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  YOU ARE HERE : Home > Categories > Computer Hardware > Audio & Video Capture > PC DVR 4 NET : 4-port PCI Security Card
  ProdID: 639 - PC DVR 4 NET : 4-port PCI Security CardBrand / Manufacturer :Swann Communications Product Score: 9.0 
PC DVR 4 NET : 4-port PCI Security Card

Price : $199.95
Supplier :
Available : at Harvey Norman and Dick Smith stores

Digital Video Surveillance Through Your PC

The Swann PC DVR-4-Net PCI Card seamlessly turns your PC into a sophisticated digital video security monitoring system. The plug and play card and software allow you to observe and record 4 cameras simultaneously or add more cards to upgrade to 16 cameras.

Other benefits include remote access via the web or network, motion detection with instant email notification, audio monitoring and fast display and recording times. It's never been easier to see what's happening, from anywhere in the world.

:: FEATURES
    •  Monitor up to 4 cameras simutaneously
    •  Access your PC at work, home or on vacation, to monitor your office, warehouse, house, car park & more
    •  Global web access - you see what your cameras see
    •  Motion detection with instant email notification - sends you a picture of the movement seen by each camera
    •  Plug & play software with easy to follow user manual
    •  Upgradeable - 4 cards in a PC for 16 cameras
    •  Fast display & recording rate

:: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
    •  Compression: MPEG-4
    •  No. of Board: Stackable up to 4 cards
    •  Video / Camera Input: 1 - 4 channel, easily upgradeable to 16
    •  Audio Input: Uses PC audio
    •  Image Display NTSC: 30fps (frames per second)/ PAL: 25fps
    •  Screen Display: 1/4/7/10/13/16 multi view of full screen with PTZ (Pan tilt zoom) / Motion detection / Sensor
    •  Resolution: 352x288 (PAL), 352x240 (NTSC)
    •  Motion Detect: Multi-zone, Multi-Channels, Email Notification, Recording Mode Full Time, Schedule, Motion Detect Sensor, Network Remote Monitoring, Recording, Search & Playback

:: MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS - PC ONLY
    •  Operating System: Windows 2000/XP
    •  CPU: Pentium III 800MHz equivalent or higher
    •  RAM: 256Mb
    •  HDD: 80Gb
    •  Video Card: Geforce II, 32MB equivalent or higher

*Please Note:
Remote viewing will require the host PC to have broadband connection with a known IP address.

Value for Money
Features & Functions
Installation & Setup
Personal Choice
The Guest   Review #797 - Dated: 15th of July, 2005
  Author: The Guest

If you have a need for home security, shop security, or simply a way to keep track of who is where, this is a really good choice for an affordable kit. We started off by popping the PC's case and slipping the card in. if you have never installed a PCI card before, you might want to let an experienced tech do it for you, but if you are comfortable with your level of skill, this is no different to installing any other PC card.
Slap the covers back on, and boot up the machine. We were using Windows XP Pro so automatic detection was fast, and it started prompting for the software. Slap in the CD and away we went. Installation was really simple, a few clicks, a little bit of thinking, and a reboot later and we were ready to install the cameras. They proved even easier. Connect the power, and plug the cable into one of the sockets on the card and that was it.
After connecting a couple of cameras to test the multi-display and channel-switching capabilities, we fired up the software. A few seconds while it auto-configured itself and that was it. From 'open the PC case' to 'record the neighbour's cat sniffing around the front door' was under 20 minutes. The longest part of the job was placing and mounting the cameras!
The software has amazing capabilities. You can watch all 4 cameras at once, or single any one out for closer full-screen viewing. Motion detection was really intelligent, with a variable threshold allowing you to tell it 'ignore birds and small animals, and people on the footpath, but record anyone entering the driveway or jumping the fence.' This allows you to have the cameras looking at public-access areas but not wasting hard-drive space recording the pedestrians walking past.
With the ability to pipe the cameras signals out down a broadband connection, we could watch who was approaching the house, without having to leave the back shed workshop, and by extension, we could also watch from any internet-connected PC. This is very handy when used in conjunction with 'email me if you detect motion' feature. Imagine you are at the office, and your email bleeps. It's a snapshot of someone trying to break in to your house thru the back ranch sliders. You log on and watch as they circle the house, then run as the cops you called arrive on the premises. He got away, but no worries, you have 26 full-face photos of the jerk. The cops, and insurance companies, will love you for it.
The playback and search features were a little fiddly to start with, but after a few minutes playing around, it became a lot easier to understand and use. We were able to scan back and locate clear facial shots from over 16 test recordings, and a quick snap-n-save gave us plenty of assurance that in the case of a crime, this package would be the downfall of any crook.
Quick, relatively simple, easy to install and use, it's all good. This is the best thing to hit the home/small office security scene in many years. And the best bit, it's scalable. Plug in more cards, get a software upgrade, and you can run up to 16 cameras at the same time!

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Printed at 05:17:57am on Friday 29th March 2024