Hello all, I was wondering if anyone in the asylum has any experience with any of the home surveillance systems?

I am gonna buy one soon, and here is what I need. I don't care about a monitor. I want a dvr system with at least 500 gig hard drive or 1 TB. I need 6 or 8 cameras for inside and outside. The video needs to be good enough to use as evidence because unfortunately my nephew that lives next door is a pillhead and has resorted to stealing my moms narcotics while she is fighting pain from cancer and they don't have the heart to do anything about it. I am almost certain that he is the one who broke into my house a few years ago and stole some jewelry and guns, and if as i believe it's only a matter of time before he does it again, I want to be able to have the evidence so he can be prosecuted to the fullest. My only problem is there is a Swann 8 channel system at best buy for $750.0 that seems to have everything I need, but I'm not sure I have the technical know how to install it myself. No problem on getting it all hooked up and configured, just the wiring and running the wires in a professional manner is that I am afraid of. Any input at all would be appreciated.
[Reply]

I am off subject but I am almost certain you can do better then $750 for a similar system.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16881124237
Bonus is the IR night vision cant be seen by human eyes.

then replace HDD with
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136783

Any old VGA computer monitor you may have should work with it.

as for newegg, I have bought many items from them including a 2.2k order for a new gaming rig. No issues, great place to order from.

Edit: cheap but I am not sure of quality http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16881377034
[Reply]

Devan what in your opinion is better about the one at newegg than this one?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Swann---...=1218674175826

They are both Swann and it appears the one at Best Buy is a newer model with better cameras?
[Reply]

Also I don't need a monitor, just gonna tuck the DVR outta sight and remote view, and have the email/texting alerts.
[Reply]

Here is the same one cheaper at Amazon, plus I get free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/Swann-DVR8-255...n+SWDVK-840008
[Reply]

They seem Identical Specs wise.

The best buy model has higher output Nightvision. But i don't see a need for you to see 64ft out compared to 33ft. Sounds like you really only need it to see about 10ft.

The best buy model also looks cooler, I have a feeling you wont be looking at this much though.

Amazong: I dont see anything about motion activation on that model. Which Personally i would prefer. No reason to be recording nothing.
[Reply]

You are correct. I just need to be able to get video clear enough that will be clear enough to hold up in court should the need arise. And it almost surely wont be at night, unless it was while we are on vacation because other than that someone is home at night.
[Reply]

Thanks then I will seriously consider that one. I don't think I will need the bigger hard drive either cause it's sposed to record for thirty days and we are never gone that long.
[Reply]

I hope they have an auto-delete feature so it can be maintenance free. None of them mention that though.
[Reply]

Actually, I am researching them right now as well. I was looking at something like this:
Swann

I have read that the CCD optical sensor is better quality than the cheaper CMOS sensors. I have nothing to back that up, though, other than a quick search an comments.

A friend of mine had a number of break-ins in his neighborhood two nights ago. He had a surveillance system and was able to get video of a teenage kid walking up to his front door, looking into the windows, then walking off at 3am. The IR video worked great. He posted the video for the HOA. A suspect was being questioned hours later.
[/hijack]
[Reply]

Devan, it says it alerts you when the hard drive is nearly full so you can choose to erase or continue recording.

Zach, I read that somewhere too about the cameras which is why i was looking at the 8 camera system from best buy.
[Reply]

Sensor quality in a ~420p CCV is going to be less then nice anyways. The type of sensor used wont have much affect for your purposes.

My high-school had 2.5k professional Sony handycams that used Cmos sensors.
Similair(but before HD) to this which uses a Cmos sensor
http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-bro...roduct-HVRV1U/
[Reply]

My mom and dad had the police out today to get a report, she has to have that to get another scrip for the narcs. I explained to her last night that since I work with the police as an EMS person, I called and spoke to a deputy and explained it to him and he said they would have no problem going and talking to him to try to hopefully put a little fear in him. Mom and dad said they would tell them, I talked to the deputy that actually went there and he said he couldn't get them to say who they thought it was. They have been protecting him since he was 15, and now he is 25. They have probably spent over 100 grand on lawyers and bail over those ten years. Since I know those guys and just talked to another deputy a few minutes ago, here is what I'm gonna do. Tomorrow when I get home I am going next door and tell him we need to walk and talk. What I am going to tell him is that if one more thing goes missing, then I WILL use my relationship with the Sheriff's Deputies to unleash them on him and they can ride him till they ride him down, cause we all know if they start looking hard they will be able to get him for somthing. I am sad that it's come to this, but I cannot let someone who is to sorry to work, to steal anymore from my mom when she needs those meds, and I sure aint gonna let him steal what I have worked hard to get. Put the ball in his court and say look, no more stealing, no deputies riding your ass, steal, ride you like a trail horse, up to you.
[Reply]

Sounds like a good plan to me Greg, I had some growing up to do in my younger years. The military kicked my ass into shape.
[Reply]

I am not knowledgeble about this at all, so what you are saying is in the quality of systems we are talking about there wont be much difference in the resolution of the video, right?
[Reply]

Thanks for the info, Devan. This is definitely NOT my area of expertise.
[Reply]

Well i have told my parents that they are enabling him, but paying his bills and getting him out of jail and paying his child support to keep him from jail. With the pill problem it is now life and death because if he doesn't get off them, there is a great chance that he wont live to see 30. I told them I would rather have to drive 5 hours to visit him in prison alive, rather than drive 54 seconds to the graveyard which is right up the street and visit him there. But they just can't do it.
[Reply]

Correct, Any of the video you receive from these cameras should be high enough quality to get someone in the slammer for what they have done. You may have differences in color balance or clarity but to the extent of being un-viewable is highly unlikely and you would notice during setup and testing. I would go get a mid range system in the prices we have been looking at. An important thing to remember when setting up with be to have some sort of object as a reference in the shot for size. Since a 2D image does not give accurate sizing or distance information, Like cover up 1 eye and look around.

I am no expert either but i have a bit more knowledge then the average bear i like to think.
[Reply]

Thanks. I do know a guy whom does that on the side, but the installation on these things are nuts. I am awaiting a call back from him to see what he can offer on the system and install.
[Reply]

Hey Devan should i be concerned if it doesn't do D1 Video?
[Reply]