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CCTV Home Security Camera Problem

itsjinx

Junior Member
Sep 11, 2015
13
0
6
I believe that this is the appropriate section to post this but forgive me if it is not!

cctv.jpg


I have had an 8 camera system installed on my house for 5 years. Unfortunately the company that installed the system went out of business and now out of nowhere the camera's will sometimes work and sometimes not and I am hoping to get some help as to why. It can't be the actual camera's that is bad as they all behave this way out of the blue at the same time so I am not sure what else the problem could be. As far as the system setup, I do not have many details but I just know it is a typical CCTV DVR UNIT and I had replaced the HDD last year with a 250GB samsung drive which appears to be working fine. I did see that there is a metal box that appears to be a power converter or power increaser maybe to give enough juice to the cameras and I am wondering if the camera's are intermittantly getting enough power?

I have attached a screenshot of the current view of the camera's and you will see in the screenshot that 2 of the camera's are showing a partial picture but scrambled while the others are showing the "VIDEO LOSS" error. However, this changes every second where some camera's will show the scrambled picture and then the next second show the video loss. this is why I know the camera's themselves are fine and I wonder what the issue is. Also for example, most of this morning was perfect crystal clear video on all 8 camera's but now it is like the screenshot.

IMPORTANT: The ONLY thing I have done in the last few months was get rid of a battery backup that was not appearing to function properly because when the power went out the backup would "overload" and be useless so I simply tossed this out and plugged the extension cord right into the normal wall outlet(the extension cord has the DVR and the aforementioned metal DC power converter/amplifier box plugged into it). I am wondering if that battery backup was also acting like a power reserve "buildup" that gave more juice to the system than the normal wall outlet 120v can give? This is just speculation as that is the only thing that changed recently but why would everything work perfectly 50% of the time and then like the screenshot 50% of the time?

Any input is greatly appreciated!
 

Pick2

Golden Member
Feb 14, 2017
1,058
1,507
91
It is probably the power supply to the cameras. The " metal box that appears to be a power converter or power increaser " is probably the DC power supply for the cameras. Usually 12 VDC.
 

itsjinx

Junior Member
Sep 11, 2015
13
0
6
It is probably the power supply to the cameras. The " metal box that appears to be a power converter or power increaser " is probably the DC power supply for the cameras. Usually 12 VDC.

Thanks for the reply.... Is there anything I can do to confirm that it might be the power supply? All the lights inside of it are on as if it is operating and I have attached a pic below. I am wondering if there is anyway to use a voltmeter to connect to each output to verify that the proper voltage is being sent out to the camera power cords? If so, what voltage amount/level should I expect to be sent to each camera from the DC power supply listed below?

dc.jpg
 

Pick2

Golden Member
Feb 14, 2017
1,058
1,507
91
... is probably the DC power supply for the cameras. Usually 12 VDC.
You should measure 12 VDC , but also take a reading with the meter set to AC , This will tell you if there is any Ripple.

The other wire from each camera should be an RCA jack. You should be able to plug this into any TV or monitor with an RCA video input and view one camera. Is that picture clear or distorted ?
 

itsjinx

Junior Member
Sep 11, 2015
13
0
6
You should measure 12 VDC , but also take a reading with the meter set to AC , This will tell you if there is any Ripple.

The other wire from each camera should be an RCA jack. You should be able to plug this into any TV or monitor with an RCA video input and view one camera. Is that picture clear or distorted ?


I couldn't get my voltmeter/multimeter to work but I plugged one of the camera line's directly into my TV and the picture was perfect clear as day so the camera's themselves are not the problem but does that also mean that the power supply is NOT the problem?
 

itsjinx

Junior Member
Sep 11, 2015
13
0
6
"... does that also mean that the power supply is NOT the problem?"
Yes , probably. It might be the DVR that's the problem.

New DVRs start at $60 and go right on up from there :)
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=security+dvr+8+channel+with+hard+drive&rh=i:aps,k:security+dvr+8+channel+with+hard+drive

I have looked through the list of other DVRs and I can't figure out which one to get as they all have good and bad reviews. I know I don't need a high-end unit because my cameras are not HD and I did just install the samsung HD in the current unit so the new DVR doesn't need to come with a hard drive but I don't mind getting one with a HD if it is larger than my current 250GB
 

itsjinx

Junior Member
Sep 11, 2015
13
0
6
I am hoping to get some input as to which of these options might be the best? To reiterate, I currently have 8 hard-wired cameras powered by a DC power box in my home using BNC connection to the existing DVR unit. I have no idea the brand, type, or specs of my 8 camera's but I know they are not HD and are about 5 years old. I do not care about price for the DVR unit but I just want something that is reliable and can be viewed remotely via iPhone like I am currently doing with an off-brand chinese DVR unit.

I believe the only difference between these two is the first one comes with 2 TB and the second one only 1TB:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFINLXK
$233 - 101 AV 8CH HD-TVI 1080P H.264 True-HD Pre-Installed 2TB Playback Internet Mobile Phone Accessible HDMI Real Time for Home Office Security System Compatible w/ 1080P 720P TVI, Standard Analog, & IP Cam

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFINM0W
$199 - Digital Surveillance Recorder 8CH HD-TVI 1080P H.264 True-HD DVR w/1TB HDMI VGA BNC Video Output Mobile Phone Accessible Great for Home Office Work w/ 1080P 720P TVI,1080P AHD,Standard Analog & IP Cam