security camera

chloejane_2

Hi not sure if this is the right board to be posting on, but im after some advice on security cameras for the outside of the house as we have on a few occasions had person/s breaking our fence panels, gaining access to our gardens back and front, i would like to find out who it is and be able to do somthing about it? whats a cheap but good camera or system to buy and is there anything else i need to do when putting up the cameras etc. all advice greatfully recieved regards chloe.

albertross_2

If it is happening at night, you will need good lighting (halogen floodlight .. some of the PIR models come with audio alerts which ring a buzzer/bell when the light comes on or the PIR detects movement .. this may be a cheaper option than a camera if it is happening while you are in the house).

You probably need to specify a budget if you want some tailored advice. How far away from the house are the fence panels. What are you going to use to record the video? You'll soon get bored of going through hours of video on a normal VCR, either a movement detection or timelapse based system, or a hard disk recorder is probably a better option, but more expensive.

chloejane_2

we already have a floodlight out the back with PIR on it, but our bedroom is at the front of the house so we dont notice when the light comes on and we are in bed, we have a PIR light at the front if the house also but this does not cover the side of the house where the car and bike are kept. neither of these things seem to have bothered the person/s entering the property!
The back garden is 40ft wide and enter is being gained in the corner by fence panels being repeatedly broken/lifted out/climbed over etc.
can you record onto the pc? if so then that would be the easiest option as for cost i dont have a clue i suppose a couple of hundred pounds, but if the system is going to work then maybe more, as i said really dont have a clue.

albertross_2

This has a chime, which will alert you if you are in..

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7000388/Trail/C$cip=42115.DIY,+garden+and+car>C$cip=42200.Outdoor+lighting+and+heating>C$cip=42202.Garden+lighting.htm

This is only a small 150W one, but you can get them in 500W to replace your existing floodlight.

As for recording, it's difficult to know where to start .. there are so many options, you can use a webcam, or external camera's hooked up to a PC, but you will need to make sure that you have sufficient light for the camera to work, internal webcams aren't designed for nightime use, and need a lot of light, suffer from reflections from windows etc.

If you have a hard disk recorder for the TV, you could use that either wired to a camera, or using wireless sending capability.

Or you could use an existing or cheap vcr, but it takes a long time to review tapes unless you have some sort of motion detection system..

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=home+security+cameras&btnG=Google+Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB