Birdman Adam

Please don't used WiFi!!!! I can crack WEP security in under 3 minutes, and brute-force WPA types in under 10 minutes usually. Once someone has the password, they can sniff for anything, passwords sent by browsers, video streams, emails sent, goes on forever! And don't think SSL helps, either. Anyone that knows how to read a tutorial and use Linux can do it too! If you use WiFI I'll come over there and have some fun with your network.

Sounds like its time for some Raid 0! Or 4 disks running Raid 0+1 for redundancy as well.

Haha! I noticed that too but wasn't gonna say anything. I could sure use one of those lights with the UV filter for tracking deer...

Your using intel's new P67 chipset? And their new Sandy Bridge series? Which processor specifically? What mobo? Got any pictures?

I use a Fluke 115 meter. It does like everything. Its kinda expensive, but the quality is wonderful, with many nice features, lit a backlit display, min/max tests, etc. Plus, the backlit can be set to never go off, which is wonderful for working at night/dark areas. Accuracy is quite good. Some would say its bulky, but it can be purchased with a belt clip, and has a little flip out stand. It's also very rugged, thick and strong plastic. I've droped it onto concrete from about 10' before, works great! Its also perfect for creating/testing circuits and messing with micro-controllers and such, (anyone else play with Atmel uC's?) Key features for use in CCTV: -Voltage measurement in DC and AC, from .01 volts to 600 volts. (Also has a mV setting for .0001 volt and above) -Amperage measurement from .001 amps to 10 amps. -Beeping Continuity test -Resistance measurement from .001 ohms to like 100M ohms It also measures frequency of AC in Hertz, measures capacitance, and has a diode test! Really, every time I use it, I'm like "Man, I'm happy I bought this...!" Oh, and the probes are nice and long, made with quality wire.

What you need is a WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) camera. These cameras can handle wide brightness differences. Others can suggest specific models, as I have none...

I would assume similar? Looks like IR is used to light up the plate. You must be using REG-D1 with color overview camera? Because day image is color on the plate cam, and night image seems to have IR filter. The problem I have with cameras with lenses 25mm+ will be that they will be looking so far down the street. The section between the main road and the first driveway has a steep hill going up to the driveway. I'm afraid its going to be hard to get a good picture with cars going up a hill.

Looks like some sort of glitch. I just logged out and back in and it said the same thing. Logged out and in a second time, and it went through fine. Maybe he's testing a new challenge-response test...?

Wait, there is actually a relay in that thing?? Must be magic...

I have had it go through 4 insulated walls, drywall on either side, still reaching at least 350ft, no interference.. So equivalent to maybe 1-2 cinder block walls? This includes wiring and electronics all over the place.

Math looks good to me There's no way the wireless model uses nearly the same as the wired model. If you have a multimeter capable of reading current, hook it up between the motion and the battery. Set it to milliamps (mA) and see how much the wireless model draws. I would expect it to draw less than 0.2mAh, because 800mAh / (12mo. * 3wks. * 7d. * 24hrs.) = 0.13 mAh. I'm sure the design for the wireless model is a lot different than the wired model. The wireless models probably use transistors to replace power hungry relays. This may cost more, but enabled battery to last longer. Wired is probably cheaper, and consequently less efficient. The only motions I've worked with were for alarm systems. The IR sensor uses practically no power at all. The little test-light LED uses like 5mAh, but only stays on for test mode.

Also, the antenna is only a couple inches long! Of course the camera does get pretty warm. Turning on a microwave slightly disrupts the signal. A funny thing about the camera, it has four channel adjustments. By adjusting the channel, you can jam certain WiFi channels! Like for example, channel 1 may block WiFi channels 1-5, channel 2 may block WiFi channels 6-10. I've found this to be useful in certain situations... Also, the receiver is tons of fun when going anywhere. It has an analog tuning dial, so I can sweep the whole 2.4GHz band. I can go around town and tap into all kinds of cameras, usually with sound! One time I was at a port at the coast in my boat. I happened to plug in my receiver to my TV and sweeped around. I found 5 cameras in the shrimp-processing facility across the street!!! Since then I also have bought the same model, except at 5.8GHz. Seems all the sor of cheap wireless cameras are on 2.4 or 5.8GHz.

I agree that these cameras may not be fully designed for continual use. Their design is cheap, with inefficient parts, both run warm. That said, I have been running both cameras mentioned above for about 5 years now 24/7 for close up views. The wireless cam I have runs off 9v, the B&W one does 12v. They haven't had any problems, but I have made sure to use voltage regulators that keep the voltage stable, and doesn't raise it above the norm at all. The wall warts that came with them (really cheap), put out 9.7v, and 13.4v, respectively, even under the load of the cameras. Not always good for continued use. The regulators in the cameras have to dissipate more heat.

Yea, as it stands now, I'm just about perfectly in the middle of their recommendations. Pretty soon I'm going to to some more real measurements to rally get it all figured out.

Picture of this cam from a while ago Yea, I have the B&W version. I have had this camera forever. I used to use it to get close shots of faces at front door, actually did its job there. I had it in the basement just until I could buy a proper camera. (Kind of a filler). I like to have the basement monitored because the window to the right is where the thieves busted in before... I also have a pinhole camera like the one mentioned in the first post, except it is one of those 2.4GHz color wireless ones. Only good for close views and will lit areas, or for general views. right now I'm using it to monitor deer at one of my deer-stands! It's actually a fair design for its size, can run off of a 9V battery for a bout 6 hours. Range is about 400ft, through walls. Would be good for temporary covert surveillance! Oh, and both of the camera I just mentioned have audio, which is cool.

I actually have one of those exact cameras (the top one) - lets see if I can find some pictures from it... I dont use it anymore, but pics are always nice to judge from... Also, dont get the IR one, just buy a separate IR illuminator. Unless you put the camera right up to their face it won't help. EDIT: Here's some pics... These are actually pretty new, as I just replaced the camera a little while ago: These pics are captured at 640x480, so not quite D1. BTW, I have the B/W version, color version will suck at night-time images even more. 60W light off to left: Daytime lights from outside. Notice how it easily washes out camera view. Bunch of 60W overhead lights on: View is better... 60W from another area. I would only use this camera if: -The area viewed was well lit -The shot was very close, (1'-8')

Hmmm. You may be right on the cost of XP vs. 7 now... I totally agree with you on going to Linux. Its really great for these types of applications, (and more). Of course, Linux does have more of a learning curve, took me a little while to get familiar with troubleshooting, lots of commands, etc. Remember: Google is your friend!!!!

I would just go with XP. Both XP and 7 are reliable, but XP is cheaper, and you don't need the aesthetics of 7.

I wouldn't buy any dome under $100. Now if you were to say; 'under $200', you would get a lot more recommendations, (for rather nice cameras too). There's kind of a hump there between 'run-of-the-mill' cameras which are junk usually, and actual branded cameras that work rather well. Deciding on recording time is a hard thing... I would use a minimum of 500GB for up to 4 cameras, for 3-4 weeks. If you were using 6 cameras, D1 resolution, I would go for 1TB. Again, that is a very basic assumption, as the type of recording, time of recording, compression, resolution, how many cameras, etc, affects storage usage.

I'll bet they used crappy fuses which cause a current over 1A to just sag the voltage, messing up the camera. A proper fuse would pop quick after 1A+ of current. Only a really expensive supply would have individually regulated channels. I don't see any reason why you can't tie two together. I wouldn't just put a bigger fuse in one, because the traces on the PCB/wires may not be big enough to carry that bigger load on just one channel.

Hey! Maybe when the drill cut up the coax, it pulled the center conductor a little through the whole line. Just enough to pull it out of the connector at the other end. This is very possible, as I have done it with normal CATV RG6 cable. I had an RG6 extension cable that I used to use to get TV from a dock to my boat that required me to pull the jacket back to get the center conductor to pop out of the F connector enough.

It seems to me the REG-X using the filter to only see IR actually improves plate readability. If I was using a normal camera, or even a 'license plate camera' without an IR only filter, it would get blinded by headlights/taillights/etc.

Most cameras have a connection to pipe PVC conduit right into the camera, or mount the camera on a weatherproof electrical box, in which PVC conduit can be ran to recorder. That way your connection made in the junction box are perfectly dry!

Rory - nobodies got to know about the gun. I'm pretty sure all the hardcore criminals have plenty!!!

Maybe I should delete my previous posts on the first-third pages... -The REG-X will be looking up the straightaway, right next to the road. Viewing angle will be less than 30 degrees, with starting distance from cars ~10'. -I will use a WDR camera from CNB to get car details. -I will be recording at D1 at 30FPS. -Cars will be driving almost perfectly straight away from the camera between 10' and like 50'. -Why would lens calculations be different for the REG-X compared to a normal camera, its still a CCD sensor, still 1/3", still a normal 16mm lens... Sure the sensor is sensitive to only IR light, but why would that change the viewing angles???