Home surveillance systems?

I will be in the market for a surveillance camera system in a couple of weeks. I expect my system to have at least 4 cameras, i would like 6 to 8. It should be able to operate at night and record pictures of high enough quality so it can be used to identify trespassers, burglars etc.

There are so many systems out there and im not educated enough to know what system to get. Obviously its like with everything. You get what you paid for it. Im not looking to break the bank but im also not going to buy a 16 camera set for 200 bucks of off ebay,
I think my maximum would be about half a grant.

What do you guys have installed? Are you happy with it? What would you have done differently?

Here are some super cheap systems i found but they already look cheap:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELEC-8CH-Cha...item1e8647c243

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELEC-8-CH-Ch...item19e95980b0

That one looks a little better:

http://www.costco.com/Q-See-8-Chann...D-and-8-900TVL-Cameras.product.100096884.html



Thanks for your input.

Harbor Freight makes some really good ones. I don't like their IR cameras, but their standard cameras work great, and I have a neighbor who reports good with their night vision cameras. He also has weatherproof ones that he said works well. If you run good lighting, then these cameras work very well, in my experience. They even have some that will record to a remote location in case the mouse was burglarized and cameras destroyed. http://www.harborfreight.com/8-chan...and-mobile-monitoring-capabilities-61229.html Don't skimp on the lighting though. It's the #1 theft deterrent.

If you're willing to spend $500, then you can build a pretty damn good system in my opinion. Size of your lot and house will change the needs pretty quick too, though. These are all things to consider. How big is your lot/house? Is it square/rectangle, or are there weird angles? Do you have REALLY good lighting? Do you have reinforced doors & windows?

I believe this has been covered here before, too. In fact, I think DPF is where I learned about it!

Check it out, man. These are NO JOKE. http://armorconcepts.com/EZ-Armor/?..._term=door kick reinforcement&utm_matchtype=b

Remember that most security measures that really return results are simple in nature. Lighting, secured doors, and windows are the best place to begin. Cameras are a great thing to have in case something still happens, but I prefer to deter it in the first place.

Recently, we had over 30 break-ins within 5 miles. This was all within about 3 weeks. The police weren't even notifying locals about it. I only knew because I get a report about crime in our area and was floored at the spiking numbers. One night, my car was vandalized and a break-in was attempted. I talked to the officer and he did indeed tell me about the spike in break-ins & thefts. Almost all of them allowed access through back doors and windows. Almost all of them also had poor lighting. Around here, you have 1 standard porch light, and 1 standard back porch light. Some folks have apple in the yard, but that doesn't help a whole lot. Crooks like to go unseen. LIGHT 'EM UP!

Thanks for your replies. I indeed was thinking about lighting the whole outside with these hoocked up to motion sensors.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-White-H...660?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58afa9146c

Those EZ armor combos look amazing and very affordable too! Thanks for sharing that. I will get a pair for sure!

I've got a dog!!! best surveillance system in the world.

bigpaul said:

I've got a dog!!! best surveillance system in the world.

Click to expand...

Yeah, me too. Black lab.
Shes propably comming right at the intruder wiggling her tail and asking for a treat.
Shes not really helpfull. Lo

yeah mine too but she's got ears like radar and can warn me of intruders a long time before I can hear them.

Marv.Schmitz87 said:

I will be in the market for a surveillance camera system in a couple of weeks. I expect my system to have at least 4 cameras, i would like 6 to 8. It should be able to operate at night and record pictures of high enough quality so it can be used to identify trespassers, burglars etc.

There are so many systems out there and im not educated enough to know what system to get. Obviously its like with everything. You get what you paid for it. Im not looking to break the bank but im also not going to buy a 16 camera set for 200 bucks of off ebay,
I think my maximum would be about half a grant.

What do you guys have installed? Are you happy with it? What would you have done differently?

Here are some super cheap systems i found but they already look cheap:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELEC-8CH-Cha...item1e8647c243

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELEC-8-CH-Ch...item19e95980b0

That one looks a little better:

http://www.costco.com/Q-See-8-Chann...D-and-8-900TVL-Cameras.product.100096884.html



Thanks for your input.

Click to expand...

