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Originally Posted By TheGrayMan:
Originally Posted By RarestRX:
This thread has fantastic information, thanks for posting it! Now, unfortunately, I'm way too lazy to get all OCD and roll my own system. I'm the guy that goes into Sam's club and looks at something like this for $500 and goes hmmm... http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod1620303&navAction= Is there any turn key, off the shelf system that you'd recommend to someone that isn't so hardcore about it? 
Thanks! Honestly? I don't really like ANY of the off-the-shelf systems. Okay, I'll email you the cable lengths and my budget constraints. 
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Refute Beck's research, expose his facts, do ANYTHING but sit there on your fuckin' fat ass and arm-chair quarterback a guy who is at war on our behalf. - Redhead Infidel
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Here's a good CCTV-related news report... good for getting the blood boiling:
Link And a related video: 
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
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Originally Posted By TheGrayMan:
Here's a good CCTV-related news report... good for getting the blood boiling: Link And a related video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1KqSiRKS7QDang. Did they come in on a school bus? Electronic door lock and a beta mag would save the state a looooot of money on the future of that crew. |
That poor kid...
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After reading a different thread a little while back in GD about harbor freight cams on sale, I bought 4 and installed them. Not being satisfied with the limited view and mounting options(though they were great cameras for $25), I decided to return them and go a different route.
I didn't want cameras with IR built in as I've learned that most times the IR doesn't work well and it just makes the camera larger than it needs to be. With that in mind I decided to purchase 4 of these weatherproof bullet cams. They have about 60% wider view than the harbor freight cameras. I can also adjust the mounting angle much easier, and they are small and white so they blend in to my particular mounting location perfectly without sticking out too much. I read on another forum about using cat5 or 6 cable, but I decided instead to go with this siamese rg-59 cable with these 3 piece crimp on bnc connectors(which were $0.65/ea. at the time with amazon free shipping) and soldered/heat shrank these pigtails. I went with this dvr and this distributed power supply, and still have 5 extra slots on the power supply for future cameras or illuminators. Definitely a little more invested than the $100 for the HB cams, about $550, but I like the option of being able to upgrade to different cameras in the future while being able to use the same wire, better picture quality, etc. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with this set-up. |
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This thread has me seeing cameras now where I didn't see them before.
Example: Two days ago I went to the drycleaning place across the street to drop off some of my wife's suits. I walked in and immediately noticed 3-4 cameras of varying type/model all hanging from the ceiling, pointing towards the front counter. The same thing happened when I started working in the telecommunications industry –– suddenly I saw all these cell towers that I hadn't noticed before. They had been there all along and I hadn't really paid them any mind until a few days into my current job.
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Fear became the ultimate tool of this government...
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Originally Posted By TheGrayMan: Here's a good CCTV-related news report... good for getting the blood boiling: Link And a related video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1KqSiRKS7QJust curious what would happen if lethal force was used? Fat Al shows up with a picket line? |
If Obama is the answer, how stupid was the question.
A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have.
A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have.
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Originally Posted By sterling18:
Originally Posted By TheGrayMan:
Here's a good CCTV-related news report... good for getting the blood boiling: Link And a related video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1KqSiRKS7QJust curious what would happen if lethal force was used? Fat Al shows up with a picket line? I'm not a lawyer, but I imagine one could make the argument for strong-armed Robbery, with armed defense justified against the disparate force represented by the mob's force-of-numbers. Violence or threat of violence is what typically elevates the charge from Theft/Shoplifting to Robbery. That said, I think you'd REALLY have your hands full in the public-relations department if you smoked any of those little bandits... particularly if your store was located in the wrong neighborhood. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
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Note to the unwary.
DO NOT misplace your passwords. Recovering them can be a real hassle... and in the case of a Mobotix camera, impossible... they have to reset it at the factory. There is no backdoor. And just because you might need to know this, the Acti cameras send the login/password in plaintext HTML... so Wireshark can save your bacon (Wireshark is a branch/evolution of the old Ethereal, for you *nix guys... and they have Windoze binaries). Just connect in a hub, and sniff the packetstream as your DVR authenticates to the camera (the DVR encrypts their password in the config file... but sends it over the wire as plaintext). I only mention this because wireshark just saved my bacon. 
