GT_Cameras

+5! Strangely, I was thinking almost the exact same thing

[quote="agalipe1"]Hi need some recommendations for a camera that can catch license plates of cars going by house cars are going about 40-50mph house is right on top of road easy target for eggs,bottles you name it any help thanks[/quote] I don't know if I can place links yet, but if I can, check out this link - there is a picture near the bottom that does a far better job of illustrating what I want to say than my fingertips ever could! http://www.wecusurveillance.com/page/435708

And now the crap is likely going to hit the fan because I'm going to disagree with everyone. First off, you can definitely do the install yourself. Just remember, the difference between a good install and a bad install happens before you drill a single hole. Good installers take the time to draw everything out using graph paper, rulers and a protractor. A camera sees in a cone - the distance between the two 'lines' is the camera's angle of view. Plot everything out and try some different camera set ups. As far as lens/sensor choice, feel free to contact me directly and I can give you some more resources.... You know what your Dad says? About wanting this system as a deterrent? There is really strong science to back up what he says. Social psychologists have proven on many different occasions and in many different studies that people behave differently when they know they are being watched. The simple act of setting up cameras will dramatically change behaviour. Employees won't hang out in the office with the 'lady's man' manager because they presume that you watch the tape. People won't steal as often because they will see the cameras, see the signs and, if you are smart and really into creating a deterrent, see the monitor you set up so they can see the video feeds that you see. On the last point, I'm really surprised by how many retail installs don't let their customers watch the feeds. It is way better to keep from stealing than to have evidence to catch them when they do. In my experience, remote view (internet viewing) actually ruins lives. Entrepreneurs only succeed if they are slightly obsessive. And remote view is the perfect tool for an obsessive person. Some people never leave work once they enable remote view. Even when they're at home, they're logged in watching their store, watching their employees and making mental notes. Remote view won't show you anything that you can't see the next day at several times the regular speed. But it will add to your stress and it will keep you from getting the rest and relaxation you need to be successful for years to come. If you really must set up internet viewing, monitor your usage of it and don't be afraid to shut it down. In my mind, a standalone DVR is a giant scam. You are paying really good money for a hard drive with some buttons on the front. Yes, they are easy to set up. Yes, they are easy to put the images online. Yes, they are easy to secure. They are also prone to break. Hard to fix. And they only do one thing - record/'serve" video. The alternative to a standalone DVR is to use a computer. There are a few benefits to using a computer. For one, you don't need much of a computer to run an 8 channel system. In fact, the 16 channel cards we carry retail usually retail for $105 canadian. To run this card, you need a Pentium 4 computer with 512mb of RAM (though I'd suggest you have 1gb) and a hard drive (the bigger the drive, the more video you can store). These computers are considered obsolete so if you look around, you can find all kinds of used ones for sale. Here is my favourite part of using a computer. When I sold surveillance equipment to end users, we used to carry standalone DVRs made by some really well known brands. Standalone DVRs break as often, if not more often, than computers do. Anyone who tells you differently is trying to sell you one. And here is the difference. If your DVR breaks, you get to send it back to get fixed. And then you get to wait for at least 3 - 4 weeks (if you're lucky). I've had clients wait for 5 and 6 weeks on a DVR repair. If you don't buy a name brand computer, every part that will go wrong is going to be readily available in your area. A computer is really only five things - a power supply (these go all the time), a mainboard, a processor, RAM, and a hard drive. Everything else is optional. All those things are extremely common and very easy to get replaced. If your computer technician can't do the repair in less than a week, get a new technician (or take the time to learn how to do it yourself). And finally, when you use a computer, you have access to other things right there. It is easy to take a screen shot and then clean it up/use high quality digital zoom algorithms using a software package like Adobe Photoshop. Furthermore, if you take care of your computer (ie - antivirus, antispy, clear your caches, be a smart internet user, etc), you can easily use it to multitask - do your books, research products, etc..... I actually live just north of you, in Saskatchewan, Canada. We get pretty well the same kind of weather that you get. I've had a whole lot of luck with Vitek heated enclosures. They're around $80 US a piece, but, in my mind, they're worth every cent. Making your budget with these could be rather difficult, so I'm curious whether you need to go with four outdoor cameras right now? Perhaps two would give you a start and then you could always add on if those two aren't giving you full coverage??? As far as indoor cameras go, again, having them there is a deterrent. It doesn't sound to me like you're really that concerned with nabbing a particular employee who is stealing. It doesn't even sound like you have that big of a shoplifting problem. But, it does sound like bad stuff is happening and you'd kind of like that to stop. Depending upon the size of your interior area, and the areas you really want to cover, even a combination of 3.6mm and 6mm lens equipped dome cameras should give you a combination of range of vision with face detail. And now finally, I prefer to work with small business because I really understand the situation they are in. Fact is, sometimes its about making a decision between good enough and too expensive, know what I mean? To do your location properly (so you get multiple angles, lots of high quality face shots), you're likely looking at around double your budget. However, if you set things up properly (and have some help along the way), you can stretch your dollars out significantly while getting 'good enough' coverage..... Feel free to ask me anymore questions..... Greg

Do you think this is because of buyers or because of sellers? On one hand, new factories are springing up everyday and they are all pumping out thousands upon thousands of cameras everyday. Mass production equals price wars equals shoddy manufacturing. These manufacturers pump out their products at obscenely low prices, which gets mass marketing CCTV salespeople worked up in a frenzy because of high profit margins. But, you've worked in retail. How many people have you met who don't care if their system is actually safe, they just want it to be cheap? Consequently, eCommerce enabled sites pump out thousands of cameras to people who only care about the bottom line price. Look at eBay. You can't tell me that the $8 barrel cameras are actually good quality. Yet they sell...

