Wireless security system

[mikester]

Anybody got one ? How do they work ? I think a local teenage kid has been creeping around my yard after dark. Hes made a couple of comments about it to my daughter and its scared the **** out of her. Ive got motion spots on my house and garage and they have gone off late at night. Ive looked out the window but theres enough evergreens on my neighbors property for someone to hide behind. I went to the kids house today to talk to his father but they were all out. Im pissed. This kids a dipshit. Im a little concerned that the hes going to mess with the cars in the driveway or even screw around with the garage while we're sleeping. Ive seen these wireless cameras online but it seems like there has to be some sort of wire to power them right ? My house and garage are alarmed but Im thinking about going a step further. Any suggestions guys ?

 

[rsanter]

some companies will install an alarm for free if you agree to pay for their monitoring service for a year or two, compair price and see how that will work.
I have heard of wireless systems that are decent and others are junk.

wouldnt it be cheaper to get a few NRA sticker for the windows and put some targets on a few trees around you??

bob

 

[mikester]

Im sorry, I should have changed the title of the post. I have an alarm system in my house and garage already. Doors, windows, PIRs. My structures are secure. What I want info about is a wireless security camera system. My property is bordered on 2 sides by a 33 acre estate that has security guards going around at night. The problem is this kids family has an empty house further down my street and I think he can cut through all of the back yards and get to mine during the night. He had the stones to ring my doorbell after 11PM on Halloween. Im just worried about the kid messing with the 2 trucks and 2 cars in my driveway. Or what if he cuts the tires on my car trailer thats behind the garage. My motion lights go off just about every night. Most of the time its because of deer walking through but Im wondering if it could be this kid too. I figure if I put up a few cameras and something happens I might be able to see who did it.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Contact the dad and ask him to come to see you about something important relative to his son. That way, if he gets hotheaded about the talk, you can be the one to run his *** back home, instead of being at a disadvantage by being on his home turf, and having to back away. Tell him what the kid told your daughter, and tell the dad that if he can't handle it, the authorities can. Also, respectfully, since you have a daughter there may be more than ONE little punk dude sneaking around out there at night.

 

[mad57]

As a dad of twin daughters, i dont think its the garage hes looking for... probley just has a crush on your daughter. Now with that said hes gotta stop creeping!!!! wireless cameras work but have about 12 hrs on a 9volt battery not too good at night either.. maybe one of those hunting tree cameras will get you the pic your looking for as proof.Either that or a guard rotweiller. SERIOUSLY!!!

 

[alexmcneilly]

Mikester,
I have a wired dual camera system attached to my detached garage with one camera pointing at my garage door and man-door and the other camera pointing at the rear of my house. I then have the cameras connected to a laptop wich runs a freeware program called catspy 1.0 Catspy has motion detection capabilities as well scheduling capabilities. It's really nice for a freeware program.
However, the weakness that I see is that if someone breaks into my garage they simply take the laptop and all the evidence goes away with them. I was just looking through one of those Christmas catalogs - Heartland America - and they have a dual camera, indoor outdoor system with night vision and motion detection for $139 that can connect to your PC. I'm thinking about looking into this. The ad said the range is about 330' so I'll factor in a wall or two and say 75' - 125' effective range. That would be plenty for me. Now I can place a small PC in the basement out of sight or even locked up and it would be harder to find and remove than a wired system.
Oh, I also place a couple of the fake Harbor Freight cameras on the house and garage as decoys. Let the bad guys worry about those too.

 

[King Me IRL]

I don't know the cost of a system like that, but I imagine it is not cheap. Camera's, a reciever and all the stuff to go along with it. I would get some wildlife cameras (Not sure what they are called). They couldn't be nearly as expensive or you could get a BUNCH more cameras for the same price. They work on motion, when an animal large enough to set off a motion detector passes in front, a flash goes off and BAM, you got proof. I'd set them high so no one could cut them down and walk away with any evidence..

Chet

 

[rwhite692]

Get the wireless multi-channel motion sensor setup (handles up to four transmitters) and put the sensors at key locations on your property. Set the receiver/alarm on your nightstand. Highly unlikely anyone will get onto your property unannounced. I have this as one part of my overall security system and it has been great.

http://www.amazon.com/OPTEX-chimebox-Sensor-Wireless-Annunciator/dp/B0002IBIQ0

 

[alexmcneilly]

Hi Mad57,

You're right about the battery power being very short. In fact, the camera system I am looking at last only about 3 hours but they state it's only for temporary use. That's why they also have the AC adapter for normal use

 

[mikester]

Contact the dad and ask him to come to see you about something important relative to his son. That way, if he gets hotheaded about the talk, you can be the one to run his *** back home, instead of being at a disadvantage by being on his home turf, and having to back away. Tell him what the kid told your daughter, and tell the dad that if he can't handle it, the authorities can. Also, respectfully, since you have a daughter there may be more than ONE little punk dude sneaking around out there at night.

I had to talk to this kids father a few years ago because the kid was a problem. Then my daughter told me the kid got a serious beating for what happened. My daughter is 14 now and this was a few years ago. The kid goes to a different high school even though we all live in the same town. This kids the same age as my daughter but hes always been a little strange. My son found out about all this and now he wants to pay the kid a visit. What a can of worms ! My sons going to be 20 and hes pissed that the kids giving his little sister a hard time. I have a feeling this is going to turn ugly. My daughter told me that the kids called her and told her he could see her and he knew just what she was doing. She also told me that one night he texted her at almost midnight and a few minutes later he banged on her window and scared the **** out of her. I can just see the reaction the fathers going to have when I tell him his son is stalking my daughter. I think Im going to pay the local PD a visit in the AM. If I ever caught this kid near my house in the middle of the night I think I would wind up in jail.

 

[c5golfguy]

What state do you live in??

 

[Jaguar Fan]

I think going to talk to the dad is not the right thing unless you are really, really convinced & have proof.

Maybe instead talk to the local police. Ask them for some extra patrol time & to intervene somehow.

That way, if **** happens, they know you are trying to be reasonable.

 

[Gary S]

I prefer a wired system because the cameras can be powered remotely through the wires. This way, even if the AC power to the garage is cut, the cameras still have power to send out pictures. The DVR or computer can be located remotely too so an intruder won't know where this video is being stored. If some one breaks in and cuts the wires or steals the cameras, they have already been recorded.
I use a 4 camera system on my property and use the free software Zoneminder.

 

[mikester]

What state do you live in??

I live in NY

 

[mad57]

Definately go talk to the police in the am!!!! even with the texting thats enough proof on record... but talk to your daughter tell her your intentions with police remember he got her cell # prob by her so....be open about this see what she says. Big bro can get in serious trouble ask him to politely back down but keep an open eye at all times. And really consider a watch dog.. i never slept so great when my rotty was alive. good luck on this stay on top of it. Teens these days are not like we were.

 

[mad57]

When i was a punk kid the only thing that kept me away from what i wanted was a big dog

 

[metal1313]

i had the same sort of issue a few years back. the spanish guys living behind me would cut through my yard at 3-4 am coming home from the bar, and bend the fence down in the back to get over it. my dog kept getting out, and i caught them a few times, but i never had any real proof. so i hooked up a camera system i had to an old vcr and recorded for a week. with my spots on it was easy to see them. i called the cops, charged them with trespassing and property damage.

you need a camera, and one that wont be see easily, or can be broken/taken easily. you can just set up a camcorder and set it to loop the tape when it fills up, or connect it to a vcr with a long tape in it.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Hey Mikester, sorry to hear of your family problem, if it comes to the point you need surveillance, google "geovision", they make cards for pcs, and stand alone DVRs, pretty much a "standard" they have their own software, which many clone, its that good (be careful of counterfeits of geovision, they exist). Ive got a card (DVR) in my pc watching over our place, I dont have any problems, I was born paraniod ! Mine is hard wired. I spent many, many hours researching this. I use "used" high end, hi-res cameras, off ebay (mostly from vegas). Ive got a really nice system for around $1500, plus my time. You can count the moles on my face from some of my cameras images, this is an arena, where you clealry get what you pay for. My system new, probably would end up being $5,000. But Im cheap and patient hunter. Best wishes, Bill

 

[Daedalus]

I have owned multiple systems, and I agree--you get what you pay for. Keep in mind that you have to keep components balanced. You can pay $300 for a camera with a great image, but if you have a cheap Costco DVR or PC capture card, your recorded image will still look terrible. If you're just trying to confirm that someone you already know is entering your space, you probably don't need very good resolution to recognize them. But if you want to be able to easily identify strangers after the fact, you can expect to spend $1-5k, depending on how many cameras you want and desired features in the recorder.

All the cheap wireless cameras have terrible resolution to start with, because they don't have the bandwidth to support a high resolution image. A typical hard-wired camera has maybe 420-480 lines of resolution. All cheap wireless cameras have in the neighborhood of 330 lines of resolution or less. They also don't have very bright LED lights typically, and their lenses are not adjustable, so for all these reasons they're only effective at close range.

