alpine0000

i dont have any suggestions for you for under $500 for 4 cams and a DVR that arent your typical "costco" type packages, but i just wanted to answer your question: the camera sends constant video to the DVR. the DVR will have an on screen setup menu that will allow you to choose motion recording on that channel, and the DVR is what detects the motion and decides to record. i think you could get into a decent DVR for $300-$400, esp if you only want 4 channels, and dont need remote viewing. I've seen some cost effective stuff from avtech and such. the dvr is the heart of your system. before choosing any cams id search out and buy a nice DVR within your budget, with the options you desire most, and with good recording quality. the record quality is important since you want to be able to give this to the police and identify her face. i dont think a budget DVR will have good recording/compression quality that fits into your $500 budget with the cameras. you may have to stretch your budget a few hundred dollars IF you want a DVR with good recording quality. For what you described to us for your needs, if it were me, i would want something with at least 4CIF (as opposed to CIF or 2CIF). that said, there are a lot of entry level systems in that price range that are def worth a look. its been said here a million times, you get what you pay for! also, i wouldnt totally rule out wired cameras, either. do you have a lockable closet in your garage that you might be able to put the DVR in? or, what about above the garage? is there a room, maybe an office on the second floor that is located directly above the garage where you could run the wires through the garage ceiling and into the office? or, maybe an office next to the garage where we can fish the wires? good luck with catching the suspect!

Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner. If you shop wisely you can probably score that for ~$450, the bonus is you would have a bunch of unmentioned capabiltity as well. In my case I used an Applied Digital Ocelot which is for all intensive purposes a PLC for home use. Add to it's rs485 network a SECU16 and you have 8 A/D inputs or 8 digital inputs plus 8 digital outputs. The same setup rs485 network supports both temp, humidity and ASCII output. You can either use the prepackaged temperature bobcat or use your own probe and the SECU16. The text inserter would just be whatever you can find thats cheap. Collin, Thanks for taking the time to reply. I was wondering if you, or another member, might be able to steer me in the right direction with the temp sensor --> A/D converter ---> text inserter as far as hunting down the materials for it. I'll be able to wire it up just fine, but I have no experience with a/d converters or text inserters. I only have experience with temp sensors. For example, you say i could get all the equipment for about $450, but i was looking online at various text inserters, and they seemed to be between $500-$800 dollars and had different options and such. When you dont really know what you need, or where to look, it can be overwhelming. Can you recommend some model numbers, brands, links, etc to make it easy for me to initially acquire the correct things, without paying too much for something that I dont really need all of the features on? Like I said, once i get the equipment in hand, wiring it up will be no problem. I was an HVAC technician for 6 or so years, and ever since have been in the computer industry. Its just that a lot of CCTV details are still new to me. If anybody would want to PM me with links to a temp sensor, a/d converter, and text inserter that they would recommend for a nice price, thatd be great, too. My google searches havent gotten me much farther than where i started from. Thanks all!

Very weird question, I know... I just did a search for "temperature display" and only got 11 results, and none of them were related to my question. To preface my odd request: Here's the deal. I travel a LOT. I'm out of town for sometimes weeks, or months at a time. This is how I got into CCTV initially to watch over my house remotely while away. One winter I came home to find my heat not working, and the house was about 54-56 degrees fahrenheit. (i live alone, and usually set the heat at 68 when i leave if its winter time) I am out of town again for 3 months as I type this (i am in Iraq, other side of the world from home). I logged in remotely 2 days ago (i have indoor and outdoor cameras) and saw snow on the ground. This got me thinking... i wonder if my heat is working this time. How great would it be to be able to see the outdoor temp on the display of one of the outdoor cams, and the indoor temp on the display of one of the indoor cams! Which brings me to my question: What is the best way to have indoor and outdoor temperatures displayed on the screen? (i thought about buying one of those indoor/outdoor weather stations from brookstone or something, and then aiming a camera at that. but thats kind of ghetto, plus you wouldnt be able to see the weather station display if it was dark in the room) thanks all! i hope somebody can share some great info about this! oh, im not sure if this matters at all, but here is what im working with currently (until february when i add 4 more cameras) --G4-8RTA-D1 DVR w/ 500g HDD --(3) G4-400HPT High-Res Infrared Color Camera --G4-9CH-10AMP power supply --IntelliPix IPX-520-DN DPS WDR Day/Night Camera w/ 2.8-12mm Manual Iris Varifocal Lens

i currently have a 4 camera setup, but in a few months i am adding 4 more cameras, and moving my current cameras around. essentially, a total system redesign and adding new hardware. i did a quick and dirty sketch in visio. 5 cameras outside, and 3 cameras inside which havent yet been determined. what do you guys think of the camera locations? camera A and B are wide views of front/back yard, while C, D, and E will be zoomed in to monitor front/back door, and car. all outdoor cameras are 3-8mm varifocal with infrared. i really would like to incorporate a PTZ somewhere outside, but not sure if its practical. but im REALLY trying to find a nitch for one! do you think i could find a practical location? (my only concern is that the night vision quality on most are poor, which make the stationary infrared cams i have superior). house is split level. 2 stories on left side, and 1 story on right side. what do you guys think? what would you do with the outside of the house? move cameras to diff locations? add more cameras? get rid of 1 or 2 cameras? use diff cameras? i know there are blind spots on the sides of the house, but there are no windows or doors on either side. also, there is no fence around the house, and no choke points. all wide open grass yard, except for the two evergreen trees on the top left. all feedback is encouraged and welcome. thank you!

