| Non-motoring > WIFI CCTV camera recommendation | Miscellaneous |
Thread Author: VxFan |
Replies: 35 |
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New Sat 25 Jun 16 17:23
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - VxFan
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I've got trouble with the neighbour. Have had for just over a year now, but that's another story. The landlord (who owns both houses) has erected a 6 ft fence between us because of the latest issues, which not only blocks out the view from our kitchen window, it also means I can no longer see my car when it's parked outside on the drive, which is right next to his property. I wouldn't trust him so far as I could throw him so I want to install a CCTV camera for some added security. I can provide electricity from the shed to it, but ideally it needs to be a WIFI one. There are loads on the market however. Does anyone have any personal recommendations? I already know the laws of making sure the camera doesn't point onto his property, etc. |
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New Sun 26 Jun 16 18:42
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - Bobby
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When you say wifi do you mean one that is cable less or one that you can view remotely? I have used the Swann systems in my shops and these are wired but able to view them on desktop or phone app. Obviously hard drive records away on a loop. |
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New Sun 26 Jun 16 19:10
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - VxFan
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The ones that only require a power supply and transmit anything caught within the field of vision via WIFI to an email address, and/or cloud. And also at the same time be able to view them live via a phone app or pc. Unfortunately where I want to site the camera, it isn't easy to hard wire it to a network, else I would consider a system that records 24/7 to a hard drive. |
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New Sun 26 Jun 16 19:22
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - smokie
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I bought the components for a Raspberry Pi based camera over a year ago but only got round to setting up a few weeks ago. Not yet fine tuned but it seemed to work OK (motion activated). I really only got the parts so I can m,ake a project, take it apart and do another one, just for fun. I don't remember how much they cost nor how it compares to an off-the-shelf one but it does all the stuff you want... |
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New Sun 26 Jun 16 19:57
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - Dutchie
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I'm having a few cameras fitted in the autumn. The chap who has fitted our burglar alarm is going to fix them.No idea what it is going to be not to complex I hope.He knows roughly what I want he is a decent kid. |
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New Sun 26 Jun 16 20:02
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - CGNorwich
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I can't help but think that its a sad old world where everyone seems to find it necessary to be filming everyone else. Perhaps it will all be better now we areout of the EU ;-) |
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New Sun 26 Jun 16 20:07
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - Dutchie
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| Just between you and me Norwich.Some nice talent next door.>:) |
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New Sun 26 Jun 16 20:23
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - CGNorwich
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| I'm not sure that that makes it a better idea Dutchie ;-) |
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New Sun 26 Jun 16 22:18
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - No FM2R
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>> I've got trouble with the neighbour. Have had for just over a year now, but >> that's another story. The landlord (who owns both houses) has erected a 6 ft fence >> between us because of the latest issues, which not only blocks out the view from >> our kitchen window, it also means I can no longer see my car when it's >> parked outside on the drive, which is right next to his property. >> >> I wouldn't trust him so far as I could throw him so I want to >> install a CCTV camera for some added security. I can provide electricity from the shed >> to it, but ideally it needs to be a WIFI one. >> >> There are loads on the market however. Does anyone have any personal recommendations? >> >> I already know the laws of making sure the camera doesn't point onto his property, >> etc. >> >> Back to basics first David; What do you wish to film? Close or far, light or dark, movement activated or 24x7, faces of objects, what level of recognition is required? Lowlight or IR (number plates or people)?? What do you intend to do with the recordings (in an ideal world)? Use it as evidence (won't happen), show it to the police, personally recognise the perpetrator, trace the act etc. etc. What is the system for? Deter an act or person, record an act or person, cause trouble for someone etc. etc. Is it for monitoring or for revisiting recordings? Because a WiFi camera in and of itself is easy and cheap. It rather depends on what image you want and what use you will put it to. I do know quite a bit about this, albeit in south America, and have installed a variety of systems, so if you can say more about what you're looking for then I can offer some thoughts. Budget is also important. |
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New Mon 27 Jun 16 01:38
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - VxFan
