Owain

you could adapt this PCB http://www.bigclive.com/flud.htm just put in the LEDs you need to make the outline of the digits. Maybe poke them through a layer of black plastic to provide a background to improve the contrast

unless it's optical fibre feeding the image to a remote sensor.

That camera should do a time stamp and text caption overlay - accessed through its setup menus. A logo will be more difficult; you'd have to decode the digital image stream, overlay, then re-encode the image stream. If you are only uploading periodic static images (jpgs) then a scriptable image editor eg GIMP should be able to handle it, running on the webserver.

Use multipair telephone or data cable intended for direct burial and use a balun on the video (and if you need to, audio) pair(s). Double or triple up remaining pairs for power to each camera.

Rather than a siren, install voice speakers and use audio challenge to shout at intruders. This lets them know the system *is* working, they *are* being watched, and the cops *are* on their way.

In the UK there is the Secured By Design initiative, including advice for architects and developers: http://www.securedbydesign.com/professionals/index.aspx which links to the Design Against Crime Research Centre http://www.designagainstcrime.com/

that's what happens when you buy electronic stuff from ebay. the 15 V from the solar charge controller is probably intended for charging batteries

Even simpler is to forget the computer and smartphone stuff - which WILL require your CCTV system to be connected to the internet - and provide hardwired access to a composite video output from the DVR, either by modulating the video and injecting it into the communal TV distribution system, or for only 6 apartments use a 6-output video distribution amplifier and just run cables. However after the novelty wears off I doubt tenants will spend much time watching the screens. I'd concentrate on capturing evidential-quality video that can be retrieved after an event is reported.

Any sheet metal fabricator (see Yellow Pages or equivalent) should be able to cut, fold and weld a box up, fit a hinged door and a cam lock, drill or punch ventilation and cable entry holes, etc.

You can use cameras with on-board storage so you only do live viewing at low resolution, and download high res clips of historic events as needed.

The problem may not be with the DVR, but with the router or internet connection (at either end) which makes it difficult for someone to set it up in advance.

You could try downloading the latest version of the software from the DM website rather than using the older version on the DVR hard drive. However these are quite old units now and the internet viewing isn't comparable to modern systems IMHO.

Razor is a wee cutie

That may be responsible for some of the noise.

Many consumer DVRs have USB mouse control, so you could use a USB hub with the required number of outputs and extend USB to the desired locations using active USB cables or USB-over-Cat n extenders. Depends on whether your DVR will cope with multiple mice, and of course this will not allow separate locations to see/do different actions simultaneously. To avoid running HDMI through the house, if the DVR has a composite/analogue video output you could modulate that and run it through the aerial wiring. However that may not cope with high enough resolution to allow mouse control. Other option is RS 485 with multiple PTZ keyboard controllers and a DVR that supports that.