I'll be leaving on a trip soon and I'm thinking of installing security cameras around my house.  I have seen the sets at Costco but I think Home Depot and or Sams Club may also carry kits.  I'm looking into the day/night cameras because they come with IR for night use.  Also I;m looking into the wirelss over wired ones, because of easy set up.  Does anyone have a security camera set up in their homes? Any recomendations?  Mahalo!

I've dabbled around with those.  IMHO what kind of wireless systems are you looking at?  Even though they are wireless, they do need a power source so you have to think about keeping them near outlets or else running extension cords.  The ones from Costco work well, but I wouldn't expect HiDef quality at night on the IR ones.  Do you have a gun safe?  If you could somehow put the DVR inside the safe that would be good also so thieves have less of a chance of taking it. 

Another option is IP cameras.  They are stand alone security systems.  Some have motion sensors and turn on when motion is detected and then send you a text msg or email instantly and you can view what the camera is seeing 24hrs a day via your internet phone or computer.  You can also run those to record on your computer instead of getting a DVR... but you'd have to keep your internet/computer on at all times.  Just something to think about.

Do these kinds of camera systems Record Sound as well as video?
 
How about the ones with a dozen or so different cameras?  Can these record sound from each different camera?

yes there are cameras that record sound, probably not the ones included with the costco "kits" however.  I know you can upgrade cameras found online that actually have intercom on them so you can talk to someone outside your door or wherever the camera is, from inside your house.

My father-in-law has been running cameras around his house and carport for a couple years after losing tools to thieves at night.  Running the recorder in the gunsafe would be a pretty good idea.

Might be a bit much with 16 cameras but this might be a good start with your research - saw this on the Costco website:


http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11589847&whse=BC&topnav=&cm_mmc=BCEmail_Month2010MVM-_-Banner-_-1-_-DaltonFireplace


Didn't read over it much but it has night vision, audio and streaming to your computer and iPhone/iPad.

What I'm interested in is not standard, presume it is an Option.
 
Does it also come with a computer nerd to help a non computer person set it up to record sound?
 
$700+ tax = cost of at least one gun.........      not including set up help needed

Costco also has smaller kits if you don't need 16 cameras.

I'd probably go with something a little better if you are planning on using it more than once. I've seen the Logitech Alert System talked about a few places. Logitech is usually one of the better companies when it comes to techinical support and usually has their software pretty complete. This doesn't come with a DVR, though, and uses your computer as the DVR and uses your home wiring for the network. It's nice that it has alerting capabilities.

I haven't seen any systems that come with computer nerds.

I bought samsclub special 4 camera with PC based DVR expandable to 8 cameras. Works pretty good. I've also dabbled in wireless 2.4 GHz... Stay away from wireless.

I bought samsclub special 4 camera with PC based DVR expandable to 8 cameras. Works pretty good. I've also dabbled in wireless 2.4 GHz... Stay away from wireless.

BMWRider,
Is it posible, with your system, to remote monitor with the pc from the internet?  How much was that system, if you don't mind saying?
 
Thanks, B

Heavies,

   Not sure if you have an iPhone, but if you do, this is a great option:

http://skjm.com/icam/

  I have it and it works pretty well. I don't use it often, but when I do I am always happy with the results. Just another option to think about...

- Alex

^^  Looks very interesting. Especially for an inexpensive solution, people may already have all a web cam and Iphone. If you don't have to monitor that often, this may be the way to go.

I love the Iphone! There are so many apps to choose from, maybe too many.  hehe

I use an IP camera. It is setup to send buffered images to several email addies. I can also remote monitor via internet connection.

I use an IP camera. It is setup to send buffered images to several email addies. I can also remote monitor via internet connection.

Really cool... Question:  Do you have a way to disable the cameras when you are home?  I have a friend who has a IP camera system which lets him remotely view his cameras from a computer with internet.  He was expressing concers that someone might hack into the system and view his cameras at anytime.  So he's been just covering the cameras with a pillow case when he's home, just to be totally sure.  This is a factor why I have put this project on hold at my house.

I just unplug it, though I use a DNS for viewing over internet.

Quote

I bought samsclub special 4 camera with PC based DVR expandable to 8 cameras. Works pretty good. I've also dabbled in wireless 2.4 GHz... Stay away from wireless.

BMWRider,
Is it posible, with your system, to remote monitor with the pc from the internet?  How much was that system, if you don't mind saying?
 
Thanks, B

Yes, almost every package deal (DVR + 4 cameras) you can pick up at Costco or Sams club now comes with network connectivity that will allow you to view your camera(s) over the internet using either a static IP address, or if you have regular Cable or DSL internet, DDNS service. Also, you can look for systems that use YOICS, and that will let you access your camera anytime from practically any  computer or iphone. Costco currently sells a YOICS enabled set by Lorex for about 500-800 IIRC. I just picked up Astak MOLE camera from Costco for $179. This is a YOICS and DDNS enabled IP camera with Nightvision IR illumination and pan and tilt motors controllable over the net. It also has a microphone to hear over, hook ups for speakers on the camera end so you can use it as an intercom as well. Did I mention it has a 802.11g WiFi connectivity, a 2 GB SD card and motion detection recording of photo and video.

I just saw that... nice unit.... gonna wait, prices will surely come down.

Yes, almost every package deal (DVR + 4 cameras) you can pick up at Costco or Sams club now comes with network connectivity that will allow you to view your camera(s) over the internet using either a static IP address, or if you have regular Cable or DSL internet, DDNS service. Also, you can look for systems that use YOICS, and that will let you access your camera anytime from practically any  computer or iphone. Costco currently sells a YOICS enabled set by Lorex for about 500-800 IIRC. I just picked up Astak MOLE camera from Costco for $179. This is a YOICS and DDNS enabled IP camera with Nightvision IR illumination and pan and tilt motors controllable over the net. It also has a microphone to hear over, hook ups for speakers on the camera end so you can use it as an intercom as well. Did I mention it has a 802.11g WiFi connectivity, a 2 GB SD card and motion detection recording of photo and video.

Yes! That is something I will check out!

I just saw that... nice unit.... gonna wait, prices will surely come down.

If you're talking about the MOLE, i doubt it. It already retails for 299 most places online, and those don't come with a SD card. Costco's 179 deal is very hard to beat...