Affordable home video surveillance system.

[farronwolf]

With all the recent threads about people setting off motion sensors, or being inside the back yard and dogs dying ect. I thought I would throw this out there. There have been mention of putting up game cameras ect. to take pictures of possible intruders or to see what is happening when you are not at home. Those are good ideas, however you could quickly spend quite a bit of money and time before it was all done.

This past year we had some stuff come up missing from our garage. It was little stuff really but it was still my stuff. Full gas cans, tackle boxes of gun cleaning gear, son's BB gun ect. Our garage is left open when we are home at times, but never when we are not home. Anyway I got fed up with it and decided that I was going to install video systems at both the office and the home.

One of our clients does video security systems, mostly for schools and large businesses. I asked one of the partners when he in about how much it would be for a dvr system from them. He said roughly 4k for a 4 camera system installed and programed ect. Ok, I am a tightwad and wasn't going to spend 8k for systems at the house and office, so I mentioned to him that I had found some cheap ones online that were a few hundred bucks and were supposed to be able to be programed for remote monitoring and such even through smart phones. He commented to let him know how it works out when I got it installed. I am sure that their systems are better than what I got, but hey, I was willing to risk 500 bucks on a couple of systems.

After doing some research I decided to get a couple of Q see systems purchased through Amazon. 4 camera system with a 500 gig dvr were 250 each. The installation was pretty straight forward since they are wired systems. Some time in the attic and drilling through the brick wall into the house behind the tv to install some conduit and a junction box was the toughest part. Really nothing that anyone on the forum who can disassemble their guns and get them back together isn't capable of doing. The office already had an entry point for the wiring into the building which took just a little modification to work through.

I installed the one at the house first. They allow for several video outputs, so I hooked the pc connection to the tv in the den since the dvr is located in the tv stand with the wireless router ect. and ran the video out connection back to our bedroom. This allows me to simply switch the input on either tv and view all 4 cameras at one time. If you had a 8 camera system it would show all 8 at one time I believe. The only downside is that in order zoom in on one particular camera or such you have to be at the dvr in order to work the mouse. Not really an issue with only 4 cameras.

I am recording 24/7 on all cameras. The motion detection function is too sensitive on these systems so I opted not to use it. With the motion detection I ended up with lots of 20 and 30 second videos and it was impossble to try to view what was going on. With it set to 24/7 recording I can pick the time I want to view by the hour and watch all 4 cameras. It has 4 speed settings so that you can watch an hours worth of video on all cameras in about 3 minutes or so at the fastest speed. You can also slow down the video to 1/16th speed as well. With it set to 24/7 recording at 4 frames per second and 75% quality resolution I can record for about 10 weeks straight before it records over the oldest date. I chose to set both systems up the same.

Programing the DVR to be able to monitor it remotely wasn't that difficult. I think this is what the partner was referring to when he said to let him know how it works. However I have been building my own computers and doing my own networking ect. for nearly 20 years, so I might have an advantage over folks who are unfamiliar with routing ports ect. Just remember if you have two routers on the network to set one to DMZ so you don't get both routers trying to assign IP addresses. Yes I woke up at 6 am one night after nearly going crazy trying to get the house stuff to work right. It was an "oh what an idiot moment" when I realized it.

The actual software for remote viewing on a computer is simple to install and use. The DMSS pro software is available for android and iphone mobile devices and works great. It allows for viewing up to 4 cameras at a time from multiple dvr locations. I have both systems set up to email my cell phone if they loose signal from any of the cameras. It will take pictures from the remaining cameras and send the pictures in the email. The cameras that come with the setup all have IR, but some lighting makes a huge difference in the quality at night.

Here are some of the snapshots from the system when viewed remotely. The last picture is a single frame from the video when two guys tried to remove a camera off the office and make a half hearted attempt to get into it. He was jumping up and trying to knock the camera down in this picture.

So for those who have had issues around their home and want a somewhat inexpensive option to monitor what is going on outside when you are inside, or away from your home this might be an option for you. For 250 bucks it has given me some piece of mind, along with the alarm systems, and motion detectors.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[SlowSSls1]

Great write up. I just researched a system for the homestead this past weekend. I am thinking about going with the night owl 8 channel kit that comes with 4 cameras.

[farronwolf]

I am pretty sure the night owl and q see systems are about the same. Our gun club has a night owl installed there.

[SlowSSls1]

How do you like the video quality on them both?

[farronwolf]

I haven't actually looked at the video playback on the night owl, but the products specs seem to be the same and the hardware looks pretty similar.

[Blue Thunder]

I have a 4 camera system at my home from a Large Box Company that I have added 4 more wireless cameras to. I have 360 degree coverage at my home including strategic spots inside it. Our neighborhood also has 4 cameras at the entrance and 4 more at the pool and tennis courts to it that has 3 Face and Vehicle cameras and one Tag Camera for all vehicles leaving the neighborhood. No signs just Cameras. We have stopped neighborhood kids at the pool, one drunk into a front yard (truck tag) and one felon that had a restraining order for someone in the neighborhood full face and tag from his vehicle. It was interesting when those pictures showed up in court for his trial..... Cameras work when properly placed and recorded. It does not cost that much when you combine technology with 30 years of CCTV/Broadcast Technology into the same package to "Fight Crime".

[ppkheat]

Good write-up and thanks for posting it. Currently I have a cam system on my house with DVR, I will be putting one at my shop soon and may consider the system in your OP.

[Mattmann]

Now if you could just wire some oc spray to hit when they touch the cameras!
Great write up man, I have got to do this as well. That's amazing it will record for 10 weeks! Way longer than I would guess!

[farronwolf]

Here is a sample of the video from the system. There is a some light in the back of the building so that helps it out. With no light at all, the pictures are very very grainy in the IR mode.

[Bullet1234]

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Feel free to check this out for your self.
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do the WORK.

System less than three hundred dollars.
Clover Electronics TW7002 Wireless 2-Camera Video System - Smarthome
add up to 2 more cameras for $82.18 each
Clover Electronics TW7002TX Wireless 2-Camera Video System Extra Camera - Smarthome

[SlowSSls1]

That video is almost comical. The trad in your clip needs to be beat. Also the video quality is better than the pics you posted. Again great write up and thanks for sharing.

[farronwolf]

I think the difference between the video and the pic quality is that the pics (first three) were snapshots taken from the monitoring program after the video was passed over the net from the house to the office. It doesn't transmit at the same bit rate as what is being recorded right at the device.

The video is taken directly off the dvr and converted from their format via a decoding program (comes with the system) and converted to windows media. This software lets you manipulate the video faster/slower ect, even lets you do frame by frame viewing which is where I captured the still image of the idiot when he was jumping up the hit the camera.

[ppkheat]

Did you ever reach a conclusion on the missing stuff from your garage? How about the guy caught in the camera at your office? It's nice to get a face shot of someone, but it's not real conclusive until you get a name to go with that face.

Several years ago, I caught video of a car, guy and woman look-out casing a house that I own, the house was vacant at the time. I got a pretty good face shot of the guy, and took it around to several knowledgeable leo's and no one could recognize him. I had a good shot of his car, but not the tags. He was definitely casing my house, but did not break in, nor did he return that I know of. Of course, trespassing is not a high-priority crime, and would have been about the only charge, but he certainly could have been a person-of-interest regarding other burglaries. Anytime I drove around I always was on the look out for that car. Actually I saw it one day, parked/abandoned at some empty houses right off a main highway. No one around, I got the plate number and phoned it in to the detectives.

Nothing ever came about it that I know of, I'm guessing the registered owner was not the prowler I had, and that owner wasn't cooperating and/or had sold the car to someone. Probably a long chain of sketchy and unproductive possession.

[farronwolf]

I never reported the stuff at the house because honestly I didn't know when it came up missing. I went to clean guns one day and looked and looked but couldn't find the tackle box which contained all the cleaning gear. I am pretty sure the folks were pissed when they couldn't go fishing. Same with the 5 gallon gas can. Mowing the yard and, what the heck. What pissed me off the most was having to stop and go buy a can and fill it up. Made a 1 hr job into a 2 hr job.

The video at the office was turned over to the police along with the still image. I got a call back from the detective who basically said they would hold onto it, and use the descriptions ect. or picture against anything that might come up in the future elsewhere. Apparently they weren't able to ID the guy. Video from another camera on the front of the office showed their direction of travel and how they came around another business to the back of mine, and then showed where they crossed the street and headed after they left. So it didn't catch them but maybe when they are caught it can be used.

The biggest problem I have with our area is that there isn't a juvenile detention center. The cops arrest the young ones, they get a slap on the wrist because there isn't a place to house them, then they get sent back home. Not until they get a list quite long or do something bad enough do they get serious punishment. Gotta love the political climate that chooses to look away from property crimes. I guess that is why our metro area has been in the top 25 highest in the country for the last several years.

I told one of my clients who is a LEO that the city should start issuing bass boats to all the LEO's since they participate in more catch and release than most of the pro anglers. He was all for that.

[WD54241]

Great Posting and advice! Thank you.