Surveillance systems

[codeman671]

Does anyone have recommendations for camera systems and/or installers in the area? I am looking to out a few outdoor cameras around the house with web monitoring for when we are not around.

[brk-lnt]

Does anyone have recommendations for camera systems and/or installers in the area? I am looking to out a few outdoor cameras around the house with web monitoring for when we are not around.

Sure, how much area are you trying to cover?

How much light do you have at night?

What do you want to see, detail wise? Clear faces, or just a blob indicating a person is present?

[Lakepilot]

We have an HAI security monitoring system that works over the internet with an app called SnapLink. It works great.

I just added a DLink DIR655 router and two Dlink camera types. One is a DCS-930L and the other is a DCS-932L. The 930 is daylight only and the 932 has an infrared illuminator on it. I can access both from anywhere in the world as long as I have an internet connection. The 950 is something like $65 and the 932 is about $100. Unfortunately the infrared illuminator creates reflections off window panes, so I should move it outside.

[ishoot308]

We have an HAI security monitoring system that works over the internet with an app called SnapLink. It works great.

I just added a DLink DIR655 router and two Dlink camera types. One is a DCS-930L and the other is a DCS-932L. The 930 is daylight only and the 932 has an infrared illuminator on it. I can access both from anywhere in the world as long as I have an internet connection. The 950 is something like $65 and the 932 is about $100. Unfortunately the infrared illuminator creates reflections off window panes, so I should move it outside.

Is there a monthly monitoring charge with a system like this or is it just up front equipment / labor costs??

[brk-lnt]

Is there a monthly monitoring charge with a system like this or is it just up front equipment / labor costs??

It can be done either way. The HAI panels can call or email you when there is an alarm and/or they can be monitored by a central station.

The D-Link cameras are junk (sorry, but they are), you can watch them on your own if you setup port-forwarding rules, or you can pay D-Link a few bucks a month for low quality finicky remote viewing.

[Lakepilot]

There is no ongoing fee for the DLink cameras. The DCS-930L day camera works very well. The DCS-932L, as I mentioned doesn't work at night, unless I move it outside. Both communicate wirelessly to the router. They do have to be plugged into the wall.

A good friend of mine owns a telecom, security company in Ossipee and he monitors the business and his place in Florida. His cameras are better then the DLink, but they cost way more then mine and require an ongoing payment.

For the cost they work great. And they are a cheap learning experience to see if you need better and what the issues are.

[brk-lnt]

There is no ongoing fee for the DLink cameras. The DCS-930L day camera works very well. The DCS-932L, as I mentioned doesn't work at night, unless I move it outside. Both communicate wirelessly to the router. They do have to be plugged into the wall.

A good friend of mine owns a telecom, security company in Ossipee and he monitors the business and his place in Florida. His cameras are better then the DLink, but they cost way more then mine and require an ongoing payment.

For the cost they work great. And they are a cheap learning experience to see if you need better and what the issues are.

Even outdoors, the built-in illuminators aren't going to be good for much beyond 8 or 10 feet.

On-board illuminators are almost always a sign of a cheap security camera, though they will work OK in an area like a porch where there is more reflectivity and the distance from camera to target is pretty small.

BTW, that D-Link camera isn't rated for outdoor use, so if you put it outside you'll probably end up damaging it.

[ishoot308]

Even outdoors, the built-in illuminators aren't going to be good for much beyond 8 or 10 feet.

On-board illuminators are almost always a sign of a cheap security camera, though they will work OK in an area like a porch where there is more reflectivity and the distance from camera to target is pretty small.

BTW, that D-Link camera isn't rated for outdoor use, so if you put it outside you'll probably end up damaging it.

So is there a interactive wireless system you can recommend with easy setup, no monthly monitoring, quality night vision camera that can be used outside??

Dan

[TOAD]

So is there a interactive wireless system you can recommend with easy setup, no monthly monitoring, quality night vision camera that can be used outside??

Dan

Contact The United State Military! :D

[Happy Gourmand]

http://www.myarcherfish.com/pages/about

[brk-lnt]

http://www.myarcherfish.com/pages/about


Junk, trust me.

[brk-lnt]

So is there a interactive wireless system you can recommend with easy setup, no monthly monitoring, quality night vision camera that can be used outside??

Dan

Absolutely, how much do you want to spend, and what do you want to get out of it?

Night vision (technically IR illumination in these cases) is almost always going to come in the form of an external IR illuminator, not some set of cheap LEDs sprinkled around the camera lens. A decent IR illuminator starts at about $250 and goes up from there, which gives you about the same light as a single 60 watt floodlight. So, think about how much "night vision" you really want :)

Also, do you want to record the video, and if so for how long?

The *easiest* system is probably a cheap DVR with an Ethernet port, and a few decent quality cameras with IR cut filters. The entire kit would be somewhere around $600ish for a 4 camera system. You'd have several weeks of storage, easy remote access, and decent resolution.

Stay away from the stuff you see at Sams Club, Home Depot, etc. Those all-in-one systems are always very poor performance for the money.

If you want to get into a scenario that has real video analytics (eg: not just false-alarm-generating "motion detection"), then you're going to be spending about $1000/channel and up.

"Real" nightvision is going to be a thermal IR camera (it sees heat instead of light), and is going to start around $5000/channel. This video shows some clips from a FLIR thermal IR camera mounted at the top of my driveway: http://www.youtube.com/NotoriousBRK#p/u/1/OILdUH6-efw

[codeman671]

I am looking to be able to pick up a face. On the tub area probably looking down, 20-30 feet away. Another to cover the dock area, probably one on the shed and another hitting the covered porch near the entry door.

I am not as concerned about night viewing, I think our visitors are showing up to party during the day.

[Grady223]

I am looking to be able to pick up a face. On the tub area probably looking down, 20-30 feet away. Another to cover the dock area, probably one on the shed and another hitting the covered porch near the entry door.

I am not as concerned about night viewing, I think our visitors are showing up to party during the day.

You might want to consider an upgrade to include a remotely activated stun gun! :laugh:

[brk-lnt]

I am looking to be able to pick up a face. On the tub area probably looking down, 20-30 feet away. Another to cover the dock area, probably one on the shed and another hitting the covered porch near the entry door.

I am not as concerned about night viewing, I think our visitors are showing up to party during the day.

Getting image detail from a camera is all about pixels on target, usually represented as "pixels per foot". To get good facial detail with normal daylight, you want at least 50 pixels per foot. At night, it's closer to 80.

You're usually measuring this primarily across the horizontal axis, so take the specs for a given camera and see what they pixel width is, and divide by 50. That is the *widest* area you can cover and still get good detail. Depending on the lens, this might be 5 feet from the camera, or 50.

A standard definition security camera is usually around 480px high, by 704px wide. 704/50 = 14feet maximum image width before detail starts to fall off.

With a standard 1/3" image sensor you will need a 9mm (or larger/longer) varifocal lens to get that width 30ft from the camera.

If you want to cover a wider area, you'll need to look at a megapixel IP camera. The 1.3MP (720p) and 2.1MP (1080p) cameras are the most common. A 720P camera is going to be 1280px wide, and a 1080p will br 1920px wide. So, you can cover 1280/50 = 25.6 or 1920/50 = 38 feet wide respectively and still get good detail. For those, your lenses will be in the 3.5-4.5mm range.

The standard def camera will use about 6-8GB of storage space per day with h.264 recording, the 720P about 15GB, and the 1080p about 30GB (h.264, continuous record).

Milestone has a free version of their enterprise VMS called Milestone GO. It is free for 1 year (renewable (for now)), and is a pretty nice setup (probably overkill for what you're doing, but it's free). Or, their are other VMS alternatives that would run on a cheapish dedicated PC for $100-$500.

Hope that helps.

[codeman671]

I did receive a quote from a local security company for $2500, it included a 4 channel dvr, 4 honeywell hard wired cameras, remote viewing software, etc. Still looking at my options.

