Anyone using Video Surveillance ??

[Red Sea Purple Tang]

As I'm putting up sheetrock in the fish room, I had one of those man moments. I thought having some web cams hooked up so that when I'm on vacation I can keep an eye on stuff.

I do admit, that this may be a weenie idea, but is anyone else doing this?

:rolleyes:

[edwing206]

there's another guy who wanted to do the same. might be expensive though

[hatfielj]

its definitely been done already. I can't remember who it is but there is a guy on here that has his tank on a web cam that can be viewed by anyone on his website. He even made it so that you can move the camera around yourself. If I find the link I'll post it.

[Red Sea Purple Tang]

I think I remember that guy as he kept coming into the frame without a shirt and he was rather large.

[dgasmd]

rberrie

[mflamb]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=788647
Home of the BocaReef netcam. For live video of my reef, click on the little red house.
User Name - guestuser
Password - bocareef

Hobby

[tgunn]

I have considered a cam on the fish room so I could look in and see if the skimmer is overflowing or the sump water level was getting too high (indicating a stopped pump or stuck float valve on the RO/DI).. Only problem would be that I couldn't do anything about it remotely. :lol:

[Red Sea Purple Tang]

That's my goal. I wanted 3-4 cameras on different filtration systems so that I can see them remotely. I'm not interested in a web cam system so that people could see it. It's more for my peace of mind when I go on vacation. Then if something is weird, I can call in the troops.

I'm currently looking at something like a video server so I won't have to by another PC. The cameras would have to have RCA plugs, in stead of USB, but, I have found some cameras with the RCA plugs that have "night vision", so that I don't have to keep the fish room lights on the whole time I'm on vacation.

[twon8]

i got a wireless camera that broadcasts to an ip on my home network. it can be set up to be viewed on the internet, but i havn't bothered.

it was a little over 100 for the camera, and it has a built in web server and 802.11 wireless transmitter. it was super easy to set up.

[tgunn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8726641#post8726641 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Red Sea Purple Tang
That's my goal. I wanted 3-4 cameras on different filtration systems so that I can see them remotely. I'm not interested in a web cam system so that people could see it. It's more for my peace of mind when I go on vacation. Then if something is weird, I can call in the troops.

I'm currently looking at something like a video server so I won't have to by another PC. The cameras would have to have RCA plugs, in stead of USB, but, I have found some cameras with the RCA plugs that have "night vision", so that I don't have to keep the fish room lights on the whole time I'm on vacation.

My ultimate goal is to link some sensors in with a web cam so that I could detect things like water on the floor, sump water level too high, etc and then be notified via email or SMS to my cellphone. From there I could log in and take a look at what's going on and as you said, dispatch the troops.

I know most of the video surveillance software can detect motions in certain regions; I wonder if you could some how use that to "look" for certain problems like a high water level in the sump.

Tyler

[Red Sea Purple Tang]

Thanks for the info twon8....if you don't have a home network, would a video server work?

[46bfinGA]

i would be interested in doing something like this in the future.does anyone have any links showing what is needed to accomplish this,and how to properly set it up? Like camera setups for Dummies?

[Red Sea Purple Tang]

Like camera setups for Dummies?

That's what I'm talking about!

[marinelife]

I had a camera on my tank when I was away on vacation. Worked out great!

[RobbyG]

There are several tanks on RC that are using Panasonic or Sony Network cameras that are directly connected to the internet. You can pan tilt and zoom from any location and they have built in Logon accounts. I was unable to find an open one right now but I will look again later. Bad news is the really good Network cams are expensive $500 - $1800.
Here is a link to a guy who shows you how to setup one that is PC dependant and seems to better fit the description of what you want.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=966003&perpage=25&highlight=tank%20web%20cam&pagenumber=1

[BlueCorn]

I've had one on 24/7 for years. I use "EvoCam" to generate the applet.

<applet CODEBASE="http://64.113.118.18:8080/" ARCHIVE="evocam.jar" CODE="com.evological.evocam.class" WIDTH=320 HEIGHT=240>
<param NAME="image "VALUE="webcam.jpg">
</param><param NAME="refresh" VALUE="1">
</param><param NAME="type" VALUE="simple">
</param><param NAME="archive" VALUE="evocam.jar">
</param></applet>

[BlueCorn]

Granted the lights aren't on yet so it's pretty dull. :)

[RobbyG]

Im seeing a grey Box :) Since your the Uber Mod I will rephrase it "a very pretty grey box sir!" :D

[Cuervo]

Use cameras for visual inspection, they make other sensors and controllers for other stuff - like water on the floor, temp too high, ph drop, etc, etc.

