onto your iPhone and then configure it so that you can view the cameras over the LAN.
But wait…what about connecting over the internet? – Don’t worry we can do that too…just need to do a little more work first. Remember that Gateway address we had you write down? Well now you will need it. The following 4 videos will show you examples of 4 different brands of routers…each with slightly different configuration for port forwarding. So find out what brand you have first….then play the video you choose…but don’t forget to come back here for the finale!
Don’t forget to test your ports using http://canyouseeme.org once you have forwarded the ports. Once you can test ports 9000, 80 and 15961 with a success message, then you are ready to move on…but not before! Keep in mind, that there are thousands of different routers out there, so we can only provide you with a general overview of some of the popular designs. The router manufacturer ‘might’ be able to help you out further since they made the router.
Still unable to get it going? Don’t fret. We also offer a one-time service to forward the ports through your router for you, just $35.95 to configure your router for you. Just give us a call at (866) 537-5438. But make sure it is a DVR that you purchased from us, because if not we might boil you in oil instead.
Finally, now that the ports are open from the outside, it is time for the grand finale involving you, your iPhone, your security cameras and riding off into the sunset in eternal victory…err well close.
In the video below, we will now configure the settings to allow you to connect from 3G (or 4G if you ever get it . Make sure you are on 3G first (not WiFi), otherwise you might not have the victory you seek.
There you go. Now, if you have followed the steps closely, you should be able to connect into your system. If so, then you have accomplished something that few ‘computer guys’ can Smile and pat yourself on the back.
Have a DVR you got from somewhere else? Sorry then, these instructions will not be too helpful. I could have told you that at the beginning, but I thought I would make you keep reading instead. Get one of our Platinum CCTV H.264 Standalone DVRs that actually have iPhone remote viewing that WORKS today!
View Security Cameras live on your Android PDA phone or tablet
So you have security cameras in your home or business, but you would like to be able to see them from your Android PDA phone or Android Tablet. Yes, this can be done. However, it will involve replacing your old VCR based system or DVR that doesn’t have Android compatibility with one of our Standalone DVRs or PC-Based Alnet DVR Cards. If your cameras have a standard BNC (coaxial cable with twist-lock style connector), then it will work with either one of our systems. Simply unplug your old recorder, and plug in your new Standalone DVR from Platinum CCTV, or a PC with our Alnet Systems DVR Cards inside.
Unfortunately, we know the next question…isn’t there a software we can buy that will allow you to view your cameras on your Android PDA phone or Tablet that doesn’t involve replacing your current recorder…Sorry, the answer is no. If your DVR doesn’t have android support, you will have to replace it with one of ours that does have android support. Good news is that in most cases, your current cameras will work, saving you a lot of time and money.
So how do you pick the system that will work best for your? Well a great place to start is the video below. In this video, we cover the benefits and features presented by both of our types of security camera systems to help you pick one to suit your needs that will deliver the features you desire from your Android PDA phone.
Once you have selected your system, you can find a Standalone DVR or Alnet PC-Based DVR card to replace your current recorder, so that you can start viewing your security cameras from your Android PDA phone or Tablet.
PS. Scared to configure your internet connection for port forwarding? Guess what, we already thought of that. We can even help you forward the ports through your internet service provider’s router to get it setup and running quickly.
Whether for a home or business, most customers want to be able to see and record license plates from their security cameras. Capturing license plates is definitely beneficial for security cameras, but may not be affordable in all situations. Many customers think that simply having a camera in place means that all of the data is captured and no matter what, you will be able to view the license plates and perfect face-shots from the video playback. While it is possible to get that information from a security camera, it does take careful planning to give you the best chance of retaining the information that you desire from the video of your home or business security camera.