Too many passwords... that's all I'm sayin'
ETA: if none of that makes any sense to you, don't sweat it... the short version is that I exploited a security hole in a camera to recover my own difficult-to-crack password. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
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A suggestion regarding passwords: Most of us have too many passwords to remember. There are various password manager utilities that you can get which will keep a record of each site, user name, and password you need to remember. They typically keep these in encrypted format protected by a master password. However, I take a another approach. I keep my critical digital information inside an encrypted TrueCrypt volume with a totally random password that I've memorized. Inside the TrueCrypt volume I keep an Excel spreadsheet which has columns for site, user name, password, telephone number (if applicable), and comments. I update the spreadsheet as required. To ensure automatic backup, I keep the TrueCrypt volume store in my Dropbox folder. Dropbox is an online file backup and synchronization service which uses Amazon's S3 backend. This is safe IMO because of the TrueCrypt encryption, I would not do this with an unencrypted file. Aside from automatically backing up the TrueCrypt volume, all files in my Dropbox are automatically synchronized between my MacBook Pro, my Windows 7 PC, and my Windows 7 netbook whenever they connect to the Internet. Dropbox also runs on Linux. Base accounts with 2 GB of storage are free and you can get up to 8 GB free total if you refer people. (If you sign up through my link I'll get an extra 250 MB and so will you.) |
http://blogostuff.blogspot.com/
http://www.theshootersbar.org/ -- Pro-gun attorneys
RKBA = FREEDOM
http://www.theshootersbar.org/ -- Pro-gun attorneys
RKBA = FREEDOM
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Originally Posted By Dave_Markowitz:
A suggestion regarding passwords: Most of us have too many passwords to remember. There are various password manager utilities that you can get which will keep a record of each site, user name, and password you need to remember. They typically keep these in encrypted format protected by a master password. However, I take a another approach. I keep my critical digital information inside an encrypted TrueCrypt volume with a totally random password that I've memorized. Inside the TrueCrypt volume I keep an Excel spreadsheet which has columns for site, user name, password, telephone number (if applicable), and comments. I update the spreadsheet as required. To ensure automatic backup, I keep the TrueCrypt volume store in my Dropbox folder. Dropbox is an online file backup and synchronization service which uses Amazon's S3 backend. This is safe IMO because of the TrueCrypt encryption, I would not do this with an unencrypted file. Aside from automatically backing up the TrueCrypt volume, all files in my Dropbox are automatically synchronized between my MacBook Pro, my Windows 7 PC, and my Windows 7 netbook whenever they connect to the Internet. Dropbox also runs on Linux. Base accounts with 2 GB of storage are free and you can get up to 8 GB free total if you refer people. (If you sign up through my link I'll get an extra 250 MB and so will you.) I may have to look into that... thanks! |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
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Originally Posted By LFLS84:
After reading a different thread a little while back in GD about harbor freight cams on sale, I bought 4 and installed them. Not being satisfied with the limited view and mounting options(though they were great cameras for $25), I decided to return them and go a different route. I didn't want cameras with IR built in as I've learned that most times the IR doesn't work well and it just makes the camera larger than it needs to be. With that in mind I decided to purchase 4 of these weatherproof bullet cams. They have about 60% wider view than the harbor freight cameras. I can also adjust the mounting angle much easier, and they are small and white so they blend in to my particular mounting location perfectly without sticking out too much. I read on another forum about using cat5 or 6 cable, but I decided instead to go with this siamese rg-59 cable with these 3 piece crimp on bnc connectors(which were $0.65/ea. at the time with amazon free shipping) and soldered/heat shrank these pigtails. I went with this dvr and this distributed power supply, and still have 5 extra slots on the power supply for future cameras or illuminators. Definitely a little more invested than the $100 for the HB cams, about $550, but I like the option of being able to upgrade to different cameras in the future while being able to use the same wire, better picture quality, etc. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with this set-up. Just a little update. I decided to upgrade to some smaller dome cameras with higher resolution. These have 20 built in LED's and I know what I said earlier about them, but these cameras are actually very small and I couldn't find this higher res camera without them. This is the camera I went with, only $20 a piece more than the ones I mentioned earlier and they have 540 TVL vs. 420 TVL resolution. Oh and another thing I like about these is that once I have them fastened down they don't budge. The other cameras had a plastic knob/mount that I was afraid to tighten down too much and I felt like a strong wind might move the cameras out of position. |
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LFLS84,
I've been running pretty much the same cameras and DVR that you got for over two years now. Mine are slightly different models and brands, but I think they're all made in the same Chinese factory with different labels slapped on.  My cameras are 520 and 560 TVL and the only failure so far is that 1/2 of the LED's went out on one camera. Pretty sure there's a driver transistor for each side and one went bad, but I'm not going to mess with it any time soon. They're a good solution for the price point, and like you said, those housings are rugged and great to work with.
I've decided to upgrade though, and my new IP camera should arrive tomorrow. It's a nice one, and this will be a test to see if I want to convert everything to that technology. Not going to mention the model until I have a chance to evaluate it, then I'll share my review here... 
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Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. - Albert Einstein
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I'll try to add what useful info I can to this great thread by TheGrayMan.
I decided to finally upgrade my surveillance system when my neighbor told me that one of their vehicles was broken into recently. I have two cameras covering most of the area in question, but there was nothing useful to law enforcement recorded because I was missing two things that TGM has talked about. Proper illumination, and camera resolution (pixels / foot). I could see that something happened, and when it happened, but only basic info about all the details. I have the two camera's videos of the incident. Basically, this guy took a few small things and trashed the vehicle's dash trying to get the stereo, but didn't get it. Camera 2 has a lot of noise, I didn't know it was degrading until reviewing this video... Here is where you could have viewed the footage, but instead you see another reason I'm upgrading. I have the native DVR video, and also some form of converted AVI video of it. It plays on some local players but not others, converts to others formats that play on other players, but I cannot get it to be viewable when uploaded to YouTube or Photobucket. I really wanted to share this video here to show my setup's limitations, but I guess I've gone far beyond that.
Here is an Alt-Printscreen of Camera 1 playing just so you know I'm not crazy... The suspect is running up the drive. 
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Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. - Albert Einstein
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Originally Posted By psytechguy:
Has anyone ever taken apart a camera with IR diodes and disabled them? I have cameras with built-in IR, but over time I've realized that I'm probably going to get better performance using an external illumination device. Should be a simple matter of cutting or detaching the power wire. Most of those IR LEDs are in a ring-assembly around the lens, and can be disabled. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
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Here's a contemporary example of a camera with good light-handling. This viral "fight" video hit the news this morning, and highlights (heh) the importance of good camera selection.
Note how bright it is outside, and how you can still see the faces/clothing of the guys coming through the door? That implies a camera with WDR (wide dynamic range). Judging by the resolution, it's probably an analog camera. This kind of camera is VERY important for this exact kind of shot. If you have backlighting, or very-light and very-dark in the same scene, go WDR:
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"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
| Anybody tried the Grandstream IP HD Dome Camera? They sound pretty neat, especially since you can get them for under $200 if you look hard enough. They record 1600x900 at 20fps, use POE, and have a built in smoke detector, and 2 way audio. |
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Originally Posted By Lokjell:
Anybody tried the Grandstream IP HD Dome Camera? They sound pretty neat, especially since you can get them for under $200 if you look hard enough. They record 1600x900 at 20fps, use POE, and have a built in smoke detector, and 2 way audio. Never heard of them... but they're promising an AWFUL lot of capability for $200 dollars. I'd be pretty leery of that, frankly. Sounds way too good to be true. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
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Originally Posted By Dave_Markowitz:
This thread should be made a sticky. Considering breaking some of this into sections and puting it into the safes-and-home-security as mini howto's. This thread is already marked as "no archive," and will stay put, whatever site-staff decides. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
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Wow, a lot of good stuff here - I would like to start to get a few cameras setup to let me monitor a few vantage points around my house.
