Anyone have experience with home security cameras

[71silverbullet]

I would like to install about 4 outdoor home security cameras. Anyone here have experience with these, good or bad?
I want to be able to record, infra red, motion detection would be nice, as would online viewing.
I want to do the install myself. I am mechanically inclined, and fairly profecient with wiring and electronics.
Any tips, or brand suggestons?

 

[Dogman]

If your close to Fishers check out Fry's. They carry everything you would need.

www.frys.com

 

[ejm874]

FWIW, I'd recommend reading this WTHR story about wireless security systems and the ability for anyone to see the feed should they desire to do so. If they'll only be placed outside I presume others being able to view the feed wirelessly wouldn't matter as much as if they were inside your home. However, it is still a good read if you have any desire to mount some inside or if your property is secluded and you'd prefer not to allow anyone to access the feed. Wired may be more time consuming and labor intensive to install, but the peace of mind that comes along with wired may justify the extra effort. A LEO friend of mine just installed cameras around his home and detached garage and went wired after seeing this story.

13 Investigates: Who's watching you? - 13 WTHR

E

 

[Brandon]

frys has the perfect kit for you. It is made by Swann. 1TB hard drive, 4 indoor/outdoor cameras with the wire to the dvr concealed inside the base/mounting area and 60' bnc cables per camera.

I have the bigger version of this with the 8 cameras. really nice set up. Can hook it up the the net and watch on a smart phone or a pc.

(just got my kit a couple of weeks ago and finally installed here recently. all but 2 of the cameras' wires are concealed to inside the house... 2 are not, but by the time you cut those its to late... here is a link to the camera with it's specs http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=MVpETrv5Gsq40AHWwbDBCQ&ved=0CIQBEPMCMAg

 

[Designer99]

If your close to Fishers check out Fry's. They carry everything you would need.

www.frys.com

+1

I got a nice camera at Fry's to keep a watch over my goodies. It has motion detection that sends an alert to my phone when detected. I can also log in to the camera from anywhere via my phone anytime and get live audio and video.

 

[Designer99]

Ehh. That story was BS. If you have the proper passwords in place on your router, you're fine. WTHR was referring to people that are too stupid to activate the security and passwords on they're wireless systems.

FWIW, I'd recommend reading this WTHR story about wireless security systems and the ability for anyone to see the feed should they desire to do so. If they'll only be placed outside I presume others being able to view the feed wirelessly wouldn't matter as much as if they were inside your home. However, it is still a good read if you have any desire to mount some inside or if your property is secluded and you'd prefer not to allow anyone to access the feed. Wired may be more time consuming and labor intensive to install, but the peace of mind that comes along with wired may justify the extra effort. A LEO friend of mine just installed cameras around his home and detached garage and went wired after seeing this story.

13 Investigates: Who's watching you? - 13 WTHR

E

 

[71silverbullet]

I don't think they were accessing the router. The wireless camera sends a signal to a receiver, they don't even have to be hooked to a router unless you want to view from the internet.
Anyone with a camera scanner can pick up this frequency and easily see what your camera sees. The story is valid.

 

[Naptown]

+1 on swann

I had 2 cameras on my old house and the dvr was very nice for the money. I'm going to upgrade even more on the next home as it'll be our 10+ year home. Pretty cool seeing what goes on around your house when you are not at home.

 

[melensdad]

Get the HIGHEST resolution you can afford. 500 to 600 lines of resolution. Anything below 500 is pretty much worthless. Don't expect to see distant objects very clearly either. A typical 'good quality' color daytime/IR nighttime camera with 600 lines of resolution will 'see' clearly for about 35 to 50 feet. Oh, you'll be able to identify cars and large object at longer ranges but not faces.

My preference are the armored dome type cameras that are weather and vandal resistant. They'll still work if hit by a baseball bat, but nothing will take repeated blows by a bat. The armored dome cameras also can't be poked with a stick by the neighborhood idiot kids and made to point the wrong direction.

 

[71silverbullet]

Thanks for all the info so far. Those dome cameras are pretty pricey!
Fry's doesn't have the one I liked in stock (4 camera) Home depot has a few online only, maybe I'll try Best Buy over the weekend I was told they carry them

 

[melensdad]

Thanks for all the info so far. Those dome cameras are pretty pricey!

A decent 600 line resolution daylight color dome camera will cost you about $200 to $250 with an 'actual' and practical B&W nighttime IR range of roughly 50' at night.

Realize you buy cameras so you can see/record events. Cheap cameras will not have the resolution or will not have the night vision capabilities. Buy it once and complain about the price or buy cheap the first time and then replace it after you are dissatisfied.

BTW, with the IR night vision cameras, whatever effective IR range they advertise, you should cut that by at least 1/3 and more likely 1/2 is appropriate for real life use. This is true of all consumer grade equipment and many of the professional grade cameras too.