There are 2 main categories of security cameras, BOTH of which CAN be used and can capture license plates if designed properly. The first, and currently most popular and affordable type of system is a traditional CCTV camera system. These cameras provide video over a standard RG-59 Coaxial cable back to a Digital Video Recorder (Standalone DVR) or PC-Based DVR Card and Software in a PC. These cameras have a maximum recording resolution of 720×480, but with proper lens and adjustment, can deliver license plates if desired. The 2nd type of system is a high definition MegaPixel IP camera system. These cameras connect using a CAT-5 network cable instead of a coaxial cable, and can record at resolutions up to 10 MegaPixel. These cameras have a greater resolution, but require recording onto a PC with an NVR (Network Video Recorder) software. Just having a higher definition doesn’t mean that you will capture the license plates either, still with this system, you have to carefully plan the cameras and area that is being viewed.
View of License Plate at 25' from CD-9361 Security Camera
With traditional CCTV Security Cameras, to get the best chance of capturing a license plate, we would recommend keeping the width of view covered by the camera to a maximum width of 1.5 car widths at the distance from the camera that you will be trying to view license plates. This means that you should dedicate a camera to the coverage of a license plate in the pinch point (entry or exit) that vehicles would have to travel through. Some Security cameras have a wide dynamic range which is designed to work well with capturing license plates even in extreme low light conditions and headlights, like the image shown here. This is our CD-9361 outdoor bullet style varifocal security camera, which has a high resolution 700TVL image sensor with a wide dynamic range, which provides great
Wide Dynamic Range Image Sensor for easy adjustment even in harsh lighting
quality video, even with bright headlights turned on. This image is taken at 25 feet line of sight from the camera, with the camera zoomed into its maximum 12mm narrow view. With this same view, you can potentially capture plates up to 30-35 feet. Further than that would be difficult due to the limited number of pixels per license plate. Traditional cctv camera have the benefit of a low pixel to inch ratio on the image sensor, allowing more light into the image sensor, so that they can provide very good picture quality even in low to no light conditions. With infrared, these cameras can even see in no-light conditions to provide great quality video even when you cannot see at all.
View of License Plates from a 3 MegaPixel IP camera
With high definition MegaPixel IP cameras, there are more pixels which provides you with a higher quality picture. This allows you to capture license plates even with a wider field of view. The picture shown here is taken from a 3 MegaPixel Camera with a 90° field of view. With license plates viewable at 25′ and 35′ from the camera, but with a wider field of view. These cameras react well to adjusting to headlights, but under extreme low light conditions, these cameras can sometimes falter, because of the fact that they have so many pixels packed so tightly on the image sensor, they require more light to deliver a good picture. So these cameras generally go into a ‘slow shutter speed’ type mode, which helps deliver more light, for better picture quality but do this at the expense of causing a smearing effect on the screen. So when these high MegaPixel IP cameras are used, it is recommended to keep lighting levels higher to deliver a good picture quality of the license plates at night as well. These cameras generally have a wide dynamic range by default which will help
Night view with a 5.0 MegaPixel IP camera with headlights
to prevent glare from the headlights, but are generally not quite as effective at this as traditional CCTV cameras. While MegaPixel cameras can be used for license plate capture, it is very important that you ensure adequate lighting to prevent smearing from slow shutter modes, and that you have the camera zoomed to a level that will give best view of the license plates. Generally these cameras can cover wider areas while still delivering good quality video and license plate recognition capabilities.
Whether you select a traditional CCTV security camera like our CD-9361 security camera, or if you select a higher definition megapixel IP camera, make sure that you mind carefully the distance, lens adjustment and width of view to deliver the best chance of capture if license plates are a requirement for your home or business security camera system. This will allow you to capture license plates reliably from your home or business security camera system.
Back by extremely popular demand and brimming with new content…we have put together a video for our CCTV PDA Remote Viewing page that will help to take some of the guesswork out of selecting a camera system that will allow you to view your security cameras over the internet from your Android, iPhone, iPad or BlackBerry PDA phone. This new video will walk you through the features and benefits of our Standalone DVR and PC based Alnet DVR Cards and systems, to help you select a camera system that suits your needs and delivers the remote access your need from your cell phones.
