musclecarguy

man you guys have it made... I wish I could set my system up to see my cams thru the tv. I have to log my laptop into the remote netviewer and then sometimes it takes 4 or 5 logins before it loads the vid feeds up so I can see what is going on outside. Usually it would be quicker to just go to the window for me.

i just posted up several pics from cheapie cams vs the 24vf in another thread. There is no comparison between the cheapies and the CNB at night. the 24VF can't see in total darkness but it doesn't take alot of light for them to see. I am using 7 watt candle bulb on my garage and it gives enough light to see out to the street. Not clear enough to read a plate number of course but good enough to get a make on the car and can see faces out to 25 feet or so. I am thinking about adding a second 7 watt bulb on the other side of the driveway and then I'll be set.

I haven't owned my CNB dome very long at all but I sure do like it compared to the cheapies. I also noticed what you did about cost varying. All I will say is shop around and you should find it at a good price ie. around $150 give or take 10 dollars either way. For the money they seem like good cameras.

I had a similar experience just a couple weeks ago. Someone keyed my son's car right in the driveway at night. I wanted a budget setup that could let me record the driveway at night so if it happens again, we have evidence for the police. I went simple/cheap route and bought a dvr/camera package and then added one better quality day/night camera to mount right over the driveway. It actually is working out well. I went with a CNB VBM-24VF. It uses the monalisa chip and can see pretty well in low light conditions. Not clear enough to read a plate on a car but clear enough to tell what type of car it is and to help id a person in the driveway. In daytime, it is a nice crisp video that would easily id people and cars.

I have to say it is pretty sad to hear your story and think the police basically don't care. Do you have any other neighbors and have you talked to them about the situation? Seems if 2 or 3 neighbors would speak up about this guy, maybe then the police would do something about it. From the police point of view if you say he is a nut and he says you are a nut... it puts the police in a position where it is just one persons testimony vs another persons. On the other hand if 2 or 3 neighbors give their version, then the police can take action.

I'm totally new to security cameras but have been working in the safety field for 25 plus years so thought I would just share some thoughts on the high powered laser idea. Although it might work to damage a camera, I'd recommend against doing that. First off, those high powered lasers are illegal in many areas. Second, they can cause permanent eye damage in a fraction of a second. Third if you do try to disable/damage the camera with the laser and the neighbor catches you in the act or anyone else sees you do it... then you could end up being the one in trouble with the law. Just an FYI, those lasers make a very noticable light trail under humid conditions and the powerful lasers are really very noticable. If you have ever gone to a rock concert, those light shows where you see beams going all over the place in patterns use the higher powered lasers. I am not an attorney so am certainly not giving legal advice but imho... someone who is going to all that trouble to "bother" you with all that stuff you described is the exact kind of person who would love to catch you trying to damage his property so he can go after you with some legal action. If it were me, I'd just put in curtains or blinds to protect your privacy and ignore the guy. Very sorry to hear about your situation and hope you get it resolved.

I know they are way down on the budgets of some of you guys but I only had a $500 total budget for a system so bought a night owl 4 channel dvr and was wondering if anyone had used the new one they came out with? Keeping in mind it only cost me $275 shipped for the dvr and a pair of cheapie cameras, is it an ok choice for a low budget setup or should I have got something different? I just did a quick search and at least it does have a 500gig drive and does d1 recording at 30frames divided by the 4 cameras so would give me 7.5frame/sec at d1 for 4 cameras. It also does allow cellphone viewing and has a mouse for setup which I thought would make it easier for a total newbie like me to set things up. I needed a system in a hurry so this was the best of the cheap units I looked at but I'd be willing to send it back if there is a better option out there in teh same price range.

New guy here just wondering if anyone has posted a review of the low and mid priced cameras? I know zero about cameras but had two cars in my driveway keyed so at the suggestion of the police, I am putting in a security camera system. Nothing expensive at all, I just ordered a 4 input dvr that came with 2 cheapie cameras. Picked that one because i figured that way I can at least buy two decent cameras to add to the cheapies that came with it and have a functional low budget setup. FYI, I only have a $500 budget for the setup so yes it is cheap stuff. I went with the night owl 4 channel dvr and at least it is the new version that does D1 recording on all channels and lets you view the feeds on a cellphone. It only cost me $275 shipped so I will have $225 left to buy a pair of cameras. Thinking one with adjustable lens to mount over the driveway and a second one to get a shot of the street. Then use the cheapie cams for the two doorways. Based on what you guys are saying, sounds like the CNB 24VF is a good one. Looks like that one would cost me about $150 shipped though so that would only leave me $75 for the second cam. Any suggestions that keep me in my $225 budget for two cameras? The other option is I could just get the 24VF now and save up a bit more to add a second one just like it if that is the best option for me. I'd sure appreciate any advice you guys could give me. My dvr package will arrive in a couple days so I'd like to get the other cameras ordered monday if possible.