just curious as to if anyone has any input into outdoor security cameras. i am leaning towards this one
Don't. The one you referenced doesn't seem to work at night. They don't say anything about dark and the pictures don't seem to have any infared LEDs.
You might consider this one from HF
Just make sure you point it at your outside AC unit, because that's what's gonna be stolen.
But you've got to look at the ergonomics here. Everyone's situation is different.
Some people are more concerned about propery or premises surveilence during the day (while they're at work). Other people are more concerned about night (particularly detached garages or out buildings).
Another issue is recording (continuous or motion-triggered?). Or no recording (but maybe an e-mail image based on motion).
Another issue is real-time notification of motion. Or not. Do you want to act against tresspassers or thieves the minute the system detects their presence? Are you prepared to act - even at 2:39 am?
Motion triggering (based on a change in the video image) is tricky and can result in a lot of false triggering.
Continuous recording means that you'll have to get into the habbit of scanning through the previous-days's (or previous night's) recording to see if there was any tresspassing / attempted breakin.
Passive recording (without some sort of real-time notification) may let you down when you go to the police with some video showing what happened but for one reason or another it doesn't lead to arrest or recovery of the property.
Finally, you may find that a trail-cam is more ergonomic than a video system for what you want the system to do.
Lorex is junk.
Please go to alt.security.alarms and ask, you won't be sorry you got input from the Pro's *first*. We just had a guy drop by, that bought into the crappy Costco package. Now he is kicking himself for not researching CCTV first. Its not a matter of "is this camera good?"
I was fooled by those pictures too. They only clearly show 12 LEDs and an IR sensor located adjacent to the lens. And this language was of no help:
"Automatic night vision lets you see up to 40 feet in total darkness. "
As a really good rule more cameras for the same money doesn't yield a better job.
Good job on "heybubbing" the OP though...
Exactly, lots of folks fall into "all this for $299" thinking and quickly find out why it is a waste of time.
As an example there is a local bar that serves mostly food. The owner isn't a friend but I have known him for a long time. He mentioned he wanted to get cameras and was getting an "all this for $299" package. He installs it and is really impressed because he can see pictures. I try to explain how meaningless it is because of the lack of detail but price trumps everything. Not long after there was a break in at the bar. When they blew up the pictures looking for detail it was clearly obvious that either a black or white person who may have had eyes was the culprit. Now he was willing to spend thousands to enhance the pictures only to learn you can't enhance poor detail images to any extent.
George,
I'm glad you know this. Now you have to choose DVR and cameras.
Don't be cheap. Accept no less than 600 TV lines, Megapixel is better.
Do the calculations on storage for your needs, including motion only.
Don't use cams that come with a 12v P/S wall-wart, THAT is a dead giveaway of crap.
Look at Speco true day/night cams, they don't rely on IR illumination. About $280/per.
I use CAT5e and video baluns for PoE and upgrade ability to pure IP cams.
Depends. With two cameras you can watch the front and back doors. Most houses, however, have four sides.
Thanks. Whatever that means.
one
My wife is the probably the best deterrent. She is a crack shot, has a concealed carry permit, has won many pistol shooting meets, and is well known in the area as she stopped a robbery at a gas station a few years ago. As this is a "Castle" state, deadly force actions are written in the law so that it applies to protection of property as well as persons. In addition, the law is written specifically to prevent a perp from suing the homeowner for any injuries they might suffer due to their actions.
one
harry married one.
Harbor Freight sells fake "security" cameras that have a PIR detector what makes the camera "pan" back and force when it finds any activity. That's likely to scare off any two footed critters.
You also might want to check out a "game" camera. Some of these don't use a visible flash and some do. You can decide for yourself what makes the best sense.
A few years ago, two teenagers broke into a large boat shed in Maine. As they were vandalizing the boats, they noticed a video camera.
Nothing for it but to burn down the shed.
Of course the recording equipment was located in the repair shop's office and it took the local cops about thirty seconds to identify the culprits.
The oldest, 19, plead guilty and was sentenced (as I recall) to five years probation.
The Secret Service then got involved, because one of the destroyed boats belonged to George H.W. Bush. The younger boy, aged 14, was convicted of a terroristic act and sentenced to 2-1/2 at the nation's only maximum-security facility for juveniles. In Pennsylvania.
Imagine being locked up for 30 months with 300 drunk Indians.
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