I have read the whole thing twice over the years, not really thought I would be set to spend some money on this sort of project. Trying to get a better gut check on hardware necessary to add a little surveillance. I want to take "baby" steps in this project - pick up a fair daylight camera IP based - prefer mega pixel - wired - will use as a baseline to help say - good, need more, need oh so much more quality. Projected range will be setup for less than 50 feet. Add a higher end camera to get a better big picture of the world - total range might still be in the 50-75 feet. Try 2 or 3 different locations see if I can see the other end of the drive way with good quality res Add a good camera that could take fair+ night pictures with separate IR source. This will be pointed at the drive way to the house - let me what folks are checking out cars / maybe getting something good enough to hand to the cops so they can be on the look out. So I am looking ideas for what camera might provide the best bag for the buck based on the following budget levels. 100 - 200 dollars - good daylight at 50 foot distance - maximum width 25 feet. 100 - 275 dollars - wide view - not fish eye - maybe just better quality image Under 400 dollars for camera only 100 foot max - fair details - but not license plate quality (nice but not sure if I can find that in this budget range) Needs night time capability rather have the IR source separate. Capture card(s) / software / computer equipment does not have a specific budget - but looking for something that can work with up to 4 cameras. Simple recommendations are desired. I plan on using an older dual processor 2.8+ in processor speed + 4 gig of ram. Hard drives are cheap - so what ever I need I can stuff in. I can drop in some cat 5e / 6 for the the hookup. Equipment will be on their own network - don't want that equipment to slow down what I do - or what I do slow down the equipment. Power is not a real issue - easy to run POE or run extend dedicated power to the hardware. Ideas? [edits and more edits go here] (real low end suff - might be worth playing with as a door camera?) ACTi ACM-4001 PoE IP Network Camera VideoSecu Vandal Proof 540 TVL Night Vision VideoSecu 1/3" Color CCD Weatherproof Wide View Angle Security Camera The more I look the more I think that the low end ok stuff might hit at the 400+ dollar range - anything good to play with at the lower end without sinking to the x10 crap range? |
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Originally Posted By bradbn4:
Wow, a lot of good stuff here - I would like to start to get a few cameras setup to let me monitor a few vantage points around my house. I have read the whole thing twice over the years, not really thought I would be set to spend some money on this sort of project. Trying to get a better gut check on hardware necessary to add a little surveillance. I want to take "baby" steps in this project - pick up a fair daylight camera IP based - prefer mega pixel - wired - will use as a baseline to help say - good, need more, need oh so much more quality. Projected range will be setup for less than 50 feet. Add a higher end camera to get a better big picture of the world - total range might still be in the 50-75 feet. Try 2 or 3 different locations see if I can see the other end of the drive way with good quality res Add a good camera that could take fair+ night pictures with separate IR source. This will be pointed at the drive way to the house - let me what folks are checking out cars / maybe getting something good enough to hand to the cops so they can be on the look out. So I am looking ideas for what camera might provide the best bag for the buck based on the following budget levels. 100 - 200 dollars - good daylight at 50 foot distance - maximum width 25 feet. 100 - 275 dollars - wide view - not fish eye - maybe just better quality image Under 400 dollars for camera only 100 foot max - fair details - but not license plate quality (nice but not sure if I can find that in this budget range) Needs night time capability rather have the IR source separate. Capture card(s) / software / computer equipment does not have a specific budget - but looking for something that can work with up to 4 cameras. Simple recommendations are desired. I plan on using an older dual processor 2.8+ in processor speed + 4 gig of ram. Hard drives are cheap - so what ever I need I can stuff in. I can drop in some cat 5e / 6 for the the hookup. Equipment will be on their own network - don't want that equipment to slow down what I do - or what I do slow down the equipment. Power is not a real issue - easy to run POE or run extend dedicated power to the hardware. Ideas? [edits and more edits go here] (real low end suff - might be worth playing with as a door camera?) ACTi ACM-4001 PoE IP Network Camera VideoSecu Vandal Proof 540 TVL Night Vision VideoSecu 1/3" Color CCD Weatherproof Wide View Angle Security Camera The more I look the more I think that the low end ok stuff might hit at the 400+ dollar range - anything good to play with at the lower end without sinking to the x10 crap range? Your budget is a little low for IP. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
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GrayMan
I have 2 Mobotix Cameras a M12 and a D22M. I have the settings on both set identical, but get different results from each. The M12 only shows 3FPS when it will do a Max of 13. The D22M shows 11FPS and a Max of 13. Any idea how I can get more FPS out of the M12. The FPS is when both cameras are running during the daytime and I am getting this info from the Admin menu, Camera Status. Thanks |
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A few questions and comments...
