Security camera shopping

[Well-Armed Lamb]

Here's a fun situation. Friend's brother is acquainted with a woman who has a stalker ex. They are not close, but stalker ex has been going on a bit of crazy of late that has extended to her friends, and evidently has the impression that friend's brother and friend's brother's wife are closer to stalkee than they are. So they got their tires slashed.

The cops have been advised, and friend's brother is adequately equipped for home defense. They are looking into setting up security cameras, so if guy comes prowling around with vandalism on his mind they can have some hard evidence. They'd be looking at filming their carport and driveway. Two cars, narrow driveway, so they'll need some range. Outdoor set-up, at night.

What kind of set-up would you guys recommend for this situation?

 

[zombienerd]

Depends on the budget, I'm pretty well versed in CCTV systems, are you looking at $100 budget? $5000 budget?

There's "possibilities" in both price ranges. With most, the more you spend, the better you get.

 

[Well-Armed Lamb]

Lower end, more like, because 1) it's holiday season budget time and 2) they just wound up spending a hefty chunk on new tires.

 

[Killermonkey21]

Remember one of the cheapest ways to get illumination for your cameras (whether they be $100 or $1000) is motion sensor lights. They're a deterrent, give illumination to your cameras, and give you light to see whats going on outside.

Other than that, my realm of knowledge does not extend to CCTV. Best of luck to you and dealing with Mr. Ex.

 

[JellyJar]

How about IFR ( infrared ) cameras and lights? Possible and practical? And not too expensive?

 

[BSlacker]

This camera is your best bet for low light situations.
http://www.supercircuits.com/Security-Cameras/Fixed-Security-Cameras/PC164CEX-2
Needs a lens like this. You can call the supercircuit folks and tell them the size area lighting and such and they will recommend a lense they back it up with service.
http://www.supercircuits.com/Camera-Lenses/Varifocal-Manual-Iris-Lenses/CML5-50MMZ
Show a pic of the area you want to cover. Maybe at night to see the lights and you can get better suggestions.
You can use a cheap VCR on 8 hours. The big box stores have deals on internet cameras with dvr and if you have good lighting do a good job for the price. Next up is a system like Q-see it does one camera great(30fps) and 2 ok(15fps) and 4 so so(7.5fps). After that are systems that are standalone or PC based and do 30fps on all cameras. First get a camera and record device. Get some experience then upgrade as needed.

 

[blastdark]

Have you thought about what's called "trail cams" ? Waterproof, motion activated and straightforward to operate.

My link skills are lousy. www.trailcameras.net has reviews and sample images. A google search for "homebrew trail cams" you may find informative.

Once you decide on a camera, others have said about IR illumination. The book "101 spy gadgets for the evil genius", p.99 has a homebrew night vision illuminator involving a soup can, an Infrared pass filter, an incandescent bulb and socket. The book explans the theory and goes on with a demo.

In closing, I agree with zombienerd, the budget is going to be a limiting factor. Hope this helps.

 

[Old Guy]

First, tidy up the Garage, put car in it, back in! Quite often these situations escelate... Be careful! My outside lights go on at dusk, off in daylight.

 

[Darkninja]

Good thread on ar15.com about CCTV cameras.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=17&t=624112