How is the X10 gear? I am sure it is not professional grade but I am not convinced I need very high end stuff for what I am looking to accomplish.

[brk-lnt]

How is the X10 gear? I am sure it is not professional grade but I am not convinced I need very high end stuff for what I am looking to accomplish.

Garbage. Will have no low-light performance and most likely a sub-D1 image as well.

The 4-channel system installed for $2500 isn't a bad price, depending on the complexity of the install (I am assuming the cabling is moderately time consuming in your case and not simple runs).

[codeman671]

Garbage. Will have no low-light performance and most likely a sub-D1 image as well.

The 4-channel system installed for $2500 isn't a bad price, depending on the complexity of the install (I am assuming the cabling is moderately time consuming in your case and not simple runs).

The cable runs should be easy, that was with me handling the digging/burial to get 2 of the camera to position. The others were straight runs, under the house and up through the floor.

[brk-lnt]

If you're doing that much labor on your own, why not just buy the stuff and hook it up yourself?

[Lakesrider]

I have two panasonic network cameras at my house. They have worked fine for what i need for over two years with no problems. Except at power outages.
I guess I could hook up an APC backup setup someday if I need to.
Not saying these are thousand dollar cameras but very good for simply viewing the property. I have one outdoor unit and one indoor. Both near the front door.
I can watch either the Bears or the UPS guy show up on the front deck.

http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Computers-Networking/Network-Cameras/Residential-IP-Network-Cameras.list.81535_11002_7000000000000005702

I have a Cisco router so i figured a Linksys camera would be the way to go, but I had issues with the Linksys ones and switched to Panasonic and never looked back.

A few years ago I simply used Yahoo messenger and my webcam on and extension cord on my desktop computer to watch my house for the week. Course I had to leave the computer running all week.

[secondcurve]

I am looking to be able to pick up a face. On the tub area probably looking down, 20-30 feet away. Another to cover the dock area, probably one on the shed and another hitting the covered porch near the entry door.

I am not as concerned about night viewing, I think our visitors are showing up to party during the day.

What type of problems have you had? Kids partying on your deck?

[codeman671]

What type of problems have you had? Kids partying on your deck?

Parties in the hot tub when we are not there mainly. If that is going on, I can only imagine what else is. Being on an island, especially with a for sale sign out front we are open for unwanted visitors.

BJ's sells a lot of pre-packaged systems with dvrs, Lorex, Q-see and Defender. Are any of them worth a shot?

[brk-lnt]

BJ's sells a lot of pre-packaged systems with dvrs, Lorex, Q-see and Defender. Are any of them worth a shot?

Those tend to be pretty low-end and hit or miss.

I'd get a decent quality DVR, like this:
http://1800securitycamera.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=997

A couple of WDR cameras:
http://1800securitycamera.com/wdr-cameras/security-vandal-proof-dome-camera-wide-dynamic-range-540tvl-of-resolution-osd-manual-368mm-varifocal

You shouldn't need much in the way of illuminators if you're mostly concerned about daytime only stuff.

No affiliation with those products or site, just a representative example.

[codeman671]

Our mysterious visitors paid another visit last night, but were spotted by someone in the area who called to notify me. Myself, Gilford PD and Marine Patrol showed up late but witnessed them leaving. I now know for certain who it is. Hopefully after a late night visit with 5 badges they will think twice before doing it again.

Still going to do cameras!

[Pine Island Guy]

Parties in the hot tub when we are not there mainly.

If that is what is going on, I'd buy as high quality a cam as possible, you can probably sell the live feed on the 'net and make some money :)

I've been using the Panasonic pan/tilt/zoom outdoor wireless cams and they work great, and have a motion detection capture, and built in SD card for buffering a ton of images. They can send out an email notification to you that there has been "activity" and you can log in from anywhere and view the buffer. They will connect wirelessly directly to your router, very slick set up (although a little painful to figure out the initial install/setup).

