Desperate to buy a 4 camera/DVR system

[sick of my neighbor 0]

I have a serious neighbor problem and it was suggested to me by the police, City Attorney's office, Attorney, friends, etc. to buy a surveillance system...so here I am.

 

I met with someone last week who quoted me a 2 camera DVR system that would work on my TV or computer. But I have a Mac and no PC, so that's out for the computer use. He didn't give me a Manufacturer and when I phoned him for the info., I found out that it was Powertech and they are made in Korea. So I'm back to square one. I would prefer nothing from Korea or China.

 

I need a weatherproof camera with a wider angle lens to view my driveway and car. I need IR and would like color. The DVR can hook up in my garage into my cable? It would be great if I could view this on all of my TV's in my house. I would like to have at least 3 weeks digital recording.

 

As long as I'm going to all of this work and expense, I might as well put a camera outside my front door and perhaps add a camera on the street and my back yard.

 

Can I find a decent camera for about $150.? Can I find a decent DVR for under $500.

 

I'm not crazy about this and don't want to live my life this way, but have a neighbor who has already destroyed my convertible and while I have a TRO in place, I'd like to see what's going on. He's scary. I live in the SF Valley of L.A. and if anyone knows of a great Installer, please feel free to let me know.

 

I found a CANTEK 350BC NIGHT VISION COLOR CCD CAMERA that looks interesting...what do you think Experts? I don't want to make any mistakes. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and investigated thoroughly.

 

p.s. I've read some other posts and responses where claims were made that you can't get a decent system for under $2000 and that the Poster doesn't do work for under $6000. Please don't bother responding to me then, because this is for a residence, not a business and I'm not going to spend $6000 for a system. I am looking for some answers, not input as to how cheap I am...I'm only asking questions because the estimate I got last week was for $150. cameras and $500. DVR. I'm here for advise, not abuse...thank you.

 

sick of my neighbor

[VST_Man 1]

you can go low with a eclipse system, camera's and all. I'd use the HIM-598 on outdoor and highres domes in................

 

DVR.......be careful of cheap as it will cost you in terms of quality and ease of use...................and basic ability to view/copy video. DVR? test drive or DEMO it BEFORE you buy it.

[sick of my neighbor 0]

Thank you so much. I'll check into it.

[kg6mti 0]

I have installed some Mace CAM53CIR and CAM68CIR camera's at a vacation home that I have. I am very satisfied with these camera's. They are not the most expensive camera's. The CAM53CIR camera is a bullet style color night/day camera with IR. The CAM68CIR is a ball/dome style camera. The CAM53CIR can be found for around $115 and the CAM68CIR can be found for around $230 each.

 

I did install the camera's with a Geovision DVR card installed in a PC. But you can get a stand alone DVR as well with no PC. If you are interested I would be happy to send you sample pictures from the camera's.

 

Good Luck!

[Thomas 0]

Keep in mind that the dealers here do this as a living. As such it's a reputation thing for them. Most of the gear below the price range they discribe is of poor quality. Not all of it, but a fair chunk of it. I would recommend adding to the budget for the DVR.

[sick of my neighbor 0]

Good suggestions. I don't need to recognize people, because I know who to look for, but the IR is important. Some of the images that you all have posted on this forum are extremely impressive and while I have a vapor light on my driveway now, I'm very sure that I will get what I need. I just don't want the equipment to break down.

 

I don't really have a budget, I never scrimp on important purchases, but $6000. or even $3000. is not realistic for me. I'm definately hiring someone to provide the full service to me and not hand the installer something I bought on the internet.

 

My attorney told me to move...

[kg6mti 0]

The downside of the whole thing is your attorney is probably correct.

[Thomas 0]

It's all relative. If you're just trying to protect your tires from beind slashed then $6000 is unrealistic. If you're trying to protect your house from robbery then it becomes more realistic. But from the manufacturers perspectives, there isn't much market in the $250 to $500 range. Too little money for proper QA, too little money to spend time on coding features, etc.

 

As far as the IR goes, keep in mind that most of the low end OEM bullets are good for 10 or 20 ft tops.

[sick of my neighbor 0]

Good to know Thomas...thank you. I'm not worried about theft, just continued vandalism from my neighbor. The coverage distance is also important and of course a Manufacturer wouldn't spend QA money on something that probably doesn't sell well. I guess I'll have to suck it up and spend the money, because I need to end this nightmare I've been living through.

[Thomas 0]

Something else to keep in mind. It's not a deterrant. It won't stop a psycho neighbor, it just gives you evidence of a crime. If your goal is to try to stop, then you want to look more toward alarms or a dog.

