Pulling what little hair I have left out - Cameras!!!

[EasyGion 0]

About a month ago someone attempted to break into our house. Fortunately they failed but the attempt made it clear that I need to do something about beefing up the security around our house, barn and shop. The police told me that an alarm system was for the most part a waste of money, because they don't respond to them. So that leaves me with cameras, as a visual deterrent and to help catch the guy(s) if they choose to break in.

 

This is what I was thinking would do the job:

1.) Good quality cameras to cover the approaches to the doors/decks. The cameras need to be good enough to get a good face shot. I was thinking a near-mega pixel or something similar most likely a vandal proof dome. The range would be say 5 to 20 feet needs to be low light as well.

 

2.) A few decent area coverage cameras to watch the bad guys as they move around the property again needs to be low light as well.

 

3.) Maybe later a PTZ or two to cover trip sensors. But that would be down the road a ways.

 

So here is my problem. There are so many cameras manufactures that a person could go crazy trying to make an informed choice. Below is a list of manufactures I was considering, I would love to hear if I'm at least on track. I'm not made of money, but I do want decent cameras, so $200 - $400 per camera wouldn't be out of line as long as they really worked well.

 

1.) CNB - not really sure about them any longer after the problem with switching from color to BW. So now I'm considering, KT&C or maybe Panasonic.

 

2.) Vivotek FD8134V - for the high rez door cameras or something along those lines.

 

All cameras need to work well in low light situations, and I may need some WDR cameras as we have lots of mixed shade/sun areas.

 

Any suggestions would be a great help. - Thanks.

[Soundy 1]

This is what I was thinking would do the job:

1.) Good quality cameras to cover the approaches to the doors/decks. The cameras need to be good enough to get a good face shot. I was thinking a near-mega pixel or something similar most likely a vandal proof dome. The range would be say 5 to 20 feet needs to be low light as well.

At that range, you don't need megapixel to get a clear ID. If you have choke points on these approaches (stairs or hedges, for example) it's easy to tighten up the view on just that area, and get more detail.

 

So here is my problem. There are so many cameras manufactures that a person could go crazy trying to make an informed choice. Below is a list of manufactures I was considering, I would love to hear if I'm at least on track. I'm not made of money, but I do want decent cameras, so $200 - $400 per camera wouldn't be out of line as long as they really worked well.

 

1.) CNB - not really sure about them any longer after the problem with switching from color to BW. So now I'm considering, KT&C or maybe Panasonic.

The day/night issue is being overstated by far. We're installing dozens of the VCM-24VFs, over 60 of them in the last three months, and have yet to run into a problem with them switching modes. This would be a good choice for all your needs, as they do great in low light, and the 2.8-10.5mm lens gives you a lot of flexibility in your views.

[bike_rider 0]

When thinking about camera resolutions, do not think about distance - think about field of view. If you are looking at a choke point, like a gate or walkway, like Soudy said, megapixels are not needed. standard definition cameras do well if you are coving an area less than 8-10 feet wide. When I started out I was overwhelmed by the chocies too. I planned what I wanted to cover, but then only bought one camera at a time. I have 8 different cameras from 7 makers. The closest I got to duplicates was a box version and a dome version of a Panasonic 484.

 

Since your PD will not respond to alarms, you need to think about how you will be notified if there something happening. video based motion detection is not reliable. I use a few passive IR sensors tied into my system. They point the PTZ (not money well spent) and send images to my phone and email account. I always know when the UPS guy arrives.

 

Skip the PTZ - expensive and just as easy to do with a few (much cheaper) cameras.

 

 

Think hard about where you put your cameras. Avoid the trap of putting them looking down on doors or all you will see is baseball caps.

[liveinxs 0]

well, i am with Soundy on this, i myself have never had a problem with CNBs switching over to b/w, and i have installed 8 around my home...in fact, you can set sensitivity to when it switches...

 

as far as your alarm, being a waste, i don't know what system you have, but we have ADT, and have never had a problem, the one time that we had a fire alarm go off in our home, when we weren't home, after calling us to make sure it wasn't a mistake, ADT immediately contacted the police , and they were at our home in less then 3 minutes...you get what you pay for...

[HTElectrical 0]

From what I understand, the UK version of the CNB is different than the US version.

[rory 0]

1.) CNB - not really sure about them any longer after the problem with switching from color to BW. So now I'm considering, KT&C or maybe Panasonic.

I concur.

[shockwave199 0]

I have an older rat shack alarm system- still comes in handy. It calls my cell overnight if there's an alarm. If by chance I don't pick up, there's a succession of other numbers it will call. That, coupled with remote monitoring my camera system makes me like central station. And with an indoor mic to hear what's going on inside the house, not only will I hear an alarm remotely, but I'll see and hear audio in real time of the events unfolding inside the house.

 

Far as cameras, get good ones but I have found good doesn't always mean hundereds of dollars per camera. Pictures are worth a thousand words. Here's some from my cameras, not one of them over 80 bucks and still going strong-

 

Front door, TDN with WDR & IR

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other bullet cams-

 

 

 

 

 

You get the idea. All analog system and aside from the obvious wide shots, ID'ing is fine. I'm not saying don't get the best cams you can afford. But 2,400 bucks on cameras for an 8 channel system may not be needed. Take a look at my vids for my 8 channel setup. The system is clearer than the compressed vids, but you'll get the idea. The front door camera in the vid has been swapped out for the one I took the snap shots of above. Everyones eyes probably roll when I always jump into threads like these with my pics- lol! I'm an example of a modest budget doing the job, that's all. For perspective. Best of luck to you!

 

Dan

[EasyGion 0]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I think the best plan for me is to buy one camera at a time and slowly build my system. If I can find a reliable dealer for CNB and KT&C I will start with one of each of those and see how it goes.

[rory 0]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I think the best plan for me is to buy one camera at a time and slowly build my system. If I can find a reliable dealer for CNB and KT&C I will start with one of each of those and see how it goes.

I just get both brands from 123. I still use CNB but not the monalisas, they have good prices on their non monalisa WDR domes.

[maxny 0]

The police won't respond to home alarms directly but they will respond if you have a monitoring service that calls them. If you shop around their are some good independent services that are very reasonable.

[the toss 0]

Long distance IR is a myth , at least with the equiment available to you & I.