I don't have a camera system and won't have one for awhile, but I'm running over scenarios and various legalities in my head. 1: For those of you who have camera systems in your houses, how do you deal with the inevitable questions from visitors/relatives? 2: If you have a camera system in your house, do you have all your cameras in 'commons' areas, or do you have some in bedrooms and such? If you do have them in bedrooms, are they in your master bedroom? Your kid's bedrooms? Spare bedrooms? I ask, because I can see various potential questions and legal issues arising. A few hypothetical examples:
Thoughts? And lastly, a comment... It would seem to me that a camera system can help keep you safe from people who might wish to do you harm, might help catch vandals/burglars/etc, and might also help keep you safe from the authorities if you are ever unfortunate enough to be falsely accused of a crime. A local case where a woman was murdered has had me thinking about this. Prosecutors are claiming the husband killed her very early in the morning (12am-4am), while the defendant and his defense team claim she went out running that morning around 7am and never returned. I honestly believe this guy is innocent and is being railroaded, but that's another story. 
Video of the wife leaving the house for her run, plus video of the husband in the house the entire time his wife was out, could have been undeniable exculpatory evidence that could have kept him from ever being a suspect. |
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Originally Posted By SparticleBrane:
A few questions and comments... I don't have a camera system and won't have one for awhile, but I'm running over scenarios and various legalities in my head. 1: For those of you who have camera systems in your houses, how do you deal with the inevitable questions from visitors/relatives? 2: If you have a camera system in your house, do you have all your cameras in 'commons' areas, or do you have some in bedrooms and such? If you do have them in bedrooms, are they in your master bedroom? Your kid's bedrooms? Spare bedrooms? I ask, because I can see various potential questions and legal issues arising. A few hypothetical examples:
Thoughts? And lastly, a comment... It would seem to me that a camera system can help keep you safe from people who might wish to do you harm, might help catch vandals/burglars/etc, and might also help keep you safe from the authorities if you are ever unfortunate enough to be falsely accused of a crime. A local case where a woman was murdered has had me thinking about this. Prosecutors are claiming the husband killed her very early in the morning (12am-4am), while the defendant and his defense team claim she went out running that morning around 7am and never returned. I honestly believe this guy is innocent and is being railroaded, but that's another story.
Video of the wife leaving the house for her run, plus video of the husband in the house the entire time his wife was out, could have been undeniable exculpatory evidence that could have kept him from ever being a suspect. I install camera systems for a living and would never put a camera where a person has " a reasonable expectation of privacy" ie no bedrooms, bathrooms etc. With that said alot of folks put cameras in young childrens rooms to watch them sleep. I would stick to placing cameras in common areas as well as areas like close to a safe . |
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Originally Posted By SaltyDog:
I install camera systems for a living and would never put a camera where a person has " a reasonable expectation of privacy" ie no bedrooms, bathrooms etc. With that said alot of folks put cameras in young childrens rooms to watch them sleep. I would stick to placing cameras in common areas as well as areas like close to a safe . Pretty much. I have cameras in my kids rooms (they're young), and they're strictly temp jobs... with plans to remove them when they reach a certain age. Nothing stops my boys messing around on their bunk beds like that PTZ camera slewing around and focusing on them. 
