Stalked by my ex-boyfriend-need 8-camera system advice

[stalked-girl 0]

Hi Everyone,

I'm desperate and in a bind right before the court hearing for my restraining order against my ex-boyfriend who has been vandalizing my property for half a year. He was served with the restraining orders last week and the hearing is this upcoming week.

 

The situation is that he does things like breaking my windows with iron weights, paint-rollering over my second-story windows, egging my windows, turning my fuses off and gluing my fuse box door shut, egging my car, etc.

 

He does all of this in broad daylight as well as at night. He sometimes drives by, but sometimes walks by as he throws objects through my windows. Due to this, I feel like I have ample opportunity to catch him or his car at some point as he passes by my house, either in his vehicle or on foot.

 

I live on the second floor of an apartment building on an intersection corner (so there is decent ambient night-lighting from the streetlights). So far he has targeted all three sides of my apartment that face the streets.

 

Unfortunately, my building is light-colored and even under the eaves there is no place to put an outdoor camera where it wouldn't be easily seen and obvious. Since my objective is to catch him in the act violating the restraining order, my only option so that he doesn't see the cameras is pointing them outside from inside of the windows.

 

Obviously (and unfortunately) because of the glass this rules out the IR cameras, so I purchased an 8 camera system from B&H (specs below), but the image is blurry and identifying faces is iffy at best. I spoke with B&H and they said the reason for the lack of focus could either be due to:

1: Cameras pointing out at an angle through glass

2: The quality of the lenses

3: The non HD cameras.

 

My technical limitations are that I need to have something that retains good visual quality through glass viewing the sidewalk below from my two-story apartment (a maximum of 40 feet from window to sidewalk) in both daylight and at night with good streetlight lighting.

 

This is the current setup:

8 Samsung Cameras:

1/3" Super HAD Color CCD Image Sensor

Resolution up to 600TVL

Based on W-V DSP Engine

2D/3D Noise Reduction Technology

SSNRIII / Digital Image Stabilization

SSDR (Samsung Super Dynamic Range)

Privacy Masking / Highlight Compensation

Motion Detection

Camera Control via Coaxial Cable

Multi-language On-screen Display

 

8 Tamron Lenses:

Designed for Day/Night CS-Mount Cameras

For 1/3" Format Sensors

2.6x Zoom

Iris Range f/1.0 to 360

DC Auto Iris / IR-Corrected

850 nm IR Illuminator

SD (Super-Low Dispersion) Glass

Slip-Mount Mechanism

Control Ring Zoom & Focus

Aspherical Lens Surface

 

1 Samsung SRD-852D H.264 Digital Video Recorder (8-channel, 1 TB)

Real-time Digital Video Recording

H.264 Video Recording Support

ADPCM Audio Compression

8-Channel Audio Inputs / 1 Output

BNC & VGA Video Output

Up to 4 Internal HDD Support

 

500 ft of Bolide pro grade combo zip coax cable.

 

Keep in mind that I can return everything but the coax cable.

 

I was quoted another option which was returning only 4 of the 8 cameras and replacing them with these:

 

EQH5102 HDcctv 1080p Mini Box Camera

1/3" Panasonic 2.1 MP CMOS Sensor

Resolution up to 1080p / Coaxial Control

CS/C Mount / Manual & DC Iris Control

Electronic Lens Shading Compensation

Contrast Boost / Defect Pixel Correction

Day/Night Function / Auto Gain Control

Backlight Compensation / White Balance

32 Privacy Zones / Motion Detection

Standard Definition TV Output

12 VDC Power Supply

 

EDRHD-4H4 HDcctv Hybrid DVR (2 TB)

Pentaplex Operation / Dual Streaming

Supports 720p & 1080p Resolutions

Online Web Interface

Multiple Main Monitor Support

MobileFocus & MobileView Applications

Video Streaming on Mobile Devices

Powerful Search with Smart Function

Snapshot Search Feature

Multiple Control Input

 

Fujinon

3 MP Varifocal Lens (2.8-8mm, 2.8x Zoom)

3 MP / Wide Aperture - f/1.2

Focal Length of 2.8-8mm / 2.8x Zoom

Designed for Dome Cameras

Manual Zoom, Focus & Iris

Offers High Refractive Index

Low-dispersion Glass

High-accuracy Aspheric Lens

CS-type Metal Mount / Lightweight (50g)

 

My main questions, since I don't have any clue what these specs mean or how they benefit/negate my objective of catching him given the circumstances:

 

What type of cameras and lenses should I be using to get a recognizable face given the 40'-50' distance range.

Do I need to replace the DVR system?

Will the HD signal travel over the coax cable over roughly 60'-70'?

 

I should definitely return my existing cameras or buy new ones ASAP as I'm expecting him to retaliate after the court date...

 

Thanks in advance...

[Kawboy12R 0]

I know you want to catch the jerk but if putting up one or two visible cameras makes him go away forever, isn't that the best option? If it doesn't, then having outdoor cams gives you the best shot at getting good coverage at that angle. If it were me, I'd mix things up a bit with a few vandal domes outside. Bullet cams are easy to bang and point away from their target. 3.6mm or wider angle lenses on a cam on each side of the corner to catch all of the action, plus at the very least an 8mm or 12mm lens focused on your car. More if it isn't right next to your building. You won't get a clear ID shot with a 3.6mm lens at 50 feet with analog, and especially not at an angle. You'll be frustrated because YOU can tell that it's him, but it'll be vague enough that a jury won't know for sure. Hopefully you have a designated spot so you don't have to keep moving and refocusing the camera.

 

For the extra money, I like the hybrid DVR and the 1080P IP camera. I've shot through windows with a 5-50mm lens on one of my cameras before. Very flexible zoom options. Anyway, if you've got a few wide angle cameras recording what is going on, all you need is ONE good face shot from another camera to identify him because it's tied by timestamp to the other cameras. If you have a friendly landlord or downstairs neighbour, maybe they'd let you mount a camera shooting out a first floor window to get a good angle for a face shot? I know that it'll be hard to get a good clear shot at an acute angle through the glass, especially if he doesn't look up at the camera when he's closest.

 

I'm not sure what to recommend for improving the angle shot through the glass except clean the glass and try to reduce the light and glare from inside the apartment. Shroud over the camera and extending to the glass possibly? Maybe moving the cams away from the window a bit would help? It's also help keep him from noticing them right away. It is still reasonably easy to see a cam in a window from 40' away though.

 

Good luck.