Marv,

Here is a few companies that I've found work good deals and offer a good quality surveillance equipment. You definitely also want to invest in some very large TV's so you can pipe them into your control center. I found two good quality 32 inch screen TV's work well.

http://www.discount-security-cameras.net/8-camera-dvr-systems.aspx

I went with this company because of their wireless IR systems. Allowed me to place them in a good locale.

When I was researching this, came across this.
http://www.amazon.com/Zmodo-PKD-DK0...illance+system+with+8+weatherproof+ir+cameras

Great for the money, 122 reviews and an average of 4 stars.

Keep in mind though, if you have a camera trained on a large area (like a yard) at night, you'll need an IR illuminator to help the cameras see a bigger area at night.

As mentioned though, some other steps may be more recommended.
1. Further securing doors (strike plates, floor locks, etc.)
2. Further securing windows (security film, better locks, etc.)
3. Lots of motion sensor exterior lights
4. Plenty of battery powered alarm products on the market. I like these as cutting the power won't make a difference to them.

Thanks for all of your input. A buddy of mine just bought this system right here (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Defender-...25__W330463556) and is going to set it up in the next day. I will let all of you know how it works out.
And i strongly agree about all the other steps of securing my home.

That Defender unit looks pretty solid, and good reviews.

You know, I am a HUGE proponent of dogs for security. Though, we have to understand the limitations. We just read an article of a man who killed an intruder after the baddie had broken in and killed their dog. Not unheard of in any neck of the woods. From Ruby Ridge to LA. San Antonio to DC. People know dogs are good alarms. If they know the humans handle the threat once alerted, the dogs will get put down VERY fast. I jump up every time our dogs alert. Once I see that it's not a problem, I reward them so they know I want them to alert us. Squirrels and rabbits, etc don't get that same reward, so they learn to watch for humans and large animals.

Lights, lights, lights. I like LEDs, too. For all the common reasons. People get sick of hearing that, but once the whole neighborhood has installed awesome lighting systems, you can literally see the break-ins migrate a few miles down the road. I wish I could get everyone to put alarms and signs in their yards. Cameras would be great too, but anything we can do to lower the threat to our neighborhood.

Do you live in a subdivision or are you a little further out?

Personally, I'm a in a bit more of a rural area. So, while lights are effective, alone, may not mean too much. Still, no crook wants to be illuminated.

And I investigate noises in the dark, so they can't see me (but if lit up, I can see them).
Though, I may call out, "Mike, is that you?", and then shoot (no Mike here....LOL).

I do always fear an intruder would kill my dog (or dogs). Of course, he'd have to kill all 5 to silence the alarm, so not a great proposition there. I use battery powered door and window alarms too though. Simply put, they are cheaper, and I don't have to worry about someone cutting the power to disable them. You just have to routinely replace the batteries, so they are dependable.

Some of my friends ask me why I'm so big on security. I just tell them I have 5 humans (including me) that I'm responsible for, so why not? Also, numerous animals in addition to animals we board for others...so my duty to protect all...(though most of the people in the house can protect themselves pretty well too). The REAL reason is so that all of this is already in place and part of our routine should anything ever happen...whether a SHTF event or a simple burglary attempt.

I was hoping to find wireless cameras, im unsure of how that will work but i'd like to not have cords going all over my house haha. But these cameras look awesome. I also have a guard dog, my chiweenie, barks at everything but in the middle of the night shes quiet, until something is actually outside. i have big plans to buy the ez armor though.

We went with the Q-See 16 camera DVR system with the PTZ camera. We caught it on sale through SAMS Club.
We have had in in for about 8 months now. We are completely satisfied with the system.
We looked at the wireless systems and they are a lot more expensive.
I still have 3 cameras that I plan on installing to monitor the front and back gates.

Texas Patriot said:

We went with the Q-See 16 camera DVR system with the PTZ camera. We caught it on sale through SAMS Club.
We have had in in for about 8 months now. We are completely satisfied with the system.
We looked at the wireless systems and they are a lot more expensive.
I still have 3 cameras that I plan on installing to monitor the front and back gates.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your feedbak. I still havent decided what system to get but i will definitely looking into the Q-see.

Do your research and find the right one for you needs. Also, if your internet is from satellite, make sure your system is compatible with it if you plan on checking in on your place from the internet.