No other cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, or any weirdo "Sliver" crap. In relation to your other question, Salty... what kind of IP adapters do you have? Are they camera servers, or are they simply dongles or something like that? ETA: in relation to questions from friends/relatives, the only thing they want to know is whether I can set them up with a similar system. They sometimes ask, half-jokingly, about cameras in the master bedroom (wink, wink)... but I generally respond that the world simply isn't prepared to have "that kind of horror" preserved on video. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
|
Originally Posted By TheGrayMan:
Originally Posted By bradbn4:
Wow, a lot of good stuff here - I would like to start to get a few cameras setup to let me monitor a few vantage points around my house. I have read the whole thing twice over the years, not really thought I would be set to spend some money on this sort of project. Trying to get a better gut check on hardware necessary to add a little surveillance. I want to take "baby" steps in this project - pick up a fair daylight camera IP based - prefer mega pixel - wired - will use as a baseline to help say - good, need more, need oh so much more quality. Projected range will be setup for less than 50 feet. Add a higher end camera to get a better big picture of the world - total range might still be in the 50-75 feet. Try 2 or 3 different locations see if I can see the other end of the drive way with good quality res Add a good camera that could take fair+ night pictures with separate IR source. This will be pointed at the drive way to the house - let me what folks are checking out cars / maybe getting something good enough to hand to the cops so they can be on the look out. So I am looking ideas for what camera might provide the best bag for the buck based on the following budget levels. 100 - 200 dollars - good daylight at 50 foot distance - maximum width 25 feet. 100 - 275 dollars - wide view - not fish eye - maybe just better quality image Under 400 dollars for camera only 100 foot max - fair details - but not license plate quality (nice but not sure if I can find that in this budget range) Needs night time capability rather have the IR source separate. Capture card(s) / software / computer equipment does not have a specific budget - but looking for something that can work with up to 4 cameras. Simple recommendations are desired. I plan on using an older dual processor 2.8+ in processor speed + 4 gig of ram. Hard drives are cheap - so what ever I need I can stuff in. I can drop in some cat 5e / 6 for the the hookup. Equipment will be on their own network - don't want that equipment to slow down what I do - or what I do slow down the equipment. Power is not a real issue - easy to run POE or run extend dedicated power to the hardware. Ideas? [edits and more edits go here] (real low end suff - might be worth playing with as a door camera?) ACTi ACM-4001 PoE IP Network Camera VideoSecu Vandal Proof 540 TVL Night Vision VideoSecu 1/3" Color CCD Weatherproof Wide View Angle Security Camera The more I look the more I think that the low end ok stuff might hit at the 400+ dollar range - anything good to play with at the lower end without sinking to the x10 crap range? Your budget is a little low for IP. So 400 for one starter camera is a bit on the low side for IP - - I can still work with that. It justs means I have to to a bit more research to dial in on some good hardware first versus getting cheap hardware to play with and build up my education on such matters. Anything worth while at the 500 - or do I need to go to 1k? I am talking daylight OPS - not required for night - but outdoor capable. It will be used in an area that has a few spot lights running - and under a total of 75 feet - 80% of the real needed view area is under 40 feet. {ed} I can also do the hunt ebay and look for some used equipment. So if you are still chuckling about my low ball I want to play in this area - any recommended fair cameras/ or camera tech that I should be looking at that can let me get my food in the door for 500 for the camera - not to include any other support equipment? |
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Originally Posted By TheGrayMan:
Originally Posted By SaltyDog:
I install camera systems for a living and would never put a camera where a person has " a reasonable expectation of privacy" ie no bedrooms, bathrooms etc. With that said alot of folks put cameras in young childrens rooms to watch them sleep. I would stick to placing cameras in common areas as well as areas like close to a safe . Pretty much. I have cameras in my kids rooms (they're young), and they're strictly temp jobs... with plans to remove them when they reach a certain age. Nothing stops my boys messing around on their bunk beds like that PTZ camera slewing around and focusing on them.
No other cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, or any weirdo "Sliver" crap. In relation to your other question, Salty... what kind of IP adapters do you have? Are they camera servers, or are they simply dongles or something like that? ETA: in relation to questions from friends/relatives, the only thing they want to know is whether I can set them up with a similar system. They sometimes ask, half-jokingly, about cameras in the master bedroom (wink, wink)... but I generally respond that the world simply isn't prepared to have "that kind of horror" preserved on video. Good advice! Thanks for the comments.
In reference to the bolded section, I believe you have the perfect response. 
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Originally Posted By bradbn4:
So 400 for one starter camera is a bit on the low side for IP - - I can still work with that. It justs means I have to to a bit more research to dial in on some good hardware first versus getting cheap hardware to play with and build up my education on such matters. Anything worth while at the 500 - or do I need to go to 1k? I am talking daylight OPS - not required for night - but outdoor capable. It will be used in an area that has a few spot lights running - and under a total of 75 feet - 80% of the real needed view area is under 40 feet. {ed} I can also do the hunt ebay and look for some used equipment. So if you are still chuckling about my low ball I want to play in this area - any recommended fair cameras/ or camera tech that I should be looking at that can let me get my food in the door for 500 for the camera - not to include any other support equipment? You can get into IP megapixel for about 500 bones for an outdoor-rated camera. At that price you're looking at Acti, Vivotek... something like that. Probably also looking at a bullet camera rather than a dome. The Acti camera in that price range is the 1231, and it's 1.3MP day/night. Vivotek has the IP-7361, which is 2.0MP, and also day/night. I've not seen the video from the Vivotek, but I'm told it's better than the comparable Acti cam. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
|
I just bought this system on Ebay. Not much info on specs. But hope the cams are decent resolution.
