Suggestions needed: Home sercurity camera system.
 

Hi guys, thinking about setting up 3-5 surveillance cameras around the house/lot. What are some recommendations for DIY.

Thanks in advance, all suggestions are appropriated.

i would try imitation ones first similar to this one

http://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Dummy-Security-Camera-Blinking/dp/B0013Q1XTM/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_c
saves you $300+ if that works well enough as deterrents

Yeah, those fake cameras with the blinking lights are great... since NO REAL cameras have blinking lights, it's a dead giveaway that they're fake.

Domani, first thing, what sort of budget are you looking at for this? Tip: your basic $300 cameras-and-DVR Costco package is worse than junk, and there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all camera, especially not at those prices.

For best results you want to choose each camera based on its requirements:

What do you need to view?
What sort of lighting will there be?
What level of detail is needed?
How hard is wiring going to be?

If you can spend a little more for a better DVR up front, and fewer but better-quality cameras, then add more cameras later as budget allows, you'll end up with a better solution overall.

If you don't like blinks, simply remove the batteries. For most people out there, they can't tell what's fake what's real. I do get complaints from my neighbours and property managers accusing me installing "cameras" would cause privacy issue. They now shut the fuck up after one of my neighbours got robbed during Chinese New Year.

Installing real camera system is pain in the ass. Not many affordable systems support instant smartphone survellience, voice capture, or image recording. I helped my boss to setup an indoor 2 wireless camera system with everything mentioned above, she had to pay $1000 for everything installed (with dyndns account). It will cost even more if you are mounting them outdoor or somewhere with no power outlet. Good luck.

They're not local but try http://www.vonnic.com/

Great products. I've seen it in action before and can be DIY installed. Contact Jonathan Budino. He does Canadian sales.

^And this is how you end up wasting money - people telling you, "Buy this, buy this!" having no idea what you want to accomplish or why. :failed:

like asianxl said...remove the batteries and it's pretty hard for what i presume to be drug junkies to tell the difference btw imitation and the real deal.

I bought myself one of these
Wireless Spy Camera (complete kit) - Spy Cam | Nanny cams | Best prices and best customer service

They also sell a set of 4 camera for $279
HS203USBx4 Mini Wireless Color Spy Cameras w/ PC USB Adapter (Set of 4)-MG

Hooked up and now i have a ghetto security monitor system that will record when it detect movement. The camera ifself doesn't come with any software. Basically it plug into your tv s-video input and you just monitor there. But since i can't be there 24/7 I went out and get myself this Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1600 PCI TV Tuner Hardware MPEG NTSC ATSC QAM Retail Box W/ Remote & IR Receiver - HAUPPAUGE - 1181. then download ispy from iSpy: Free Camera Security Software (Open Source). Work pretty good

I also have a dlink dcs-930L hooked up so i can monitor it on my smartphone when i'm not home.

Cheap cameras:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4030692/cctv...heap_cam-1.jpg http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4030692/cctvforum/pos-small.JPG

GOOD cams:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4030692/cctv...good_cam-1.jpg http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4030692/cctvforum/pos-large.JPG

Because he PM'd me and asked me to look in on this thread.

Since I work with CCTV cameras for a living, I regularly see people buying cheap shit at Costco and Best Buy and Walmart and then wanting to know why the pictures look like crap. Then I have to explain to them why they wasted their money.

Just trying to help the OP spend his money wisely instead of throwing it away right off the top.

And why are YOU getting YOUR panties up in a bunch, since you haven't contributed a single thing to this thread?

Wow wow,

Guys, I appreciate all inputs in this thread. I haven't had time to reply in detail since my original post.

I am looking to have 3-5 cameras, front door, patio door, basement entrance and side door from garage. There has been some robberies in the area and some suspicious activities so I m thinking about having a setup that would discourage thieves. Of course, having a proper working system is important, at the same time, I m starting from the "Smile, you are on camera" approach.

I am a novice when it comes to home security therefore I have PM'ed Soundy (as he said, he does this for a living), however all input is much appreciated.

Right now I m just thinking how am I going to get wiring (power) to the cameras and should I invest the extra premium on wireless? Also should I DIY or am I just better off hiring a professional?

Again, thanks to all.

K.

Wireless isn't a "premium" - for the most part, it's a waste of time unless you're using specific, purpose-designed stuff. Most analog wireless cameras operate in the same 2.4GHz band as WiFi, cordless phones, cordless keyboards and mice, and any number of other sources of interference. You need a separate receiver on a separate channel for each one; they're very limited in distance (especially when you put walls in the way), and they're not secure.