I started with the cheap capture cards and software, moved up to a cheap standalone DVR, and now I have a 8 channel DVR that records in D1 resolution at 30 frames/second and with a lot of bells and whistles. The cheap recorders--the vast majority of all recorders sold--record in 1/4 the resolution of D1, so you lose 3/4 of the image quality between what the camera spits out and what you capture. One feature I like is that my DVR uploads recordings to a remote server, so even if someone breaks in and steals my DVR, I will still have a copy of all recordings. It will also email me based on certain parameters, such as motion triggers in selected cameras. Throw in a battery back up power supply and it's a fairly decent system.

 

[onewaydave]

There is some great advice on this thread. Remember that everywhere it is illegal to set booby traps, regardless of how tempting it might be. Cameras are not booby traps.

The game cameras can be found at http://www.sportsmansguide.com/search/search.asp?r=Page%3A%2FDefault.asp+KW+Box&s=SEARCH&a=search&k=game+cameras

You might also read the account of G. Gordon Liddy in his book Will and how he handled neighborhood vandals. I mean if you happen to run into this kid while you're out getting some fresh air.... Thats not a booby trap either.

 

[kool55]

One of the best game cameras is made by BUCKEYECAM.I have two of them. They transmit back to your computer and are IR so the take pictures at night with no flash. I use them to scout my deer stands. $ 1200. for a single camera/base modem and $900. for additional cameras.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

One other thought, maybe a different path to the same destination, very little money, very little time to set up, check out a product called "Dakota Alert" Ive been looking at buying one of these setups. I have a cheaper version from Home Depot, called a Heath montion sensor ($40), lets me know when some has come down the drive, we live rural. Anyhow Dakota Alert its a wireless motion alarm, that rings a "plug in the wall" module in your house, or you can get the optional "pager" that you wear. I think it starts out around $150, 80' beam coverage, and you can run up to 4 montion sensors on one system, each one emits a different chime, you buy them alacarte. You can get it at Cabelas or Bass Pro, I forget which, or you can google Dakota Alert and buy diret, or its sold on ebay, the company is in South Dakota. Ive read mostly good reviews. They also have driveway alarms, and long distance alarms. In a pinch, youd know when someone is in your back yard, Im sure if you walked out of the house when he was present, youd scare the **** out of him, essentailly, darkness and nightime are his security blanket. Unless hes mentally ill, once he understands that you know when he's present, maybe the end of the problem and he can move onto stalking someone else ?

 

[Colonial Cobra]

I have an x-10 system and like it. Don't think you can beat the pricing.
Everything from home automation to general security. Even dials emergency numbers when triggered.

www.x10.com

We use the wireless door and window sensors,(they pick up the signal from the detached garage). Also use motion sensors inside and out.

Brad

 

[randydupree]

There is some great advice on this thread. Remember that everywhere it is illegal to set booby traps, regardless of how tempting it might be. Cameras are not booby traps.

The game cameras can be found at http://www.sportsmansguide.com/search/search.asp?r=Page%3A%2FDefault.asp+KW+Box&s=SEARCH&a=search&k=game+cameras

You might also read the account of G. Gordon Liddy in his book Will and how he handled neighborhood vandals. I mean if you happen to run into this kid while you're out getting some fresh air.... Thats not a booby trap either.

Its not illegal to set booby traps in Fl,BUT,you do have to have signs that say the area may or may not be booby trapped,I leaned this after a cop stepped on a booby trap on my property.
I didn't have a sign,and they chewed my *** out about it.

 

[mad57]

My buddy owns a body shop and spent over 4gs installing a camera system top notch stuff, his property is fully lit up at night too. well he recently had a custys 68 chevelle totally done stolen from his shop on a sunday at 11pm. all you saw was a person in a hoodie did him no good at all!!!!only other clue they had was ez pass pic of car about 2 hrs north of his location. call the cops save your money.

 

[c5golfguy]

I live in NY

Dang. I was hoping you were going to say Texas.

Nothing that a sound of a 12 gauge racking a round won't fix by putting the fear of God in the boy!

 

[mikester]

Dont they have a "He needed a shootin" clause in your court system ?

 

[BWS]

Had a particularly ill-tempered Weimeraner for 15 years or so,would literally chew the tyres off a stranger's car.She's gone,replaced with a 140# Chesapeak Bay Retriever with a skin condition....you'd swear she has the mange.BW