ebay cams system I bought a couple of the videosecu cams, supposedly 540 TVL, but they are such wide angle that more than 10 away you can not make out much facial details. Will likely send these back videosecu cams |
MoS #223
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Originally Posted By TheGrayMan:
Originally Posted By bradbn4:
So 400 for one starter camera is a bit on the low side for IP - - I can still work with that. It justs means I have to to a bit more research to dial in on some good hardware first versus getting cheap hardware to play with and build up my education on such matters. Anything worth while at the 500 - or do I need to go to 1k? I am talking daylight OPS - not required for night - but outdoor capable. It will be used in an area that has a few spot lights running - and under a total of 75 feet - 80% of the real needed view area is under 40 feet. {ed} I can also do the hunt ebay and look for some used equipment. So if you are still chuckling about my low ball I want to play in this area - any recommended fair cameras/ or camera tech that I should be looking at that can let me get my food in the door for 500 for the camera - not to include any other support equipment? You can get into IP megapixel for about 500 bones for an outdoor-rated camera. At that price you're looking at Acti, Vivotek... something like that. Probably also looking at a bullet camera rather than a dome. The Acti camera in that price range is the 1231, and it's 1.3MP day/night. Vivotek has the IP-7361, which is 2.0MP, and also day/night. I've not seen the video from the Vivotek, but I'm told it's better than the comparable Acti cam. Interesting - happy that I can get into something without nuking the budget. I have a few spots that a bullet camera would work better due to the mounting location. It will but just off roof line so unless someone brings a ladder hard to yank it around - or off. With a starting location on hardware to look at I can start my guessing game. Vivotek IP7361 Surveillance/Network Camera at amazon is 550 - but I might try hunting down better prices The Acti camera 1231 is about 507.00 at a discount store. Part of me is thinking that I might look harder at the Vivotek - maybe capture some raw footage and share. Do some bench testing if it is easy to hook to a laptop and inverter so I can hit the road. Thanks for proving the info - and even more happy you did not say - you cheap sob - go with X10. 
Another thought - not sure if it is worth the effort - on the index page - aka - page 1 - have the major hardware types with a cost table. Maybe a simple pro / con |
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Originally Posted By bradbn4:
Interesting - happy that I can get into something without nuking the budget. I have a few spots that a bullet camera would work better due to the mounting location. It will but just off roof line so unless someone brings a ladder hard to yank it around - or off. With a starting location on hardware to look at I can start my guessing game. Vivotek IP7361 Surveillance/Network Camera at amazon is 550 - but I might try hunting down better prices The Acti camera 1231 is about 507.00 at a discount store. Part of me is thinking that I might look harder at the Vivotek - maybe capture some raw footage and share. Do some bench testing if it is easy to hook to a laptop and inverter so I can hit the road. Thanks for proving the info - and even more happy you did not say - you cheap sob - go with X10.
Another thought - not sure if it is worth the effort - on the index page - aka - page 1 - have the major hardware types with a cost table. Maybe a simple pro / con That's been a recurring request: that this topic could be much better organized. Two years worth of posts dumped into a single never-ending thread is a bit much for a person to digest, particularly if they just want the skinny version. It's certainly too much for a single sitting. That's part of the reason I approached site staff about breaking up and rewriting some of this. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
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Originally Posted By TheGrayMan:
Originally Posted By Lokjell:
Anybody tried the Grandstream IP HD Dome Camera? They sound pretty neat, especially since you can get them for under $200 if you look hard enough. They record 1600x900 at 20fps, use POE, and have a built in smoke detector, and 2 way audio. Never heard of them... but they're promising an AWFUL lot of capability for $200 dollars. I'd be pretty leery of that, frankly. Sounds way too good to be true. Well I managed to find them for $141 at one place, so I went ahead and ordered a pair just to demo and test out. I'll let you know how they work. I've got fairly low expectations, but you never know unless you try. |
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Originally Posted By TheGrayMan:
Originally Posted By SaltyDog:
I install camera systems for a living and would never put a camera where a person has " a reasonable expectation of privacy" ie no bedrooms, bathrooms etc. With that said alot of folks put cameras in young childrens rooms to watch them sleep. I would stick to placing cameras in common areas as well as areas like close to a safe . Pretty much. I have cameras in my kids rooms (they're young), and they're strictly temp jobs... with plans to remove them when they reach a certain age. Nothing stops my boys messing around on their bunk beds like that PTZ camera slewing around and focusing on them.
