London Calling

[kgk 1]

Hello everyone!

 

This is my first post here and, before I begin shamelessly soliciting your advise and expertise, it is also my first opportunity to thank you all for the time you have already invested in these forums which I have been reading for the last month. [Especially – and I hope without insult to others here -- Rory, who is most generous with information in so many threads]

 

My wife and I purchased a house in what was supposedly an “ok’ area of West London, but nevertheless since we started renovations there have been 13 attempts (that I know of) on the property in 9 months. They have hopped the fence, kicked through gates, pried the garage door, cut through padlocks and even tried to kick in the front door whilst we were home with 10 people around the dining table.

 

This is the land of the “hoodie” where it is the norm for the feral youth to have their sweatshirt hoods drawn tight around their face leaving only the slightest area to image for identification. The less warning they have that they are on camera, the better chance I have of getting an identifiable image and a prosecution.

 

This is also the land of CCTV. It is everywhere in London! And, because cctv images are so commonly used in Police appeals, most people are aware just how useless most (albeit not all) installations are for getting an identification. Hence, visible cctv is only of minimal deterrent. And, some argue that it just leads the local crims to make a place a target since you must have something to protect.

 

The UK is also sometimes known as ‘Treasure Island’, because most everything here is not only more expensive than in the US or ROW, but typically even more so than in the rest of Europe. However, even at inflated prices, here in Albion (or Blighty) it is nevertheless a difficult place to source many brands and models of electronics, including CCTV cameras.

 

I currently have a 16 channel Samsung svr-1680c which permits real time (25 fps PAL) recording of all channels in full D1 max quality. So far, image fidelity of the DVR seems quite reasonable with the various cameras I have had a chance to get my hands on. However, the cameras have left a lot to be desired.

 

I do not mind spending money for quality and would rather start with fewer, but better cameras, and roll out more over time as funds permit than just load up on junk. I am very hesitant to buy unbranded (or not specifically recommended) cctv cameras but getting my hands on the branded cameras, e.g. KPC models, from UK retailers seems to be a challenge.

 

I’ll try and break up some of my questions into more ‘bite size’ posts in the relevant forums as I look for general advice and for recommendations for quality, high resolution, yet concealable cameras that I can source in the UK.

 

Thanks for all the information already shared here!

 

Ken