[cmf 0]

I can't speak on a dvr (I have a pc based system), but I have 6 W27IR19N cameras, which are just under $150 without cables. They are on my house, and I am very happy with the quality. They just survived a storm (rain, wind) we had in the southeast US this weekend, and are still working great.

 

I have a couple of pics (2 daylight, 1 night) at www.carlmfischer.com/cctv. Let me know if you want a couple of other night shots, and I'll post to the said site.

 

Carl

[Jasper 0]

After you really going to be able to cover all the areas needed to where you could actually prove the identity of the culprit.?

 

Accomplishing this goal can get very expensive. Maybe motion lights or a cheap wireless sensor to activate an alarm. I have one of these on my porch. If anyone comes within range of the sensor I hear a loud beeping or alarm if I want.

 

Just some other ideas.

[sick of my neighbor 0]

I'm checking out all the camera selections that were made to me.

 

I got lucky because my roofing salesperson used to install cameras for the nsa. He is going to install them for me.

 

I live on a steep hill and only need to cover the driveway and up my front stairs. If this guy is desperate enough to climb the hill, then I'll have a camera in back also, but it's illegal to put a camera except in your front yard...where no one has an expectation of privacy (police told me).

 

I'm hoping to hook up to all the TV's in my house so I can keep an eye on the situation all the time.

[cctv_down_under 0]

I would have to agree with most of the posts made here, and although you state you do not need to identify the person, I beg to differ, to identify and PROSECUTE someone you need fairly substantial evidence, not just a "I know who that is", you need to be able to argue in court that the person on the footage is ACTUALLY the person on the footage!

 

You mentioned Vapor lights, do you mean Sodium Vapor, as these are the worst kind for CCTV, I suggest you buy yourself a PC and add a cheap capture card, this way when your annoyance goes away, you at least have a new PC that you can use or sell, perhaps even rent a PC, you could buy a very cheap standalone device but for that price range I would not expect reliability.

 

I would also purchase a distribution amplifier and a cheap RF modulator, they really do not cost that much, this way you can pump it into your existing televisions.

 

I understand the need for cheap stuff, but keep in mind that you do not buy a toothbrush to sweep the floor, it may appear that some people do not want to sell anything cheap so they can make money, but I can assure you that you make MORE money in the short term selling cheap equipment, the reason they do not want to sell it and prefer to make less and sell something better is because they do not want it to break on you.

 

You do not want to sell a car and have it die or the wheels fall off, I STRONGLY suggest you find someone in your area and tell them straight up your budget!! They will tell you what they can give you for that amount and then you can ask us if the equipment will do what you need.

 

I have seen many a video evidence thrown out of court due to lack of identification, so you may indeed not save anything at all if you waste your money on something that is not fit for purpose.

 

And BTW we do not think you are cheap, IN FACT I have done sites that have totalled well over 1 Mill in CCTV infrastructure, however I do not have a single camera in my house (well none plugged in anyhow) so I would not think that anyone here would think you were cheap at all.

[sick of my neighbor 0]

Thank you cctvgeeknz!

 

I've spent the evening checking out cameras and am thinking that the Mace CAM68CIR might be good for me. I even have the perfect place for it so that it will not be noticeable. I have no overhangs, so I may have to pick another camera for the other locations.

 

Believe me, the camera will pick up the person I'm keeping an eye on and he will be recognizable, because he walks from his house to mine.

 

Now I have to pick a DVR. I want to be able to watch on every TV in my house. Since I'm on a Mac, I won't be able to watch on a PC.

 

Thank you for all the great advice...I definately don't want to clean the floor with a toothbrush...

[oderus1671 0]

Something else to keep in mind. It's not a deterrant. It won't stop a psycho neighbor, it just gives you evidence of a crime. If your goal is to try to stop, then you want to look more toward alarms or a dog.

I second that. What I do is have 2 german shepherds patrolling the yard, put up security cams, and make sure I have plenty o' bullets for my gun!

 

I put up cheap OEM cams at my house to deal with my own crazy idiotic neghbor, and they work fine, just not the best quality. One word of advice i can give is stay away from eBay and you get what you pay for. I heard great things about the Mace cams, but i dont have them so i cant really comment.

 

Hope your neighbor leaves you alone!

[sick of my neighbor 0]

Good advice. I'm a huge Ebay fan, but would not buy anything like this on auction.

 

I don't own a gun and don't have dogs. I'm not worried about the psycho next door breaking into my house or hurting me (although if you asked my friends and family, they would differ)...I'm only concerned about the 'little' things he does...like slashing the roof of my convertible, flattening my car tires and smashing my taillight, in addition to killing a tarantula and tossing it in front of my front door and throwing large tree branches in front of my car so I drive over them without seeing them...nice guy huh?

 

A camera will see this and help the police in making an arrest. A TRO does nothing.