No other cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, or any weirdo "Sliver" crap. In relation to your other question, Salty... what kind of IP adapters do you have? Are they camera servers, or are they simply dongles or something like that? ETA: in relation to questions from friends/relatives, the only thing they want to know is whether I can set them up with a similar system. They sometimes ask, half-jokingly, about cameras in the master bedroom (wink, wink)... but I generally respond that the world simply isn't prepared to have "that kind of horror" preserved on video. They are Xanboo converters, never used them before. |
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Originally Posted By Speargun_:
So is $195 shipped a decent deal for a used AXIS 216FD http://www.techcctv.com/axis216fd.jpg How about $180 shipped for a used Axis 247S Video Server? http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x119/auntpark777/247s.jpg Yes on both. Salty: I've never heard of those converters... might have to google that up and see. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
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Originally Posted By stevec22:
I just bought this system on Ebay. Not much info on specs. But hope the cams are decent resolution. ebay cams system I bought a couple of the videosecu cams, supposedly 540 TVL, but they are such wide angle that more than 10 away you can not make out much facial details. Will likely send these back videosecu cams Well, those were crap cameras. |
MoS #223
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Originally Posted By stevec22:
Originally Posted By stevec22:
I just bought this system on Ebay. Not much info on specs. But hope the cams are decent resolution. ebay cams system I bought a couple of the videosecu cams, supposedly 540 TVL, but they are such wide angle that more than 10 away you can not make out much facial details. Will likely send these back videosecu cams Well, those were crap cameras. To each their own. I actually think they're pretty decent for the price. |
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Originally Posted By LFLS84:
Originally Posted By stevec22:
Originally Posted By stevec22:
I just bought this system on Ebay. Not much info on specs. But hope the cams are decent resolution. ebay cams system I bought a couple of the videosecu cams, supposedly 540 TVL, but they are such wide angle that more than 10 away you can not make out much facial details. Will likely send these back videosecu cams Well, those were crap cameras. To each their own. I actually think they're pretty decent for the price. not arguing, but have you actually tried them? |
MoS #223
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Originally Posted By stevec22:
Originally Posted By LFLS84:
Originally Posted By stevec22:
Originally Posted By stevec22:
I just bought this system on Ebay. Not much info on specs. But hope the cams are decent resolution. ebay cams system I bought a couple of the videosecu cams, supposedly 540 TVL, but they are such wide angle that more than 10 away you can not make out much facial details. Will likely send these back videosecu cams Well, those were crap cameras. To each their own. I actually think they're pretty decent for the price. not arguing, but have you actually tried them? I've had them up for about a month now. Not license plate quality, but definitely a good camera for the price IMO. |
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Originally Posted By aggie81:
Grayman What POE switch would you reccommend for someone wanting to set up 6 to 8 cameras and still have some room for other network devices? Thanks I'm partial to rackmount... but I have a server rack in the house... most people aren't that hard-core-geek. For cheaper, I'd go with two of the trendnet four-poe-port switches, and uplink them to a Gigabit backbone switch. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
Marmots...the deadliest of God's creatures.
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I used this one with a rackmount kit: Cisco 8 port max poe
Might be a little much, but I have 42 Cat 6 drops in my house and a comm room as well :) If your a fellow network engineer, you'll understand the overkill :) |
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Originally Posted By angrymarmot:
I used this one with a rackmount kit: Cisco 8 port max poe Might be a little much, but I have 42 Cat 6 drops in my house and a comm room as well :) If your a fellow network engineer, you'll understand the overkill :) I'm all about overkill. I went with the SRW2024P switch. They're EOL'd now, so you could probably pick one up on Ebay for cheap. The only downside of rackmount switches is that they tend to be damned noisy... but that's because they figure on putting them in a datacenter, not your house. |
"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought."
- Sir William Osler -
- Sir William Osler -
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