Need help for a simple home system

[atoledo 0]

Hi.

 

I am brand new to this forum and would like some expertise in setting up a camera system for my home.

 

Here's the background: Two years ago, our house was burglarized and items stolen. It was our fault for forgetting to lock a window. We immediately got ADT security alarms and have not had another incident like the one before. We thought about getting their video surveillance package, but found the cost to high as it's a monthly fee.

 

Last year, even though we live in a fairly safe neighborhood, someone was bold enough to open our front gate (small 3-foot high) and steal some of our Christmas decorations. This year I began shopping the local bestbuys and costcos for their offerings of security cameras. The reviews of these, however, are far from encouraging.

 

I think one of these systems from Costco is enough for me to recognize my neighbors, but I seriously doubt they are stealing from me. I would love to be able to show the police something they can use if the need arises. I need to be able to distinguish faces, preferably at night. I only need about two cameras--even just one for the front entrance is fine for now. But I don't want to break the bank on the highest quality available. I will be installing myself, so something that is easy setup. I am on a tight budget since I have three kids with a long Christmas list.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Thank You

[vmgtlexi 0]

First thing I would do is FIRE ADT. If they duped you into signing a monitoring contract, you might be stuck. If you're not in a contract, FIRE them. All you need is a UL certified monitoring station. There should be some sort of alarm cooperative in your area (assuming you're in a major metro area). I am in a major US city, and we pay $15/month for UL certified alarm monitoring. I have neighbors who pay ADT $25-$30/month for the exact same service. RIP OFF!!

 

Second, regarding your question on cameras - it depends on what you want to accomplish and how important it is for you to capture quality footage versus just any old footage.

 

I pieced together my residential system myself. I did not use any of the kits from Costco, etc.. However, for a very small job with short distances and tight budgets, those might be OK if your choices are limited. But, generally I think the kits from Costco are very much at or near the low-end of the quality spectrum. If you ran a Subway sandwich shop and all of your needs would be indoors and over short distances, those kits may be fine. For outdoor use in a larger residential setting, I would be much less comfortable with the Costco kits.

 

One size does not fit all when it comes to CCTV. Your property layout, lighting, distances to be covered, electrical supplies, etc., all need to be considered. If you can provide more details or even a schematic of the areas to be covered, lighting available, etc., you might get some more input.

 

All I can say is I have had good luck with a brand called Everfocus; I have used their cameras and their DVR's. Figure on maybe $200-$250 per respectable camera and maybe $1,000 for a good DVR, plus cables, connectors, power supplies, etc. If this is way beyond your desired budget, then maybe look closer at the kits.

 

Good luck!

[vmgtlexi 0]

PS - For "ease" of installation, the kits would be easier, all else aside. They generally come ready to install out of the box (no need to terminate wiring, easy plug-in power adapters, etc.). From an "ease of use" standpoint, they fit the bill. I just think the quality is iffy and may be hit or miss. Then again, I have spent big bucks on cameras that ended up being complete duds. So, your desire to "not break the bank" might be the best place to start. Especially if your distances are not great, you may end up doing OK with one of the kits. It's just hard to predict. The beauty of Costco is if it turns out to be complete junk, they have a pretty liberal return policy.

[shockwave199 0]

Hi, take a look at my vids on my youtube channel in my signature. I'm a DIY'er too. Maybe they will help you a bit. For a decent 8 camera consumer system you're looking at around 1,200 bucks and lots of work installing it yourself. For a 4 camera system, it'll be less but I don't recommend you buy a 4 channel dvr. Even if you can only afford 4 decent cameras in the beginning, at least buy an 8 channel dvr. You'll be glad you did, believe me. You'll want to fill all 8 channels- it's just the way it goes. You'll like having 4 cameras but you'll immediately want coverage on the spots you can't see, and then you'll be really glad you have those extra 4 channels to do it as time and budget permits. I use a q-see 408 dvr and gadspot cameras. I enjoy great pictures locally right from the dvr, and more importantly, great remote views as well. Best of luck to you.

 

Dan

[atoledo 0]

Thank you guys for your quick replies. I will definitely look into UL certified alarm monitoring. I am in NYC so I sould be able to find something. (Thanks for that tip)

 

As for the area I want to cover, my front yard is relatively small--20' wide x 25' deep. My backyard is even less--20' wide by 15' deep. Anything beyond 25' is not too important at this time. Maybe later, who knows.

