CCTV Solution To View Driveway & Front Of House

[leevis]

Hi Everyone
I need some help. I strange things have started to appear on the front of my house and i am sure that a neighbour is up to something.

What i want to do is get some sort of CCTV that views the front of my house and also another one (covert) that views the shared driveway we share.

I want him to know that there is CCTV at the front but i dont want him to know that it is down the drive so i can catch him doing whatever he is doing and get the police involved again ie giving him rope

THe problem i have is what to buy and where to put it. The front of the house is flat ie the only place it can really go would be on top of the door.

The shared driveway one needs to be a covert one and placed on my side of the gate. I was thinking of buying a pot and the installing a camera in that (one of those spy type ones) are they any good or is there a better solution?

Lee

 

[eaglesalz]

Hello Lee, look at cpc.co.uk they have some bits, I think they also do a card that attaches to your computer and then you connect up the cameras and record/view on your computer with time and date indication. Also look at maplin electronics they also do cctv.

 

[leevis]

Hi
Yeah been looking at the Maplin stuff.
On dome cameras, do they have to be mounted horizontally?
Still having a bit of a mare here trying to work out exactly what i need and whether it really is worth the cost.
I have a back gate with a brick wall attached to it so to exit my garden i need to go out through the gate. However, in order to get 'some' privacy i have put a bamboo screen over the inside of the gate which does the job but if i wanted to put a camera in my garden looking at the gate, would it pick anything up? I can see what is behind the gate but i am not too sure whether a camera would pick it up.

 

[eaglesalz]

The dome cameras can be mounted anyway you want as the camera itself can be rotated and tilted inside the the dome housing. as for the camera recording you can add passive infrared detectors or beams to trigger the camera to record or some units (the dvr/multiplexer, dvr stands for digital video recorder) can trigger when the object in the cameras view changes. i.e. someone or something causes the light to change. Personally I would record all the time if you have a big enough harddrive and as its your house you will notice the next moring if anything has gone on. You can buy cameras to fit inside various things, coke cans, electrical junction boxes, wateringcan, anything you can think of. If you are not going to use it much try and get hold of a cctv card to fit in your computer, I have one in my computer and it works fine for my property.

 

[leevis]

Still not sure what to get, ultimately i want a wired one on the front, jsut above the door (would that should 180 degree field of view?) and some sort of a coke can jobbie for down the drive. Plan is he will notice the one above the door and sneakily do something from down the drive which i will get on the drive cam.

Are those covert wireless ones any good for driveways? The distance is about 10 meters. I have seen the really small ones that are wireless that can be connected direct to PC via a small USB receiver. They look quite cheap (probably for a reason). If they are not, what would be the recommended camera?



Lee

 

[eaglesalz]

If you can put the one on the front on the corner of nthe house looking towards the area to be protected then that should give an overall view of the area and I would go with a hardwired one aswell for the side, its hard to say what as I can't see the layout of the scheme but I would put up a light and incorporate a camera in the light or a electrical junction box (plastic one with IP rating), also look at tlc-direct.co.uk they might have something.

jeff

 

[eaglesalz]

Look at qvsdirect.com, they have a few things aswell.

Jeff

 

[joe-90]

If you make a formal complaint against your neighbour you'll have to declare it when you sell - hence devalues your property. Just bang on his door and ask what the f**k he's up to.

 

[leevis]

I have nowhere to put on out the front looking at the house unfortunately.

The only place i can really put it is on the front of the house.

I think that i can get a dome camera for this (not sure but i think so) which will give me a decent view of my front door etc. Once the neighbour is aware that it is there i am hoping that the camera down the drive will catch them doing whatever they are doing, just need to find out which one to get.

 

[leevis]

Ball has already started rolling on the complaint bit, Police involved etc, just trying to give him enough rope etc

It appears that the previous two neighbours have moved because of this tool. Not going to be me

I believe that he is attempting to 'chip away' hence the CCTV bit

Any advice on how to annoy him would be appreciated but i want to appear that i am non-plussed at the moment.

 

[digdilem]

Dome cameras - not all can be mounted vertically, some have quite heavy parts and the motors aren't enough to work against gravity. Also, they're angled for the horizontal so you'll either be looking at the sky or the ground.

Many will, and the panasonic tilt/pan ones have internal stuff and work great.

Ip cams easier imo, no need for cards in the computer - but analogue fine too, as are all-in-one systems. IP's are the easiest to setup and go, and the most flexible for wiring, but the most costly. (Although you can get them down to about £40 now) No experience of wireless USB, but it might be useful.

10M is ok for vga (640x480) but you won't get great clarity when dark or twilight, not enough for facial recognition.

Depends very much on how much you want to justify on your project as to the kit and quality.

The "Obvious" camera at the front - can it be a dummy? If he's a tool as you say, it might get "accidentally" damaged and they're cheaper to replace.

 

[leevis]

I was looking at those IP cameras

Anyone know how the infra red works? I am aiming to use one of these covertly but not great if it blatantly blasts out a red ring of red lights, not sure if this is what happens.

 

[LooPrEvil]

Leevis, ideally you want your neighbour on your side. Why don't you tell him that prawlers have been seen on the property and that you have had covert cameras installed that cover the property - without actually investing in it.

You could also tell him you have had smartwater installed in undisclosed areas!!

 

[alumni]

Justput 2 or 3 decent camera's up, link them to a decent vfm DVR and have done with it.

If he's the half wit you describe him as, he'll ignore the camara's and misbehave anyway. If so, you should have the evidence to get him sorted.

It may of course, persuade him to stop dicking you around. That, in my book is a better result.

By the way, make sure one of the camera's is watching the majority of his property where he crosses into yours and/or where he is likely to throw stuff from. If he doesn't like it, tough tit.

 

[alumni]

I was looking at those IP cameras

Anyone know how the infra red works? I am aiming to use one of these covertly but not great if it blatantly blasts out a red ring of red lights, not sure if this is what happens.

The ones you are considering? yes, they do show the red ring. Black led kit costs more.
No need for the led ones though.