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Mark, Basically I can no longer see my car when it's parked outside on the drive because of this eyesore of a new fence. It's for piece of mind that should the nuisance neighbour (or anyone else) tamper with my car, then I have evidence of who has done it. And also to act as a deterrent. But where I intend mounting the camera won't be too visible. There are other reasons too, but like I said before, that's another story. All I'll say is he is the neighbour from hell. I'd ideally love a 24/7 network recording system, but in reality getting wires into the house would involve drilling window frames, and or thick brick walls. Then there's chasing the wires through the roof space as I would like a tidy install and would not want wires showing around skirting boards, door frames, etc. Granted there would be some wires exiting the roof space into the room where I would place the recording system, but I would fit plastic trunking to hide it and it would be minimal. In short, a lot of agro and time involved. Hence, why it would be so much simpler with a WIFI system. Price wise, I've seen some examples on E-Bay for £20 to £40, and they are on par with a couple of cameras a friend has got which compliments his network system where it was near impossible to install a wired camera. Unfortunately he's now moved miles away and has no idea what make they are, other than purchased from E-Bay. |
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New Mon 27 Jun 16 02:51
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - No FM2R
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Your first issue is light. The IR camera are reasonably good, reasonably close. At a distance they are much less so. You could see that someone was doing something, but probably not who or what. Is it feasible to put a movement activated light? Also, not sure that concealing the camera is the best thing. Ideally it would be visible but safe. Their value as a deterrent is somewhat higher than their value as evidence. You pretty much have to record 24x7 since your chances of seeing the crime are pretty small so it will be for after the crime when you will want to go back and review. Equally remote monitoring from your phone is quite possible, I have it, but its not much use. In fact I only use it to check the cameras are actually monitoring. you will need to consider WiFi network impact, and in fact may prefer an additional Wireless access point, depends on your home network capacities I guess. To give you an idea on storage, on one installation I have 6 x 1080p cameras and a 2TB disk. That disk is good for 4 weeks of 24x7 recording. Perhaps rather more space than you thought. You can of course lower the quality, and in you case have less cameras. But its still more space than none. Of course, since its at your house, you may only need a rolling 7 days. These systems use a particular file size, say 300mb. Every time the file reaches that size it starts a new one. When the space used reaches the maximum it deletes the oldest. So if an event occurs you would simply copy off the 300mb (or whatever) file required. In all of that burbling you should be able to work out storage space. The cheaper cameras you see advertised are really indoor, good light cameras. You will need a more robust and better quality dim/dark camera. I use one of these... www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI8905W-Outdoor-Wireless-Nightvision/dp/B003YUEF0E A cheaper version is this one, but I think it won't give you the night range you need. www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI8904W-Outdoor-Wireless-Camera/dp/B00426FEL8 I think they're about £80 in the UK, which may well be more than you wish to spend, but it will do what you want to do. Mine have been outside for around two years and I've had no issues with them. I use them both WiFi and wired. I do caution you against the cheaper stuff. If you do prefer to go cheap and think it will work, let me know and I will you give access to the systems at one of my properties and you can see for yourself the difference. Of you can take my word for it, you need to spend something in the £50 - £100 range. The software is free, pretty good, non-intuitive and the manuals are in a.n.other Asian language. If you want I can drop you details of the software I use and the manuals to go with it, but essentially setting it up is fairly easy but painfully tedious. This is a good source of advice/manuals if you go with this camera... www.ipcam-central.com/Articles.asp?ID=256 You do all the connection and software/camera setting up using the wired connection in comfort in your living room. Don't put the camera up outside first because that really does make life irritating. I'm not sure, but I think i got mine from Amazon one time when I was in the US. Does that cover it? Last edited by: No FM2R on Mon 27 Jun 16 at 02:54
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New Mon 27 Jun 16 03:04
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - No FM2R
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UK Links I think this one is mine; www.amazon.co.uk/Foscam-FI9805W-Wireless-Outdoor-Network/dp/B00CZ1L3A8/ref=dp_ob_title_ce This is similar, but cheaper.. www.amazon.co.uk/Foscam-FI8905W-Outdoor-Detection-Security/dp/B003YUEF0E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466992634&sr=8-1&keywords=Foscam+FI8905W+Outdoor+Wireless%2FWired+IP+Camera Last edited by: No FM2R on Mon 27 Jun 16 at 03:07
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New Mon 27 Jun 16 03:21
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - No FM2R
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| Finally; I notice that some of the reviews on Amazon are not favourable. I don't know about that, I can only say that mine work reliably. |
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New Mon 27 Jun 16 10:24
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - ChrisM
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I'd agree with No FM2R that something visible is required. For a number of years we and our neighbours have had problems with a neighbour's son. He is a teenager who needs a bit of firm parenting, unfortunately, the parents can see no wrong. Minor stuff, like throwing eggs at houses and cars and riding his mini moto up and down the road. My son has an old iPhone 3 which he has set up on his bedroom window sill on a tripod looking down at our parked cars on the drive and in the road. I don't know what software he uses but it only records when it detects movement. Files are saved to the cloud (whatever that is) and I think he pays a small monthly fee. Daylight quality is good enough that you would be able to identify a person, but it is useless at night. We haven't had any problems since the phone has been sat there (about 2 years), perhaps because it is quite obvious what it is if you look up at the window. The oik doesn't know whether it records or not, so the deterent effect works well enough for us. |