If you'd like more info, let me know... Happy 4th!! -PIG

[Happy Gourmand]

Parties in the hot tub when we are not there mainly. If that is going on, I can only imagine what else is. Being on an island, especially with a for sale sign out front we are open for unwanted visitors.

BJ's sells a lot of pre-packaged systems with dvrs, Lorex, Q-see and Defender. Are any of them worth a shot?

You WILL post the link to the webcam, right? :)

[codeman671]

Any recommendations on an electrician that is skilled in camera and networking? We had a contractor out of Rochester put in an 8 camera system and it is a total mess. Horrible wiring, not networked properly, etc.

Still battling with him, but it will be turned into a lawsuit soon. I need someone to come in to fix this mess...

[Diver1111]

I was told that for what I wanted to do wireless transmission of the video feed wouldn't work-must be line of sight; Even one sheetrock wall could be problematic I was told; Rep said of course it depends on distance, wall thickness, type of wall, number of walls etc. to which I agree-I just thought wireless could at least go thru my plywood garage wall 50 feet to my house and thru that wall to the base unit.

Opinions?

[Lakepilot]

Give Lakeside Security in Freedom a call. They do a lot of systems like this for the State of NH.

[brk-lnt]

I was told that for what I wanted to do wireless transmission of the video feed wouldn't work-must be line of sight; Even one sheetrock wall could be problematic I was told; Rep said of course it depends on distance, wall thickness, type of wall, number of walls etc. to which I agree-I just thought wireless could at least go thru my plywood garage wall 50 feet to my house and thru that wall to the base unit.

Opinions?

Get a pair of Ubiquiti Nanostation M2's, you can easily go through walls with wireless.

[songkrai]

I had some X10.
They do work.
But basically junk.

My neighbor has a system.
Requires high speed internet.
Requires a high speed wireless router.

He can view any camera on his cell phone.
He has both interior and exterior cameras.
He can view any camera and also listen to conversations from anywhere on his cell phone or any computer he has anywhere.

You need a contractor who knows about low voltage wiring or Structured Wiring. Some electricians do this but this is an ad on for them.
A dedicated contractor that does Structured Wiring or Home Theater wiring would probably know exactly what you are seeking.

[BroadHopper]

www.onesourcesecurity.com (http://www.onesourcesecurity.com)

They specialized in commercial security systems throughout NH. They will install residential systems and I know of several mcmansion owners that swear by them. Give them a call.

[Diver1111]

Re: being able to tap into the video stream(s) remotely say from a smartphone, does my PC have to be on? The modem next to my desk is always lit up and on regardless of whether or not the PC is on.

Can't I just connect the router/modem directly to the DVR with the PC off? I cannot leave my PC un-attended and turned on-no way. It is encrypted as it is in a big way so when I leave it's little more than a hunk of metal until I come back.

Also, I Googled "Ubiquiti Nanostation M2" and saw their site-but frankly can't tell if they offer wireless add-ons or whole camera systems that are wireless. Some more advice here would be much appreciated.
Thanks all.

[brk-lnt]

Re: being able to tap into the video stream(s) remotely say from a smartphone, does my PC have to be on? The modem next to my desk is always lit up and on regardless of whether or not the PC is on.


Yes. If you're using a dedicated recorder (DVR/NVR), then your PC has no purpose when you're away. You can also turn an old PC into a recorder with various NVR software. For lightweight applications something like Milestone Go would work pretty well.


Also, I Googled "Ubiquiti Nanostation M2" and saw their site-but frankly can't tell if they offer wireless add-ons or whole camera systems that are wireless. Some more advice here would be much appreciated.
Thanks all.

Ubiquiti has primarily been a supplier of equipment for wireless ISPs (WISPs), though their equipment is used in lots of industries. They make a wide range of devices that can go at very high speeds over very long distances, but you wouldn't need any of that for a typical residential or small business install. They have also recently begun offering some cameras and VMS systems, though the products are pretty basic and do not offer a lot of options. However if you're just looking to bang up a simple camera or two it might be worth considering.