Hello All,
I am new to CCTV and new to this forum. I am by no means a CCTV professional. I am a homeowner looking to DIY on a budget. I have searched the web, including this forum for hours on end over the past six months, but have yet to find a solution that accomplishes what I am wanting to do (i.e. "A solution that fits my situation, is practical for homeowner application, and is affordable on a homeowner budget."). Perhaps I'm thinking about it all wrong, but I'm hoping that's where you can help me.
A little background about my situation before I explain what I would like to do. I live in a very rural area, with my nearest neighbor being approximately one mile away. My home is very secluded, in the middle of a densely wooded 100 acres, approximately 1/4 mile off of the main road, down a long winding driveway. I do not have internet access available at my home, as there is no cable or telephone service in this area. I have previously used satellite internet, but dropped it due to terrible latency and data allowances. I have excellent cell service at my house, and am currently using an AT&T 4G LTE hotspot for my internet access. AT&T does not allow tethering/hotspots on an unlimited data plan, so I have a 6GB limited data plan just for this hotspot. Because of the data limitations, I have to enable/disable the hotspot on an as-needed basis to try to conserve data.
I am looking to install a four to eight channel system to monitor the perimeter of my home and my driveway. I would like 4-6 cameras mounted on the exterior of the building, and at least one camera approximately 100-150 feet away on the driveway. Also, I would like to receive motion notifications, either SMS or email, and would like to remotely stream video on rare occasion. Because I do have dogs and children, I really only want to receive alrerts for the driveway camera when a vehicle enters or exits. I definitely don't want to receive an alert everytime one of my dogs crosses the yard, but I wouldn't mind the rare alert when one of them wanders down the driveway. I do understand that because I am trying to trigger an alert based on motion in an outdoor environment, that I may require special equipment (e.g. PIR sensor) and/or software. So, I am trying to find an off-the-shelf solution that will provide me with these alerts via GSM (AT&T) network via a built-in wireless card. I have considered purchasing a cellular game camera similar to the Covert Special Ops Code Black (https://www.amazon.com/Covert-Special-Ops-60-LED-Wireless/dp/B00806KGY6) for the driveway. However, I would really prefer the driveway cam to be integrated into the rest of the system so that the video can be stored under lock and key inside the house, and not strapped to the side of a tree.
Hpefully this explains what I am trying to do, and I look forward to receiving feedback from the forum.
Thank you in advance for any information,
downeydigs
