Home Invasion in my Neighborhood

[TheGrey]

Due in part to the brazen actions of this robber, coupled with the increased vandalism and attempts at home invasions in our neighborhood, we took the plunge yesterday and shopped around for wired security systems. We finally ended up at Microcenter (we hit both Sam's and Costco first) where we were able to talk with a very knowledgeable young man, who not only was able to answer every question we lobbed at him, but was able to anticipate our concerns and had an answer for them. We ended up purchasing a Night Owl system. It's a bit more old-school as compared with the wireless varieties, but it is weather resistant from 140f to -40f, as long as the cameras are protected by some sort of overhang. and can be viewed remotely through apps. We've got an excellent soffitt that will serve nicely as protection and relative concealment. I'm really excited about this prospect. We're on a corner lot and there have been a number of problems in this neighborhood: not only with overt issues such as petty vandalism and attempts at home invasions while the owner is present, but also problems involving empty houses and absentee landlords.

The cameras come in 780, 960, and 1080 resolution. 960 or higher is best for identification purposes.

Microcenter had a 4-camera setup, complete with DVR with 1TB storage, for $200.00. It's a sweet deal.

Please note that I am not compensated by Microcenter; I am just very pleased to have received such good customer service that I want to pass it on. Our salesperson was David H.; should you go there, ask for him ad he'll be happy to answer questions.

[CS1983]

Grey,

Thanks for the report. I look forward to any post-setup thoughts.

Did the necessary wiring come with it or is that extra? Does it have integrated ability to send off-site or is it local storage only?

[TheGrey]

CavSct1983,

I believe all of the necessary wiring comes with it, but if it doesn't I'll be sure to post and let people know so they can pick it up in the same trip.

As far as storage, I believe that it stores directly to the hard drive (and certain systems can have an external hard drive plugged into it, as well) but then again, you can view off-site on your phone, tablet or computer.

I wish I had better answers for you- I'm still learning about the product. Their website is pretty comprehensive, and has a FAQ.

http://nightowlsp.com/

[crays]

Grey,

Which res cameras come with the $200 package?

Thanks

[TheGrey]

crays,

If I'm remembering correctly, it was 960 res. We ended up going with a package with more cameras and higher resolution.

[Fentonite]

I recently bought the Arlo system. It's wireless, motion activated, and immediately uploads the footage to the cloud. Super easy to install and even change configuration on a whim. I really like that the recordings are uploaded immediately, so a burglar can't just steal the hard drive and take away the evidence. What I don't like, is that there is about a 1-2 second delay before recording starts, and that it only records for a pre-set period per activation. You can check the "library" of recordings from any device anywhere, as well as remotely view through any camera, live. Some folks won't like that the batteries have to be changed in each camera, but only about every 2-5 weeks, depending on how often the camera is activated, duration of recording, and the clarity settings on the camera. I don't mind the battery issue, in trade-off for the ease of install. I'd like to have a wired system that continually records multiple cameras, without relying on motion activation, but I don't want to give up the instant cloud backup. Not sure that there is a perfect solution, but this has been pretty good. I've been surprised about all the shenanigans that go on in the alley behind my house.

[TheGrey]

Fentonite, we looked at the Arlo system because we'd heard great things about it. In the end, we decided to go with the wired system because the battery changing was an issue for us. I mostly work from home, so uploading to the cloud for back really wasn't a factor for us. It's nice that they have so many camera options!

[TheGrey]

Update: all the necessary wires (within reason) come with the kit- each camera come with 60' of wire.

There's a good many videos on installing surveillance cameras on Youtube. Wired cameras are a bit more involved than I'd imagined; the spouse wants the wires hidden and somehow run inside the soffitts. I'm not sure that's feasible. We also have to figure a place for the DVR, where it will be wired into our internet router. There's some planning that we need to do here.

[SideShow Bob]

Grey,
With a hard wired system locate your hard drive storage in a hidden location, and put a dummy unit in plain sight. A cheap bad unit that still has indicator lights that work and dead ended wires & cabling leading out into a wall or conduit.

For running your camera wiring in the soffit/crawl space above, get several sets of disposable coveralls & dust masks. Then hire the skinniest, lightest weight relative you have to crawl around up there. This time of the year is best for that kind of work.

You could also run the wiring in conduit around the outside tucked up into the corner of the wall & soffit, then paint it to match the house.

[izzy]

This reminds me of something I did in a place I used to live in when I had trouble with my neighbors. I took a few old 90's web cameras, cut the cords off and mounted them up pointed right at their font porch. It worked like a charm.