Security Cameras for home and garage

[RussellinNC]

Im sure there are a million options but anyone got any advice on where & what to buy without going broke? Night vision cams,recorder,etc?

I would like to put some cameras around my garage and house.

Thanks
Russell
Statesville,NC

 

[RobsIron]

You can buy the 'do it youself' kits at Harbor Freight or Sams. Get the infrared color cameras(color by day, bw at night)with the DVR. Made in China,:frown:but cheap.

 

[chopped39]

My alarm is an ademco. all wireless sensors has provisions for a camera .As soon as one of my sensors is tripped it calls my cell phone second call is the police station.Thats $20.00 a month. My friend has the same alarm that is hooked to his phone, laptop and pc except his is full audio and video.Mine with no camera was $550.00 including the modem and I had to install it and then the guy came out and programed it. With the list of your cars maybe some pIttbulls with aids and some help from SMITH AND WESSON. dont they make scopes that record.

 

[datant69]

alotta options

but a DVR and a few camera's in good locations are your best bet, BW are the best at night because they have a wide spectrum of shades between those 2 colors that they'll capture in low light area's. most places you can get kits and a DVR that will do time lapsed recording. most of the ones i've seen were about 4-500 easily just depends on how much you want to cover. only thing that sucks is unless you have one on the street you won't really get a pic of any cars that may be waiting or people walking up. i've got a few in choice locations and they are run to a DVR and then split to my TV in the bedroom so i can see who's knocking on the door, and what's going on in the driveway. just a thought, easy to install, not alot of wires and most of time people don't see them if your good at hiding them. you do have alot of options just depends on your requirements and budget. good luck

 

[ts87ttype]

I got mine from costco online. They have a lot to choose from, mine is 4 outdoor night vision with a dvr. It can be monitored via the internet. It's a Q-See product and I recently had a cable failure, searched on the web for a replacement, cost $18 with free shipping. I like that if you have any problems with an online costco purchase you take it to the store for a refund.

HTH

 

[RussellinNC]

What about wireless cameras? Are they available and worth a crap without breaking the bank?

I thought about the Pit Bull but a crackhead theif would probably steal him too.

Smith and Wesson already on my side but im just trying to provide for when im not around.

Thanks for any and all tips!!
Russell

 

[ts87ttype]

I do not know what if any encryption the wireless systems would have? Problem is crooks today are very computer/electronics savvy. I would worry about them watching to determine a routine.

 

[gofstbuick]

We bought our security system from safemart. They market ademco and GE simon. An X10 capable system should provide you the triggers for the camera(s). We chose a hardwired system, because I was afraid of signal jamming. The newer systems now have a deterrent for signal jamming. The difference between me and chopped39 is that I'm the monitor. Once the alarm activates, I receive the call. I installed a voice module, so I can hear the activity in my residence. If one of my kids accidently activate the alarm, the voice module is two-way, so I can have a conversation with them once the phnoe lines are grabbed. I also incorporated wired smokes and CO detector.

 

[SFITurbo]

I am using an SVAT Clearvu2 4 camera constant/motion/IR/color digital system, Easy install and setup for just under $500.

 

[gnxtc2]

Being in the LE field, I have reviewed many videos of crimes. Most of the videos are worthless unless they are high dollar ones. Most video surveillance systems do not have the sharp resolution needed to recognize the actor(s).

Example, you focus your camera to the front door, the surrounding area will be a blur. So you really need two camera on one location.

Another thing, what type of recording device are you going to use, if you choose to record? A DVD will only hold enough video footage. To lengthen the record time, then you need to set up the record in "time lapse" mode. This means it'll only record every 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, it will depend on you which time you pick. Live records will fill DVDs and they'll need to be change more often. It's not as simple as you think.

Your best bet is install an alarm system that makes alot of noise. Most burglars do not like noise.

I'm also a licensed electrician and have install a few video, fire and burglary systems. And still do electrical work.

Billy T.
gnxtc2@aol.com

 

[RobsIron]

Russell, My first post was in response to you wanting to keep it inexpensive.

If you want to do it right go with a remote view capable 500 gig embedded chip DVR with a CD burner, Infrared 1/3" Varifocal 4-9mm lens with 480+ lines of resolution.
My company would install the DVR and 4 cameras for around $3k. Add another $500 for motion activated cameras. Commercial grade...no chinese chit.

The Varifocal will give you a wider range than a fixed lens. The 480 LOR will give a clear pic. Embedded chip DVR is better than a PC based chip DVR.

Get a monitored burglar alarm too. Don't forget to add smoke/fire detectors with it.

 

[DailyDrifter]

Im sure there are a million options but anyone got any advice on where & what to buy without going broke? Night vision cams,recorder,etc?

I would like to put some cameras around my garage and house.

Thanks
Russell
Statesville,NC

There is a guy in Apex that has this in his house, Robertmee is his name on here. I think he did the install himself also. Send him a PM and see what he says.

