I ordered a Wirepath 9 channel DVR and 1 500 series bullet style camera to install in my home to test and learn with.

Question 1. I cannot get either an MX900 or MX780 to control it. I tried learning right from the Wirepath remote, tried the HEX codes listed on Snap's site, and tried the URC file, nothing would work. I am running through a MRF350 with the port assigned, and tried two different emitters. I also tried adjusting the gain. I also noticed the Wirepath remote is a bit jumpy. What I mean is that a single press of the remote pointed directly at the DVR may cause the cursor to either not respond, or more often jump a couple spots on the screen.

Question 2. When viewing either on the iPad or Android phone, the image is pretty lousy. I was looking to see if there is any setting that will send more detail, even if it slows the picture down. I may have missed it, or there may simply be none. Is there a way to improve the quality viewed on either device? My hopes is to demo not only the function of be able to view on either device, but also wanted to show the difference between a decent camera and a crappy one that can be bought at your local Costco.

Question 3. I was not able to get a great image out of the camera, even viewing on a TV connected via VGA. I tried to adjust the focus and zoom to optimize the PQ. I didn't really know what settings in the camera menu to change to really make a real difference, any advice would be much appreciated.

Question 4. While trying to improve the picture, I noticed that I could not get the camera to focus while I had the lens zoomed all the way out, to allow for the widest picture possible. I had to zoom in, in order to focus. Does this sound normal?

TIA for any help, advice or comments.

Have not used Wirepath DVR's but may.

#1 Many DVR's I've used have this jumpiness you describe when using IR. Dig Watchdog, Bolide, Nuvico, and Ded Micros. It must be related to the crappy software or the reading and writing of the hard-drive.(shot in the dark). The last Dig Watchdog vmax 480 has this terrible issue.

#2 Using Dig Watchdog, ICrealtime and even the basic Bolide Srv 9000 (same unit under many different names) I have excellent quality on all my jobs. The QCIF resolution or CIF resolution is perfect for small picture streaming, the issue is with large displays, the compression can make the picture almost blurry.

3# I think you need to connect camera straight to a 4x3 monitor and check the image before you install it. Maybe putting on some reading glasses to make positive the image is focused. I usually aim it at some sort of pattern or even the grill of a truck or car to get the lines sharp. Many DVR's have a lousy image out of the composite BNC output (IC).

4# This is normal, if you wide zoom the lens all the way out you cannot focus the lens.

Try a fixed lens camera, 3.6 mm camera next time to see if the image improves.

#2) when viewing from a PC/Apple Product it is very blurry. However, request a playback and that image is crystal clear!

i just did one and was a bit concerned, but as soon as I chose a time ti record back it was awesome, and responsive too!

Where you first add a DVR profile to the iphone app, you can choose either "extra" or "record" stream. The default is the lower quality extra stream which has been optimized for mobile devices. The record stream is the same quality that it records in, which is generally much higher quality.

Thanks for the replies so far guys. I have already learned something from each of you. I tried checking the record playback on the iPad and at first the image was still poor, but I double pressed the screen and the PQ instantly cleared up. I then checked on the setting iimig was talking about and it made a huge difference in the PQ. It's funny I missed that setting since it is basically the only setting in the app. Another question, if the cameras are unable to focus a their widest setting, why are they labeled to go out to that focal length? Or do they label the focal length starting at the point it will start to focus?

Any thoughts on the issues with getting the URC remote to control the DVR? I have tried the CCF codes, URC codes, Hex Codes, and learning directly to the remote. Not of these worked either through IR pointing directly at the DVR, or through RF with a MRF350 and the port assigned (swapped the emitter out as well)

Hi goldenzrule,

1.)The issue you describe may have to do the “repeats” in your file setup. Please contact our tech support for help with the URC. We will work to add more “space” in our commands to reduce the “jumpiness” / sensitivity of the DVR.
2.)To iimig’s point you can use the RECORD stream on the app to improve the resolution substantially. You will want to review your settings in the DVR GUI to confirm you have BEST RECORD RESOLUTION set to a higher resolution for the best picture. We offer different streams to account for network bandwidth, and we offer different resolutions to account for storage capability. Both can attribute to the quality of video in your mobile device. Please reference the chart in the Quick Start Guide for more information on this topic. Signaturesv – if the playback is higher quality than the live, this would indicate you may be viewing the extra stream on the app.
3.)Please provide more details on your image concerns – can you contact tech support with image snapshots or let them log into the DVR? Based on the scene where the camera is installed we have many features to address lighting issues, etc.
4.)In some of our camera models, the zoom feature can be greater than the focus feature due to the mechanics. This does not come at the cost of the varifocal range. As gwilly notes slighting bring in your zoom setting.

Thanks for your support and feedback! Our Tech Support is standing by to assist you!

I have not had a chance to contact tech support yet, as I have not been home during the day to spend some time on the issues. I did do some work with everything today. For some reason, the Wirepath camera was causing the DVR to reboot itself every few minutes. I removed the camera and installed the old cheap Zmodo camera I had in it's place before. It worked fine. So I connected the Wirepath camera inside with a premade CCTV cable I had lying around and it worked fine. So today I decided to run some new wires, and added a couple more cameras into the system for a total of 8.

I ended up running a pair a CAT5's to the location of the Wirepath camera and used a set of Speco VIDCAT2 Power and Video over CAT5e extenders. The camera works, and I now have a line run for RS485 as well. I messed around quite a bit to get the focus right. The adjustment levers are somewhat difficult to get to. I brought my iPad outside, and had my lovely lady inside watching on the TV as well. I noticed that the best focus quality I could get was still somewhat blurry. She confirmed inside. I had to zoom in slightly more to get it clear. It is zoomed a bit more then I would like, as I was hoping for a wider coverage area, but its not too bad and the picture quality is much improved. I did notice that when I was tightening the focus and zoom levers that they would creep a little, bring the picture slightly out of focus again. I had to VERY carefully tighten the levers. I also was having some issues with the mount. Although the allen screws are tight, the camera creeps down to a certain point before it will stop. This results in the image covering the top of a bush that I do not need to cover, rather then more of the street. I will mess with that some more, it got dark before I could make more adjustments and it was getting mighty cold.

I would definitely say the quality is there with the camera's picture quality. I wish I could zoom out wider and still be able to get that clarity, but I guess it is common to have this issue. I would also love to see the focus and zoom adjustment lever either moved to gain better access or use a different approach. With those issues aside, I would definitely recommend them based on the picture quality and low light abilities and look forward to doing some comparison demos for clients.