Home based CCTV systems

[Matthew Ames]

I am wondering about sticking in a CCTV system once I have sold my dogs. What I am ideally looking for is a system that can take an input from up to

4 camera, record to an internal HDD, and ideally have network (RJ45) connectivity, so I can review the goings on from a PC (either when at home, or via ADSL/VPN).

Some systems I have seen only seem to have BNC output for localised viewing, and ideally I don't want a another CRT in the house, and therefore want the ability to either view via a PC monitor (D-sub 15 pin), or say via my web browser (or a specific application on my PC).

Initially I would start off with 2 external mounted cameras so would need IR as well.

Cheers, Matt

[Neil]

(bear in mind I know nothing about video stuff...) could you use some standard webcams ... maybe USB - with repeater cables - linked to a dedicated PC ? no doubt there is motion-detecting software available, maybe software to alert you remotely. hth Neil

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Matthew Ames" saying something like:

If you have an old PC spare you can do all that without the expense of a dedicated PVR. A 4-way input card and some cheapy Chinese cameras from, for example, this bloke...

set up a copy of Active Webcam from PYSoftware. allows you to set up parameters for motion detection, disc space and image quality and is very easy to use. You can also send video out from it and view or record it from afar, either on your LAN or anywhere on the web.

[Matthew Ames]

I did wonder about the PC approach, but I assumed (and hoped) a CCTV / DVR box would be a cheaper route to take in terms of power consumption. The only spare machine I currently have is a dual p4 Xeon 2.8Ghz, which is rather greedy when it comes to electricity :-(

[Adam Aglionby]

Ebay is full of 4 channel PCI video capture cards for about a tenner, with a catch , they will only operate on their own bundled software which is a hack of somoneleses old application.

Ebuyer has a selection of options including a cheap Motorola USB box with 2 wired 1 wireless cam for 60 quid, weatherising PIR operated cams proving a bit of pest at moment though;-) Cams are cheap webcam quality, no IR sensitivity.

Web aware box , no PC lest running, 200 quid same source think may again attempt to lock you into its software and subscription service though.

Both Ebuyer and Maplins have a few dedcated DVRs with RJ45 meaning again no PC running.

Or IP cams back to router.

Adam

[PCPaul]

Aside: I recently hacked a 16 channel EBay card (the £30 one with 4 BT878 chips on, not just the one) to make it work well without the hacked software - it needs you to do some fairly fiddly soldering, but it works.

I keep meaning to put the details on my website but haven't got round to it - if anybody wants them, my email works.

With my hack, you can use it as a true four channel card (simultaneous, full frame rate) using whatever software you like - it uses the free BTwincap drivers to give you four WDM devices.

[meow2222]

>

An old laptop has low power use, or you can heavily underclock a desktop machine to reduce power use significantly. You'd need a clockable machine of course, and it still wont be as mean as a laptop. Fitting a laptop hdd would reduce power a little more. FWIW

486s had a much lower power use than modern machines.

For people that already have an always on computer, running the cam app in the background doesnt add much power use.

NT

[tinnews]

> >

... or there are low power non-laptop machines available, if you do a Google search for ITX you'll find lots. Alternatively there are things like the MSI Titan 700, I'm using one of these as the basis for a NAS server in my garage.

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Adam Aglionby saying something like:

Yep, the Pico 2000, iirc. The Pico software is a total pita, but does work after a fashion. I went through a hair-tearing exercise before I found that Active Webcam ran the card perfectly.

[Adam Aglionby]

From another poster here a while back, Linux based DVR with all the bells and whistles