Home Security Camera's

[BKExpress]

I'm looking into home security cameras in an effort to protect my home and guns. Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

[yotewacker]

I have them at home and work. I really like being able to see what I need to anytime from anywhere.

 

[Thegeek]

I have a Night Owl Apollo 45. 4 low light cameras, DVR with network access. It has it's drawbacks, but the presence of cameras is worth a lot. I can even access mine through my cell phone. Biggest benefit is that I can keep an eye on my son from the time he get's home, to the time I get home. He know's he'll be caught, so the electronic babysitter works!

Drawbacks: image is grainy. The night mode is done with LEDs lighting the field and the camera can see the IR. Short range on that with the granular image and 40 feet from the house you can't see even a license plate. The night mode is easily washed out by headlights, street lights, etc.

Benefits: great deterrent. No one screws with UPS packages on my porch. My kid doesn't go outside when he's not supposed to. Would be car break-ins walk away, and I've seen this twice! Neighborhood kids stay out of my garage. It's amazing how much BS stops just because they know you can prove it.

It was cheap. I think about $230 for everything on tigerdirect.com, and I installed it all in about 2 hours.

 

[BKExpress]

I want to cover all 4 sides of house as well as a camera pointing to my detached garage which is approximately 100 foot behind my house. A couple areas may be hard to access in attic so wireless may be my only option. Any other brands/recommendations are appreciated.

 

[williamsburg]

I have this set-up. I can also watch when away from from with the internet set-up. 8 cameras may seem much but I first had one that only had 4 and felt it would be good having a few more.

Swann 8Channel, 8Camera IndoorOutdoor Surveillance System SWDVK-825508C - Best Buy

I ran the wires just under the overhang on the out side.

 

[Sailor]

Start with how much you want to spend. At 100 feet your camera may sense movement you will be able to id anything unless you have a very expensive IP camera. Search the forum there were some detailed posts about this.

 

[HiRoller]

They keep my kids honest too !!

 

[Brandon]

Paging Melensdad.
Do a quick search, this has been discussed a few times on here before.

I too have a Swann set up and while it works and is easy to set up it's not the greatest.
If you are on a budget go to Swannstore USA - USA's #1 Online store for Swann Security Products where they have refurbished units a lot cheaper.

Only tip I can say is get the highest tv line camera(s) you can afford and to read up on how far and how little light it will see/need in the dark and not to go off the packaging.

 

[Sailor]

If your camera does not have an auto iris close pics at night will be washed out.

 

[BKExpress]

I would like to get in under $750 for everything. I suppose I could set up a different unit on the detached garage/barn in back. I have heard some people hide the DVD within the home so any burglers cannot find it to remove the memory card???

 

[Tripp11]

VUPDBlue also knows quite a bit about this topic....or I think he did/does.

 

[Glock Fan]

Take a look at Alarm.com - Home Security Systems, Alarm Monitoring, Video & Energy Management.. Excellent wireless cameras. All video housed on their servers. Droid/iPhone friendly. Can be set up to send you video clip any time the cameras sense motion. The IR for night vision is pretty good but subject to wash out by headlights.

 

[Brandon]

What ever you do, make sure you are able to view it from the web either via pc or smart phone.

 

[monitor51]

How about this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxBa5bQfTGc

 

[danil]

The ability to see whats going on at your house from anywhere that you have internet access is a nice feature. If you can go wired-- that can be a plus. I've had some issues with crossover and interference. And, get set up initially for everything you want-- some of these make it harder to add on later and configuring new add-on product can be a pain.

 

[TheUziButton]

Objective: Before selecting/building your camera system, take the time and clearly define your objective. If your objective is to just verify your kids aren’t getting into trouble, then the $200-$300 camera kits will work just fine for you and you don’t need to read the rest of my post below. If your objective is to protect valuable assets at a specific location, one needs to select specific cameras for each application/location. For example you may want to be able to show your video to the police if there is a break in and your assets are stolen. The police will need clear video to view facial features in order make a positive ID of the individual. In order to do this, it is desirable for the camera to have good quality lenses, high resolution, good performance at high ISO levels (low light performance), appropriate focal length for the distance from the camera to the subject, and good IR illuminator coverage.

Wired Vs. Wireless IP Cameras: With wireless cameras you will still have to have a wire in order to connect the camera to a power source. Furthermore, the signal to noise ratio increases with wireless camera units. With the advent of power over Ethernet (POE), wired cameras can be powered over the same cable as the data. This means a stable and clear signal and that you only have to run one cable to the camera.

Camera Selection:
For many indoor applications, this would be a good choice…
Vivotek FD8134
http://www.vivotek.com/web/product/ProductDetail.aspx?Model=FD8134

For many outdoor applications, this would be a good choice…
Vivotek FD8134
http://www.vivotek.com/web/product/ProductDetail.aspx?Model=FD8134V

Here is why…
-Good IR illuminator coverage
-Excellent dynamic range: In other words, the ability to see details in very bright areas and very dark areas, in high contrast lighting situations
-POE ready: You only have to run one cable to each camera
-auxiliary connector allows the camera to power additional external IR illuminators
-Field of view suits most applications
-Intelligent motion activation can be set to only record if it sees something moving in an area you designate. Furthermore, sensitivity can be adjusted so you don’t get tons of footage of blowing leaves or branches.
-High resolution (1280x800 at 30fps)
-Output can be streamed over the internet (password protected)
-Onboard micro SD card slot enables you to record video or snapshots locally on the camera if you do not want to have a server
-No fog, weatherproof, shock resistant, broad range of operating temperatures
-You can buy replacement parts if needed. Which is a serious problem with other store bought camera kits. Store bought camera kits tend to lack longevity and durability. On top of that, they tend to be manufactured by an obscure Chinese company no one has heard of, so when one of the cameras dies and you need it repaired or replaced by the manufacturer, you are SOL.

This is a good choice for a POE IP switch in order to power the cameras and run data.
TRENDnet TPE-S44
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...re=trendnet_poe_switch-_-33-156-229-_-Product

Installation:
Connect each camera via CAT 5E Ethernet cable (preferably outdoor rated) using a J45 inline female coupler. Then connect this cable to the designated POE ports on the IP switch. Then connect the POE/IP switch via CAT 5E Ethernet cable to your home router. You will now be able to access each camera using your computer or mobile device using the software provided with your cameras. Alternately you can type the IP address of each camera into a web browser in order to view the signal.

To view the signal via the internet:
To view via the internet you will need to verify that your internet service provider has incoming ports opened. Sometimes your ISP blocks ports in order to prevent you doing certain activities, thus, using excessive upload bandwidth. You can call the ISP and tell them your intent and have the ports opened up. Finally, you will need to go into your router and set up port routing that enable connections from ports to rout to specific cameras. For example, if you were at a hotel and wanted to access camera #1 at home, you would type in 73.161.159:153 (just an example IP) to a web browser. 73.161.159 would be your WAN IP address at home and :153 designates what port to connect to. Your router associates port 153 (arbitrary number and can be a port of your choice) with the LAN IP address of camera #1, thus, you will get feed from this particular camera.

Recording:
Recording of captured video can be done by any PC connected to the router but it is more desirable to have a PC that is solely designated to record video because it can be fairly resource intensive if there are multiple streams of megapixel quality video recording at the same time. It is also desirable to have the video server hidden so that the intruder doesn’t steal it in order to cover his tracks. Furthermore, you may consider creating a decoy server for the intruder to steal.

 

[Brandon]

I would avoid cheaper wireless systems at all costs.

 

[PaxRomana]

Even higher priced wireless cams are hit or miss. The entry level wireless stuff is garbage. Go wired if you can. Swann is good for entry level equipment. Their DVRs work fine and the cams are serviceable. They also have pretty good customer support if needed. Be aware that outdoor cameras do have a lifespan of 1-3 years average (unless you live in a stable climate), indoors are indefinite barring electrical damage of some kind. Depending on how many cameras you had in mind, $750 is a reasonable budget. You might also check out Everfocus, a bit more expensive but better quality than Swann.

 

[dbishop728]

I am wanting to purchase one too and I was looking at night owl but I am glad I didnt after reading some of these replies. Thanks for the info everyone

 

[Brandon]

Here are a few links to past conversations on this subject:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...ster_preparedness/238836-security_camera.html

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break_room/214905-home_security_sytems_cameras.html

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break_room/220096-home_security_gurus_inside.html