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Posted: 10/12/2011 6:03:25 PM EDT
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I want to purchase a single, outdoor security camera to keep an eye on my driveway and truck during the night.
I'd like to utilize an extra PC I have laying around. I'm looking to do this as cheaply as possible. I don't know if I should go with wireless, IP, or buy a camera with RCA output and get a PCI card for my PC. The PC will be set up, at most, 20ft from the location I want to mount the camera. I'd appreciate any help anyone can give. |
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Quoted:
I want to purchase a single, outdoor security camera to keep an eye on my driveway and truck during the night. I'd like to utilize an extra PC I have laying around. I'm looking to do this as cheaply as possible. I don't know if I should go with wireless, IP, or buy a camera with RCA output and get a PCI card for my PC. The PC will be set up, at most, 20ft from the location I want to mount the camera. I'd appreciate any help anyone can give. How big an area are you hoping to cover? Is there adequate lighting? Is your planned location sheltered from the weather? Will you need a heater for the camera? Can you run cable? (this will give you a much larger selection of cameras) |
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How big an area are you hoping to cover? Just my short driveway. It's probably 25ft from the wall I wish to mount the camera. Is there adequate lighting? There is an outside light below the prospective camera wall. It's merely a CFL bulb in a fixture to illuminate the house number. There is also a streetlight 30ft from the end of the driveway. Is your planned location sheltered from the weather? Not really. I plan to locate the camera on the side of the house. It will be under an eave, but 8ft below it. Will you need a heater for the camera? Probably not. It rarely gets below freezing where I am. Can you run cable? (this will give you a much larger selection of cameras) I probably can if I need to.There is easy access to the wall from the attic. I've never done it before, but I'm pretty handy around the house. Thanks for the reply Grayman. I look forward to hearing your suggestions as you seem to be pretty savvy when it comes to this stuff. |
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I have two parking areas at my home, and I covered one with a 2MP Vivotek dome, and the other with a Mobotix D12 with a 135mm lens zoomed in on it (it's about 60-70 feet from the camera). One area has lighting from an outside mercury vapor lamp, and doesn't require any additional lighting. The other is brightly-lit with IR from an illuminator I installed specifically for that purpose.
Automotive burglaries are one of the more-frequent crimes in this neighborhood, hence my interest in the areas where I park my vehicles. Here is what I would do. 1. Install some flood-lights... motion detection lights are a good investment. It doesn't sound to me like the area is well-enough illuminated... and that route will be FAR cheaper than going with an IR solution (ask me how I know... my HOA doesn't allow big floodlights... so I had to go with discrete IR). Additional light will help ANY camera you purchase, as well as acting as a deterrent all by itself. 2. Megapixel IP camera, with local storage. This will save you the hassle of dedicating a PC to recording (you can still do it if you want... but you won't HAVE to). In that vein, here is what I would suggest (brace yourself... you're going to spend about $600-700 on this deal). Vivotek 2MP vandal dome 
Or Acti 4MP vandal dome 
Both of those cameras offer local storage on flash-memory, and have sufficient resolution to give you the best chance of IDing a miscreant. They're both Power-over-Ethernet, which will greatly simplify your installation. Both are weather-rated, and should do fine in your climate. Domes also look better on houses compared to bullet cams. Those should also integrate well into any future expansion of your system. Buy once, cry once. |
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