Yogibear07 0 Posted February 21, 2013 Hi sorry to bother you guys and girls but i am looking for a little help. Having switched from a small vehicle which i used a windscreen mounted cam for monitoring to a minibus which the old cam doesnt cover the vehicle much. I am looking to build a cheap (as on a small budget) 2-3 camera system, with a screen for me to real time monitor as i carry students alot and you need eyes in the back of your head at times. Having looked on ebay i have found several 7 inch tft screens which would suffice for the monitor. i have also thought about possibly using a notebook computer to record. the system could use a computer HDD as i have a few lying around that i could put into the system would really appreciate any help given. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Al Drake 0 Posted February 22, 2013 Hi sorry to bother you guys and girls but i am looking for a little help. Having switched from a small vehicle which i used a windscreen mounted cam for monitoring to a minibus which the old cam doesnt cover the vehicle much. I am looking to build a cheap (as on a small budget) 2-3 camera system, with a screen for me to real time monitor as i carry students alot and you need eyes in the back of your head at times. Having looked on ebay i have found several 7 inch tft screens which would suffice for the monitor. i have also thought about possibly using a notebook computer to record. the system could use a computer HDD as i have a few lying around that i could put into the system would really appreciate any help given. This sounds very interesting and something I have given some thought about in the recent past. I have considered installing a dash cam with maybe multiple cameras. I have a netbook and a floor mount with backup cameras ready to use. There are some usb dvr devices and probably many ways to set up a working system but I have to wonder about the easy of removing everything so nothing gets removed for me or in such a case where I want to take everything out at night or even when I leave the vehicle momentarily. Adding students might complicate things a bit so much thought would have to be taken about security. I would think a netbook would be a bit easier than a laptop. I added an SSD for speed so now many other questions would come to mind about a rather complicated endeavor. Exactly what does a "small" budget mean to you would be my first consideration and how and where would you mount cameras and what kind would you plan to use? Makes for an interesting post. Al. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wyattwic 0 Posted February 22, 2013 My suggestion is to get a cheap and effective system in there. For a situation like this I would suggest something that would intimidate them a little, just enough to let them know they are being watched. Check out the system in the image I uploaded. Has a 7 inch screen built in with 4 cameras, would that work for you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yogibear07 0 Posted February 24, 2013 Basically by a small budget the cheaper the better but ideally between 1 and 2 hundred Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted February 24, 2013 Basically by a small budget the cheaper the better but ideally between 1 and 2 hundred hi. is your minibus used private or is it a cab / taxi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yogibear07 0 Posted February 25, 2013 its a hackney carriage taxi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yogibear07 0 Posted February 25, 2013 would prefer dome cameras to be mounted to the roof (without screwing or drilling) as i want the vehicle to remain untouched once i remove them. Its a ford transit i have with three row system front 2 passengers with driver middle 3 passengers and rear 3 passengers. so i was thinking about one camera looking at the front 2 passenger seats one looking at the middle set and one for the rear with a 7 inch tft screen on the dash with split screen viewing so i am able to view all cameras at once. One thing i am worried about is power usage so with that i dont want a high power consumption set. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Al Drake 0 Posted February 25, 2013 would prefer dome cameras to be mounted to the roof (without screwing or drilling) as i want the vehicle to remain untouched once i remove them. Its a ford transit i have with three row system front 2 passengers with driver middle 3 passengers and rear 3 passengers. so i was thinking about one camera looking at the front 2 passenger seats one looking at the middle set and one for the rear with a 7 inch tft screen on the dash with split screen viewing so i am able to view all cameras at once. One thing i am worried about is power usage so with that i dont want a high power consumption set. Have you thought about mirrors along with the camera(s)? This arrangement might be less cumbersome and noticeable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yogibear07 0 Posted February 27, 2013 Have you thought about mirrors along with the camera(s)? This arrangement might be less cumbersome and noticeable. no i havent to be honest with a transit the layout is pretty simple to have 2-3 cameras to easily cover all passengers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted February 27, 2013 its a hackney carriage taxi have you looked at getting the system fitted for free ...... and make you money at the same time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RecycledEl 0 Posted March 5, 2013 have you looked at getting the system fitted for free ...... and make you money at the same time. How does that work? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Al Drake 0 Posted March 5, 2013 Have you thought about mirrors along with the camera(s)? This arrangement might be less cumbersome and noticeable. no i havent to be honest with a transit the layout is pretty simple to have 2-3 cameras to easily cover all passengers Maybe you could post some photos of what it looks like inside. Thanks. Al. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yogibear07 0 Posted March 6, 2013 have you looked at getting the system fitted for free ...... and make you money at the same time. How does that work? yeah would love to know however if it involved advertising i have no adverts on the outside of the vehicle its a company lease vehicle so i am restricted to only advertising the company. -------------------------------------------------- having looked into it a little i decided to go down the track of using a netbook with a 4 channel dvr from amazon and by god did i wish i had never gone anywhere near it. the dvr is in the process of been sent back and now i have 2 cameras i bought from maplins that i am hoping will work just with a rca to usb conversion wire. if not they will be going back too Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yogibear07 0 Posted March 6, 2013 Have you thought about mirrors along with the camera(s)? This arrangement might be less cumbersome and noticeable. no i havent to be honest with a transit the layout is pretty simple to have 2-3 cameras to easily cover all passengers Maybe you could post some photos of what it looks like inside. Thanks. Al. will sort out some photos tomorrow Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yogibear07 0 Posted March 6, 2013 does anyone know if you can just plug a cctv camera with rca connections into a laptop using a RCA to USB cable? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted March 6, 2013 yeah would love to know however if it involved advertising i have no adverts on the outside of the vehicle its a company lease vehicle so i am restricted to only advertising the company. hi. no nothing to do with adverts on cab. i have 2 cameras i bought from maplins that i am hoping will work just with a rca to usb conversion wire. if this is the way you are going you will be best with a usb recorder (maplins also sell them.) you cant go direct rca to usb with analog. 4 cameras and also audio. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites