Simple home system using old PC

[zenapp 0]

Hi ive been looking on eBay for a system to install at the front of my house to detect motion on the drive way and record it on the mini PC I already own.

 

The camera I have seen is the 700TVL camera and the mini PC I own already has 500GB hard drive and power supply etc and is connected to the home network and can be safely always switched on kept out of the way.

 

So the questions i have are -

 

1) If i buy the camera (there is one one eBay for about £50) what sort of cabling for video and power do I need and what type of graphics card connection do i need to get it hooked up to the mini PC?

2) What software could i buy to install on the mini PC to capture when motion is detected and dump content into a network folder?

 

Thanks for your help

 

Z

[gencom 0]

Hi, new guy here and new to CCTV world any senior/expert please correct if I put out info that can be corrected/improved

 

I actually just setup my first system. using 6 foscam i8910w (640x480 resolution) and using this software call Blue Iris ($40 or $50 depending on how many camera it supports for it's feature it is VERY REASONABLE some of the software I've seen are MUCH MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE). It's great for home use and VERY FLEXIBLE with TONS of camera comparability (I even added two old android phone to the system running IPWebcam app).

 

In your case an older PC should work with the software. as my system is running on a IntelNUC mini computer (8gb ram, i3 1.7ghz dual core) and on 6 camera motion monitoring it is only using 25-30% cpu load.

you don't even need 8gb ram. 4gb is fine.

 

Only thing negative I can say about Blue Iris is that is so robust it is kinda daunting for anyone that is not too tech savy.

Basic setup shouldn't be that hard though, its the advance feature like remote internet access that might be harder for normal people. It works really over the internet also and it's android app works great.

 

basically to sum it up:

- ~$70USD foscam I8910w (it work wireless and wired and have Pan and Tilt control with IR) it have good reviews

- ~39.95 for cheaper version of Blue Iris (I recommend extra $10 for the full version that support up to 64 cameras)

- you either setup your camera wireless or wired.

 

btw: if you are REALLY cheap you can just get get the Foscam as it have built in motion detection and upload or email alert picture. but its not that good.

[zenapp 0]

Thanks for your reply, unfortunately I cant use wireless but is wired an option with the set up I suggested?

[blakem 0]

Yes foscams work on wired ethernet as well as wireless.

 

Keep in consideration that foscams are entry level cameras and do not provide the best image quality. In general you pay for image quality, but some cameras can provide more bang for the buck than others and that is what gets discussed most often on the forum.

 

Another route might be pick a camera brand and use their free NVR software. You get two benefits using that approach. The software is usually free and the NVR software uses the camera's onboard computer for the motion detection so you can use and older PC without performance issues. Blue iris motion detection is going to eat up your CPU usage. I use ACTi cameras with NVR 3.0 and have been happy with it. The camera gives 3 motion regions with settings for sensitivity, threshold, and duration.