It ain’t exactly the Eye Of Sauron, but…I replaced the video camera system at the house. I initially installed it around..mmm…seven or eight years ago. Was a lot of work, too. Lotsa time moving ladders and running wire. But, when it was done, it covered all angles of approach and a few others as well.
Years go by and technology does it’s thing….features go up, price goes down. The DVR on the system was acting hinky and I was losing data. So..time to replace. Ideally, I wanted a system that used the existing wires and plugs so I wouldn’t have to hang new wire. Easy enough. I spent about 30% less than what they system costs those many years ago, and the features are eye-popping. Much better resolution, a larger drive, I can playback several channels of video simultaneously, and I can even remotely activate an intense light to light up an area in question. I replaced a couple cameras with the new ones and the difference in image quality was staggering. My security footage no longer looks like the Zapruder film.
I have a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) that is usually meant for desktop computers, but it works quite nicely for the camera system. When the power goes down I can still keep an eye on things until I get the EU2000 going. Handy, that.
99.9% of the time, the cameras just pick up the normal comings and goings, Jehovah’s Witnesses knocking on the door, the UPS guy dropping of packages, etc. But, once in a while, something worthwhile gets recorded. I’ve got excellent footage of several car accidents, and one video of someone trying to break into my neighbors house.
What I really appreciate about it is that when the doorbell rings I can glance at the monitor an see who is at the door and, more importantly, who might sneaking around the back of the house while my attention is diverted to the front door. Forewarned is forearmed.
Great post, as always. Do you have a place you can point a noob toward to learn about setting up something similar to yours?
Care to id the brand/model of your system or the specs? I helped a friend install a system in a small store he opened about 10 years ago and was unimpressed with the quality. I’ve been holding off until something worth my efforts came along. Sounds like the tech has caught up with my expectations.
Sounds great. What system are you using?
Not to pull my nerd card on you, but I think what you’re trying to reference is a Palantir.
https://g.co/kgs/PF5M1R
Level up!
CCTV systems are nice, but there are limitations to consider.
1st, visibility. If the cameras are visible, having CCTV cameras are like having a car or home alarm system. These will only deter amateurs, not professionals. In that regard, visible CCTV systems increase the risk of a B&E. The logic is that if you have a CCTV system you’re protecting something worth stealing. So, here’s hoping the cameras are hidden.
2nd monitoring. As you mentioned, they are great for recording incidents with a DVR. The early warning aspect is also nice if you are watching the CCTV monitors 24/7 or have an alert via cellphone that will give you warning there are intruders present.
3rd, CCTV camera shortcomings. With a little foresight, CCTV can be beaten. Depending upon the unit it can be as simple as shining a high powered LED flashlight directly at the lens to auto-iris it. You can also blind the camera with an infrared laser or hit the lens with a paintball. Then, will the system you’ve installed alert you to something being amiss?
Do any of these limitations present more or less advantage than not having a system at all?
For the purposes of deterrence, wouldn’t you want your security system (including cameras) to be visible? Every house has things inside worth stealing. The point of the cameras is to make your property seem less inviting as a target than some other house on the street.
A thief might also reasonably assume that a homeowner who has invested in a security system will have other security measures as well, such as a hidden safe to protect valuables. It’s much faster and easier to go steal from the guy who leaves his patio door unlocked and keeps his spare cash in the back corner of his sock drawer.
Mike,
I would have to disagree, visible cameras do not increase break-ins. I would love to see where you pulled that stat from other than your backside.
Along with alarms and cameras, your risk of break-in goes down, not up.
Mike stated: “The logic is that if you have a CCTV system you’re protecting something worth stealing.”
Clearly you watch way too much television, your logic would dictate that I should not lock my doors either, because it would mean I have something of value inside.
As far as a camera system ALERTING you, news flash: most newer systems will alert you to motion on a camera via your cell phone.
Been in LE for 30 plus years now and have yet to see anyone attempt to disable a camera system with a laser pointer or other device and than commit a break-in. These are myths from people watching too much NCIS.
Ok, I’m done know Commander!!!!!
Ditto. Did 23 1/2 years on the job, 18 1/2 as a Detective. Burgs were our bread & butter. None of what Mike said is realistic in my experience.
Speco makes good quality “prosumer” level gear. It has come down a shocking amount in the last year. Night vision, with built in IR illuminators is awesome on a 4K camera…. Technically, Speco is ‘dealer only’ but I haven’t had any issues.
I buy it from B&H. They have all the gear and their prices are very good.
In addition to your NVR, put an SD card in every camera that will accept one, and configure the recording more aggressively than on your NVR. It’s a nice backup if the thieves grab your NVR, and will probably be higher resolution than your NVR captures. Configure enough “pre-roll” time to get someone simply walking past the cam. 3-5 seconds should be good. Configure enough “post-roll” time that it gets the guy coming back thru the frame without starting a new “event”. Some gear calls these settings “pre- and post- event” times.
Add some IR floods to the system to illuminate wide areas or distances. ebay is flooded with cheap chinese ones, but they will burn out quickly. Try to find “name brand” illuminators from big name camera companies on ebay. You only need a couple of the pro ones to get great coverage.
Like most preps, any cams are better than no cams. Any IR is better than no IR.
And TEST your recorder is set to capture events. Go out at night, and act like an intruder. Walk across your lawn. move past your vehicles. Stand at the door. Then later, check your recorder to see what actually got captured.
nick
One last thought, if your budget imposes limits, buy more resolution and night capability. You can add more storage later. If you have an incident you will probably know and get the video within a couple of days. No one every wished for LESS resolution to NOT make out a license plate, or NOT identify a bad guy.
Was there any updates on the guy tho was trying to break into your neighbors house?
Not that I’m aware of, but I have a strong suspicion its from the ‘crazy people house’ down the street. I’m updating the cameras this spring so I’ll change the field of view to include more of here side of things just in case.
also add IR wide angle lights. at least 5 times brighter at night. I am rural so it gets dark. Have 2 IR lights will be adding 2 more. if you are adding IR lights. I found it is best to run power directly. If you tie them into the cameras power with 1 too 2 splicer, you may draw to many amps and cause a failure at one of the splicers. MY 1 to 4 splicer at the DVR failed. Once hey cooled they worked again. Also place the lights min 2 feet from the camera. the lights causes disruption tot e video feed.
If you feel like rolling your own, check out iSpy as your NVR. You’ll need a decent machine to run it, and a big drive. I’m running 9 cameras currently on the costco dell special of the month ($600).
There’s another NVR program out there that starts with a C but I can’t remember the name. Most modern cams, and modern NAS drives like Western Digital will let you stream directly from the cam to the NAS, no DVR/NVR required.
I like a dedicated NVR for my customers though, it saves the windows update nonsense, and antivirus, etc. Most NVRs come with free DDNS and an app for remote access too and many if not all have a PoE switch built in. Those are worth something too.
n