The best thread I've seen for tank automation is in the DIY forum, look for a user named DonW - the thread is called Re-Automating my tank. Surprisingly, it's not all that expensive to do a custom build that's smart enough to do stuff like turn off the lights if temps get too high. Actually you can get way way more intricate with the system he describes in that thread, and there are links to optical sensors as well as probes and such for monitoring PH/Temp/ORP. It's good stuff!

If you want a full blown video surveilance system, entry level is about $2k with a few cameras. My recommendation would be to go with a few stationary cameras on the home network. Then setup your PC so that you can connect to it remotely and look at each camera. You could setup each camera so that it can be connected too indicually from the internet, but that will require some fairly advanced configuration of your firewall.

[BlueCorn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8734992#post8734992 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RobbyG
Im seeing a grey Box :) Since your the Uber Mod I will rephrase it "a very pretty grey box sir!" :D


It's java so if it's not enabled in your browser it won't work. It's also hitting a strange port that some proxy servers take issue with.

I also have a low-bandwidth version that is just uploaded snapshots:

http://www.hopdog.com/?page_id=3

[TropTrea]

Personaly I think the camera in the equipment room would realy be a waste. Before the camera would show any problems it would probably be to late like a Salinity shift, pH shift, calcium drop, Amonia spike etc.

Go with the sensors rather than a camera and you will not only save money but also have a better way of determining what is happening before it becomes a matter of seeing everything is dead.

Dennis

[corivus]

oooo beerguy I have something to watch at work now!!

[saltyfishy123]

I also want to do this and it dosnt seem that hard and I found a very cheap software which is pretty cool and tried it out myself.

You can add up to 3 web cams. But you need have each webcam diffrent. i.e. sony, logitech, microsoft

Heres the link to the software.
http://www.downloadjunction.com/product/store/19261/index.html

[RobbyG]

I am seeing it now, very nice! You have a load of wave action going on in your tank, what are you using? I like it.


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8735025#post8735025 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by beerguy
It's java so if it's not enabled in your browser it won't work. It's also hitting a strange port that some proxy servers take issue with.

I also have a low-bandwidth version that is just uploaded snapshots:

http://www.hopdog.com/?page_id=3

[BlueCorn]

Robby, it's a wavebox and a pair of streams.

[RobbyG]

Totaly disagree! Yes you first use the sensors to determine that a problem is happening, but a picture can often tell you why. Also a camera in the sump area can help you to find out many other problems.


<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8735174#post8735174 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TropTrea
Personaly I think the camera in the equipment room would realy be a waste. Before the camera would show any problems it would probably be to late like a Salinity shift, pH shift, calcium drop, Amonia spike etc.

Go with the sensors rather than a camera and you will not only save money but also have a better way of determining what is happening before it becomes a matter of seeing everything is dead.

Dennis

[RobbyG]

Very nice setup.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8737665#post8737665 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by beerguy
Robby, it's a wavebox and a pair of streams.

[saltyfishy123]

beerguy-What kind of software do you use and do you keep your compuer/server on all year?


Thanks
Pat,

[BlueCorn]

Apple, and EvoCam.

;)

[drummereef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8721695#post8721695 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Red Sea Purple Tang
As I'm putting up sheetrock in the fish room, I had one of those man moments. I thought having some web cams hooked up so that when I'm on vacation I can keep an eye on stuff.

I do admit, that this may be a weenie idea, but is anyone else doing this?

:rolleyes:

It's actually very easy to do. Download windows media encoder 9 and use windows media player to play the webcam. It is streaming video w/o hiccups. You can also embed the cam on a webpage quite easily. Not sure about multiple cams, but for a single cam it works great.

[saltyfishy123]

Thanks a bunch!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8740002#post8740002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by beerguy
Apple, and EvoCam.

;)

[TropTrea]

Okay how does a camera tell you the amonia level has sky rocketed before it picks up dead corals and fish floating in the tank? Yes you can see the damage on your camera however in 95% of the possibilities it will not show you why or give you enough time to react.

What a camera will pick up though is a pump failed and your skimmer is not working, or the return pump died and the sump is over flowing.

It also depends a lot how automated your system is. If your electronicly monitoring already then the it just a simple task of setting up an automated spread sheet and being able to download it remotely.

Give me some exsample of what a camera can pick up that electronic monitoring cannot pick up.

