CCTV Setup for my Grandmom

Hey guys, hope your all in good health.

I need some advice in order for me to provide security and a peace of mind for myself, my family and most importantly my grandma.

My grandad has passed on two weeks ago and used to live with my grandmom alone. Now that she will be alone we are all looking to install a home security system but we want to install the best system that fits our needs.

Firstly we need to buy two cameras one for the front and one for the rear. However I'm not sure how to setup a recording system. We don't have any sort of computers at the house so I was hope if it was possible to have a system which has a recording system within. So first question really, what is the best type of saving system. If something happens we'd firstly try to support my grandmom, however we'd like recording for minimum of 3 days before it records over or however it works, it allows for reaction for any incident and time to stop the recording from recording over itself.

Is there other things that we should consider?

Where should we be buying the system from?

What sort of budget should I set?

Is there a possible nightvision camera?

Is it better to position the camera within a porch so its clear to see who is at the door or up high for more viewing angle?

I appreciate any help that you people could kindly share with me.

You should consider a couple of Dobermans, great protection and good company for an old lady.

My mother is 92 yo and has only her giant schnauzer Rex for company and security.

A panic button near the front door and the back door too!

Sorry to hear about your loss I know it's a rough time and you're probably anxious to get something in place, but you're right not to rush into something and end up with a system that doesn't meet your needs.

Others here will have some more specific info for you on a basic standalone DVR system, but I'll address a couple of your other questions.

First, DO NOT go with a pre-packaged, all-in-one system from your local big-box store. Most of the stuff is below mediocre, and you'll generally get cameras that are kind of middle-of-the-road as far as field-of-view - not wide enough to capture a decent area, not narrow enough to get a lot of detail.

As an example of my front-and-back-door cameras, I have a Bosch B&W camera at my front door, and a CNB day/night camera at my back door, both set at about a 2.8mm lens length, giving close to a 90 degree field of view (forgive the poor image quality on the back door, I have a hacked-together wiring setup right now, using some of the existing Cat3 phone wiring in the house):

My son and I coming home this afternoon (door is on the left edge of the frame):

Coming in from walking the dogs this morning (door at bottom-right corner of the frame):

Both cameras are about 1-2 feet to one side of the door, and only a couple inches higher, mounted in the overhang soffit. They give a pretty good view of whoever is standing there.

"Night vision" is a misnomer and really shouldn't be necessary - this is the back door with only a 13W CFL porch light:

Ditto the front door (the Bosch camera doesn't do as well in low light):

Other considerations: if your grandmother has an internet connection, most systems will allow you to connect to the 'net to allow you to view the cameras (both live and recorded) remotely. If you have a smartphone (iPhone/Blackberry/Android/etc.), many DVRs have apps for those that will let you view the cameras from your phone. If she doesn't have internet, it might be worth looking into a low-end broadband package for this purpose.

If she has an alarm system, a DVR with alarm inputs would allow you to tie the two together, so if the alarm goes off, it would send you an email or SMS and allow you to check the cameras (some will also automatically attach images or video clips to the email). If she has a "Life Alert" type system (emergency help button on a fob that hangs around her neck or wherever), that might be able to tie into the system in the same way, so if she hits her button for assistance, it will let you know by email or SMS and let you check in on her.