Home security camera & recording device?

[ddan1275]

Hi, i'm just making a post for some info on what people would reccommend for my home security camera.

I'm looking for something cheap but effective, 1 camera and a hard drive or some kind of recording device that will record for 7 days incase i go on holiday. I'd only want to check the recordings if something happened at my property otherwise i'd never look at it, so the recording device can just be something that sits under my tv with my DVD player etc.

It will be mounted under the gutter on the front of my home which is 5.5m from the ground and face down my driveway which is 10m long.I'm going to also have a sensor light fitted to the front of my home that will go off when anyone enters my driveway. I'm not sure if i need a camera that runs continuously or has some sort of motion detector on.

If anyone has any info on what i'm asking for it would be much appreciated.

[iStorm]

You have two options:

Option 1.) You have a camera linked into a vrc, the vcr is set on long play record, giving you roughly 8 hours recording on a 4 hour tape, couple with a remote video starter and an external p.i.r detector, every time the pir detects movement it riggers the vcr controller and its recording your camers images for a pre-set time, that time only starts when the pir signals its last detection, in other words if they stay in line of sight it will continue recording.

Option 2.) You have a Digital Video Recorder with hard drive, installed in a loft area, 'not with the vcr and tv' where it can be stolen!! You install the dvr in the loft and run a cable down to your tv so you can turn over and see the images, your camera cable then enters the loft area via the soffits and links into your dvr nice and neatly, then the only time you need to go to the loft is if something has happened.

In my opinion the second option is the best, as tapes are crap, and vcr's unreliable, with a dvr you know you are getting good quality images, you have the option of infra-red with a day and night camera.

Let me know if you require any of these in kit form and i'll try and help you out.

Regards Iain

[ddan1275]

Hi, and thanks for the great help. I think i'd prefer option 2 as it's more reliable and more up to date. I did have a post on another site where someone said "i suggest you don't put the camera at 5.5m under the soffits as it's to far away, 2m max is enough".

I didn't really agree with this as then the camera can be tampered with. Surely there is a camera that is suitable to placed where i said. Infared or some sort of night vision would probably be best as it will add to the PIR light fitted to the house.

What sort of price range am i looking at for a kit.

[iStorm]

The only problem with having a camera so high is that the images you get may only be the top of there heads, where if it was say at bed room flood board hight it would record facial deffinition, then you need an anti-vandal dome camera, you cant move these with line props as they sometimes do! Price wise.......... i'll get back to you.

[ddan1275]

yeh if you give me a price for the normal camera and then the domed one and i can decide what i want to go for depending on price etc.