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New Mon 27 Jun 16 10:46
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - VxFan
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Thanks Mark. >> Is it feasible to put a movement activated light? We've got one, but for the past year it's been switched off because his dogs keep turning it on whenever they go out in the garden, or he pops outside for a fag. However since the addition of the fence between us, I can lower the PIR light so the fence masks any of his activity in his garden, but will still come on if anyone enters the drive. >> Also, not sure that concealing the camera is the best thing. It might be the best way forward for me though. Having been accused of various things we haven't done this past year, one of which is spying on him, the camera will act as a secondary defence in our favour to prove it's actually the other way around. A lot of the arguing between us has happened on the driveway. Unfortunately to access our house and back yard involves going past his house. One of the many arguments include him not being able to park outside his house as it blocks access to ours. Another is me no longer being able to wash my car on the drive as the water runs past his gate because the driveway is slightly sloped. Something he was fine about when he first moved in, as I asked him if it was ok. To quote him, "no that won't be a problem because if it rains, water will run past the gate". Believe me, he is a bitter and twisted old man. This is one of the many cams I've looked at so far. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331890314994 Obviously the separate purchase of a micro SD card will bump up the price a bit more. My mate says his is very similar, and I've seen the quality of his recordings. >> Finally; I notice that some of the reviews on Amazon are not favourable. Looking at several reviews of the cameras, both on eBay and Amazon, I think some of the poor feedback is down to user error and not being able to set up the camera properly and they blame the product for being faulty. Granted I imagine a lot of the handbooks are poorly translated from Chinese to English, but there is usually a lot of online help available from other users, YouTube, etc. |
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New Mon 27 Jun 16 12:52
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - VxFan
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>> This is one of the many cams I've looked at so far. >> >> www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331890314994 Hmmm! A google search of SRICAM SP017 shows that it's not an outdoor cam, despite the avert suggesting otherwise. |
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New Mon 27 Jun 16 16:59
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - WillDeBeest
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| Having been accused of various things we haven't done this past year, one of which is spying on him, the camera will act as a secondary defence in our favour to prove it's actually the other way around. |
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New Tue 28 Jun 16 02:05
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - VxFan
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I knew someone like you would pick up on that comment. It's difficult to explain the layout of where I live without showing it via Google maps, and I'm not prepared to do that and let all and sundry see where I live. We're at the end of a cul de sac and have to go past his house to access ours. We've been accused of staring into his garden, windows, the lot. Where in fact it's actually the other way around. Every time he leaves or returns to his house he blatantly stares through our kitchen window and the rest of the property. Whenever we have visitors he comes out of his house or shed and watches them too. So much so, some of our visitors and relatives have felt uneasy with his constant watching. In some respects the new fence is a godsend, and he can no longer look our direction into our kitchen window anymore. It also means we don't have to see his two dogs defecate on his lawn while we're having meals at the kitchen table. But at the same time, we're penned in like prisoners in our own home. The 6 previous tenants of the property had no issues with us these past 31 years, and likewise we didn't with them either. Now what does that tell you about tenant No 7? |
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New Tue 28 Jun 16 02:27
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - No FM2R
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>>www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331890314994 No no thrice no. It will not give you the range, the lowlight performance or the detail. Neither is it robust enough for outside, particularly in England. I get the attraction of the price, but it will simply not do what you want. £57.00 will get you this one from Amazon. Probably good enough, although I would still spend more and get the newer model. www.amazon.co.uk/Foscam-FI8905W-Outdoor-Wireless-Nightvision/dp/B003YUEF0E If you don't want that one, you'll need something equivalent to it - which isn't going to be anything like that thing you linked to above. This following link I attach because of the technical specs it gives. They are actually an Australian supplier which isn't much use to you, but they have adverts for all of these cameras and all of their tech specs so you can compare. I am assuming that I only need to point you at the first one and you'll find the rest. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Foscam-FI8905E-PoE-Power-over-Ethernet-Wired-IR-Outdoor-Waterproof-IP-Camera-/231417468833?hash=item35e18e57a1:g:exoAAOSw2XFUh~Nb Last edited by: No FM2R on Tue 28 Jun 16 at 02:28
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New Tue 28 Jun 16 10:32
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - VxFan
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| Thanks again Mark. |
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New Tue 28 Jun 16 02:31
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - rtj70
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I'd move. I assume you have saved a decent deposit living with parents for so long.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 28 Jun 16 at 02:32
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New Tue 28 Jun 16 10:35
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - VxFan
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My mum is nearly 80, and the upheaval of moving at her time of life doesn't even bear consideration. Besides, why should we be driven out of our home because of an idiot next-door? |
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New Tue 28 Jun 16 10:40
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - movilogo
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As you mentioned your neighbor is not a nice person, it might be worth reading here. www.gov.uk/government/publications/domestic-cctv-using-cctv-systems-on-your-property/domestic-cctv-using-cctv-systems-on-your-property and here www.problemneighbours.co.uk/cctv-privacy-and-the-law.html Last edited by: movilogo on Tue 28 Jun 16 at 10:44
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New Tue 28 Jun 16 23:24
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - rtj70
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Just a thought VxFan but does it need to be WiFi? I know you'd prefer to record this. Could you use a camera that transmits images over a radio signal and then output via a receiver to a DVR of some sort? I just had a quick look and found this as an example: tinyurl.com/jocql3a Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 28 Jun 16 at 23:24
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New Wed 29 Jun 16 10:59
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - Fursty Ferret
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r.ebay.com/XKX6Yc I'd go with one of these - stick a 128GB card in it (~£20) and it'll record for weeks. If anything happens you just connect directly to the camera and playback the footage, so there's no issue when it comes to connecting it to your home WiFi. I suppose the only problem is that if someone nicks the camera, the evidence is gone too. |
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New Wed 29 Jun 16 11:08
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - rtj70
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I think vxFan also wants to be able to remotely view what is happening and not use it purely for evidence. Smokies Raspberry Pi security camera is probably a flexible but slightly complex way of getting something setup. How secure is the shed VxFan? Because you could put the recorder for camera(s) in there and access that remotely over a wireless network. It would mean you don't need to run wires to the house. But that suggestion assumes you can secure the thing in the shed and your neighbour sounds a bit of a nightmare. Last edited by: rtj70 on Wed 29 Jun 16 at 11:10
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New Wed 29 Jun 16 12:53
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - VxFan
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>> How secure is the shed VxFan? As secure as pretty much any other garden shed. Trouble is, during the summer it gets pretty hot in there. I'm not sure if that would affect the recorder or not. It was something I had considered, but if I'm going to get a CCTV system, then I might as well get it to cover the whole area of the house and garden, and not just where I park my car. That aside, I stumbled across a company called Floureon Surveillance this morning. Based in Brooklyn, New York. The system that first caught my eye was www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01H3MJ9Q8 (edit - since found cheaper on eBay). Ok, it's not wireless, but their wireless range of CCTV systems aren't too pricey either. Yes, you have to factor in the separate price of a hard drive on top of the price of the system, but even then it still seems reasonable. Mark (or anyone else) have you ever heard of the brand Floureon? I'm not totally against a wired system, it's just the installation hassle that I'm not keen on. |
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New Wed 29 Jun 16 13:01
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - Runfer D'Hills
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Years ago, I lived in a city centre and had to leave my car parked on the street. It was broken into and indeed stolen on more than one occasion. Back then, few cars had alarms or immobilisers and the cost of having one fitted was a bit rich for me. I was advised to simply have a little flashing red LED fitted to the dash which came on automatically when the car was locked. Never had another problem. Moral of the story? If the scrote "thinks" there's CCTV then that might be enough of a deterrent. Some really convincing fake cameras available at not too steamy money. Plus, you couldn't be accused of anything illegal in terms of filming on his property. Just a thought. |
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New Wed 29 Jun 16 13:17
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - Duncan
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Techmoan is an independent reviewer of various bits of tech gear. This is his take on CCTV. www.techmoan.com/blog/category/cctv |
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New Wed 29 Jun 16 13:48
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - No FM2R
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We need to get back to what you're trying to achieve here; Cameras are a deterrent. In fact they are far more effective at deterring than they are anything else. Be a bit wary of pretend cameras, if you're "in the know" they are pretty easy to spot. Its worth using a real, but perhaps broken, camera for that. People have a far exaggerated view of what CCTV cameras are capable of in the night. Fortunately, that includes criminals, so as a deterrent they work. However, as I said, you will not believe how bad images are at night. If you are expecting to not only recognise a face but convince the police of it, then it will need to be a very good one. A single camera connecting to your computer over WiFi has been covered I think. The issues with that can be load on your WiFi network, space on your PC, and impact on your PC performance. You can use any old PC to do the recording, doesn't have to be a good one. You can record to a DVR of course. The thing to watch there is how you copy recordings off the DVR. You'd think it would be easy, but it often isn't. And don't be fooled just because it has USB slots - they are often for devices and input only. These systems are all of similar quality with Chinese manuals. Your Floureon link is simply a badged Chinese system. They are all pretty much identical. Just stick "CCTV" into Amazon search and compare what you see. Equally they are all fine. IF you are recording inside or sheltered outside in GOOD daylight. Outside at night you will see little more than moving shapes. I have some offices and use one of those systems. This one, in fact... www.casaroyal.cl/producto/kit-dvr-8-camaras-sin-disco-duro/ Its fine. But its inside, in office lighting, and mostly there as a deterrent anyway. At night outside it is just s***e, although still deters of course. What you can do, of course, is buy one of these systems and then an additional good quality camera for outside. So £75 for the system and £90 for a decent camera, or something like that. I recently bought a DVR system to monitor with two outside cameras somewhere I do care about and want to see licence plates and faces. It cost me around £400 - that is the difference in quality when you want decent images at night. (Actually I bought 7 systems, so a single one would probably have been a bit more) On the subject of licence plates the IR ones aren't great because they white out on the registration plate. If you're after licence plates you will need to think about that. As for the heat in your shed, its not likely to be an issue. Bear in mind the cheap system I mentioned above is up in the hills and probably deals with temperatures between -2 and 38 outside, so goodness knows what its like in the store cupboard it lives in. A bit of air circulation is all it takes. Changing temperatures can get you because of condensation. A dedicated wired system with DVR is best, without any doubt. In the end if you really want to do this, then a wired system to a DVR inside your house with dedicated wiring for the cameras and connected to your home network for remote monitoring is the way to go. But again, try to work out what you are trying to achieve. What do you want to do with these images, you will be surprised how much less use they are going to be than you thought. Last edited by: No FM2R on Wed 29 Jun 16 at 13:52
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New Wed 29 Jun 16 13:54
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - No FM2R
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p.s. Don't forget that for a DVR you will also need a screen, accessing only over the network/internet is not always acceptable. They come with mouse and remote control, but not a monitor. p.p.s. Oh, and usually a hard disk as well. And you'll want a 2TB ideally, 1TB as a minimum. Last edited by: No FM2R on Wed 29 Jun 16 at 13:57
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New Wed 29 Jun 16 14:09
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - No FM2R
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Sorry, I keep thinking of more stuff; The better you can light the area the cheaper the camera that will suffice. Worth bearing in mind. Secondly, using wired cameras will solve any power supply problem. You can supply the power, video and audio over CAT5 cabling using Baluns. That means your power supply can be inside the house, shed or wherever else the DVR is and you only have to run one cable. Something like this... www.techorium.com/bnc-video-balun-with-power-and-audio-rj45-connectors-p-6810.html Last edited by: No FM2R on Wed 29 Jun 16 at 14:10
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New Fri 15 Jul 16 15:42
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - rtj70
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VxFan, have you finalised your security setup yet? I ask because I've thought of another option. It might not be the cheapest but would allow you to use wireless IP cameras and record the video to disk. It needs a NAS that supports the use of security cameras, e.g. QNAP have an application called Surveillance Station. It does continuous recording, motion detection based recording, scheduled etc. www.qnap.com/i/uk/tutorial/con_show.php?op=showone&cid=122 A one bay QNAP All-in-One NAS device: tinyurl.com/hm93u2x You could have a 4TB drive in that one. You'd also have a NAS for storing files etc. |
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New Fri 15 Jul 16 16:03
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - smokie
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| (i.e. disk drive comes at extra cost!!) |
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New Fri 15 Jul 16 16:21
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - rtj70
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They usually do with a NAS. With the one I bought in 2010 it came with a free 2TB drive in the box and another by mail-in rebate voucher. So I ended up with 3... for a 2 bay NAS. The third is used to backup the NAS when I remember.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Fri 15 Jul 16 at 16:21
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New Fri 15 Jul 16 16:45
WIFI CCTV camera recommendation - VxFan
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>> VxFan, have you finalised your security setup yet? No, not yet. Other commitments have hindered things. |
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