Dennis



<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8737710#post8737710 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RobbyG
Totaly disagree! Yes you first use the sensors to determine that a problem is happening, but a picture can often tell you why. Also a camera in the sump area can help you to find out many other problems.

[BlueCorn]

Dennis - all I can tell you is that having a camera on the tank has saved it several times. I can tell if my circulation system(s) are working. I can tell if my lights are working (and if only partially illuminated which breaker might have a problem). I can sell if my top-off system is working (if it's not, I start getting bubbles from one return line). I can tell if my chiller feed system is working (if it's not, I start getting bubbles from the other return line). It's all about knowing what your tank is supposed to look like and what the real symptoms are.

We're talking about large tanks here. Ammonia doesn't just "sky rocket" out of the blue. It's a symptom that something REALLY bad has happened. If that's the first sign that you see of it they you aren't paying attention.

My setup cost me less than $200 (and the camera was $150 of that) declaring it to be a waste (when you've never done it yourself) is pretty shallow. Is it the end all tank remote monitoring system? no but it's 1000% improvement over having nothing at all.

[RobbyG]

Beerguy beat me to it. Let me just add a bit more, dealing with the sump area. I wish I had the link for this guys system I saw a few months ago. He had a network Cam in his sump Cabinet. You could Pan Tilt and Zoom the camera remotely. If a snail was stuck in a float valve you could easily see it, pump not working, easy to see. etc etc. If he was off in Hawaii he could just call his neighbor and actually direct him how to repair a problem and remotely inspect the job while in progress.

[saltyfishy123]

RobbyG- I agree and this camera idea isnt just for saftey so you could tell if theres something but also just for fun. :rollface:

[RokleM]

I've been thinking about getting a MAC to play with, and that software is even more reason. But I can't see myself blowing 1000 on it.

Anyone know of something that works well for windows? I would LOVE to get a system I could pan and zoom, but I'm sure that's expensive.

[invincible569]

If you guys want to get fancy and add more visual... you can add a Netbotz in your room. It measures humidity, liquid, room temp, door openings, airflow, dew point, etc. It's like a controller, but the reef controllers you buy today are for the aquarium and not for the room. The cheapest one is close to $1K. We use them here at our work as it alarms us if there is a drastic change. Then we can log in and see how things look through the camera.

http://www.netbotz.com/languages/en/images/apcnetbotzproductfamilyfront.jpg

[wiszmaster]

www.zoneminder.com

its free ... and pretty nice. has lots of features.

[saltyfishy123]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8744550#post8744550 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RokleM
I've been thinking about getting a MAC to play with, and that software is even more reason. But I can't see myself blowing 1000 on it.

Anyone know of something that works well for windows? I would LOVE to get a system I could pan and zoom, but I'm sure that's expensive.

I would try this if I were you its can go up to 3 web-cams and its really cheap same price as evocam but you cant a (PTZ) Pan Tilt Zoom cams on it but still really cool. I saw it at radio-shack and I will be buyimg it. But you cant try the free trail for 30 days.

Patrik,

[BlueCorn]

I actually use some Toshiba cams, on another system. I use EvoCam do record, in timelapse fashion, only when motion is detected. I can pan and tilt those cams remotely via EvoCam running on my laptop from anywhere on the planet. It's part of my home security system so I won't post a link to it but you can get really crazy with this stuff.

[benf]

xanaboo and x10 both alow multiple cam hookup and are not very expensive.

I have a xanbaboo i got at compusa a few years ago in front of my tank, usually turned on mon-fri 10am-5pm... mms://bentheredonethat.us/fishcam

[TropTrea]

Actually loads of items could be monitored on a budget do it yourself system with a little no how. Electronic flow meters and temperature guages can be gotten for under $20 each. An Input module to hook up to your computer would be under $100. Where the price would rise though is pH, alkilinity, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphate sensors.

Now once you have all this hooked up to your computer you could have the software activate your web cam on any area of your interest triggered by the values from the sensors or remotly by you.

In all reality monitoring is something that is only limited by dollars. There is no aspect of the aquarium and equipment you cannot monitor one way or another. However everyone has there preferences on what and how they want to monitor it as well as where there budget limits them.

