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Home security cameras

6K views 30 replies 22 participants last post by  Glock4488 
#1 ·
I'm not sure if this has been addressed before of if this is the place for it but does anyone have any experience or advice on self installed security cameras? I've just started shopping around and would welcome any input.
Thanks
 
#2 · (Edited)
Defender works well, easy to install. Easy software, some models can be viewed by phone. Get the longest range infrared, like eighty feet.
 
#5 ·
I am a little gun shy when it comes to talking about video cams, I have been called a paranoid. I have video on the inside and outside of my home and also in my primary family vehicle. My system was installed by ADT, was rather costly but it makes my family feel safer.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I wondered about the ADT system with monitoring. Can you give an idea of what you got for how much?
Oops(edit)...you're gun shy about this kind of talk. Understandable, wouldn't give my system specs out online anyway...It's like talking about gunsafes, I'll only go so far in describing mine.
 
#7 ·
I believe there are tons of information on Youtube.com
 
#8 ·
I believe the quest is for a person who has hands on knowledge of security cameras. Youtube can take a person a bit into their quest, yet first hand knowledge from members here can give pros and cons in a less generic environment. And watch out for youtube: example: I have seen a guy on there who polished the hell out of his Taurus 1911 with 300 grit auto sandpaper and it looked great. Yet unless you read the comments extensively you won't know he smoothed the grips with the sandpaper and used simichrome on the gun.
 
#9 · (Edited)
How much are you willing to spend

What is your level of expertise with computer networking? How much are you willing to spend? Are you a DIY kind of guy?

There are two types of cctv systems. Analog Cameras and IP Network Cameras. Analog systems have been around for over 30 years and because of this, are affordable. They have hit a wall though. The maximum resolution a analog camera can send is 704x480 also known as D1 (TV NTSC) .

The higher the resolution the sharper the image, a decent analog camera is 520x480 or higher. Many companies that sell packages "cheap out" by including poor resolution cameras (usually around 480x480 lines). Another Important consideration Is the Digital Video Recorder (the box that actually records stuff) It is important to purchase a DVR that records at the same resolution that the camera outputs at,otherwise when you playback the video you will be disappointed. For example if your camera records at D1 resolution you want to make sure the DVR can record at the same resolution.

But what if you want something with a even higher resolution? Then you have to move to Internet Protocol Network Cameras. That is what I installed in my House. I am using 8 IK-WB30A 2MP cameras. The resolution is 1600 (H) x 1200 (V) , higher then 720p video. This is the stuff many newly built banks are using. When buying IP cameras , don't cheap out. There are many cheap brands that claim to have good specs but are actually crap. Stick with a name brand like Axis,Toshiba(what I am using),Sony or Arecont. There is no true limit to the resolution of IP cameras it is simply how much you want to spend. That is the down side, this stuff cost a lot. The IK-WB30A that I purchased for my house cost $450 each without the lens. The lens was another $50. You should have a decent understanding of computer networking , or be willing to learn to choose a IP system.

Sample video of Good IP camera Make sure to click 720p or 1080p and watch in fullscreen

Sample D1 Resolution of analog camera video clip ( Best resolution an analog camera can do)

Good guide to IP cameras, also applies to analog

So really it comes down to how much effort and time you are willing to spend.
 
#10 ·
What is your level of expertise with computer networking? How much are you willing to spend? Are you a DIY kind of guy?

There are two types of cctv systems. Analog Cameras and IP Network Cameras. Analog systems have been around for over 30 years and because of this, are affordable. They have hit a wall though. The maximum resolution a analog camera can send is 704x480 also known as D1 (TV NTSC) .

The higher the resolution the sharper the image, a decent analog camera is 520x480 or higher. Many companies that sell packages "cheap out" by including poor resolution cameras (usually around 480x480 lines). Another Important consideration Is the Digital Video Recorder (the box that actually records stuff) It is important to purchase a DVR that records at the same resolution that the camera outputs at,otherwise when you playback the video you will be disappointed. For example if your camera records at D1 resolution you want to make sure the DVR can record at the same resolution.

But what if you want something with a even higher resolution? Then you have to move to Internet Protocol Network Cameras. That is what I installed in my House. I am using 8 IK-WB30A 2MP cameras. The resolution is 1600 (H) x 1200 (V) , higher then 720p video. This is the stuff many newly built banks are using. When buying IP cameras , don't cheap out. There are many cheap brands that claim to have good specs but are actually crap. Stick with a name brand like Axis,Toshiba(what I am using),Sony or Arecont. There is no true limit to the resolution of IP cameras it is simply how much you want to spend. That is the down side, this stuff cost a lot. The IK-WB30A that I purchased for my house cost $450 each without the lens. The lens was another $50. You should have a decent understanding of computer networking , or be willing to learn to choose a IP system.

Sample video of Good IP camera Make sure to click 720p or 1080p and watch in fullscreen

Sample D1 Resolution of analog camera video clip ( Best resolution an analog camera can do)

Good guide to IP cameras, also applies to analog

So really it comes down to how much effort and time you are willing to spend.
Great info. Thanks for that, roboman.
 
#11 ·
#13 ·
IP cameras use a Ethernet cable , like the one you use to plug your modem into the back of your computer (if you are using a wired connection) They are relatively cheap , as amazon sells a 50 foot cable for 9.98. You can buy a huge spool of Cat 5 Ethernet cable BUT it is a pain in the behind to cut the wire and crimp it, look up how to crimp a how to crimp ethernet cable on youtube for more info, but they make it look easy. I just purchased a bunch of 25,50 and 100 foot cables and used a bunch of "RJ45 Coupler F-F Straight" to connect them together. Make SURE to buy only couplers that are straight. I orginally purchased couplers that stated "crossover" on them , that was a mistake, it did not work.

Here is the interesting thing about most IP cameras. Most cameras have a SD card slot that allow each IP camera to record , so each camera could be a dvr.
PRO:
  1. Bad guy would have to steal every single camera to get the video, as opposed to just one unit
  2. Does not require high end computer or dvr to record all cameras
  3. Reduce network congestion (if you run you cameras on the same network you use for internet and stuff)
CONS:
  1. Have to buy a SD card for every single camera
  2. If camera is stolen, all video is lost
  3. anoying to replace when SD card goes bad (around 5 years)
  4. It is annoying to access the video through the cameras built in web browser (each IP camera has its own web site that you login to change the settings and stuff)

There are two more options. If you want, you can actually stream every camera over the internet and have a DVR offsite that will record the video. The problem with that is you will need a super fast internet connection if you want to be able to stream the cameras over the internet to the offsite DVR at 100% of there original quality. It really depends on how many cameras you have and what resolution you want to stream them at. Every camera I have is set to a fixed bit rate of 8Mbps (Maximum Quality), so 8x8=64 Mbps! That means I need a internet connection with a 64 Mbps upload speed. That would cost over a thousand dollars a month not including installation.

So obviously I did not do that. The next option is to buy a IP DVR. The nice thing about that is lets say you buy a Toshiba network DVR and buy only Toshiba cameras , it will work without any problems. But what if you want to use some other company's IP camera? It will most likely not work.

So that is also off the table because I want freedom to do whatever I want. The next choice ( what I did ) was build myself a cheap computer (with a high-end cpu, that's what matters for live video encoding of the IP cameras) then I installed windows 7 and purchased a great piece of software that turns my computer into a DVR. It is called Blue Iris. It supports many different IP cameras and they are always adding more features and models that they support.

You might be wondering how to connect IP cameras to your computer. Okay, so every device on a network has something called a Internet Protocol Address. Your router normally automatically assigns every device on the network one, that process is called DHP or Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. It is like a home address, it lets devises on the network know were to send "packets" that contain information to. A typical local address looks something like 192.168.1.34 . It can range from 0.0.0.0/8 to 255.255.255.255 , so there is plenty of address for anything. So anyhow , you plug in a IP camera to the back of your router/modem and then run a program that is usually included with the camera that finds the IP address of the camera . Then you click on it and your web browser opens to the cameras web page, were you can adjust various settings. You then copy the IP address of the camera , then go into Blue Iris and select "add new camera" then enter the IP address that you copied and select the type of camera you have an vola! It should work. There are many options you can toy around with.

Now what happens if there is a power outage and your router goes down? The Router will assign everyone new IP address so now Blue Iris will look for the camera on 192.168.1.242 when now it has been assigned a new address of 192.168.23! This is why you should go into your camera website and go to network settings and set your camera to static IP mode so the address wont change.

One last thing, most IP cameras have a feature called PoE ( Power Over Ethernet ) this allows power and data to be sent over one Ethernet cable. For that to work though , you will need a special network switch that has the ability to send power over Ethernet. I used this Whatever you get, make sure each port can provide 15 watts of power , almost all IP cameras use around 6 or 7 watts but who knows? You might want to change something in the future.
 
