Video Services

I posted this under “services” forum but don’t see it so I am reposting it here. Sorry if this is a duplicate

I currently have 8 cameras connected via TVI to a DVR in my home. I can watch live connections via LAN while at home as well as over an HDMI connection on the DVR. I am thinking of going to ADC but know I have to purchase equipment.

#1 Is there anyway to salvage any of my TVI based equipment and cameras to use on ADC? Are there adapters to convert TVI to POE?
#2 If not what to I need to buy (outside of cameras) knowing I have 8 cameras.
#3 Does the ADC interface DVR have HDMI out so that I can hook up a monitor and use no bandwidth
#4 Can I watch live streams over LAN and not use external bandwidth as there are limits through my provider
#5 Can I watch live streams when not at home?
#6 The interface unit comes with a 1TB drive, can you upgrade to larger capacity drives?
#7 Can I pull clips from the hardrive to watch later and save?
#8 I am confused about your service plan as it applies to “clips”. Do the video streams get backed up to the “cloud” or only image clips? Can you explain the logic of still clips and why its ok to just backup those?
#9 I assume you can set cameras up to record only when motion is detected? So the still clips are taken when motion is detected? But where within the clip? every second? Just once?
#10 Can you explain the pricing of video plan overall?
#11 Can you explain the services, especially things like video alarm monitoring.
#12 If I have to replace all my TVI cabling, I am assuming that you use PoE and I can just run that thin, untermintaed cable pulled through from my existing cable and then terminate the PoE after its all pulled?
#13 Do both ends look like a standard ethernet cable end?

Thank you in advance for answering these questions. Before you point me to some videos or websites, I have watched many of those videos and seen your pricing guide and other websites and still have the above questions

I posted this under “services” forum but don’t see it so I am reposting it here. Sorry if this is a duplicate

I currently have 8 cameras connected via TVI to a DVR in my home. I can watch live connections via LAN while at home as well as over an HDMI connection on the DVR. I am thinking of going to ADC but know I have to purchase equipment.

#1 Is there anyway to salvage any of my TVI based equipment and cameras to use on ADC? Are there adapters to convert TVI to POE?
#2 If not what to I need to buy (outside of cameras) knowing I have 8 cameras.
#3 Does the ADC interface DVR have HDMI out so that I can hook up a monitor and use no bandwidth
#4 Can I watch live streams over LAN and not use external bandwidth as there are limits through my provider
#5 Can I watch live streams when not at home?
#6 The interface unit comes with a 1TB drive, can you upgrade to larger capacity drives?
#7 Can I pull clips from the hardrive to watch later and save?
#8 I am confused about your service plan as it applies to “clips”. Do the video streams get backed up to the “cloud” or only image clips? Can you explain the logic of still clips and why its ok to just backup those?
#9 I assume you can set cameras up to record only when motion is detected? So the still clips are taken when motion is detected? But where within the clip? every second? Just once?
#10 Can you explain the pricing of video plan overall?
#11 Can you explain the services, especially things like video alarm monitoring.
#12 If I have to replace all my TVI cabling, I am assuming that you use PoE and I can just run that thin, untermintaed cable pulled through from my existing cable and then terminate the PoE after its all pulled?
#13 Do both ends look like a standard ethernet cable end?

Thank you in advance for answering these questions. Before you point me to some videos or websites, I have watched many of those videos and seen your pricing guide and other websites and still have the above questions

#1 Is there anyway to salvage any of my TVI based equipment and cameras to use on ADC? Are there adapters to convert TVI to POE?

There are Alarm.com video servers for coaxial analog cameras, but no there are no TVI specific adapters. Alarm.com video requires digital cameras with Alarm.com firmware. Compatible models are shown here.

#2 If not what to I need to buy (outside of cameras) knowing I have 8 cameras.

To use Alarm.com cloud video you would only need the cameras. If you want 24/7 SVR local recording you would need an SVR.

If you are asking about infrastructure like cabling etc., that is entirely dependent on the model of camera you are looking to purchase and your home setup. Most commonly, wifi models are used.

#3 Does the ADC interface DVR have HDMI out so that I can hook up a monitor and use no bandwidth

The new model ADC-SVR122 has an HDMI port for local view, yes.

#4 Can I watch live streams over LAN and not use external bandwidth as there are limits through my provider

No, the SVR feed viewed through the App is from Alarm.com. It requires an active internet connection.

#5 Can I watch live streams when not at home?

Yes. App or Website

#6 The interface unit comes with a 1TB drive, can you upgrade to larger capacity drives?

The original SVR100 has two drive bays, but does not have HDMI out. Each bay supports up to 2TB drive.

The SVR122 has HDMI and one drive bay. According to documentation that one maxes at 1TB.

#7 Can I pull clips from the hardrive to watch later and save?

You can download the video from Alarm.com onto any device you are using.

#8 I am confused about your service plan as it applies to “clips”. Do the video streams get backed up to the “cloud” or only image clips? Can you explain the logic of still clips and why its ok to just backup those?

Clips are not images. A video clip is a segment of video, depending on the recording schedule up to 1 minute, recording of an event. This is relevant to Alarm.com Cloud Video. Note the SVR is optional, additional, and records 24/7.

Events are triggered by the recording schedules you set up, such as motion detection, sensor activity, or alarm-triggered recordings.

