How much should I spend on CCTV?

Can someone tell me how much I should spend on CCTV?
I want to get 3 cameras - 2 at the back and 1 at the front

OK: so this is like asking how long is a piece of string!

I don't have a big budget at all

Would it be a bad idea buying from eBay and getting someone to install?
(The install part is not hard - just would prefer to have someone experienced do the wiring nicely - else I would do myself - for connecting etc, I would be fine)

I've looked at mpalins - would anyone recommend them? They seem a little more expensive - but then if what I purchased broke down, I would have a better experience of returning
(I spelt the name wrong - didn't want to advertise the name)

Any advise would be great

Thanks


OM

Try this place - http://www.cctv42.co.uk/

Several helpful videos on youchoob showing the stuff and how to install it.

But really you need to decide what you need, then look around for best price. Day/night cameras? Vandal resistant? HD or Megapixel? How many days/weeks storage? Export to computer or DVD? Internet access?

thanks for the reply
your questions help a lot actually
i'd want night vison with internet - video should be recorded and sent to internet instantly - having a big recording time of several hours ontinuously isn't as important

If you want internet connectivity but limited recording time then you might look at IP CCTV cameras. They can email you clips when motion is detected, and can store video on a memory card in the camera, or FTP upload to a server periodically. They tend to be more expensive than ordinary CCTV cameras but can be better value in that you can get significantly better results.

OwainDIYer said:

If you want internet connectivity but limited recording time then you might look at IP CCTV cameras. They can email you clips when motion is detected, and can store video on a memory card in the camera, or FTP upload to a server periodically. They tend to be more expensive than ordinary CCTV cameras but can be better value in that you can get significantly better results.

Click to expand...

aahh... thats really helpful
the bit i can't figure out is the software
i've tried looking for motion detection software but can't find any credible companies (lot's of shareware stuff though - some of these are ok, but not suitable for proper cctv)

let me know what u think
thanks

OM2 said:

OwainDIYer said:

If you want internet connectivity but limited recording time then you might look at IP CCTV cameras. They can email you clips when motion is detected, and can store video on a memory card in the camera, or FTP upload to a server periodically. They tend to be more expensive than ordinary CCTV cameras but can be better value in that you can get significantly better results.

Click to expand...

aahh... thats really helpful
the bit i can't figure out is the software
i've tried looking for motion detection software but can't find any credible companies (lot's of shareware stuff though - some of these are ok, but not suitable for proper cctv)

let me know what u think
thanks

Click to expand...

Some of the camera manufacturers supply software with the camera or as an extra, but in many cases you can just use Internet Explorer with an ActiveX control downoaded straight from the camera. Using other browsers can be more difficult - some cameras support other browsres for viewing but need IE for seting up.

Otherwise you can get eg a 2-camera version of XProtect Essential for about £50, which is a smaller version of Milestone which is used by Portsmouth City Council for 1500 cameras. Try the forums at
http://forum.networkwebcams.com/
for more info on IP CCTV.

If this is for home use bear in mind that analogue CCTV is low resolution and if you want facial recognition you need to zoom into a very limited viewing angle. You can't do that after the event. But if you have a megapixel IP camera you can watch and record wideangle and you have the resolution to be able to enlarge part of the image for close-up view without losing detail. Obviously a Mobotix 3 megapixel camera with built-in digital pan, tilt and 8x zoom at £800 is rather more expensive than a £6 webcam but if it's what you need then you may wish to pay for a satisfactory solution rather than waste money on something that doesn't do the job.