Dennis



<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8744580#post8744580 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by invincible569
If you guys want to get fancy and add more visual... you can add a Netbotz in your room. It measures humidity, liquid, room temp, door openings, airflow, dew point, etc. It's like a controller, but the reef controllers you buy today are for the aquarium and not for the room. The cheapest one is close to $1K. We use them here at our work as it alarms us if there is a drastic change. Then we can log in and see how things look through the camera.

http://www.netbotz.com/languages/en/images/apcnetbotzproductfamilyfront.jpg

[saltyfishy123]

I found this and thought I would share it.
http://polarisusa.com/cgi-bin/product_listings.pl?listing_category_id=44

[bjmycroft]

I was banned from doing a webcam as my wife irons in that room, usually just before going to work while wearing just a T-shirt and knickers...... thats just a whole different type of website...

[saltyfishy123]

Just dont tell her the web-cam is on LOL:lol:

[RobbyG]

But give us the Link ;) Just Kidding :D

[saltyfishy123]

HAHAHAHAHAHA :lol:

[invincible569]

I just downloaded webcamXP and it works well. The only problem I hate is that I cannot see what it looks like from the outside world. When I go to another outside connection (not my home) I can see it. Does anyone know how to get around this?

[invincible569]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8761384#post8761384 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by invincible569
I just downloaded webcamXP and it works well. The only problem I hate is that I cannot see what it looks like from the outside world. When I go to another outside connection (not my home) I can see it. Does anyone know how to get around this?

never mind. just figured it out. You have to type in the following and the port number at the end.

http://localhost:8080/

[RokleM]

Anyone have any good suggestions for the actual cameras? Either network, or RCA/coax is fine. I'd need probably 4-5 for inside/out.

[spanglish]

I have two midgets (sorry, little people) with walkie talkies
that take turns sleeping and monitoring my tank.:dance:

[saltyfishy123]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8761438#post8761438 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RokleM
Anyone have any good suggestions for the actual cameras? Either network, or RCA/coax is fine. I'd need probably 4-5 for inside/out.


Do you care on how much you spend?

[RokleM]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8765643#post8765643 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saltyfishy123
Do you care on how much you spend?

I care most about the 2-3 inside for now. I'm not looking to break the bank, but not worried about investing for the correct thing to do the job right the first time either. I'd say something in the $400-500 range for the project wouldn't be out of the question.

Probably going to run ZoneMinder btw. That looks like a pretty powerful program.

[saltyfishy123]

Well I was thinking about just buying regular security camera system and buying a video server and thats pretty cheap

[BeanAnimal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8761438#post8761438 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RokleM
Anyone have any good suggestions for the actual cameras? Either network, or RCA/coax is fine. I'd need probably 4-5 for inside/out.

IT depends on how much you want to spend and what kind of resolution and low light sensitivity you want.

Cameras come in two basic formats:

Fixed Lens and Replaceable lens. Just like Point and shoot cameras vs SLRs.

Fixed lens cameras are cheaper and may or may not have Auto Iris and a moveable zoom. Cameras without an auto iris do not adjust well to changing light conditions. Cameras with a fixed focus are not adjustable for field of view. You zoom in and out by moving the whole camera.

Auto Iris allows the camera to adjust to changing light conditions. Varifocal (manual zoom) allows you to change the field of view of the camera by zooming the lens in and out. Some cameras come with LEDs to illuminate darker scenes. These work just OK (but would be fine for inside of a stand). Cameras range in price from $30 to $200. The more expensive cameras have better night vision modes and better glass as well as higher resolution. Most do not go over 400 TV lines of resolution.

Replaceable lens cameras use CS or C mount lenses (very similar to SLR lenses). These are mostly auto Iris lenses and come in fixed and varifocal types. A typical camera costs $100-$200 and the lenses range in price from $20-$100. Camera bodies range in features and resolution but many models have 540 lines of TV resolution. The JVC TKC-920U is a great camera and runs about $175 + lens.

Network cameras are a differnet ball game.. but come in various forms (both fixed lens and replaceable). They are more expensive becuase the camera has a built in network card and firmware.

Lets be very clear about something here. Most of the cameras you guys see (web cams and $100 network cameras) are toys. The resolution is horrible etc.

The toys are usable to an extent... but anybody serious about adding 2-3 (or more) cameras to monitor their home and/or aquarium should look into quality products. A decent PTZ network camera will set you back at least $500. A serious model will set you back close to $2500.

Anyway... the next question is what to do with the video from the cameras. Analog cameras need to be plugged into a DVR card or other capture device that can store or make the video available on the network. There needs to be software in place to perform the desired tasks as well. Network cameras are a bit simpler, as they plug into the network directly and only need software to broadcast or store the video. The cheap DVR cards rely on the computers CPU to do all of the compression and motion detection. Better cards use onboard electronics to do the hard work and simply pass the cleaned up compressed data to the PC for storage or broadcast. The IP based stuff does a little of both at the low end with the high end cameras doing most of the work in-camera.

This is a HUGE scammer riddled market with thousands of players and TONS of junk and liars. In the end very few of the products are worth a hoot....

This is part of what I do for a living (I own an IT consulting company and we do a LOT of Digital Video Surveillance Systems, both analog and Ip based).

[invincible569]

beananimal, good post. Which products are worth it for an aquarium? Sony Camera's?

[BeanAnimal]

It really depends on exactly what you wan tto do with the camera and what kind of money you want to throw at the setup.

Almost ALL of the cameras have a Sony CCD in them. It is the supporting electronics that make the difference.

For "pro" type cameras, the Sony, JVC, Bosch, Etc are all great and very similar. For your purposes a wide angle 3.5-8mm lens would likely be the ticket... Most are 24VDC and have BNC type connectors.

For "bullet" or "lipstick" cameras, the COP, Ganz, Vitek, KT&C, etc are decent cameras and come with plenty of low light color models with LED illuminators and 3.5-8 (or so) varifocal adjustments. Most are 12VDC and have RCA type connectors.

You can easily convert from BNC to RCA with an adaptor (or make up your own cables).

Axis is the industry standard for network cameras. $250 will get you entry level stuff... $2500 PTZ pro stuff.

An entry level 4 camera DVR card will run you in the neighborhood of $300 or so. You will need to run this on a dedicated machine to be happy.

Fo about $650 you can get an Axis 240Q 4 channel "video server" that you plug the ANALOG cameras into and it converts the signal to Digital IP. It can server the video on the network or send it to software in the PC. In this way you can use high quality analog cameras and turn them into netork cameras without spending $700 or so each per quality network camera.

I am an AXIS channel partner... so don't hesitate to ask if you have questions. I know the products inside and out. Many of the "other" network cams use hte Axis firmware. However there are some decent offerings by Canon, 4XEM, Panasonic Etc. I just don't know a lot about them because we use hte AXIS stuff. From all accounts the 4XEM stuff is great.

I also just signed on with a new company that rebrands network and security products (they try to say they make them). Their pricing seems decent but I have not tried the cameras. In any case, that tells me that the IP camera market is about to get blown wide open by hundreds of "Made In China" fly by night businesses. Just like the "bullet camera" market was a few years back.

As for AXIS pricing.... Froogle is a good reference. Provantage sells them BELOW my wholesale cost (as they do most products). If you are interested in the AXIS stuff, that would be the place to look. For all your other needs, digitalssinc.com is reliable and has decent pricing to end users. Another dealer that I do a lot of business with is http://www.dvrsystems.net Higher end DVR stuff and I am not sure what his retail pricing is like.

[hatfielj]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=966003&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
This is the thread I was trying to find. I don't know if his cam is working right now or not, but when it does work its pretty cool.

[EricJC]

You ever looked at something like this:

Weathergoose (http://www.itwatchdogs.com)

We use these to monitor IDF's, you can add just about whatever type of sensors you want...works well.

[TropTrea]

Fom experience I must agree here very strongly. I had put in a 4 camera system B?W into my store for which costed me well over $2,000 including additional sensors and an auto dialup system to a security company. While the cameras were motion activated the data imaging was simply stored on a VCR type recorder, at a low frames per second rate.

When I" did have a burglary the cameras were not of high enough quality to allow a positive ID of the theifs. Per the police this is very typical of video survelience systems. To upgrade to a higher resolution camera and color would have costed over $500 more per camera.

Besides this your looking transmitting the pictures rather than just storing them on a removable medea.

Yes I believe you can do it for $500.00 however on the $500 system you will not be happy and be able to see what you want to. Thjerefore you will end up making multiple future investments which oinj the long run could cost you $2,000 or more. Note there are some high resolution low light cameras out there that will cost you more the $2,000 alone if need to go that route.

Dennis



<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8768525#post8768525 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
IT depends on how much you want to spend and what kind of resolution and low light sensitivity you want.

Cameras come in two basic formats:

Fixed Lens and Replaceable lens. Just like Point and shoot cameras vs SLRs.

Fixed lens cameras are cheaper and may or may not have Auto Iris and a moveable zoom. Cameras without an auto iris do not adjust well to changing light conditions. Cameras with a fixed focus are not adjustable for field of view. You zoom in and out by moving the whole camera.

