Wireless (wifi) Security Cameras

[Stereodude]

So some cretins from the trailer park next door slashed the rear tires on my car and my wifes car two nights ago as they were parked in our driveway. The cars are now in the garage, but I'm thinking to place a few wireless (wifi) security cameras around the outside of my house (or maybe inside looking out the windows) and have them tied to my server. Does anyone have any suggestions on these or the software to run on the PC?

 

[ddrueding]

Wifi cameras tend to not work well in groups, they have their own webserver and operate independently. If you want multiple cameras, you might do better with non-IP cameras being captured live at the server. This way you can sync multiple cameras and have better awareness of what is going on.

If you are looking for them to work in low-light, you'll probably want one that has it's own IR light source.

I've managed a couple larger surveillance systems (12-32 cameras) and through many incidents, have never had enough evidence to go to the police. We may have pictures of a car (but no legible plates), or a person (without a clear face). So we know what happened and exactly when, but the only successful recourse was when we knew who the offender was and contacted their company directly.

 

[Stereodude]

Do you have any suggestions for non IP cameras and a multiple video input capture card? Or would you just recommend putting up dummy cameras since real ones don't seem to offer any actual benefits?

 

[ddrueding]

Here is the thread where I asked for suggestions. The larger systems I put in were turn-key, server with DVD-R and all the bells and whistles. My research is being very inconclusive, lots of manufacturers I haven't heard of making products that look identical sold by vendors I haven't heard of.

 

[ddrueding]

I'll probably end up getting something like this. Keep in mind that the FPS capability of the card is for all channels combined, and at either 320x240 or 640x480, and that some have hardware compression and some need software. If you have the spare horsepower in your server, you could save some money on the card.

 

[ddrueding]

Or would you just recommend putting up dummy cameras since real ones don't seem to offer any actual benefits?

I think there are other things you could do that would give you more benefit. How is the lighting around your front yard? Do your cars cast a shadow behind them? Are there lights in the yard/walk that shine from multiple directions? Are there bushes that could help obscure someone? How hidden do you feel crouched behind your car? If all of these are taken care of, and you have a single IP camera like this, you should be in good shape.

 

[Stereodude]

How is the lighting around your front yard? Do your cars cast a shadow behind them?

Lighting is pretty good.

Are there lights in the yard/walk that shine from multiple directions?

somewhat

Are there bushes that could help obscure someone?

No bushes, nothing else

How hidden do you feel crouched behind your car?

Cars are in the garage now...

If all of these are taken care of, and you have a single IP camera like this, you should be in good shape.

I'll take a look at that.

 

[Pradeep]

Problem is powering the cameras outside. Generally for snowy climates you would want a heated dome.

http://www.axis.com/products/video/camera/

Not cheap but the quality is very nice, you can use their software to turn a PC into a DVR recording multiple cameras.

 

[ddrueding]

Thanks for the link, Pradeep. Those certainly aren't cheap, but it's nice to see some good quality products.

 

[blakerwry]

We use Axis cameras at work and use an open source project called motion to record a log of all activity.

They're great little cameras and highly configurable (they run linux and let you upload scripts and modify cron jobs, etc).

If the sticker price throws you off, you can pick them up a little more affordably on ebay. - We've had good success this way and have never had a cam die on us after several years of continuous use.

 

[ddrueding]

Looks great blakerwry, thanks!

 

[rebecca12]

Dummy Cameras

Dummy cameras are a low cost solution if you're not able to spend the money on a real outdoor surveillance camera. Or a dummy camera can be a cheap way to add on to an existing surveillance system. Although dummy cameras won't catch a criminal, studies have shown that just the presence of a security camera has prevented crimes like robbery, theft and vandalism.