Video Surveillance

[Flat_White]

Hey guys,

after a VERY close call last night i have decided to fulfill my new years resolution of setting up a Surveillance System to watch over my pride and joy whilst it is parked in the drive way.

I have absolutely no knowledge of camera systems, but i would be interested in one wireless camera (must have "night vision") and some sort of recording unit which can record over night.

If anyone has set one of these up before can you please help me out, i need to get this sorted ASAP, but have no idea where to start.

Cheers guys.

Whiting

[danja]

Check out Jaycar Electronics. They have tons of that type of stuff. Search for "infrared camera" or "wireless camera" etc.

[minux]

Make sure you advertise with a visible sticker that cameras are recording.

[Dirbatua]

you need a licenced person to install them otherwise they are illegal and will be removed as well and either the council or goverment needs to be informed they are there and what sort they are but anyone licenced can set that shit up.

[danja]

Make sure you advertise with a visible sticker that cameras are recording.

you need a licenced person to install them otherwise they are illegal and will be removed as well and either the council or goverment needs to be informed they are there and what sort they are but anyone licenced can set that shit up.

Does that apply even on private premises?

[Dirbatua]

yes it does cant remember the exact reason, im getting my licence atm for work but you can get screwed pretty badly for not having someone with a security licence install a proper recording system, seen it happen several times including fines followed by removal of the system.

[faroogoo]

Just go down to your local Tandy,Dick smiths,JB or what evers local to you & buy a couple of day/night indoor/outdoor cameras.Swann sell a pretty good basic camera that has good night vision cant remember the model off hand though.

Stick to a corded camera/s just install them where you want & run the cables through the roof.

Also invest in a splitter box so you can watch both cameras on one screen.Either through your CPU or one of the AV inputs on your TV.

Never heard of needing a licence to be able to install a recording system,the less peoole you tell the better.

[Flat_White]

Just go down to your local Tandy,Dick smiths,JB or what evers local to you & buy a couple of day/night indoor/outdoor cameras.Swann sell a pretty good basic camera that has good night vision cant remember the model off hand though.

Stick to a corded camera/s just install them where you want & run the cables through the roof.

Also invest in a splitter box so you can watch both cameras on one screen.Either through your CPU or one of the AV inputs on your TV.

Never heard of needing a licence to be able to install a recording system,the less peoole you tell the better.

Thanks for the comments, i understand that i can easily install the camera's, but my biggest query is how on earth do i record the footage???

Regards,
-Whiting

[eurekamad94]

dvd recorder set top box with hdd ???

[Dirbatua]

majority these days have a speicalised video card for a computer which records the data to a HDD or i suppose u could run it into a dvd recorder somehow with adapters from the coax unless u get those shitty cameras which plug straight into the tv.

[levymetal]

best bet is to grab a $50 pc, hook it up to that, and i'm sure there is software out there which basically does everything for you... records the past 24 hours or 1 week, whatever you set it to, then it starts deleting the old stuff to free up space. system just keeps going by itself until you need to review the footage.

[Flat_White]

dont know if i really wanna go with a dvd recorder as im trying to keep the cost down as much as i can but i dont wanna sacrifice quality...

also, i dont think i will be able to use one of those PCI cards for a PC because i have a laptop...

If there was some kind of dedicated unit with an inbuilt hard drive that would just communicate with the cameras, and not require any computers/tv's etc, i would love to hear about it.

[danja]

Thanks for the comments, i understand that i can easily install the camera's, but my biggest query is how on earth do i record the footage???

Regards,
-Whiting

I think some of them can be set to upload stills/video to an FTP server when they detect movement?

Otherwise you'd need a tape recorder, or you might be able to hook it up to a hard drive. Suggest you drive to you local Jaycar and talk to the guys in the store. They usually know a fair bit, or at least enough to point you in the right direction.

