Stand alone system for remote area - Advice needed!

[kao 0]

This scenario keeps popping up and I'm hoping some of you guys that have run into this problem have a good solution

 

The client has a few storage buildings. They are 80'x30' with roll-up garage doors. He rents the units out for people to store things like ATVs and fishing/hunting gear. These units are in a semi-rural location.

 

Someone tried to break in to some fo the units - destroying some locks and doors and almost getting away with an ATV.

 

At first we set up an IP solution for him...we would put up several IP cameras and route them through a DSL line back to a recording PC back at his house.

This would have worked fine, but after calling the few ISPs in the area, he told us Internet access was not an option and that recording would have to be done locally.

 

He can store recording equipment in a small secure area in the rafters of the buildings.

 

My first thought was to set up small geovision systems. However the problem would be retrieval as he doesnt want to keep a monitor in the secure area and esp doesnt want to have to crawl up there and spend any amount of time there to review video after an incident.

 

Is there any viable/affordable solution for someone like this?

 

Ideally he would like the video recorded to a removable hard drive so he can just climb up, grab the drive, swap in a new one, and be on his way. He can then review the content ont he hard drive at home.

 

If not a removable hard drive, then maybe pull the whole unit and replace it after review the video.

 

My final idea (that I'm still mulling over) is setting up a small Geovision unit and attaching a USB hard drive as the only storage drive. With an extended cable, we could build a small box on the exterior of the building that he could unlock and swap out like a video tape when he wants to get some video off of it.

 

Any ideas on this?

[UMDRanger 0]

How about a small wired network (cheap $50 router) located in the rafters, connected to the geovision PC in the rafters, with a LAN cable routed to floor level. He can show up with a laptop, plug into the network and either use Geovision remote viewer software or the windows remote software. Being on the same network he could save the needed video to the laptop.

[rory 0]

Is heat an issue where you are located? Dont forget about that part of it ...

PC or Standalone .. they still need air (it gets real hot down here which is why i asked)

[kensplace 0]

Ages ago, when I used to install pc's/networks etc I once went to a business that had suffered from a break in, they had their pc's stolen... To stop it from happening again, they had a local metal worker make some very thick steel bars that fitted over the pc's and bolted down onto the (very heavy) desks.

 

If the pc is locked down securely enough, and there is no way anyone can get into the case (even with a sledgehammer), then the data should be safe (unless they ... wont say in case any criminals are reading this, dont want to give em ideas.....)

[kao 0]

Is heat an issue where you are located? Dont forget about that part of it ...

PC or Standalone .. they still need air (it gets real hot down here which is why i asked)

 

Heat and cooling can be taken care of. We are in a northern climate where the temp reaches 100 in the summer and -40F in the winter)

[VST_Man 1]

I'd go with a standalone DVR, lockbox, router, DSL. KISS

[CollinR 0]

I'd go with a standalone DVR, lockbox, router, DSL. KISS

 

I think you mean dialup...

 

 

Dialup is a viable option but you would have to have dedicated lines as the daytime motion would take all night to backhaul.

 

 

Really this guy may wind up storing onsite and having to go out there. It sucks when there is no broadband available but that doesn't mean VCRs are better, he won't have to change the damn tapes.

[Doug 0]

I'd go with the router as suggested earlier in the thread, its simple to install, easy to use and inexpensive.

 

Doug

[cctv_down_under 0]

I like the router idea, but why not go wireless, there is PDA software for Geovision as well but I am not sure if you can retrieve from this, if it were up to me I would not use the PC.

 

I think you may have issues with heat etc and also using a removable hdd as the reecordable media would be a mistake because unless you remembered (and I am sure he will not) to repair the database file and re-map the drive each time, you will haev a corrupt index file.

 

My suggestion is this:

 

Rather than having swap out machines, just use a cheap standalone for around $400, get one that has the ability to back up to Thumbstick Drive, run a long USB extension and a RG59 to access hight (make it look like a coms box or something) and use a small 6" service monitor like the minute Ganz one.

 

This way you can have a small montior to carry that runs on batteries, your thumbstick requires no power and can be on your key chain and worse case scenario you can swap the cheap box by keeping one spare.

 

The other option is to use PSTN and a product like the old E-Pic, this device is designed to connect on a normal phone line socket and it can be set to only record on alarm input but it is also a alarm sensor at the same time, the beauty of this product was that it makes a astandard PSTN out and sends a small image to E-pic themselves, then E-pic put them on their website from there through FTP and you get a log in to their website so you can rely on PSTN at site and broadband at home to view your alarms and it is so small that it will never get stolen as it just looks like an alarm.

 

hope this helps