Stan, nice to hear your thoughts, and thanks for the reply! a few things i considered though with your ideas: Hmm. not a bad idea. and i thought about that, but if i move cam E to the right side of the door, then itll be mounted on the "1 story" side of my house, and somebody could reach it. where i have it now, itd be hanging from the 1.5 level side, about 15 feet up, out of reach The lower right hand corner, again, puts it within arms reach. where i have it now, in the middle of that exterior wall, it would be mounted at the peak of the roof. also, it wont guard much wall area because it will be zoomed in to cover just my truck so i can get facial recognition if possible. although, i am thinking about hanging it on the top right corner of the picture there, cause then itll be right next to the big bay window in front of my house, and in the *front* of the house, which will take more balls to tamper with. plus, it may be covered by other cameras in the front of the house if i aim correctly. also, right now, i have bullet cams, but im seriously thinking about replacing those with dome cams to mount under the eve of the roof. this is a complete non-issue for me. i dont keep monitors running in my house. i merely login remotely to check on it, and i pull up one cam at a time due to band width. i could care less if i have "uneven cameras"

the last few posts have really got me thinking i do have an oregon scientific weather station, with indoor and outdoor temp and humidity. also tracks barometer levels over the last 24 hours, and predicts rain, etc... however, it runs only on batteries and has no backlight, nor does it plug into my pc. i guess ive got some thinking to do when i get back in the states in a couple of months... i need to set up this temperature thing, and add a few cameras, and probly splurge on a PTZ for the roof.

Well, for somebody who doesnt know, you sure were quick to claim that it cant be done with just a camera These two cameras come to mind right away when i think of inexpensive cameras solutions that will do what you requested, but panasonic also makes some, too. And I'm sure there are others. http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1175239651656&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper&lid=5165686883B01 http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1175229403526&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper&lid=0352686883B01

i am a database administrator. i am in iraq setting up and monitoring computer servers for the army. its a 24 hour operation. one crew is on 7am-7pm, and the next crew works 7pm-7am. there is very little free time here. with my 1-2 hours a day that i have to myself, i usually am either at the gym, or calling my gf and family back in the states. i travel all the time. last month i was in kuwait, and germany. I've also been all over the US, just in the past 12 months. We wont even talk about the past 10 years... everyday is groundhogs day here i do appreciate all of the input from you guys!

man, you guys... thats quite a project. i think id rather aim a camera at a little digital weatherstation in my house. or find an easier method than the madness that scorpion described... haha. i work 7am-7pm seven days a week. i barely have time to install the cameras, let alone a project like that!

i do not. what kind of ideas are going through your head now, scorp?

I believe hi wants External temp yes, i want the room temperature inside my house and the air temp outside of the house.

wow. thats a great recommendation, and the cameras look great i got really excited, until i realized that mobotix cameras all appear to be IP cams only is there a chance that i am wrong on this? do they make any of these cameras that are non-IP cams?

hello marc! This is a great idea. I thought about doing this initially, but realized there were a few drawbacks (also see my explanation in my first post in this thread on it) *if its dark in the room, i wouldnt be able to see the LCD display when logging in *if the battery dies on the device while im away (which seems like every couple of months i have to replace either the battery on the indoor device or the sensor mounted outside) its useless *id have to dedicate a camera to it still not a bad idea, though. it may be a great alternative if i cant find another method to make this work. the main reasons id like to integrate it into the onscreen display are: *can view the temp anytime i log in, day or night *do not need to dedicate a camera to it *will be on the same battery backups that the rest of my cctv system is on, unlike the battery powered weather station that i have, so never need to worry about batteries.

yes, i can see it would be a necessity for some business's. i was speaking more in the terms of home use, just for me to login and see the temperature at my house via cctv dvr, in the terms of "cost" would it be very practical? i did some research and cant seem to find the products that i would need to use to make this happen, so i dont really know how much it would cost me. for example, if it would cost me $2,000 to do the temp sensor -> a/d converter -> text display, then it would just be totally impractical for my use, and i wouldnt consider it. i guess what im asking is, can anybody help steer me more in the right direction? i havent found any information so far to integrate the temp display on my cctv system yet. ive only found stand alone solutions that use either computer software, or a telephone. thanks again

lol so, back on topic any thing else that anybody wants to suggest?

