[OT] Front Door Cameras

I would like to fit a very simple camera at my mother's front door so that she can see who is calling without opening the door. She has a glass spy hole but they are not easy to view through (especially for the older folk).

1 Distance from camera to likely viewing point is only a few feet and could easily be cabled.

2 It must either use common or garden batteries (and they must last well) such as AA or C - or it should run on mains.

3 I am not seeking an expensive solution - simple is fine.

3 It must just work!

Any advice, suggestions, etc. warmly welcomed.

Reply to
Rod
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Something like the reversing camera at

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might be fine. It runs off 12VDC so you can use any adapter and the camera radio links over a short distance to the small screen which can mount on the back of the door or anywhere convenient nearby. The camera can either mount outside on the door, or a hole for it to see through drilled to mount it from the back. It has a very wide field of view and depth of field.

(If you live near a Costco store they were about £60 if they still have them in stock).

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is a very small camera only for £20 which has PAL output if you want to use it with an existing TV.

Reply to
Peter Parry

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Reply to
George

If connecting into a TV is acceptable, Maplin have their miniature camera on special offer at 20 quid at the moment.

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is mains powered (via a supplied adapter) and has built-in IR LEDs for night vision.

If the OP's mother usually has the TV on, she'd simply have to switch to the appropriate SCART input channel when she wanted to see who was at the door.

Reply to
Roger Mills

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> That is mains powered (via a supplied adapter) and has built-in IR LEDs for

Thats gonna be one helluva big hole in the door.?

Reply to
George

I've made such a system up. It's probably massively over complex for what you want, but may give you some ideas.

Firstly, I have a spyhole cam replacing the normal spyhole. Available from

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for about 60 quid I think, runs from 12v supply.

Then I have a little LCD screen behind the door, obtained from ebay for about 30 quid.

Next, I have a PIR sensor that turns the LCD screen on and off based on someone walking up to the front door. The spyhole cam doesn't run through the PIR because as well as feeding the LCD screen, it also feeds a CCTV recording system.

I'd be tempted to go with the spyhole cam pipped into her telly if I were you, then she can check without getting up. Downside is you can't physically check if someone is at the door.

Reply to
Colin Chaplin

Damn,why do people shop in expensive outlets when the same device can be got straight from Hong Kong on ebay at a fraction of the price?

Reply to
George

Thanks for the responses - definitely need to mull over it for a while. The use of the telly is probably not appropriate - I would rather a small LCD monitor-thingy in the hall.

Reply to
Rod

I wasn't thinking of putting it *in* the door. It can actually be outside, as long as it's protected from the elements. In a porch - if there is one - would be ideal.

Reply to
Roger Mills

Sounds an excellent idea. Can you tell us what the make and model of the LCD screen is? I am looking for one that has an RGB input but have not been able to locate one.

Peter Crosland

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.co.uk

Reply to
Peter Crosland

Yes the monitor (imho) seem the most expensive bit. Don't know much about this stuff but I usually end up thinking "now, what can I connect this to". :-)

Reply to
dave

Reply to
Peter Parry

On the subject of CCTV. I have wondered about having a play with cameras but I was confused by all the jargon.

I know lux is a measure of how bright it is, so the lower the lux rating the better because this means the cameras will see in the dark(er) but what lux rating do you aim for? I also understand that you have to take the manufacturer's ratings with a pinch of salt.

The other thing that confused me was the resolution in lines. How many lines do you need for a good picture?

The problem I had was the low lux camera had few lines and the high lux lines cameras had high luxes. Which is more important?

Thanks.

Reply to
Fred

0.05 Lux with 520 TV lines is the type to strive for however...

625 lines is the standard tv lines for the UK and gets more expensive,anything below 480 lines is good but the clarity or definition leaves a lot to be desired so if its high definition you want then go for the 625 lines or above.

Reply to
George

Yes, a UK TV picture has 625 horizontal(ish) lines minus a few borrowed for sync signals ... BUT ... the word "lines", when used to describe a camera's resolution, is unrelated; what it refers to is how many distinct *vertical* lines the camara can resolve across the picture width.

Reply to
Andy Burns

So would you agree that a camera with 625 lines will give a better,sharper picture than that of a 420 lines one?

Ho Hum.

Reply to
George

Just a comment - those with the ring of LEDs around the lens seem to suffer from giving a poor image if there is any mist - or a bit of dust on the lens as the I/R light gets reflected back into the lens.

Reply to
John

better,sharper

Thats why I bought a seperate IR light to work below the camera angle. ;-)

Reply to
George

Yes, a camera with higher lines of resolution will give a better picture.

Not not really, a question of getting the terminology correct.

Regardless of whether a camera has 400 lines of resolution, or 800, it still outputs 625 actual lines per frame, otherwise it would be incompatible with TVs/videos etc.

Reply to
Andy Burns

Depends. If you are using it for seeing who's at the door, and their face is filling the screen, then a low number of lines is all you needed. If on the other hand you want to see who is at the end of the driveway, and the camera covers the whole driveway, then you need higher resolution - or a zoom lens.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

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