#16 ·
I just ran across your post and went through the same thing recently and went with the Dlink http://www.dlink.com/category/productcategories/?cid=7 and have been quite happy with it. I'm on a budget so I needed something inexpensive, this was about $70 from Newegg.com if I recall. Motion detection, app for phone, and will email you when the motion detection goes off. Extremely easy to install as well. I've had it installed for about a month now and plan to buy a couple more of them.
 
#17 ·
I currently have two Foscam 89XX Series Cameras in the house. Since I am military I can't get an all inclusive system since most of my dwellings are rentals. One is set up in the Office/Gun Safe room, and the other is in the main part of the house. They both have IR and sound pickup. If I wanted I could attach a speaker to them and talk through either my phone or another computer. I can monitory via my phone and it works really well.
 
#19 ·
Your welcome,
Anyhow for 98% of people , I still recommend a all-in-one analog surveillance package due to the low cost and ease of use. When you buy a packaged system everything will work, no headaches. Only if you are crazy like me and asking for trouble ,or you have a large budget would I recommend a IP surveillance system.

For a high quality all-in-one analog system , I would recommend this . Its good because the DVR can record at full D1 resolution and it has eight inputs for future use. It comes with four high quality cameras. I say high quality , because according to the specifications, the camera resolution is D1 and it uses a CCD sensor to see instead of the cheaper CMOS sensor. CCD sensors are more sensitive at night and have better color reproduction but cost more to manufacture. The system comes with a great manual , that I recommend you read first. Here is the quick setup guide (applies to all analog systems) and here is the manual for the DVR.

FYI most systems come with a adjustable lens so you can zoom in or out, you will also need to focus the lens. Usually there are two knobs on the bottom of the camera that are used for zoom and focus. Every time you change the zoom. the focus will need to be adjusted to. Therefore I suggest you focus and zoom the camera before you mount it on its permanent location (focus and zoom it while staring at the screen you have hooked up to the dvr), also if you want you could purchase something like this , so you can mount the camera to its final location and zoom/focus it there. Simply plug in the BNC video output cable coming from the camera (almost all the time the cable coming out of the camera uses a BNC connector) to a BNC to RCA adapter, then plug the RCA adapter to the portable LCD screen. Most packaged systems come with the lens permanently attached, so you don't have to worry about what lens to choose.

Also a quick note on camera placement. This is common sense, but whatever. If you mount the camera too high , all you will see is a persons bald spot. If I could I would have mounted all my cameras at eye level , to capture the best images of a persons face. Of course I did not, because it looks too obvious and is too easy to steal then.
 
#20 ·
roboman.....I love all your tech knowledge, especially the cameras with the individual IP's. I used to have those. It is so much more work as you need to run the ethernet cable AND line voltage to every camera as they run on step down transformers. And they do get ripped off soffits, so I would never record to a camera that can be reached. I switched over to Defender on a few of my properties, easy plug and play cameras that, if you run them on the highest quality produce quite a clear image. The software allows for zooming on the recorded image, as well as printing it. The only problem I found with the highest quality is it does eat up the DVR space rapidly on constant record mode. That is easily fixed with setting cameras to motion mode so they only record if something moves it their "sight path". I did change some of the DVR hard drives to 2 terrabite(sp?) and let them run constantly. The trick is to hide the DVR in a cool, dry place, where an intruder can't find it and steal their own images. Any worthwhile thief will know there is a recorder once they see the cameras. There are sites that will allow for recording of your cameras to their system, but that is worthless if the phone wires are cut, and thieves cut the wires to disable the alarm. One other thing to think about is thieves are more and more hiding their faces cause they know cameras are present. They don't care about the cameras or the DVR cause they can't be identified. This is a good time to have the street covered with a camera to try to get a license plate. They need to carry the goods to a vehicle.

P.S.- I mentioned Defender because their product works and their customer service is friendly and knowledgeable.
 
#22 · (Edited)
When this thread was posted it inspired me to research for a home security system. It is something that I have been wanting to do for some time. I thought I would post what I got, what I paid, and how hard it was to get working.

I really didn't want to spend $1000-$2000 like many of the other systems I had looked at were going for. So I decided that I would use one of my computers as setup and storage and just buy IP cameras. I also had a goal to not pay a monthly fee for this system. I went with a DLink DCS-942L cameras http://mydlink.dlink.com/products/DCS-942L. I found them for $134 at Amazon. After I bought my first 2 cameras the price went to $142 for the 3rd one. There is free shipping on this item

DLink has a software package that is a free download. It can control up to 32 cameras. It will set the camera up, display video, store video to the hard disk, and replay the video. It took me about 3 hours of time to get the first camera working and that includes a learning curve for the software. The 2nd and 3rd camera were 10 minutes each. The software is very basic but it works. All data from all cameras is stored all the time in H.264 format. You can also use MPEG4. The software allows you to program the record time from each camera based on day of the week. I see no reason to not record all the time so mine is setup to record whenever the computer is on. However, some people may not want what they do when they are at home to be recorded. You can either adjust the time or manually turn off record any time you wish.

The cameras allow you to install a micro SD memory card in them for local recording as well as recording on the computer. The local recording is not fast enough to capture all data. So I use both local and computer recording. It basically stores the data in a cache, then wites it to memory. So it records for about 40 seconds and then doesn't record for about 20 seconds. The cameras can be used in wirelessN or connected to your router with an ethernet cable. They have a AC power cable when you use wireless and get the power over Ethernet when using the wired configuration. The cameras are infrared and record nicely in the dark. There is a motion detector on them and this can be setup to record pictures and/or videos upon motion detection. The setup also allows you to put in an email address and upon motion detection it will send you an email with an attached video or picture. A nice feature if you have a smart phone. There are 4 profiles that can be setup in the camera for snap shots or video. Each one can be configured differently as far as resolution. 640x480 is the top resolution. Not so hot by todays standards, but, this resolution is at the price breakpoint. Higher resolutions than this have a price increase that is exponential. Each one can be setup as to what to do with the data. You can email it, record locally, or send it to an FTP site. The host record feature is separate from the camera setup and it operates separately. I have the host and the camera recordings set up for circular storage. They will record until full and then start recording over the oldest files. The host records for 7 days and the 8 Gbytes SD cards get about 5 days.

I have 3 cameras. One is pointed across the livingroom at the back door. One is pointed across the livingroom to the front door. You can't walk through without both cameras capturing you. The third sits looking out my kitchen window and keeps an eye on my car and the street in front. All cameras record all the time locally and as well as to the computer. I have the 2 livingroom cameras also setup to send me email with a picture when motion is detected. The kitchen window camera does not send email anymore as that was too much email with the cars driving by. I also stopped emailing videos as the picture was good enough. I really just wanted to know when the motion detector went off so the attached picture was just extra.

Altogether the system cost $434. $410 for the cameras and $24 for the micro SD cards. It took less than 4 hours to setup. I have another 10 hours in it messing around learning the software and getting intimate with the features and how to extract videos should I need to provide them to the authorities.

Overall these cameras are an excellent buy for the money. You can find others for less money($75-$100), but give up features. This camera has all of the features of the $500 cameras without the resolution those cameras offer. The DLink sotware also supports many cameras. You could put 1 good one and a few cheap ones on the network if you like.

Two things I don't like: the host computer videos are in a proprietary format. I can't extract a video file and send it off. It must be viewed with the DLink host software. The local camera videos are .avi and can be viewed on any computer. The still pictures are jpeg. So, I have created a CD with the DLink software on it to hand to the police should I ever have a video to show them and the local camera video somehow missed it. I also installed the software on an old laptop that I haven't used in years and may just hand that computer to the police as well.

The second thing is the motion detection. You can set the email up to send 1 email or 6 emails upon motion detection. I used 6 initially during my integration and testing and was just overwhelmed with email. My ISP shut down my account. They thought I had been hacked by spammers. If you set it to 1 email, depending on how fast the person is walking, you may or may not actually get them in the picture. 6 snapshots does get them for sure. I am using 1 now and am making minor adjustments to sensitivity in the detection as well as area of motion detection. I now have the area of detection set to a sliver in the center and that does seem to capture adequately.

DLink has a free website and if you get an account then you can view the live videos remotely. They also have mobile apps for the iphone and droid to do the same. Unfortunately I have a blackberry. However, this latest lack of bb apps has pushed me over the edge. I will be changing soon.

So, for $434, I have a security system that monitors the entire access areas to the home(not the bedrooms) and the front. It has motion detection alarms, sends emails, allows remote viewing, records in 2 places, and is stable - no sotware crashes and no false alarms yet.

I also ran across a software package called Blue Iris. It is $49 and designed to use any flavor of cameras. It has many more features and the host recordings are not proprietary. I am thinking about buying this for the future. But right now, everything works and meets the objective. If someone just bought one camera and placed it appropriately so that it would detect an intruder in the home, like a vast view of the livingroom, you could have a good alarm/security system for $150.
 
