The Gun Counter

I'm going to be re-siding my house this winter. This will include ripping off all the existing 3/4 x 10 cedar siding (that's going to break my heart. It's gorgeous wood and costs a fortune these days. But I'm done w. the sanding/painting routine). While the walls are down to the sheathing, I'm going to add a security camera system. It will be much easier to wire the cameras for power than having to do it from the inside of the house.

I'm just starting research this, but it looks like I'm want to go w. wireless cameras unless there are any real drawbacks. I would like to avoid having to run data wires through the house to a central unit.

In addition, we are going to be residing a house for a well heeled client this summer. It's a vacation house set on over 100 acres (a rarity in NJ). They have problems with petty theft, kids riding ATVs on their lawn, etc. I'd like to suggest a system for them, too. Something they can remotely monitor from their main residence in NY.

I'd like to keep my setup under $1000 Can a decent wireless setup (4-6 cameras) be done for that? To them, price is less of an object. When you can afford 4.3 million for a vacation house, that seems to follow.

4 camera system was today's deal on Woot.

I've been looking at the d-link 930 wi-fi camera.

Small, and uploads to storage provided by d-link. The only drawback is your wi-fi has to be on 24/7.

Small, and uploads to storage provided by d-link. The only drawback is your wi-fi has to be on 24/7.

Mine is on all the time. The online storage is nice. I assume it also goes to DVR at your place.

4 camera system was today's deal on Woot

I looked at that. But I'm pretty sure I want to go wireless... unless there are some disadvantages I haven't read about.

YEah, wireless cameras are universally weak on security

Easily jammed or unreliable? Or both?

Buddy of mine owns a pool hall, and I think his camera system is wireless. One night he got jumped by a group of 3 punks he had just thrown out (gave as good as he got, he put two of them down before the third got on top of him, and when he fought his way back to his feet they decided it just wasn't worth continuing), and he was able to give the video to the police, who were able to identify at least one of them as a regular, which led to IDing two of of the three. Not saying Chris isn't right about the overall desirability of wireless vs. wired cameras, but they aren't necessarily useless, either.

I suspect that my friend doesn't care if people want to go to that kind of trouble to watch what is going on in the pool hall, but I can see what you are saying from a security POV.

They are going to be all outside cameras. I live in a nice neighborhood, but there is an occasional break-in. Mostly unsophisticated punk-ass kids who would be deterred by fake cameras (which I've used on jobsites).

The thing you need to remember is, you're going to have to run power anyway, so it isn't really wireless.

I'll be taking the siding down to the sheathing. So it would be easy to locate an inside outlet, drill a few holes in the sheathing and snake a power lead to the outlet. I have an open basement ceiling, so running data cables from one side of the house to the other wouldn't be that hard at all if having wired cams is that much more secure.

Wireless cameras are a great way to find out what is going on inside your house. For exterior cameras, fake plastic ones are just as effective as real ones. If you REALLY want something useful, you will need low-light style cameras that can pivot, and are hard wired.

Also: Cameras are not the equivalent of security. ot uunless someone is watching them 24/7.

"Someday" when I find a "round toit", I'd like to have IR cams in the house, and around the outside, ideally w. some way to monitor them off a cell phone - mostly just to look if I, or the dog, hear something.

What I'd REALLY, REALLY encourage is a door cam. (Cue relevant anecdote.)

I live in a nice neighborhood, w. mostly older retirees/now switching to young families, as the older folks head for nursing homes, etc. My one neighbor, in her mid-eighties, apparently hung up on 911. The cops, being LEOs, of course, come to my house, and ring the bell - while hiding out of sight of the window, and having parked their cars out of sight. (We've had a couple problems in the neighborhood, mostly related to one neighbor's derelict son.)

Fortunately, it was early in the AM, and I answered the door in my bathrobe, (W. my Rohrbaugh in my hand, in the pocket) and told the cops the address of my house - since they couldn't read the numbers on the house, or the mailbox in the lawn...