 

Concerning DVRs, I thought the primary concern was camera/ccd/cmos quality, not so much the DVR as it's just recording what the camera sees. What should I be looking for in a DVR? H.264 compression?

 

Thanks again.

[JoeLansing 0]

I bought a cheap Swann Sams/Costco type 4 channel system and all it did was teach me what I need for a decent system. Almost all of these pre-configured systems will come with 420TVL cameras with 1/4" sensors. They are marketed to clueless people like I was, so they emphasize features instead of quality. I'm replacing most or all of the cameras that came with mine with 600TLV 1/3" CNB MonaLisa series cameras. After I'm done putting in decent cameras I'll probably buy an 8 channel DVR. So I pretty much bought a 4 channel system. Then learned about them, and will replace it all with something not geared towards clueless shoppers. I will end up paying $60-$100 per camera and $200-$250 for an 8 channel DVR. I just replaced my first 2 junk cameras with CNB DFL 20S ($60) cameras and it was a big improvment. The picture is much clearer, and since it has a 1/3" sensor instead of 1/4" the field of view is almost twice as wide. I can see my entire old system on Craigslist soon. I paid $250 for it, sell it for maybe $125, and chalk up the $125 loss as an excellent learning experience.. You are doing very well by coming here and asking questions before you make your first purchase.

- Joe

[shockwave199 0]

Joe, you should post some day/night pics of those new cnb cams. Would love to see it. My qsee system was a package deal and all eight qsee cameras have been swapped out now, but I like the dvr and I used most of the stock cables that came with it. So I suppose I'm still using the package mostly, but the cameras had to be upgraded. I was clueless and lost some money too, but I don't regret getting the qsee package though. Camera upgrades for me will be something I keep doing along the way anyway. Thankfully, I actually like the dvr from the package and considering the good price I got the package at, the rest of the contents was cream anyway.

[vmgtlexi 0]

I don't have quite enough experience to say for sure, but I think the final image quality is a result of BOTH the quality of the camera AND the quality of the DVR. Even if that's not the case, you may find that pricier DVR's have certain features you want, or those features may be easier and more reliable on "better" DVRs.

 

The difficult thing for us DIY'ers is to figure out which are reliable DVRs, which are worth more money than others, etc.. That gets to be a tough decision. Unfortunately, CCTV products are not reviewed by a reliable source (like Consumer Reports does for more common electronics).

 

I have had 2 DVR's by Everfocus and have been happy with both. Each had a learning curve and required some time on the phone with tech support, but in the end both work as advertised and give me an image with which I am happy.

 

I think the most important thing is that you get comfortable with the purchase before making the financial commitment, and be sure you understand your recourse if something goes wrong (return policy, warranty, etc.).

 

You can sometimes get a feel for how well a company will support its products by asking them some pre-purchase questions. Are they responsive? Are their answers thorough, accurate and helpful? Or do they ignore you?

 

Best of luck!

[MarvinLamont 0]

CCTV camera is the best choice for security purpose. It can capture clear image. There are many worries for business owner with the use of security camera we can protect our business.

[rey 0]

I bought a cheap Swann Sams/Costco type 4 channel system and all it did was teach me what I need for a decent system. Almost all of these pre-configured systems will come with 420TVL cameras with 1/4" sensors. They are marketed to clueless people like I was, so they emphasize features instead of quality. I'm replacing most or all of the cameras that came with mine with 600TLV 1/3" CNB MonaLisa series cameras. After I'm done putting in decent cameras I'll probably buy an 8 channel DVR. So I pretty much bought a 4 channel system. Then learned about them, and will replace it all with something not geared towards clueless shoppers. I will end up paying $60-$100 per camera and $200-$250 for an 8 channel DVR. I just replaced my first 2 junk cameras with CNB DFL 20S ($60) cameras and it was a big improvment. The picture is much clearer, and since it has a 1/3" sensor instead of 1/4" the field of view is almost twice as wide. I can see my entire old system on Craigslist soon. I paid $250 for it, sell it for maybe $125, and chalk up the $125 loss as an excellent learning experience.. You are doing very well by coming here and asking questions before you make your first purchase.

- Joe

 

is field of view related with lens or CCD Sensor?

[mike_va 0]

is field of view related with lens or CCD Sensor?

both, for example:

[mike_va 0]

Check out CNB VCM24VF, or WCM20VF in a bullet. These will allow you to zoom in more than a costco unit. With the WCM I disconnect the internal IR.

 

The other trick is making sure you have enough light out there.