Auto Iris allows the camera to adjust to changing light conditions. Varifocal (manual zoom) allows you to change the field of view of the camera by zooming the lens in and out. Some cameras come with LEDs to illuminate darker scenes. These work just OK (but would be fine for inside of a stand). Cameras range in price from $30 to $200. The more expensive cameras have better night vision modes and better glass as well as higher resolution. Most do not go over 400 TV lines of resolution.

Replaceable lens cameras use CS or C mount lenses (very similar to SLR lenses). These are mostly auto Iris lenses and come in fixed and varifocal types. A typical camera costs $100-$200 and the lenses range in price from $20-$100. Camera bodies range in features and resolution but many models have 540 lines of TV resolution. The JVC TKC-920U is a great camera and runs about $175 + lens.

Network cameras are a differnet ball game.. but come in various forms (both fixed lens and replaceable). They are more expensive becuase the camera has a built in network card and firmware.

Lets be very clear about something here. Most of the cameras you guys see (web cams and $100 network cameras) are toys. The resolution is horrible etc.

The toys are usable to an extent... but anybody serious about adding 2-3 (or more) cameras to monitor their home and/or aquarium should look into quality products. A decent PTZ network camera will set you back at least $500. A serious model will set you back close to $2500.

Anyway... the next question is what to do with the video from the cameras. Analog cameras need to be plugged into a DVR card or other capture device that can store or make the video available on the network. There needs to be software in place to perform the desired tasks as well. Network cameras are a bit simpler, as they plug into the network directly and only need software to broadcast or store the video. The cheap DVR cards rely on the computers CPU to do all of the compression and motion detection. Better cards use onboard electronics to do the hard work and simply pass the cleaned up compressed data to the PC for storage or broadcast. The IP based stuff does a little of both at the low end with the high end cameras doing most of the work in-camera.

This is a HUGE scammer riddled market with thousands of players and TONS of junk and liars. In the end very few of the products are worth a hoot....

This is part of what I do for a living (I own an IT consulting company and we do a LOT of Digital Video Surveillance Systems, both analog and Ip based).

[BeanAnimal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8775819#post8775819 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TropTrea
Fom experience I must agree here very strongly. I had put in a 4 camera system B?W into my store for which costed me well over $2,000 including additional sensors and an auto dialup system to a security company. While the cameras were motion activated the data imaging was simply stored on a VCR type recorder, at a low frames per second rate.

When I" did have a burglary the cameras were not of high enough quality to allow a positive ID of the theifs. Per the police this is very typical of video survelience systems. To upgrade to a higher resolution camera and color would have costed over $500 more per camera.

Besides this your looking transmitting the pictures rather than just storing them on a removable medea.

Yes I believe you can do it for $500.00 however on the $500 system you will not be happy and be able to see what you want to. Thjerefore you will end up making multiple future investments which oinj the long run could cost you $2,000 or more. Note there are some high resolution low light cameras out there that will cost you more the $2,000 alone if need to go that route.

Dennis

I deal with this every day. You don't get much for $2,000 on a 4 camera system. However that "quality level" is what about 90% of the units out there provide. Have you upgraded dennis? I can offer some recomendations if you want to give me the details and are capable of doing a little DIY.

[TropTrea]

Actualy I no longer operate a full line pet store. With internet sales sometimes below even whole sale cost it got to be a loosing proposition. Presently Im simply doing custom orders on systems that you cannot get off the shelf.

Therefore the need for a security system like I had is no longer required.

Dennis

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8776499#post8776499 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
I deal with this every day. You don't get much for $2,000 on a 4 camera system. However that "quality level" is what about 90% of the units out there provide. Have you upgraded dennis? I can offer some recomendations if you want to give me the details and are capable of doing a little DIY.

[tedu]

Bean,

Are you going to be at ISC West 2007 ?

Come by our booth, will send you a PM with the info.

Ted

[BeanAnimal]

Thought about it... but not sure yet. I just canceled my trip to CES in January... after a lot of thought I could not justify spending a week in vegas looking at products that will either never make it past vaporware or never gain mainstream acceptance. Those that do, will get shoved down my throat by sales reps anyway :)

I have missed the last several ISC events due ot a busy schedule.

In any case please PM me with your info and/or line card or type of product.

Bean

[invincible569]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8778374#post8778374 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tedu
Bean,

Are you going to be at ISC West 2007 ?

Come by our booth, will send you a PM with the info.

Ted

Ted, i didnt know you were into these kind of things!