Warren

I want to add three cover cameras to my existing system. I had a look at these & think they will do the job. I was thinking of concealing it in a square tubing pipe. Drilling a small hole for the lens & stick the lens flush to the hole with silicon sealer. http://www.eaglecctv.co.za/e-233ef-b36-day-night-700tvl-colour-mini-camera-board-lens I am also thinking of converting all my external lighting to solar power, something like this http://www.worldgaia.com/pWGGJ01/Sunbather-28-LED-Floodlight.aspx Will this work?

The sad fact is that Asia still have slave labour & they mass produce with the intention that you will be replacing it in 5 years time.

Shockwave you aren't the only one that has been caught out like that. I saw an 8CH H.264 DVR with 4 CCD Cameras, I then checked the specs So I thought 240fps which would mean 30 fps per camera & D1 resolution. I was wrong. I am still playing around with the system but I can't seem to get a decent picture with anything more than 4 cameras.

Animal abusers caught red handed. I am not sure how to load video clips on this page but here is the link.

What version of windows are you using? I have managed to install it on my laptop which is vista & desktop which is windows 7. I first tried Linux but can't seem to get it to work yet. You have to download the XP compatible version otherwise it won't work. I contacted their support centre & they must have configured something on my DVR because it seems to be working fine at the moment. (I have only just got it working a few hours ago) Their cameras don't seem to be any good at night. I bought a day / night bullet & you get a much clearer picture than their IR cameras.

I have just bought a 4 / 8 ch system from Kguard. http://www.kguardsecurity.com/glb/products/details.php?id=8d7ac6b33714743200f91550d2c550e7&c=df0bcd427f00507ad3ae0df6fec0a232&s=2cac7878924c9c675e538fa50b3ddf06. After I bought RJ59 cable because I thought it would be quite a while before I can get Cat5e in this country all the suppliers started supplying it. I felt like kicking myself for not waiting a bit longer. As soon as I can get my DVR configured to my PC I will upload some pictures. I have contacted my ISP who done their configuration on that side. I changed my Web port to 00081 & my IP address to 192.168.002.004 My other settings are: Media port: 9000 Net mask: 255.255.255.000 Gateway: 192.168.002.001 DNS Server 1: 192.168.002.001.001 UPNP Server 1: Disabled I contacted Kguard support & they gave me the correct software for window 7. The problem I have at the moment is I can’t upload my DVR to my computer. I have tried 3 different Ethernet cables which work fine on my internet but my PC still won’t pick up my DVR. I remember seeing a thread somewhere with someone who had the same problem but I can’t seem to find it again. Is there anyone that can assist me?

How well can your husband shoot? A paint ball gun could work quite well. Another alternative would be to attract some Indian Myna's to his yard. If they get into his bird box there won't be much left of the camera's wires. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Myna Another alternative would be to get a dummy camera & give him the expense of closing up your yard for you.

When I log into the system I get a screen like the one at the back. When I click on add DVR I get the front screen. http://www.flickr.com/photos/12102946@N00/7242779460/ My user & password is the same as the admin password on my DVR If I press auto check model I get an error message " network or DVR busy,login error. If I press ok I get a message box " No device found, Login error".

You could use an IR beam where the motion detectors don't reach. The other possibility could be the culprit is poisining some food & throwing it over the wall.

Sorry to hear about your dogs, I know exactly what you feel like. The first thing you need to do is keep calm. I know it is hard & you want to disect him limb for limb. Next you need to try & find out what is the motive for the poisoning? Has someone got a grudge against you or your dogs or fear them? Ask around if anyone has had the same problem it might be someone planing to break in to your property. Try and poison proof your dogs so that your dogs will only eat when you perform a certain ritual or give him a specific command.

Thanks Graphic, my internet has been down today. I will read up on these card & get back to you.

I have decided to go with this computer (I will be using Microsoft with Diginet software) http://www.esquire-shop.co.za/ProductDescription.aspx?id=1219599 I need a bit of advice on a CCTV card of which I have the following options http://www.esquire-shop.co.za/Category.aspx?Cat=CCTV+%28PC+Based+DVR+Cards%29&Brand=Esquire http://www.esquire-shop.co.za/Category.aspx?Cat=CCTV+%28PC+Based+DVR+Cards%29&Brand=Casey If I go with one of the above Esquire will install the CCTV card for me before I collect the computer. Alternatively I can buy one of these CCTV cards http://www.regalsecurity.co.za/Products/SubCats/SUBSUBCAT/DVRs%E2%80%93PC-CARDS/CAT/CCTV-Products/FromTab/Products.aspx I am looking for a DVR card with no less those 8 Channels preferably 16 though. With esquire I see all their 8 & 16 channel cards are only 12 – 15 fps. But the resolution seems fine. With regal I get 100fps (I don’t think I will need that much) but I don’t know what their resolution is. My main objective is facial recognition. If I catch an intruder I have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he is the intruder otherwise the magistrate will throw the case out of court. I have also been looking at cables. In South Africa the most used cable seems to be RG59. If I twist a few arms I might be able to get Optic Fibre but that is about the limit in S.A. I had a look at importing some Cat5e but everyone seems to export through Amazon who will not export electronic equipment to South Africa. My longest cable leading to a camera on my perimeter wall will be about 55 metres with 3 90° bends alternatively I can run it a shorter route but then it would have to cross my main electrical to my house which is a 220v single phase cable which would reduce the length to about 40m.

Thanks Tom I have never searched that far back. I will give them a try

I have looked around & everything seems to be analogue. The odd one or two that are IP compatible are over R50 000-00 (only the DVR) which is way out of my budget. I know S.A. is a good few years behind America when it comes to technology, if you find anything that is not out date you need to burn a whole in your pocket to get it. Last weekend I went to Security World in Northgate shopping centre & saw a Video Audio CCTV Capture Adapter. They wanted to charge me R1499-00 for it. On Amazon it is $7.95 (about R64-00). http://www.amazon.com/EasyCap-Model-002-Channel-Capture/dp/B001M547EM/ref=sr_1_38?ie=UTF8&qid=1333879454&sr=8-38 At that price I could buy 10, have it courier, insured & I would still be saving money.

Maybe you misunderstood me. No CCTV system will last forever. At some stage will break e.g. a fuse can blow, your power supply can burn out, and a camera could get water damage. When this happens you want to be prepared. If you have only got one DVR running you whole system & your DVR spots functioning & you can’t fix it immediately you don’t have a security system. If you have two DVRs each carrying half your cameras you can still cover some of your property until you can have it repaired or replaced. “Murphy’s law” Something usually packs up when there aren’t any shops open. Shockwave I agree with you that continuous play is always better but it is not always possible. You might have to leave home for a few days to attend to an emergency. Have you got a UPS as a power back up? Is your hard drive big enough to hold that amount of data? If you power is cut will it be able to run your system until you return or someone who is looking after your premises comes around & detects that there is a problem? Looking at Mr J’s situation he has got to make a choice between quantity & quality. I would rather choose quality, quantity cam come later

A friend of mine had the same problem, the only difference was they were using his property as an escape route until he put a nice Gin trap there. He just had to catch one junkie & that was the end of his problem.

You can try and explain it away all you want. I still say there is a poltergeist in those shots. Plain as day. Or it could be a succubus trying to come & visit. Try tying some garlic around the camera.

My experience in the security industry has been more operational that technical. I hope this helps though. If you are installing an alarm system, where are you going to put your beams or passives? (Take note of anything that could cause a false alarm). Now you start with your CCTV system. When planning the structure of your cameras take note of how nature will affect them during different times of the day, night & year e.g. wind and sun & how to prevent malicious damage. My advice would be to have visible cameras as well as covert cameras. (I have heard of cases where criminals have shot cameras with paint balls). A few pointers to take note of When you are planning your system always look at it from a pro active as well as a reactive point of view. Your first objective is to prevent an intrusion. Should that fail try & lure the perpetrator to where you can get a nice clear picture of him which will be admissible in court. Remember your system is mechanical & parts can breakdown, always try & have a plan in place should that happen. E.g. if you are planning to have 8 cameras, instead of buying one 8 channel DVR, buy two four channel DVRs.

How about something like this? It shouldn't be to hard to make yourself http://www.compu-lok.co.za/products.html?product=brl I wouldn't suggest a kensington lock unless you have someone in the area watching it. http://www.kensington.com/kensington/us/us/s/1479/laptop-locks.aspx

That looks more like a lotto machine.

Remember, a dog only has three rule. Whats mine is mine. Whats yours is mine unless it is broken then it is yours.

I have decided to go the pc route with my home based system as I can slowly build it up in sections & invest in better quality equipment. I have seen CCTV systems running both Microsoft & Linux but I haven't seen topic relating to which one is better. I have read that for internet usage Linux is more hacker resistant. I would like to know which is the best Operating server to use, Linux or Microsoft regarding being hacked & stability?

I think I was being a bit biased by trying to compare the two systems but before doing my analysis I saw Linux outweighing Microsoft. The computer I will be using for my security system will only be used for my security system. At the end of the day I have decided to go for Microsoft. In S.A we have a big problem with cable theft & power outages, should this happen I would want my system to run of a UPS. That should have been enough to convince me in the beginning Secondly I want a system that is silent which means I might need more than one fan to keep it cool which means more noise.

I think you meant to say more hacker proof, not less. That being the case, the statement is not necessarily true. How secure a system is depends on quite a number of factors. At the top of the list, in my opinion, is how the system is configured, who is using it and how it's being used. Just keep in mind that a poorly configured Linux box is no more secure than a poorly configured Windows box. I know that I am no computer Guru but we usually have a saying RTFM (Read the freegin manual). That is why when I decided to load Linux on my computer I went & bought "OpenSUSE 11.0 and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Bible" I still refer to it if I want to load or update something. I think the best thing for me to do is get a book on software security before I set up my new computer.

In South Africa when it comes to Chinese products I am a bit weary. Their product all seem to be mass produced with the intention that if it breaks you will buy a new one. Before 1994 I used to do reconnaissance for the SAP & in the clothing industry you find they like to slap false labels on their product Like Addidas, Levi, Devin but with proper inspection you will see it is not really the product. A pirate DVD usually has a blue tint on the recorded side.