Cheap CCTV

[Stephen Reid]

Hi all,

I am looking for a bit of advice from some people in the know. My mother
seems to be the victim of some idiot who finds it funny to vandalise her car
and house. They have jumped on the front bumper of her car and snapped the
mountings, scratched the car sevral times along both and sides and most
recently we returned from holidays to find the front of the hous covered in
spray paint. My mother has no idea of who is doing this and I was wondering
if there was a simple cctv device she could get to cover the front of the
house and record maybe the past 24 hours. The more discreet the better as
we would rather find out who is doing this rather than deter them at this
point. My mother is very well off and the cheapest effective solution would
be best.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Stephen

 

[Frank Olson]

Hi all,

I am looking for a bit of advice from some people in the know. My mother
seems to be the victim of some idiot who finds it funny to vandalise her car
and house. They have jumped on the front bumper of her car and snapped the
mountings, scratched the car sevral times along both and sides and most
recently we returned from holidays to find the front of the hous covered in
spray paint. My mother has no idea of who is doing this and I was wondering
if there was a simple cctv device she could get to cover the front of the
house and record maybe the past 24 hours. The more discreet the better as
we would rather find out who is doing this rather than deter them at this
point. My mother is very well off and the cheapest effective solution would
be best.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Stephen

There are several options available to you. The "cheapest effective solution"
would be to catch 'em in the act (so to speak). Before CCTV became such a boon
to the industry there was good old fashioned "lurk and grab"... It worked well
for my Dad when some neighborhood kids were ripping off our Christmas lights
(years ago)... Sounds to me like you have a similar situation on your hands.

The problem with setting up a CCTV system that would accomplish what you want is
that you'd have to use cameras of sufficient resolution (under ambient light
conditions) to be able to identify the perp(s), you'd need a time-lapse VCR or
DVR with time/date displayed and a way to switch the input from time-lapse mode
to "normal record" during an "alarm event"... There isn't going to be a "cheap"
solution. I'd suggest discussing the matter with your local law enforcement.
They may have some suggestions/options for you that won't have a significant
impact on your pocket-book (or your mother's).

Good luck!!

 

[RH.Campbell]

In our area of Ottawa, there are companies that lease this kind of equipment
on a short term basis, to solve these kinds of short term problems that
don't justify the high expenditures associated with buying CCTV equipment.
It seems they do a booming buisness..

You might want to try finding such a company in your area...

RHC

 

[Frank Olson]

In our area of Ottawa, there are companies that lease this kind of equipment
on a short term basis, to solve these kinds of short term problems that
don't justify the high expenditures associated with buying CCTV equipment.
It seems they do a booming buisness..

You might want to try finding such a company in your area...

They must be using mostly (*GASP!*) wireless. )

I can't imagine that they'd spend the time to properly run cable if they're only
"renting" the equipment for a short time... You got any specific info??

 

[Aegis]

The CHEAPEST way to go is X-10. www.x10.com

It's not the PROFESSIONAL way to go, but it is the cheapest DIY way to go.

 

[RH.Campbell]

No, the one company that I know personally that does this uses all hardwired
equipment. His installations are mostly for special applications like this,
where one or two cameras and a DVR will do the job. A couple of hours work
and he's done. Plus, his installations are not inexpensive; however,
compared to buying the hardware etc, they remain somewhat of a bargain...

RHC

 

[Beachcomber]

The CHEAPEST way to go is X-10. www.x10.com

It's not the PROFESSIONAL way to go, but it is the cheapest DIY way to go.

http://www.supercircuits.com/store/home.asp

X10 is good. Also try the above link for inexpensive board and
pinhole cams. Last time I looked, they had a special on a time lapse
VCR for $199.95

Beachcomber

 

[rory]

With CCTV, you pay for what you get, in other words, cheap will
probably not do what you want it to.

However, you can buy something like a Provideo BW Bullet camera,
inexpensive, and wire it to your TV, and either use a home VCR, which
means changing the tape manually every 8-10 hours, or buy a single
channel DVR like the Kalatel VDR, ame price as a time lapse VCR.

You can also look at getting this all second hand to save some money.
There are alot of people selling second hand Time lapse VCRs due to
switchovers to DVRs, so you'd get a good price on those.

Check out www.cctvforum.com for more questions. This alarm forum is
not the best place for CCTV disussion.

 

[alarman]

Stephen Reid wrote

I am looking for a bit of advice from some people in the know. My mother
seems to be the victim of some idiot who finds it funny to vandalise her car
and house. They have jumped on the front bumper of her car and snapped the
mountings, scratched the car sevral times along both and sides and most
recently we returned from holidays to find the front of the hous covered in
spray paint. My mother has no idea of who is doing this and I was wondering
if there was a simple cctv device she could get to cover the front of the
house and record maybe the past 24 hours. The more discreet the better as
we would rather find out who is doing this rather than deter them at this
point. My mother is very well off and the cheapest effective solution would
be best.

The last sentence really gets me. Your mother is "well off", therefore you
seek "the cheapest effective solution"?

In fact, the cheapest solution would not be best.
js