Home CCTV camera system

A quick question to anyone who may be able to help.

If I were to purchase a CCTV camera system for my home which would either have an SD card (secure digital memory card) to store the video info or alternatively a built in 2.4GHz recorder, which is better?

I think SD cards are only available up to 1GB.. is that right?

Many thanks.

SD memmory is up to at least 4 gig's.

I believe it has actually gone up to 16 gig's-however that cost is like about $1500

I guess it is a size VS cost VS budget issue.

thanks Mr Monsoon.

I appreciate the response.

You sir are a gentleman and a scholar.

Yeah, I've been looking into this . . .

There are surpisingly affortable systems on the market. I'm particularly interested in being able to view my cctv from my computer at work.

What kind of system are you looking into, CJ.

I want an 8 camera system, but will probably settle for a four cam.

Garage, pool, front entryway and back fencline.

I've already installed a covert I-beam that rings a second doorbell as soon as you break the beam past the mailbox, at the edge of the property.

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camera at rear of property, one covering the door and one covering the stairway and one in the garage. (possibly).

I think that If I connect the system via my PC, I could stream it to a remote source like you said.

Like your idea for the I-beam. was thinking about a pressure sensitive mat. but obviously not placed directly at the front or rear door.

I beam was originally going to be IN the mailbox, so we'd hear the mail come. Got to looking at it, and decided to just put one so anytime a vehicle or pedestrian (or antelope) comes on the property . . . ding dong!

Just the few moments' warning gives you a chance to put some coffee on, or pick up a rifle, depending. heh heh.

Yeah, I hear what your saying buddy...


The mail man must die.

(for the sake of the bills....)

I bought a system a few years ago for around $100. It wasn't that great. In order to record it had to be connected to a VCR. It relied on RF signals, so some channels would get confused if they were too similar. It was a great toy, but I woldn't trust my life with it. Of course the same company also makes high end systems with night vision and stuff, so I guess it's all about the money.

This is something I've been considering for some time and any info I can garner from this thread will be helpful.

I've looked at a few systems and it's only the cost factor that prevented me from getting one set up. I'll keep this thread on my list and follow the progress because due to a future move I want something like this set up in my new home.

My preference would be to have cameras that record to a large hard drive and a system that I can access from a secure web site should I need to check in while I'm away.

Any thoughts other members have on hardware and software would be of interest to me.
I tend to walk on the paranoid side of life, and as a rule, it's better safe than sorry...........

I will try not to go in too much details about hardware brand names and models on a public forum, because I wouldn't want to help burglars defeating my system, that would be foolish. I will only talk about the overall concept of my camera system to give you guys some ideas in building your own.

All my cameras are wired in closed circuit. Avoid wireless cams at all cost, unless you like being watched in your intimacy by broadcasting footage of yourself all over the neighborhood, and in the process showing in advance to home invaders where your cams are located.

Video is inputed through a PCI card with multiple BNC plugs, on a Linux computer. I pretty much pieced together a bunch of drivers and video apps that I googled over time.

Video is recorded only when motion is detected to avoid filling the hard drive too quickly. If the cams located in my "red zone" starts recording, files are immediately uploaded to an offsite server in case the local computer get stolen, you know, losing the precious mugshots. Files uploaded through an IPSEC tunnel to prevent sniffers intercepting my videos.

All hardware plugged in an UPS in case the power line is cut off. If the internet line drop, then a backup wifi router kicks in to upload the files wirelessly to a secret location hidden somewhere near my house. Through an IPSEC tunnel again to prevent wardrivers intercepting the videos.

When I'm not home and a break in is detected, a SMS message is sent, making my cell phone ring so I can react in real time instead of finding later that all hell broke loose while I was away. I can watch videos remotely by connecting to a secured HTTPS web server.

The funny part about all this stuff is that I don't even have anything much of value to steal, sometimes I just like to set foot on the overkill side. If you're smart enough to defeat my system, then you might as well try to break into a bank for the better payoff.

I think you're on the right track. It goes under the paradigm of "I don't have to be bullet-proof; I just have to be less of a target than you."

I also believe that thieves can pick up some of your intentions, simply by the way you present yourself. From working in Law enforcement, I learnt that how you present yourself is probably more important than the actualefficacy of your plan.

Most home break ins in my state are done by nieghbor juveniles. Nothing like them seeing you go around the house with co-ax cables and a ladder, then making a thousand adjustments so the cameras are "just right."

I have a boss who had trouble with the nieghbor kids using one of those portable basketball goals late at night, next to his bedroom. His repeated requests for neighborly respect went unheeded. Later, he installed a camera as part of a larger system, and the kids moved their goal away, so they wouldn't be on TV!

It seems from my experience that a camoflaged camera his a much deeper impact on thieves than one in plain sight. One installed high up on the roof, where it blends in with the base of the chimney, really stops people when they become aware of it.

I have a two-way speaker mounted in my entryway. My home is brick, and I didn't want to deface the brickface, and the entry has a high vaulted cieling. So I mounted the speaker in the roof. It really freaks people out when they ring my bell, and a thundering voice comes from above and behind them.

It doesn't hurt that I sound a bit like charleton heston, either.

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