atoledo

OK. After many hours of research (and many contradictory reviews), I've decided on what I'm going to get for the front yard. (see here for some background: http://www.cctvforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=171855) I am mostly concerned about recording at night. I do have a 3-post lamp with 25W in each which gives a nice glow to the front during the night, plus a wall lamp by the door, so I am not going for an IR camera. I can always put in stronger bulbs if needed. The area I want to record is approx. 20 x 25. I have chosen to go with the CNB VCM-24VD ($150) and the Qvis ZUESMK2 4 Channel DVR ($250). What do you guys think of this setup? Also, since I'm new to all of this, and I'm used to having everything included in the box, what wires will I need and how much more am I looking at? Thanks

Thank you guys for your quick replies. I will definitely look into UL certified alarm monitoring. I am in NYC so I sould be able to find something. (Thanks for that tip) As for the area I want to cover, my front yard is relatively small--20' wide x 25' deep. My backyard is even less--20' wide by 15' deep. Anything beyond 25' is not too important at this time. Maybe later, who knows. Concerning DVRs, I thought the primary concern was camera/ccd/cmos quality, not so much the DVR as it's just recording what the camera sees. What should I be looking for in a DVR? H.264 compression? Thanks again.

Hi. I am brand new to this forum and would like some expertise in setting up a camera system for my home. Here's the background: Two years ago, our house was burglarized and items stolen. It was our fault for forgetting to lock a window. We immediately got ADT security alarms and have not had another incident like the one before. We thought about getting their video surveillance package, but found the cost to high as it's a monthly fee. Last year, even though we live in a fairly safe neighborhood, someone was bold enough to open our front gate (small 3-foot high) and steal some of our Christmas decorations. This year I began shopping the local bestbuys and costcos for their offerings of security cameras. The reviews of these, however, are far from encouraging. I think one of these systems from Costco is enough for me to recognize my neighbors, but I seriously doubt they are stealing from me. I would love to be able to show the police something they can use if the need arises. I need to be able to distinguish faces, preferably at night. I only need about two cameras--even just one for the front entrance is fine for now. But I don't want to break the bank on the highest quality available. I will be installing myself, so something that is easy setup. I am on a tight budget since I have three kids with a long Christmas list. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank You