Does anybody know of a good home video surveillance system?
I have a neighbor who has been periodically vandalizing our property over the past 3 years. I want to set up a hidden camera system to record him. The police said they can't do anything unless I catch him on camera.
He causes a couple hundred $ of damage every year and I afraid for the safety of my family.
My budget is about $300 but may be willing to go higher. I have a good working pc I can use for a system.
Does anybody know of a good home video surveillance system?
I have a neighbor who has been periodically vandalizing our property over the past 3 years. I want to set up a hidden camera system to record him. The police said they can't do anything unless I catch him on camera.
He causes a couple hundred $ of damage every year and I afraid for the safety of my family.
My budget is about $300 but may be willing to go higher. I have a good working pc I can use for a system.
Why give Bubba all the fun? I'd get too much pleasure blasting his head off with my shotgun. Make sure you kill him, else he'll come back and sue you. You can try motion detectors with flood lamps--vandals don't want to be seen. A pit bull or Doberman can help too.
Do you know how low quality surveillance film is? You're lucky you can tell if it's a man or a woman. Most of the ones you see on TV are horrible, and those are from stores that have cash to spend on good machines. Most of the people are identified from clothing and other clues that people who know the suspects recognize.
Look at the laws of your state. You might have the answer to your problems in your gun closet. And if you DO catch this creep, you're only gonna piss him off by putting him in jail for a month or until he gets released on his own recognizance and comes back with a worse attitude. Catch the guy on your property and give him an attitude adjustment. Or find some Bubba who'll do it for fifty bucks.
I suggest an inexpensive homemade system. You need:
1) A regular personal desktop computer. You need 1600 mhz CPU or better IMHO. Larger hard disks are preferred. Note, you can get Western Digital 320 gig harddrives at Newegg.com for less than $100.
2) A camera interface board for the computer. These are commonly called a DVR board. An excellent value interface board is the 4400R or clones.
Look here for a 4400R clone for $80:
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3) A software surveillance package. The best of class that I've found is Go1984:
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Buy the "standard" edition. Make damn sure you enable time and date stamping on the recording (very easy to do).
4) Analog cameras that hook up to the interface board. I use hi-res black and white Sony's. Some people prefer color. There are tons of different types available cheap. Google "surveillance camera".
You can hide all cameras for a covert operation. Alternatively, have one visible camera and covert cams watching the visible cam(s) and other areas too.
I have a mix of visible and invisible cams in my system. It's interesting to video people intentionally avoiding the visible camera.
If you pick an choose -- and already have a good personal computer -- you should be able to keep costs between $300 and $400. Good luck.
You can get a cheap USB webcam that comes with software that will start recording when motion is detected. The quality of the recording isn't going to be the greatest but if you clever enough you can place the webcam somewhere near. That would be the cheapest system I can think of. Logitech or Creative both make cameras and have motion detecting software, or get 3rd party software, lots of them are free downloads.
And if it's on castle property, there's NO instant replay. No refunds. No rain checks. Over. Finito. Done with. End of case. Period. At least in the two states I live in.
I love people who are stupid enough to enter into such situations. Sounds like this guy is a contender. The state is the question. In Texas, he'd be dead as a cabbage head jellyfish at high tide. (Putting it in terms even Texans can understand.) In California, the homeowner would probably get the death penalty. Just depends.
Knowing the law and your rights WHERE YOU LIVE can be a very good thing. Defending yourself and your property are actions that have long range repercussions and are not to be taken lightly. But knowing what you can and can NOT do is imperative.
And if you live in a state where criminal rights are more important than homeowner law abiding voter citizen rights are, then a move may be in your future. Depends on you. What are you willing to live with?
We've used "Keepsafer" for years. I don't know if they are still around because we've never had any cause to contact them. We are very satisfied with their system.
I've considered trying to get a remote camera for my condo patio. I don't know much about electronics, but I have read that remote camera can interfere with neighbors TV and/or radio. It would have to be motion sensor, I guess. I have no idea what to look for in terms of quality, sensitivity, etc.
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