New PTZ-2201-10 500TVL Mini-Dome PTZ Moving Camera
Our newest addition to our product line is a new PTZ-2201-10 4″ mini-dome PTZ camera with 10x optical zoom and 500TVL Sony CCD image sensor. This mini dome camera is the smallest PTZ camera we have available, and provides you with the ability to move your camera back and forth, up and down, as well as zoom it in and out. These moving cameras, allow you to use less cameras to cover a larger distance, by letting you reposition the camera at will. When combined with our H.264 Standalone DVR or Alnet PC-Based DVR Cards, these new PTZ Mini Dome Cameras can even be controlled with an iPhone, Android or BlackBerry PDA Phone. Find out more about controlling PTZ cameras with iPhone, Android or BlackBerry PDA phones here.
PTZ-2201-10 Mini PTZ Dome Camera with Ceiling Bracket
These new PTZ cameras are great for both home and business camera installations. The small size of the PTZ camera makes it easy to mount even in the eaves of your home without looking like a jail. Because they are a weatherproof camera, they can be mounted right outside without any concern. The ceiling mount bracket allows you to mount the camera to any ceiling or overhang. It comes with a short bracket, but can be extended using a standard NPT thread extension rod, so that you can extend the mount of the PTZ dome camera so that it hangs lower if needed.
The PTZ-2201-10 included Wall Mount Bracket
The PTZ-2201-10 PTZ mini-dome camera also comes equipped with a wall mount bracket that can be used to mount the miniature PTZ dome camera on any wood, brick, siding or drywall wall inside or outside your home or business. The 10x optical zoom module in the PTZ-2201-10 camera provides a good amount of zoom with auto-focus capabilities. This allows you to use the camera as an extension of yourself, moving it around and zooming in as needed to get a closer view of what is happening at your home or business. The low light capabilites of the PTZ-2201-10 mini PTZ Dome camera lets the camera see even in lower light conditions, which is great for dimly lit parking lots, rooms or driveways.
It can be difficult to select a new home or business security camera system, because many systems have various levels of support for Android, iPhone and BlackBerry PDA phones. In our constant evolution to make things easier for our clients, we have put together a quick video that will help you discover the benefits of our 2 main types of DVR systems, so that you can find a camera system for your home or business, which has the features and functionality that you are looking for from your cameras.
View Security Cameras live on your iPhone or Android Phone
Now that you have your home or business covered with security cameras, you have video coverage of what happens when you are away. The next logical progression, is being able to check and make sure that everything is ok while you are away. Our Standalone DVRs and PC-Based Alnet DVR Systems allow you just that…you can view your security cameras on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android PDA phone, BlackBerry phone or more. Now you can easily tap into your security camera system anytime you need to right from the palm of your hand.
With security camera viewing from your iphone or android phone, you can answer the burning questions: Did my employees show up on time today? Is my family ok? Did I close the Garage door? and more… In no time at all, you can connect into your home or business security camera system right from your phone. The best thing about all of our camera systems, are there are NO MONTHLY FEEs for remote access…because the system uses your existing DSL or Cable internet connection!
VIew security cameras from your Standalone DVR over the internet with iPhone, Android and More!
Our DVR-7004 and DVR-7008 H.264 Standalone DVRs are a great choice for replacing your old VCR or older Standalone DVR system. These H.264 Standalone DVRs use the latest video codecs to allow for motion detection recording onto a hard drive. These new Standalone DVR recorders allow you to record from your home or business security cameras without needing a PC. Our latest model Standalone DVRs now offer great quality video recording in full D1 resolution (720×480 resolution), and even have remote viewing from an iPhone, iPad, Android phone, BlackBerry Phone or Windows Mobile PDA phone.
Plug in Cameras with BNC Connectors to our H.264 Standalone DVR
Simply disconnect your existing home or business security cameras from your current DVR or VCR recording system, and plug them right into our new Standalone DVR. As long as your cameras have a standard BNC connector, then they will plug into the DVR and will be compatible! Then connect your new Standalone DVR to your internet router, and you will be able to view your cameras live from your PDA phone from anywhere in the world.
Make sure you are on 3G/4G first (not WiFi), otherwise you might not be able to connect and you will sit there scratching your head like a chimp with a tick.