[BANKS]

try ebay, seen what your lookin for on there

[statey1975]

14 years in the industry and I've never heard of requirements to have cameras installed by a licenced technician. You don't need a licenced tech to set up a standard video recorder just inside your lounge window....But then again, things change.
Chances are that video recording will not deter anyone from breaking into your car - people commit crime in front of cameras every day. You would need an expensive camera if you were hoping to identify the offender on tape in the dark, and by then the damage is already done.
Better off spending some money and set up an alarm around your car - using beams rather than movement sensors so that local wildlife does not cause false alarms. Stop the crooks before they can even touch, let alone damage your pride and joy. This, however, *will* need a licenced tech.

[Emackulation]

Protip: Get a garage installed, lock it.

[vy_storm]

dont know if i really wanna go with a dvd recorder as im trying to keep the cost down as much as i can but i dont wanna sacrifice quality...

also, i dont think i will be able to use one of those PCI cards for a PC because i have a laptop...

If there was some kind of dedicated unit with an inbuilt hard drive that would just communicate with the cameras, and not require any computers/tv's etc, i would love to hear about it.

AN option here fom Jaycar

Jaycar Electronics

Not sure if it would work with the newer SDHC cards though.

[Flat_White]

14 years in the industry and I've never heard of requirements to have cameras installed by a licenced technician. You don't need a licenced tech to set up a standard video recorder just inside your lounge window....But then again, things change.
Chances are that video recording will not deter anyone from breaking into your car - people commit crime in front of cameras every day. You would need an expensive camera if you were hoping to identify the offender on tape in the dark, and by then the damage is already done.
Better off spending some money and set up an alarm around your car - using beams rather than movement sensors so that local wildlife does not cause false alarms. Stop the crooks before they can even touch, let alone damage your pride and joy. This, however, *will* need a licenced tech.

Yeah man, i am certain that i just want a camera system, i will be able to recognize any offenders on tape, but what exact type of camera will i need?

[faroogoo]

Theres a product you put across your driveway that is simmilar to what some shops have on their doors,that makes a chime noise whenever the beam is crossed.

Its good to have if you want to be alerted when someones approaching your car/house whether your asleep or out in the shed.

[Flat_White]

Yeah a sensor would be pretty good, but i really would prefer an actual video surveillance camera, that way i can actually identify the person and prove in court that this person did the damage.

[statey1975]

sounds to me you're more interested in catching someone doing something to cost your money, rather than stopping them in the first place.
if you want it to stand up in court, then you're probably looking at spending some bucks. It's one thing to say that you recognise him, but another for other people to make the same comparison. Trust me, in low light, it's hard for a stranger to recognise someone they don't know, even if the offender is pointed out to them. But, if you really want to do it, try to get a camera with lots of infra red LED's around the outside of it. The LEDs are invisible to the naked eye, but a camera will pick it up and hopefully illuminate your foe's face enough to get a good image. Also, try to get one with as high resolution as possible. You're also better off sticking with a wired system, rather than wireless, otherwise you will always be changing batteries - remember all those LED's

[Swordsy]

Yeah a sensor would be pretty good, but i really would prefer an actual video surveillance camera, that way i can actually identify the person and prove in court that this person did the damage.

Get a camera and a sensor light, thats probally the best solution.
If the light doesn't scare them off, youve still got them on camera in good light.

[Flat_White]

Ive already got the sensor light,

just need the camera.

[faroogoo]

You could probably hook your camera/s up to a VCR & use the Long play function when you record not sure how much time you get per tape maybe 4hrs(???) or so.But VCRS can be had for probably under $100 now.

Thats probably the cheapest option unless you want to spend a few dollars on a HD/DVD recorder.

These are pretty good,they have ok night vision aswell plus theyre only around $100ea from memory- Swann Communications - OutdoorCam Color - Indoors/Outdoors Security Camera

These would be ideal but expensive id say- Swann Communications

[statey1975]

I once got 6 hours on a long play vcr, so that could be the best bet. Re sensor light, bear in mind that if a camera is operating under low light, then is immediately introduced to a bright light, the image will be too bright to see anything for a couple of seconds, while the camera re-adjusts itself. It's like walking out of a dark room into direct sunlight - you need time to adjust. but after a couple of seconds, you should get a perfect image.

With a sensor light, you shouldn't need a night vision camera, as long as the light throws off a decent amount of light, like the spotlight ones.

Good luck, and hope you catch the buggers