Home Security Camera System.

DonkeyOatie · May 8, 2015

Mods, move this where it needs to be if this is wrong.

I live in an area where Alarm response time for Police can be 20 minutes, long enough for someone to break through the door, grab stuff, and be long gone before any response. Which is what happened yesterday.

There is a rash of this in the area, (another one a bock or two away on the same day) and I realize the limitations of response.

The used gloves and there was no recoverable trace evidence and quite a string of similar robberies around.

I am thinking of install in some cameras to watch the approaches to our house, and houses nearby, in case someone 'cases' the joint, and to capture pictures of anyone in the act. That would help put an end to this.

I'm in the USA and looking for helpful input. Four cameras will give me the coverage of the exterior I need. Wired/wireless? DIY or Prosumer.

Experience and advice accepted.

USAFRet · May 8, 2015

I have such a system. 4 camera, DVR, IR, motion detection, accessible online...

Unless you spend a LOT on cameras, you won't be able to recognize a particular person, unless he is REALLY close to the camera. It will be "some dude in a red hoodie and jeans".

Wireless? No. That just increases the attack surface.

Next up...unless you are actually watching it ALL the time, you don't know until after the fact.
Next up...motion detection. It is actually quite hard to get this right. Bushes blowing, passing clouds, neighbors flag...all can trigger the MD.
Next up...bugs. If the cameras are outside, spiders LOVE these things. And of course, crawling in front of the lens triggers the motion detection.

It's fun having it, but for deterrence, buy a couple of fake cameras and mount them prominently.

DonkeyOatie · May 8, 2015

I don't care about prevention. After the fact is fine. I was hoping that 1080p would be enough for identification of vehicles and general information on people. I'm planning to record all the time, not motion detection, but perhaps only one frame every 1/x of a second. I' have 10Tb of available space on my server and would just copy over when it gets full, which I hope will be every few days at least. I'm happy to devote an hour or so a week blasting though, looking for things.
'
The HOA does not allow prominently mounted cameras, they worry 'potential buyers and drop property values'. I have some spots I can set them up where they will not be noticed.

Thanks for the input USAFRet.

I also plan some hidden cameras inside.

We live in a house with a lot of glass and by a golf course, so smashing through a window or door is easy. They can't get away with anything big, like a TV or computer and there is only one road exit to our area, a mile away.

I want these people caught. The terrorized our dogs and I'm NOT turning our house into a fortress. (no fences/hedges/gates in this subdivision either)

USAFRet · May 8, 2015

1080p might work. These things have improved since I bought mine 6(?) years ago.

At 100% recording, mine saves several days on the HDD before overwriting.

DonkeyOatie · May 9, 2015

I don't have a clue about brands or prices. Any recommendations or web-sites. Thanks for the input so far.

One camera will be about 20 feet from the front door (the only opening in the front wall of our house, and will catch them by 'surprise' as they turn around a short wing-wall that will conceal it from the street. Another will fit in the roof of a birdfeeder covering the approach and the street, and the other two will cover the back of the house; the sides are only feet from the neighbors and you cannot get there without passing through at least one camera zone.

1080p is a lot of MB per minute at 30FPS from four cameras, but storage is cheap.

Wireles cameras would mean I can use existing power, but would not need to install new cables, but working is much better than ease of installation. I'd like to be able to get a feed for a monitor on my desk from my homework server, but there must be an app for that.

USAFRet · May 9, 2015

I personally dislike wireless cameras. One more intrusion point.

In my system, the DVR is just another device on the LAN. It outputs to a spare monitor, but that is not necessary. I can pull up the live video on any PC in the house, or remotely if I'm on vacation. I do NOT leave that router port open, unless I am out of town for several days.

I have the default set to show all 4 cameras, but expands one window when it detects motion.

A few years ago, we went on vacation. I enlisted my daughter to come over and feed the cat.
I had to call her up after a couple of days and ask,
"Jessica...why haven't you fed the cat?"
'DAD!! How do you know these things?'
"Because I'm looking at an empty cat bowl"

2 years ago, I happened to notice a small pickup truck stop outside the house. 2 guys jumped out, and took the street sign out of the truck and dumped it on the lawn.
It was actually the street sign, which is hidden from view from the house by a large bush.
Called the police, and when he showed up..."Wanna see the video?" I pulled it up on the 60". Couldn't really tell faces (60' away), but we knew the make/model of truck, color, and approx year.

Brands? Swann, Lorex (I have this), there are others.
My setup was ~$160 about 5 years ago. 4 cameras, little DVR that hooks on the VESA mount on the back of the spare monitor.
It even has an alarm if it loses signal from one of the cameras.

DonkeyOatie · May 9, 2015

I could go as far as this, but would rather be cheaper, but effective is more important.

http://www.costco.com/Lorex-8-Channel-HD-NVR-Security-System-with-2TB-HDD-and-4-1080p-Cameras.product.100153164.html

USAFRet · May 9, 2015

DonkeyOatie :

That's pretty much an uprated version of what I have. It will work quite well. And has 4 extra camera channels if you want to expand later.

Be wary when they say "Night Vision up to 130ft in ambient lighting & up to 80ft in complete darkness"
Sure, it sees things at 80' out. You can't actually recognize anything, though.

And as said above, spiders LOVE the IR illumination.

DonkeyOatie · May 9, 2015

Thanks again. Most of the problems here are during the day, so night vision will be of limited value but....

Is this something I can get from, say Newegg? Like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1CZ2504024

I've installed internet networks before and know how to run cable. Any other problems?

I'll keep this open for a day or so, then Solve it.

USAFRet · May 9, 2015

DonkeyOatie :

From Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Video-Monitoring-Kits-All-in-One-Systems/SubCategory/ID-693

Many, many systems. Lorex, Zmodo, Swann. Not huge difference between. At a particular price point, the actual cameras probably all come out of the same factory.

The one annoying thing I dislike about the Lorex I have is the remote monitoring application. It relies on ActiveX. In FireFox, I have to run it in IETab.
Other than that, it works perfectly.

Be sure you change the default passwords for all access levels.

DonkeyOatie · May 9, 2015

I have just discovered the benefits of PoE IP, so I will have more flexibility in camera placement since I won't need power. Another advantage over wireless. Since the come with HDDs, any particular size, con I upgrade myself?

I'll check that Newegg link. The Swann HD Platinum seems good price/performance.

EDIT: My short list.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16881339153
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1CZ2504024

USAFRet · May 9, 2015

DonkeyOatie :

For IP cameras, yes. Mine also has only one cable...video. The IP/networking is handled by the DVR.

And yes, you can probably change the HDD. Unknown as to the process of getting the OS on the new one though. I've never looked into it.
Mine (most?) is a customized Linux instance.

DonkeyOatie · May 12, 2015

Thanks for the input. I'm planning to go with the Swann Platinum HD, with 2 TB and 4 1080p IP PoE cameras.

JeWall · Nov 11, 2015

Camera is a good option but if you need full coverage of your house then you will need more than one camera. I live in an apartment at Toronto and I have a 4 channel DVR package at my apartment so that the doors, hallways and balcony can be captured. If you are staying a house with a front-yard and a backyard you can go for a 8 channel DVR ( http://cspalarms.ca/cctvsecuritycameras/ ).

DonkeyOatie · Nov 11, 2015

This thread is solved and inactive for many monthr, please let it lie in peace. The package mentioned above contains four cameras, and there is an installation thread somewhere which shows how it went in.

Derek_18 · Feb 1, 2016

I've been using the original Netgear Arlo cameras for 6 months now, and I couldn't be happier! I can view real-time live feed of up to 5 cameras all from an app on my smart phone or any web browser. Here is a detailing of my experience: http://myrobotichouse.com/netgear-arlo-home-security-wifi-camera/

USAFRet · Feb 1, 2016

Derek_18 :

Any particular reason your very first post here is glomming onto a year old, long solved thread?
Might you have connections with that company?

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