The clips are saved in the cloud and can be viewed and downloaded through Alarm.com. Notifications can be sent including a low res version of the clip.

If you have an SVR, the clips recorded and saved in the cloud are marked on your SVR timeline for easy viewing of times leading up to and after the event.

#9 I assume you can set cameras up to record only when motion is detected? So the still clips are taken when motion is detected? But where within the clip? every second? Just once?

See above.

#10 Can you explain the pricing of video plan overall?

Pricing can be found here for cloud video and SVR add-ons.

The base level of Cloud Video supports 4 cameras and 1000 clips/month. Each additional level supports 4 more cameras and 5000 additional clips/month.

If you use an SVR for 24/7 recording, each SVR supports up to 8 cameras.

So for 8 cameras and an SVR you would need 2 levels of cloud video service and one level of SVR.

#11 Can you explain the services, especially things like video alarm monitoring.

Please clarify if you mean something else regarding Video Alarm Monitoring, but operators do not view your video feed. We do not offer Video Verification services through operators currently. All video access is controlled by the end user.

#12 If I have to replace all my TVI cabling, I am assuming that you use PoE and I can just run that thin, untermintaed cable pulled through from my existing cable and then terminate the PoE after its all pulled?

#13 Do both ends look like a standard ethernet cable end?

If you opt for POE camera models you would use category cable, cat5e or cat6, with standard RJ45 termination and pinout, yes. The same termination you would find on ethernet patch cables. All parts can be found at local hardware stores.

If you go with Wifi models, you would just need to deliver power, usually via 18/2 stranded cable.

Thank you.

When it gives pricing for “Image Sensor Events” does that mean for images that are sent to you that are triggered? For example, someone rings my ADC doorbell and a rule activates and it sends me an image?

In looking at my current system, i average about 900 clips a day from 8 cameras. Not sure how to deal with this as far as pricing in the future. I will say that I currently have 2 cameras that detect motion from cars going by the street and may have to turn that off.

When it gives pricing for “Image Sensor Events” does that mean for images that are sent to you that are triggered? For example, someone rings my ADC doorbell and a rule activates and it sends me an image?

Image Sensors are specific devices unrelated to Cloud Video service.

Image Sensors are combination motion detectors and still image cameras.

In looking at my current system, from 7:56 AM to 12:49 PM alone, I have 403 clips recorded from 8 cameras. Not sure how to deal with this as far as pricing in the future. I will say that I currently have 2 cameras that detect motion from cars going by the street and may have to turn that off.

That is a heck of a lot of clips for a short span. You would definitely want to filter unnecessary recordings.

Video Motion detection settings in Alarm.com let you select the area in the video frame in which you want to have motion generate clips, then set target size and sensitivity within the frame. While false recordings are more common on outdoor cameras due to a host of factors, traffic shouldn’t be one and should be easily masked out.

See the video below for info on creating VMD windows and recording schedules. VMD uses changes in pixel hue to determine motion.

Thank you for spending so much time responding. It looks like a very good system and has come a long way.

It seems like video is not promoted as much as I would think it should be. Is that because its still not quite “on par” with other video systems?

Are there reviews (you tube or websites) that review the system? All I find are videos from ADC or ADC resellers vs actual people doing reviews. Do you know of any reviews from actual people out there?

Do you feel that the the ADC is “there” yet? I know when the CG3 panel came out, you guys had no problem recommending waiting until some of the bugs were worked out and some of the features were made available. I appreciate you guys being upfront and am looking for the same regarding video

It seems like video is not promoted as much as I would think it should be. Is that because its still not quite “on par” with other video systems?

Alarm.com Cloud Video is an optional add-on to all suretyDIY interactive service accounts. There are a huge amount of surveillance industry manufacturers, vendors, software. Some do not compare favorably, many simply do not compare and are completely different.

Alarm.com’s service focuses on security and seamless integration with the rest of the Alarm.com ecosystem. Because it is not just a surveillance provider, Alarm.com can leverage easy integration with your alarm system’s sensors, panel, and rules. As a cloud provider, saved video clips are safe from vandalism, video access is only available through your login, and clips are available on any device.

Are there reviews (you tube or websites) that review the system? All I find are videos from ADC or ADC resellers vs actual people doing reviews. Do you know of any reviews from actual people out there?

We can’t endorse third party reviews generally, and I would caution there are a fair number of paid review sites out there as well, though they are usually pretty easy to spot.

One of the first results in Google when I did a quick search contrasted and ranked Alarm.com Video with a few alarm service vendors’ surveillance options. The curious aspect is that all of those vendors use Alarm.com and thus use identical video services.

Do you feel that the the ADC is “there” yet? I know when the CG3 panel came out, you guys had no problem recommending waiting until some of the bugs were worked out and some of the features were made available. I appreciate you guys being upfront and am looking for the same regarding video

We do like to maintain cautious optimism regarding adoption of brand new hardware. This is not really a question about hardware though, and I am not sure I could answer the same way.

Alarm.com Cloud Video is what it intends to be. It offers a streamlined set of surveillance capabilities which leverage your existing Alarm.com ecosystem. It is very stable and extremely easy to hit the ground running. If you are looking for deep video analytics, patrolling PTZ cams, and custom PC recording servers though, it would not be the right environment.

A lot of new models of camera have been released including a fair number of POE, doorbell cameras, etc., so model options are fairly robust, but you do need to use Alarm.com specific models.