To add to Scorpion's excellent post, imagine if marketers could add mass shopping behaviour information into their already vast collection of information on buying patterns, credit patterns, etc. How do you walk around a mall? What do you look at? What stores do you stop in? What displays catch your eye? What displays catch your eye and bring you into a store? What do you look at as you are on your way into a store to make a purchase? What do you look at as you are on your way into a store just to browse? I have a marketing degree and my experience/knowledge of marketing research has actually scared me. They know a lot and they can make surprisingly accurate predictions about you and people like you. More information just adds more certainty to the mix. If you're interested in this topic, I suggest that you Google "the persuaders rushkoff". The first link that returns is to a wonderful documentary that PBS Frontline put out a few years ago. In it, media expert Douglas Rushkoff goes deep into the marketing industry and shows you some of the ways marketing research happens. It is sanitized but still actually scary.... (or maybe I'm just a paranoid wacko)??

A friend of mine is working on a PhD in Computer Science specializing in artificial intelligence. His dissertation is on unleashing intelligent facial recognition software upon gbs and gbs of digital surveillance footage. Point being, within my lifetime, CCTV systems will be 100% automated.... My thoughts are mixed. On one hand, this is a security boom for really busy places like airports, train stations, casinos, etc. Can you imagine how much money this will save? But, on the other hand, we all know that this technology isn't going to stay in the surveillance industry. When the marketing industry gets it, they will be able to literally track YOU and your entire credit history as you walk through a retail store. This kind of scares me - mainly because it is going to generate terrabytes of new marketing research every day......

Analogue has become industry parlance for wired cameras. We all fall into the trap and use analogue instead of wired. In camera parlance, analogue means that the camera actually records to film. You know 35mm cameras? That is an analogue camera - you have to put film in it and change it after 24 or 36 exposures. Basically, analogue cameras work because there are three emulsion layers on film. These layers react to one of the three primary colours - the chemical structure of the emulsion layer will change according to the colour of the light actually let in..... Digital cameras uses imaging sensors to accomplish the same thing. An imaging sensor basically detects colour and translates it into digital information on a pixel by pixel basis.

I can't actually post links because I'm apparently at risk of being a crazed spammer, so I'll weigh in on here. Personally, I don't carry IP/wireless cameras because I don't think they're ethically sound. These cameras run in the ISM band of radio frequencies. Look at this band as being like a freeway - when you get too many cars driving through it, everything slows down to a crawl. The ISM band is slowed down to a crawl because so many 2.4ghz devices (like cordless phones, baby monitors, wireless routers, etc) transmit signals through it. As well, since the ISM band is so common, you don't have to look very hard for schematics (or devices) that will allow you to intercept/jam camera signals. So, ultimately, if you buy an IP/wireless camera you are paying significantly more money for worse quality and less security. Am I missing something here or is that a pretty bad deal? However, since IP/wireless cameras have such a big market share, it makes sense for big companies and CCTV manufacturers to invest money in research. Therefore, expect better quality, better security and much cheaper prices in the future..... I'm picturing this massive machine with a 24 hour reel of film that weighs three tons......

Heheheheheh.... I can't argue with you - Vista chews up the system resources! But, I can't blame Microsoft for the fact that two machines show dramatically different results running the same card!!!

I've actually been trying to get people together to form a real live industry association for CCTV professionals. This association would have two purposes. To provide training for CCTV Installers and Operators. And to provide some sort of certification/review function. My experience has been that this industry is full of really dodgy people. Some of the worst setups I have ever seen have been done by people with years of experience. I think that the North American industry needs some sort of central body to administer training and certification. Any thoughts/ideas?

Personally, I can't wait until a manufacturer comes out with a DVR system that will run on OS X. Wanna know why? I have installed the exact same card on two machines running Vista. The specs are close in both and this isn't a system resource problem. Everything was as identical as I could get it. The card worked perfectly in one system and it failed miserably in the other. There are literally hundreds of different brands out there that make parts for PCs. Each of these brands develops driver software completely independently of the others. Consequently, there are millions of possible permutations in computer hardware. At the end of the day, it is impossible to really test any kind of a card because conflicts happen all over the place!! This isn't a Microsoft issue because I'm aware that they can't possibly test Vista under every single permutation available. I can't even blame card manufacturers because they have the same restriction. As long as the PC market operates as it does, every time a new operating system comes out, it is going to create problems for 2 - 3 years. There are two morals of the story. First, don't buy a new computer to serve as your DVR. You're wasting money and setting yourself up for disappointment. You only really need a Pentium 4 with 512mb to 1gb of RAM to run a really good system. You can find those all over for extremely cheap! And second, make sure you do business with a supplier who stands behind his/her products!

There are definitely ways to do it, but I question whether her budget allows for it. The easiest way to set it up would be to employ one DVR card per suite and essentially give each client remote view options. Problem is, budget-level DVR cards don't work terribly well in tandem, so you'd be looking at separate systems. Note that I mention this option because you don't seem terribly technically astute. The other option is to go the fully networked route - run everything into a central control server at her location and then out.... Even if you have the knowledge to build your own Linux box and install everything/do all the programming for her, you're still almost certainly looking at more money than if you put an IP camera in each suite. Finally, the last option is to pull a mid-1990s internet trick and install a series of 'pet cams' using really simple, low end web cams. But then why would she want to hire you?