Sawbones

That spiky dome camera is quite the intimidating piece. My wife would NEVER go for that on our house.

The Acti software is also painful to use... I'd avoid it.

That is one big nocturnal marsupial.

I think this is right-on. People see the System-in-a-box deals at Costco and say "Hey! I can get a camera surveillance system for $400! Those security guys are ripping me off!" Well... no... they're not. Expertise and quality aren't free. You can DIY it (I've done so), but the learning curve once you get past the screws-and-glow-rods phase of the job is significant. I think I've changed out every camera in my house at least once before getting exactly what I wanted (and I have a 16-camera system) But what the hell... I like to tinker, and I learned a lot... so no loss.

Much bigger fan of domes over bullets. Domes: Can't be redirected easily by a random person FOV unknown from a distance easier to conceal wiring lower-profile better aesthetics possibility of changing lenses can't be ripped down easily Can change/repair/tint the domes Bullets: Cheaper easier to aim more obvious (sometimes you want this) built in IR (though it sucks, and attracts bugs) Easier to install Cheaper That's about how I see it.

Are there any plans to make the "Start" version of Exacq available to run on COTS pc's?

Soundy is correct. If you're looking at area coverage around a one-acre property, you are probably not going to be happy with regular analog cameras. If you hope to cover the entire property with only five cameras, and have enough detail to determine what's happening out there, you're going to want megapixel IP cameras. Don't get me wrong... the analog stuff works, and is pretty reliable... but you're not going to have the pixel density to determine who is walking around, ID a vehicle, make out a face, or provide much useful information to the police. Where analog cameras CAN perform well is if you choose your field-of-view wisely, and focus those cameras on walkways, gates, doorways, etc... but then you lose the area coverage. Megapixel IP cams are the only thing that will give you area coverage AND the potential sharpness/detail to see who/what is happening. Just my non-professional opinion.

You're shooting low on that price... way low.

Are we talking extenders-over-UTP? I'm using the Star-Tech stuff... it works.

Really?

Nope. But even the Mobotix cams require an Active-X control... so it's IE only. Gad... I HATE Active-X

You can't beat the Panasonics for picture quality and general ruggedness.

Put up another camera... maybe one of those obnoxious fake ones with the blinking LED light. That ought to be practically irresistible. THEN grease up that gas pipe... but only start the grease about halfway up, so he's well off the ground when he encounters the grease Make sure you have a real camera off to the side, so you can watch him bust his ass on the ground.

Looks pretty suave!

I love the Pano domes... I've yet to run across another dome camera that's built as heavily as the Panasonics.

I'd like to see a night image as well... been looking for a way to do this.

Smoothwall is highly recommended... been using it for years. I also like Untangle.

Isn't it funny how that always seems to be the case? At least here in the US, we can arm ourselves, and make a go of it. Many homeowners respond to burglars with force, and most states have legal protections for the homeowner that chooses to defend family/property. Burglary in the US can be a risky proposition indeed.

This is why I could never be a Brit. Guns are a woman's best friend, especially when dealing with burglars.

I'll take it. PM sent

True that. I'm no Linux n00b, but I found zoneminder to be painful.

Does anybody know what Mobotix charges for a password reset on a camera, and who/where to send it?

I saw one of those at my local wal-mart recently. VERY well-disguised in the like-colored door-frame... I'd been in-and-out of that store many times, and had never noticed it... and I tend to notice things like that. I asked one of the greeters who made it, but she didn't know. Now I know... thanks!

DM is very expensive for what you get.

You give Sharx the IP and change the administrator password so they can do the update. Wow Umm... the hell with that.