 

[RussellinNC]

Thanks for the info...Any and all is welcome!!! I have lived in this house about 8+ years and im out in the country kinda and next to me is a rental house. Never really had any trouble with anyone who has lived there but now there is a family and one guy probably late 40s that does not seem real bright and I just dont trust him. I have a bunch of wrecks I have bought over the years. Some I sell parts off of and some I bought just to use for myself. I sold him a antilock brake controller off a Grand Am a while back for $20 bucks on credit. Took him two months to pay for what was to be paid for in a week. I never said anything...No big deal but he did finally pay. I came home one day and he asked what I wanted for a tag light. I said lets go look at which one you want...His response was...Well...I already got it off a car. I was not happy to say the least....but it was off the same Grand Am and i said he could have it but to NEVER take anything off the cars without asking because some things were not for sale. A month later I noticed a wrecked 94 Fleetwood Cadillac that I have someone had helped themselves to the aftermarket CD player out of it. I cant prove he did it and he said he didnt take it but I just dont know. So thats one reason why its past time for me to upgrade some security measures around here before something really expensive gets stolen. I let the neighbor know I would bury someone where they fell after I shot them with some hollow points if I caught them stealing. As someone else said on here....If the police cant find a missing little girl on an Amber alert who is gonna miss a thief right?

 

[Bent6]

CCTV is like cars - you can spend as little or as much as you want - depends on how fancy you want to get. Check out Pro Security Warehouse CCTV Cameras and Equipment in Orlando, FL.

I am in retail and do the majority of my own electrical work and all of my own survelliance installations. The DIY systems from the box stores are inexpensive but OK at best - they don't last very long and exansion/replacement parts can be an issue. Go for varifocal lenses and get cameras with either a low lux rating and/or IR illumination for best low light videos.

Ganz has a good line of relatively inexpensive cameras and DVRs - I installed a 16cam DVR system last year and was very impressed with the quality for the amount of $$ invested. Go with the biggest HDD on the DVR you can afford - most can be programmed to record at specific times, when sensors are triggered, or can sense motion and then record. Remote monitoring capability is also a plus - I can watch any of my systems from anywhere in the world as long as I have an internet connection. You'll be happier and spend less $$ in the long run if you invest a little more up front on quality equipment.

 

[sleepingbuick]

Just get a rott and a gun. You'll be set.

 

[robertmee]

There is a guy in Apex that has this in his house, Robertmee is his name on here. I think he did the install himself also. Send him a PM and see what he says.

Hey, don't be giving away all my secrets

Yes, I have an 8 channel DVR card that I slapped into one of many used PC's I come across. The card handles all the video processing, so any old PIII PC is sufficient. Throw in a big HD and you have a relatively inexpensive CCTV setup. I used a Geovision card. You have to be careful with multi-channel cards and read the specs carefully. For good motion capture you really need in the 6 to 10 FPS (frames per second) record rate. The problem is that many of the inexpensive DVRs advertise 25 FPS but that's across all channels. So if you are recording 8 cameras, you get an effective record rate of 3 FPS which gives choppy video. The Geovision software has all the bells and whistles, and offers various remote server options (TCP, web, jpeg, e-mail alerts, et al). For viewing, I have the camera feeds paralleled into my video distribution so I can see any camera on any TV. I also have some inexpensive touchscreens around that show a matrix display of all the cameras with a blown up view of any camera recording motion.

As for the cameras, I used some B&W w/ IR and audio built in. They were $40 bucks a pop and give 480 lines of resolution. Any less rez, and you can't discern faces, etc. The IR is okay for facial recognition at a door, but won't do much beyond about 5 to 8'. BUT, that could be supplemented w/ additional IR blasters. The nice feature on the cams I chose is that they used a single 8 conductor cable to transmit power, video, audio, IR and motion detection. So, with a single Cat5 cable, it made installation a snap. Some of the other cameras use RG59 coax and require a separate 18/2 power feed. You can get coax/18/2 combo cabled (often called siamese). Others use proprietary cables (like the costco systems) that can make pulling the cable through walls/ceilings a pain.

One caveat....I designed and installed my system about 7 years ago. In that time, I've had one camera failure. BUT, as with anything electronic, there have likely been great leaps and bounds in technology and my setup may no longer be a viable option out of the box. If I were building a new house and doing it again, I might consider some of the Panasonic PoE cameras. These are powered over Ethernet. A single Cat5 cable and the data is streamed across your normal TCP/IP network. These also offer remote pan/tilt features and of course remote internet connectivity. Not sure what the centralized DVR options are with them, but I imagine there's stuff available.

 

[robertmee]

PS....

Here's one of the first thiefs I caught with the system

 

[DailyDrifter]

Hey, don't be giving away all my secrets

Sorry :biggrin:. I'll have to call you sometime soon, I have some questions and they need to be answered immediatly