Tactics? Home security surveillance

[MDS]

As previously mentioned, at the point you're tossing a connected camera up on the web, local vs. cloud storage is somewhat of a moot point. There was an issue with Trendnet cameras that allowed people to connect up, and I know several years ago you could actually search Google for IP cameras that were open. If you're looking to just monitor the outside of your house and/or your public business, I think the Dropcams are an excellent way to go.

If you're looking to run something that is only on your internal network, you might look into http://blueirissoftware.com/. You can record/stream pretty much any camera over your local network with it.

Clear and understood! I've dabbled in infosec enough to fool myself into thinking that I understand the risks and mechanisms. I want to set it up so that if someone wants to pop my camera IP network, they can at least take the trouble to come to my house physically. (Unless they've got the cool-kid toys, and those people can already see anything I do anytime anyway.)

Thanks for the pointer to blue iris, I'll check them out... (ETA: BlueIris looks cool, but I'm not willing to bring Windows into the house just for this. I don't need anything pretty, just functional. I'll keep looking!)

[TheTrevor]

The Logitech Alert system has full-featured Mac support. Just sayin'.

[fn/form]

Lot of good info from Jay and TheTrevor.

Illumination is very important, especially with cheap cameras used in most home surveillance. Optimize daylight illum arcs and/or supplement with IR or visible when possible. There's a lot to say for an efficient, affordable LED or IR floodlight vs. expense of a camera with true wide dynamic range processing and low lux capabilities.

So-called 360 degree cameras are becoming cheaper, and they're great for complete (fisheye) view of an interior space. They tend to suck in low light, worse with motion activated recording as the noise levels cause it to record the crappy image all night long.

[TheTrevor]

Outdoor IR-capable cameras, in particular, benefit from supplementary IR lighting. The dual IR illuminators on my outdoor cameras reach perhaps 25 feet, which is not enough reach to brightly illuminate a person or vehicle further away than the end of my driveway.

I just wish someone made outdoor IR floodlights which had daylight sensors built in, so they'd turn off to save energy when not needed.

[fn/form]

I just wish someone made outdoor IR floodlights which had daylight sensors built in, so they'd turn off to save energy when not needed.

How much do you want to spend? Axis make commercial IR illuminators, some with built in photocells. I've only used the larger 40W and up that are powered by a separate, included 120V power supply where the power supply houses the photocell. It's their T90 series, and the cheapest models start around $400 w/o photocell. You angle the batwing design to direct the light toward flood or more narrow angle. The IR LEDs glow a visible low red color when powered.

I've seen lots of cheaper home level IR illuminators, and these days there are various DIY photocell kits.

[LOKNLOD]

Anybody have any experience with Vivint? They're selling hard here in OK right now, lots of radio/TV ads. Talked to a guy who is installing it over at a neighbor's house, and it's a "cool" system - insomuch as it is a slick, easy to use type system, with good home automation and smartphone integration. My wife certainly liked it and is sold on the idea. There are some really nice upsides, 99% of which it appears I can duplicate with a nearly identical (down to most of the same hardware) system. Integrating the alarm monitoring, if desired, seems to be the trickiest part, but is totally doable. It also seems like I could do some adding of stuff to the system myself so it forms a bit of a base for doing DIY additions on my own - but I'm not convinced that is as easy as the guy makes it sound, either.

The downside I see is getting locked into a long (60 month!) contract at a relatively high fixed rate (69.99/month) which looks like it will be higher than what I can set things up for myself - although if I string together a system that requires a lot more maintenance on my part but only nets me $15/month in savings, that would just be a judgement call on the value of my time. Short term it is a quick and easy way to get a system up and running quickly with no real out-of-pocket, however I think the monthly is pricey for what I'd be getting.

My home is already wired with door and window sensors and a basic alarm system, we just hadn't opted to have it monitored at this time. I'd be looking to add 2-3 outdoor cameras and since the system is running I'd tie in other stuff, maybe my thermostats for when we're away. My wife stays home, and comes and goes frequently during the day, so I'd like to give her some peace of mind. However I've also tried to be realistic with her that despite being in a neighborhood, we are far enough out on the edge of the county that it is the Sheriff's office who'll be responding and she's probably on her own for a good 30 minutes unless somebody just happens to be nearby.

Mostly wondering if anyone has any experience with the system, or duplicating that functionality DIY. There's plenty of data out there on the company, and current/past iterations and problems. If anyone has FIRST HAND experience with issues, feel free to post up. Of course the internet is full of horror stories on every company, I can find 3rd hand versions of those easily.