Home Security Cameras

[John Terefenko]

OK this is something I would like to install. (This will be a temp setup) I want 4 cameras set up around the house. Wide angle lens with distance up to 50 feet. There is low light situation at night so thinking I would need infrared cameras. They will be plugged into a recorder. The tricky part is they will be installed indoors shooting through a window. Heard that these cameras may have a hard time with this but also heard the opposite too so I really am not sure. I want the cameras to be weather tight because they will eventually be used on another house and installed outdoors.

Anyone with knowledge in this area can give me some ideas and places where to get them. Have looked at some ratings but they are all over the place. No smart phone so that is not a priority. Motion detection would be OK.

Thanks

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I bought a system made by Amcrest with 720 TV lines, but the newer ones have 1080 for about the same price as what I paid a year ago. I LOVE this system. I travel globally a lot, and I can be anywhere in the world and view my cameras live on my iPhone, iPad, or android. It is a free app and you download it and scan the barcode on your camera controller and it sets it up for you. There was a purse snatching and the kid ran up my hill. My neighbors saw it happen and called me. I got it all on camera. The police came and I stood in the street with my iPad showing them the footage. They sent a technician to download the images from my hard drive and he said this was by far the best night vision he has seen.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

I doubt that motion sensing and night vision will be working thru the window glass.
Amazon is a good place to buy camera, or Costco on-line store.
Foscam, Amcrest ( now part of Foscam) , Lorex at Costco or Amazon.
Wireless cameras more convenient to install, require only power to run, but range could be an issue.
Cloud vs local HD recording - please check prices for cloud and if you will be able to download from it to save.

[John K Jordan]

I put in a DVR with 4 cameras in and around my shop about 3-1/2 years ago. This one is a Night Owl STA-44 from Amazon. I connected it to ethernet in the shop and ran wires to the cameras. It has worked flawlessly. I can view in real time from my house over my local network and from my phone or iPad from Italy and Greece, etc. I use the cameras to check up on the animals and check up on the farm sitters. (I have warning signs and tell farm sitters they will be on Candid Camera.)

The motion detection works with the image using software, not a physical motion detector. You can set areas on each camera to ignore to eliminate branches moving in the wind or cats on the ground. It should work fine through a window.

The night vision works with a IR leds. I can't imagine this working well through glass due to the reflections. However, if you have lights on outside, perhaps motion-activated lights, the night vision feature will not even come on and I suspect everything will work fine.

The night vision with motion activation is not as useful outside as you might imagine since moths and other bugs are attracted to the IR lights and will trigger the recording.

From looking at the available systems in this class, I can imagine they are all made by the same company. The cameras that come with these systems are pretty much junk. I bought better cameras for about $75 each. For inside the shop I mounted a camera on the ceiling that I can pan and tilt remotely, even from the Eiffel tower.

As for mounting, a tiny hole drilled through the wall will let them be mounted outside. The do require occasional cleaning to remove spider webs but that can be an issue inside as well in even the cleanest house.

JKJ

[John Terefenko]

The house I want them on is unoccupied and is being sold. But I want to watch the house and there is no attic spac and to install cameras that will be removed in a couple months is not an option. I am really trying to do this behind windows. The camera itself sits behind glass so I do not know why it would not work. I need IR because some areas there is definetly no light source. These cameras will then be installed on my own house and used in proper fashion. So I would need a good quality camera and a good dvr for recording. I read so many Amazon ads and the reviews and the negatives sure scare me off. But I an not looking to break the bank either. I could have a pro security system installed for what some of these things cost.

Still looking. Thanks

[Scott Shepherd]

I installed one that is IR and it's inside, looking out, with blinds between it and the glass. It doesn't work at night because of the reflection. It doesn't matter how dark it is inside or out, it's still a reflection that makes it useless. I moved it outside.

[John Terefenko]

I installed one that is IR and it's inside, looking out, with blinds between it and the glass. It doesn't work at night because of the reflection. It doesn't matter how dark it is inside or out, it's still a reflection that makes it useless. I moved it outside.

Well that puts a damper in things. Thanks for the first hand knowledge.