Wireless surveillance cameras

[Ohiosam]

Started look at these on line and got confused real fast.

I want to put 2 or 3 cameras out to watch the driveway, fuel tanks, shop door etc. Looking for ones that can be 100-150 yards from the house, records for when I'm not home, and can pan/tilt. Anyone have any experience with these?

 

[DJK Frank 16]

Sam,

Only experience I have had is I researched this pretty hard 3 or 4 years ago, and I didn't have much luck finding a reliable "wireless" camera that would give that much range and still have clear picture/video. I had came to the conclusion that if I wanted coverage to my shop I was going to have to bury some direct burial Cat5 cable and run them that way.

Like I said, that was 3 or 4 years ago, so there could be options out there now to satisfy those needs. But, with wireless you are always going to have reliability issues, will a big wind or inclement weather not your signal out? A lot of the wireless outfits were more expensive, would the extra money cover the amount of direct burial Cat5 cable you need to go ahead and put in a wired system for better reliability?

You may be forced into a wireless solution in your case though, because max distance on Cat5 cable is 328 feet (100m), you will be pushing that it looks like.

Keep us posted if you do put a setup in, I am still really interested in getting a system of my own for surveillance, so I will definitely be keeping an eye on this one.

 

[Ohiosam]

Problem with a hard wired system is that I need to cross the road.

 

[DJK Frank 16]

Problem with a hard wired system is that I need to cross the road.

Gotcha!

I've been looking since my post and there are some wireless systems out there that are getting some good reviews these days, my only concern would be the wireless signal making it 100 yards and still transmitting good clear video.

 

[Ohiosam]

I think there are "boosters" from my limited research. I'm just hoping someone has some real world experiences to relate.

 

[DJK Frank 16]

I think there are "boosters" from my limited research. I'm just hoping someone has some real world experiences to relate.

Do you have really good high speed internet? Video sucks a TON of bandwidth especially when transmitting over wireless (2.4ghz).

Looking forward to some info as well from someone who actually has one.

 

[hickslawns]

I will pick my uncle's brain for you. He has them at multiple business locations. They feed into a main computer which functions solely to store video. He can whip out his cell phone and watch live feeds from each camera if he chooses. It is a slick setup, but I am certain it was pricey. I have seen the main monitor. He can view each camera, multiple cameras at the same time, or all of them. Pictures get tiny when he has every camera view on the monitor at the same time. Pretty cool setup though. Once the initial system was in place he said it was not a huge deal to add an additional camera. To me, this sounds like the initial investment was a bit overwhelming. lol Never asked price. None of my business.

 

[Ohiosam]

On an ag forum these were recommended by one guy.

http://www.lorextechnology.com/index.jsp

 

[Johnch]

Crossing the road isn't a real problem
As I have helped with boring in gas and water lines a bunch of times

We even ran a 4" PVC coduit between 2 bank buildings

Maybe more $$ than you want

The big er guys can direct the bore head around trees

200 yds is a easy bore
I helped with one where we put in a gas line a little over a 1/4 mile in 1 shot

John

 

[Milo]

sam, have you considered a buckeyCam? you cannot pan but you can manually activate the trigger and the new ones have the ability to be hooked to deep cell (marine) batteries.

 

[Gern186]

Yep...have you thought about hiding a trail camera in a few places?

I helped a guy at work set one up in the rafters of his pole barn....about a month later he got broken into and the Moultrie camera got several pictures of the thief. The guy just lived down the road....he ended up getting prosecuted.

 

[Ohiosam]

Yes I've considered the game camera route but want something where I can be in the house and see what is going on and also have the DVR where it can't be easily found.

 

[Huckleberry Finn]

Sam my brother's FIL got camera's for his house that he can control from his iPhone...no clue what a system like that costs but they are out there.

 

[Buckmaster]

I'm watching this thread too. Since I live in the woods with a 1200 foot setback my house is open game if they can beat my security system which is Ft. Knox approved. I've also enlisted the help of a trail cam and 2 wireless driveway monitors that just beep. They let you know someone is coming down the driveway (about every other time). I have room for improvement in my home exterior and property monitoring systems.

 

[Milo]

Its wireless..

 

[hammerhead]

check here.

http://www.x10.com/homepage.htm

 

[finelyshedded]

I will also be watching this thread. Great stuff during these times for sure.

 

[Beentown]

Sam sorry I am a bit late on this.

I have bought/set up about 50 of these systems with my previous employer. They used old VCR's and crappy cameras before. The systems we ended up with were from Lorex and performed great. http://www.lorextechnology.com/Wired-security-dvr-system/cat30005.c We used the videos from these many times to catch thieves (employee theft). We trialed them on three restaurants and ended up buying them for all the stores.

If you want a wired unit then I would look at getting one of the packages with a PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) camera. It has a 10x zoom for pointing at something at a distance. Any questions give me a ring...

 

[MK111]

I'm watching to. I looked at the link but couldn't see how far the wireless camera would transmit. Only there was a alarm if too far.

 

[Beentown]

I'm watching to. I looked at the link but couldn't see how far the wireless camera would transmit. Only there was a alarm if too far.

That is why I recommend one with a PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) camera so that it can still be wired but can be left on a barn across the street on 10x zoom.