#23 ·
There are now Home security systems you can purchase and/or build peice by peice that are internet capable, and allow viewing/controlling from anywhere, and have ability to control cameras as well as sensors. Even have it send you emails when the systems is armed, disarmed or triggered.

But as many have said on here, the key ingredient is the resolution on the cameras and the hardware/software used to record the feeds.

Amazes me how many video feeds of crimes I see on the news where the images are so grainy or blurry that they are useless, especially banks. It's not like the technology isn't available to get a decent image at a reasonable price.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I agree with this. However, the cameras that had absolutely great video were $400-$500. Put multiple cameras of this quality and you're looking at a sizable investment. I chose the top resolution in the mid-price range. I do intend to purchase one high quality camera soon. Like everything else, the prices and competition will make the good stuff cheaper as time goes on.

Also, if you did not install your own wireless router and firewall, and are not so computer literate, then you will struggle through a security system that you buy in pieces. For example, the cameras I bought have a WPS button so adding them to the router is easy. Push a couple of buttons. Additional cameras force you to manually set a new port. You must go to the router and enable a new port manually and then go to the camera software and do the same.

I have a couple friends who are not computer literate and saw my system and intend to purchase those cameras. I know who will be doing the integration for them. Problem is, they both have a different router and firewall than I do. That learning curve worries me.
 
#25 ·
I agree it is not always something for the DIY, but it's out there.

My point was that I have seen people install something only to find that later when they wish to expand that they shoul dhave started with a better base infrastructure. So to plan ahead of what you think you MIGHT want down the road.

I know many people who bought a camera for security, then realized they loved them and bought another, and another, and keep paying a lot of cash out for independent cameras, rather than thinking ahead and getting a system that was expandable but had a little more up front investment.
 
#26 ·
I have been dabbling with cameras for quite a while. So far, two criminals went behind bars because of footage I took (and it helped in a 3rd case). From my experience, the key part is to have a well placed camera that is continuously recording, best to an offsite location. If you are looking for best image quality IP cameras (wired or WiFi), look at Axis cameras. But they are pricey. The pan/zoom/tilt cameras are absolutely excellent (but around $2k). For a good price/quality compromise, the Axis M1011 isn't bad ($160 at Amazon). The M1031-W includes a bright LED and motion sensor but is >$300. If you want something cheaper, Costco sells complete systems with DVR and cameras for a few hundred dollars. The cameras are typically wired, and take a bit time to install due to the wires (these are special wires that carry power and the image signal, so you are kind of stuck with the length that comes in the package)

The key issue is placement. Don't expect to get a detailed picture of someone that is far away. Most of the cameras are relatively wide angle, so someone has to be close to be "visible" in the image. Secondly, pretty much non of the cameras work to identify a person you don't know at night. Maybe if you know the person, you can guess who it is. But don't expect to pick out a stranger from a lineup if all you have is a night camera picture, even if you have IR light. One thing about the IR light: The color of clothing looks VERY different. It is not just black and white, but for example, a dark leather jacket may look light grey in the night image.

If you have a Mac desktop with built in iSight camera, and an iPhone, "Witness" (http://www.orbicule.com/witness/index.php) works nice. It uses the built in camera as a motion detector, and sends alerts to your iPhone. You can also configure it to automatically "arm" and "disarm" the system based on the location of your phone. So if you leave the house, it will arm the system. But of course that will work only for inside motion and it may be too late by then.
 
#27 ·
#29 ·
Back in my days the rich paid sketch artist to sit at all entrances and draw what they saw. Worked well as long as the burglars did not move too fast. You did have to be careful about the artist you hired though because there was a famous criminal case where the burglar got off because the only sketch they had was from a caricature artist and did not look like the burglar. Also had to be careful about the impressionist and cubist. The cubist were the worse as you could not make heads or tails from what they drew. Today life is easier. Just buy a remote camera and receiver and hook it up. No artist to deal with or ears to sew back on. :)
 
#30 ·
Hello, i had a very nice system installed last week. Its an infra red unit, 8 cameras came with it, a monitor, and i purchased a 2nd moniter for master bedroom. I have all areas covered, especially street, very clear, and 24 hr around the clock recording.it also has an app for smartphone , so you can see whats up when your not at home, or business.i also purchased 2 cameras for inside home, and motion detectors.i had a buddy install it professionally, and it was tested, and i could make out person, and vehicle on the street, very clearly..you get what you pay for..i highly recommend them, as well as a first response, as in dogs, and of course, an alarm as well.comp usa is where it was purchased.wasnt cheap...shop around, and ask questions..hope this helped you out. Staying safer, isnt paranoia.
 
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