The only way wireless cameras become at all reliable or secure is using IP cameras over WiFi.

Plus, "wireless" cameras are never truly wireless: you still have to power them somehow. By the time you run power to them, since the toughest part is usually the last couple feet punching through the building envelope, you might as well run power and video together all the way.

Most straight-forward method in a residential setup is usually to pull wiring through the attic, poke them through the soffit, and mount the cameras there. Easiest thing is generally to use UTP cable (Cat3, 5e, or 6) with video baluns, to run video and power all over a single cable - it's cheaper than separate coax and power, and a lot easier to work with.

Thanks Soundy, my budget is under 1000. What setup/brand would you recommend?

Well, the PC-based DVRs we normally use run in the $2000-$4000 range :troll: but I've recently been testing a really nice little standalone unit. I'm not generally a fan of standalones because the ones I've used have all been seriously limited in features, performance and quality, but this one has really impressed me. The four-channel model goes for around $450 without hard drive, although you might want to consider an 8-channel if you plan to go to five or more cameras (BTW, the site linked to above is really good to buy from - tell them I sent you!).

Our go-to camera for most customers is the CNB VCM-24VF - solid vandal-resistant dome, true day/night with excellent low-light performance, can be flush or surface mounted, and has 2.8-10.5mm lens that gives you a pretty good range to adjust view angle vs. level of detail. There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all camera, but this one comes pretty close.

Four of those plus that DVR puts you a little over at $1110, but it's some really great gear that will serve well in the long run. Or start with only three cameras and the 8-channel DVR at $570 (total of $1065), and you'll have lots of room to add more cameras later.

BTW, you probably don't need cameras with built-in IR "night vision"... most of the time, built-in IR (which costs about $1-$2 for them to add) is done to compensate for a cheap camera that has poor low-light performance... here are a few samples from the VCM-24VF I have outside my front door:

Daytime:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4030692/cctv.../cnb%20day.jpg

Night, with the porch light:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4030692/cctv...ht%20light.jpg

Night, without porch light - only lighting is from street lights:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4030692/cctv...%20nolight.jpg

One street light is right at the base of the stairs (you can see its base to the left of the picture)... the others are 30m and 60m away:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4030692/cctv...b/lighting.jpg

BTW, some brief examples of different lens lengths, to give you an idea of the relevance of "2.8-10.5mm":

Untitled Page

I agree with Soundy on the VCM-24VF cameras. I installed four of those cameras around my house, ran the Cat5 wiring through the attic and used a Geovision card in a computer. Soundy did final termination work at the cameras and at the card dongle and power supplies. The cameras are really good and I've pretty happy with them. I bought them online from down in the US, about 1/2 the price from here. The sellers up here are pretty tight about selling to the public.

The only thing I would do differently is get away from the Geovision card and computer and go to a PC based DVR unit. I find that for some reason when I watch the recorded pictures, it looks like it's raining on the screen. But it's only on two of the channels and if I swap the camera feeds around, it stays on the same channels, not with the cameras. So that tells me that the card and the computer don't play along nicely.

^Yeah, that was a weird one - we tried two different cards and two different sets of cables, too. I think you even did a full reinstall of Windows and the GV software?

GV's not a bad system (not the best, but not bad), but it does have some oddities.

^Yup. Did everything. Even downloaded a newer version of the Geovision software and ran that. I think it's something to do with the computer, maybe it needs a good video card since the cameras do transmit a pretty good picture. The raindrop problem is really only visible for night shots.

Domani, I'd recommend you look carefully at where you want to position the cameras. I put mine high so I can look down onto my vehicles but found that I can't see the faces of anyone around them. Less conspicuous or hidden cameras just above eye level combined with higher cameras would work well. When I did mine, I didn't know what I wanted, now I have a much better idea.

damn, lots of good info in this thread. I'll likely be doing the same thing as the OP once I move.

Also, hot damn on the brunette cashier

BTW... that DVR I linked to a great unit - does full frame-rate at full resolution on all channels, and so on - but the site does have other good units with slightly lower specs as well. If that one's a bit spendy, drop them an email and ask about some of the others they have - Sean (the owner) is a good guy and I trust his judgement.

Selling a security camera, pm me

http://www.revscene.net/forums/66285...ty-camera.html

$100 for that?? :IDL Swann is bottom of the barrel when it comes to CCTV products.

Most I would pay is $30 for that thing....and only use it indoor / well lighted areas.
Are you sure its BNIB? Looks like some kind of open box....or refurbish item judging by the tapes.