Hello fellow clutch fans. There have been a string of robberies in my parent's neighborhood and need to get my parents some piece of mind. I was hoping someone could start me off in the right direction for what is needed for some good exterior video cameras for the perimeter of the house. I would want to be able to monitor them online so I am guessing they need to be "ip cameras"? (not sure if that right). The home security guys seem to be quoting a really expensive system, knowing full well that they it will be tough to put a price on the safety of my home. Any advice, much appreciated. Thanks!
Piece of Mind is an Iron Maiden album. I think you meant that you wanted to get your parents peace of mind. :grin:
The name of the album is "Piece of Mind" and you said you wanted piece of mind. You really wanted peace of mind for your parents...not a piece of mind. As far as the topic, I know my brother has one of those systems and he spent three or four thousand dollars on one. I'd rather just have all my stuff stolen and replace it on the insurance personally. That is...if I lived through the burglary. I think you are going to get ripped off if you do a pro system through a company. That's what they do.
Just install it yourself, not difficult if you know how to use a ladder, drill, and can connect a DVR to a tv or monitor. I dont thnk the cameras matter, as far as online monitoring is concerned, you'd just need a DVR that has internet connectivity I'd read up on camera quality, find out what you want and how many. Go somewhere like fry's and see theirs and check them in action. Find comparable cameras online for cheaper price that include wires, dvr, etc..
I suggest first putting the surveillance cameras in the guest bedroom. Ya know just to work out all of the kinks Ya never know. Someone might break into the guest bedroom and steal stuff.
a poster on here actually founded the company and is a big time rockets fan to boot! this is sooo simple. i use it to keep an eye on our puppy while at work. download the app on your phone and you are golden!
You could put one camera in your own room, bring a Kardashian home, make a hidden sex tape, sell it for a few bucks, become instantly famous, and have your own reality tv show with your parents.
I just got a Dlink 932 camera and it works great. connects to my wireless network, and i can see it on my phone or on my computer...we use it as a nanny cam, but same feature basically.
I'm in the process of putting in a 16-cam CCTV system. There are two components of any security system. The cameras and the receiver. Typicality the receiver is a DVR. These days any cam DVR you get is networkable, which means you can access it from anywhere on the local network (home) and over the internet if you configure your internet router correctly. IP Cams are are pre-networked cams that connect to your home network either via wire or wireless. CCTV cams connect to the DVR via a cable type wire. Both need to be powered somehow, so that means there will be wires no matter what. I found that IP Cams were cost prohibitive for what I wanted to do. I also liked the wealth of information and experience I could draw on with CCTV. So I went with CCTV cams. I ended up piecing together a system. The art of the setup is piecing together the proper components, because different placements need different types of lenses, IR lights, etc. Also, you can use a few adapters and run both the power and the video (and audio if your cam allows it) over a network cable. A few key things I learned to look for in a cam: -CCD- look for at least 1/3. Anything less (1/4) sucks. Get a sony if possible. Don't be confused- not a Sony brand cam, they make CCD chips that other manufacturers put in their cams. -IR- The number of IR lights is overrated and kind of a marketing term. -IR-cut module. This is key. It prevents IR light from washing out your daytime view. -Lens size. The smaller the lens size, the wider the view. The wider the view, the less cams you have to use on an area. 2.6mm=180 degree view. -TVL (TV Lines). Don't go less than 600. Most pros will go with 700 or more. I got 600 and it's good for me. The more you have, the pricier the cam will be. -Varifocal lens: It's a lens that you can adjust the size. A lot of lower end cams will have a fixed lens but a varifocal gives you a lens range to play with (ex: 4mm-9mm). I went with a Qvis Apollo HD 16-channel DVR. I liked that they have iphone/ipad/droid remote watching apps. link I'm getting my cams from http://www.gadspot.com . They seem to have the most bang for the buck. Here's a video of some guy's (not me) mostly Gadspot cam setup in the day: <object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JcWBo4rNsm4?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JcWBo4rNsm4?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> And in the night: <object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IF6KhI_eGT0?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IF6KhI_eGT0?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> Something else I noticed in your post; when you say 'expensive'....that's a relative word. Expensive to some people is $100. To others it's $1m. The installers are certainly making a profit, but hey, that's their goal. It's a business, and they're not there to necessarily rip you off. When you hire pros, you're paying for expertise and experience too. It might save you a lot of time to hire them, and your time is worth money. If you decide to go the DIY route, this is the best forum for info: http://www.cctvforum.com/ He could call it 'Spelunking with the Kardashians!'
