BNC To USB Converter

[Mikebyrne000]

Hi,

I've been looking into getting a 4-Channel BNC To USB Converter DVR Adapter for my CCTV cameras and was wondering if these were compatible with Zoneminder?

I couldn't see anything on the compatibility list

[bbunge]

Sounds like what you have is an analog video card. Likely old? If I recall, modern Ubuntu distros do not support them.

[Mikebyrne000]

A quick rundown of my setup.

I installed 3 bnc cameras outside my house and ran the wires to my Unbuntu server. The original PCI card I bought doesn't fit the motherboard (doh)

I was wondering:

A) If I could buy a usb to bnc converter from eBay connect the cameras to this and the usb to the Ubuntu server running Zoneminder

B) Purchase a Video Encoder to connect the 3 bnc and convert them to IP, then connect to Zoneminder. Can you recommend a chepish solution thats compatible?

C) Purchase 3 Outdoor IP Cameras ( 3xIP cams are around €150 on eBay)

Any help would be great!!

[knight-of-ni]

I am assuming your "bnc cameras" are legacy analog cameras with a standard NTSC composite video output. There are analog cameras on the market today which output high def images over legacy coaxial cabling. These cameras will not work with the following suggestion.

Recommend you go with an IP video encoder. You can get them in the 4 channel variety.
I have used the GrandStream GXV3504 and the Axis 241Q with great success.
You should be able to find both online fairly easily. However, I did notice recently that the price for the Granstream went up recently.

The Grandstream streams modern H.264, which is very bandwidth efficient but uses cpu resources to transocde.
The Axis is discontinued, but is still fairly popular on EBay. It streams mjpeg, which requires little cpu resources, but uses much more bandwidth.

Note, however, that the technology even in today's cheap ip cameras far surpasses that of a legacy analog camera. If you need more detail than mere object detection (i.e. you want to see a face, read letters, etc) then you should consider going with ip cameras.

[Mikebyrne000]

Looks like the IP cameras could be the way to go as the 2 models you mentioned are in the €100+ bracket

Will any IP camera work with Zoneminer?

Am I allowed to post an eBay link on this forum for your opinion?

Thanks for all the advice so far!