so what do think of the temp sensor --> A/D converter ---> text inserter suggestion, scorpion? is it practical? anybody else have any ideas?

i dont need audio. i have limited threats, and live in a nice neighborhood with very low crime. this is mostly for peace of mind when im on the other side of the world, and to keep track of home service that i pay for while away. mainly, i would like to: check on my car, check on the lawn service, check if my mailbox is still standing (have had issues with kids bashing it in), check if packages were delivered, and also monitor the security of my back door. the PTZ is strictly me wanting to have fun, and be able to pan around my yard. i admit, it is a bit overboard, but sometimes thats the way things go with me

i am good friends with all of my neighbors. ive lived in the house for about 20 years. None of them would ever call the cops on me. If anything, theyd come over and HELP me install the cameras! haha. one of my neighbors just helped me install a hardwood floor a few months ago, and i helped my other neighbor put up a fence (all weekend project). then i helped him install a new AC unit in his backyard. like i said, no legal issues here. we are all friends but, i wouldnt be peeping on them anyways

great idea, scorpion. here ya go!

great thoughts scorpion! youve almost talked me into mounting a PTZ in the front of my house near the roof for fun! (i really dont think i *need* one for my application, but im such an electronics dork and want to play with it when im out of town bored at the parents house, or what have you). as for the camera facing the car that you suggested i move closer, would you believe that that camera is only about 10-14 feet from the front bumper of the car?! (very small yard!) oh, i also mounted it there too because its higher up (looking from the side, the roof makes an upsied down V), the closer i move it to the driveway, the lower the camera has to become, and its only one story on that side of the house. so if i move it all the way up to the corner of the house near the driveway, it would become accessible to a somewhere tall person. but again, the cameras that i already have ar 3-8mm and i think this would work nicely for this application because i dont think id need anything longer than an 8mm range for what im doing. oh, if i mounted a PTZ it would be as high up as i could get it where camera C is located. let me see if i can get a google maps shot...

the cameras will be 1.5 stories high, just under the eave of the split level side of the house. so id guess about 15 feet up, definitely too high for somebody to tamper with without a ladder. the distance covered is not far. my house/yard is small. from cam B to the driveway is maybe 30 feet max. my PTZ idea wouldnt be for all cams. itd be one PTZ mounted on the roof or somewhere high just to play around with it wouldnt replace all the rest, and nobody would be controlling it except me when i log in remotely just to look around the yard and neighborhood a bit (i travel for long periods and like to check in on stuff). also, there are no street lights. i have a motion light installed at the front door and the back door, though. along with a post light in the middle of the front yard that comes on when it gets dark outside (photocell). so, its not completely pitch black, but its not extremely well lit like a parking lot, either. and, its only lit when it detects motion. but if id like to login and view the backyard remotely at night time, and the motion lights arent on, thats where infrared comes in handy. oh, and cameras A and B i know wouldnt provide facial recognition. i just want a broad overview of the yard. for example, i am in iraq right now, and am paying a lawn service to come rake all the leaves in the back yard next week. a wideview camera would let me login to make sure it was done and the wide view camera covering the front yard would enable me to make sure that my buddy isnt letting the newspapers pile up on my driveway while im out of town. hahaha. just examples but they wouldnt need to be precise facial recognition cams. just the ones that i will have zoomed in on the front door, back door, and car would i care about identifying faces. the rest are just for me checking up on the home. thanks for the thoughts so far keep em coming!

i was an HVAC technician for about 6 years, and did duct cleaning as well as repairs/installs. usually, supply ducts were never really dirty at all. its usually the large return duct that collects dust, as systems are designed to use a filter at the air handler to eliminate the dust traveling through the supply ducts. and it works! id just call somebody to have them come and clean your return duct... and, of course, keep changing your filter every 1-3 months (depending on what kind of filter you use). ymmv

well, after doing some research, i found this: http://avtech.com/Products/Environment_Monitors/TemPageR_3E.htm it doesnt interface with my cctv system at all, but this would be a good last resort. still hoping to hear any of your ideas!

this has my curiousity peaked. i have zero experience using a/d converters and text inserters in the CCTV world. would you happen to have any great links that would provide me with some further reading (or maybe interesting pictures)? i will also make use of the search function, too, and see what i can scrounge up on those items. (cost, installation info, where to buy, practicality, etc) thank you! and, of course, if anybody else has other suggestions, id love to hear about them!

thank you for the fast replies and suggestions however, in iraq, i do not have a cell phone that works. if i need to make a phone call, we have a shared office phone (satellite phone) that must be routed through an operator on the army base. so any temperature solution that uses telephone technology wouldnt work for me. i would like to be able to login to my CCTV DVR remotely and be able to see the temp. keep the ideas coming! i love learning new things