Home Security Cameras

[Big Boy]

We've had a couple of 'unusual' incidents at home recently, which culminated in one of our dogs being poisoned 3 days ago (he is recovering well after a couple of heavy vet bills). I've decided I need more security, in the way of TV Cameras.

I have friends with professionally fitted cameras, but the support service is less than good. Somebody even gave me a contact for my friends, but that company failed to show twice.

Being a complete ignoramus with anything practical, I have made a very bold decision. Buy and instal a couple of cameras myself. The hard bit was getting them configured to the wi-fi, but once that was done, it was a doddle. I am now considering a 3rd camera, but I'll wait a week or 2 to see what teething problems I get. I am over the moon with my success so far. However, they still have to be used in anger yet. They are meant to detect unusual human activity, and sound alarms. I guess I'll have to see how many times I wake up Hua Hin over the next few nights. The instruction manual was very vague regarding how to set the cameras up and how to differentiate between normal and abnormal activity. One of our dogs is a huge beast as well, so is she going to set any alarm bells ringing? I'm a sound sleeper, so I should be OK .

Believe me, getting this far is a major achievement for me.

I will provide updates if my success is not as I first thought

[VincentD]

From your post I have surmised you have installed two basic IP cameras. Yes, they are good for on-the-spot surveillance but have limited storage that is dictated by your SD card. Probably a day or three worth before getting overwritten and not particularly good clarity.
I would suggest using them as your backup (I do) but have at least 8 hi-def cameras on a digital DVR or NVR that has a hard drive of at least 2 TB. Even the cheap ones these days come with facial recognition and if you couple this with a UPS you have a decent surveillance system. However..
They are not foolproof, and if somebody wants to get your dog they will still do it.
Plus, good, clear cameras are not cheap.

[Big Boy]

Thank you for your comments.

Yes, they are fairly basic, although the clarity is very good at the moment. Storage is either to a SD card or the Cloud - still thinking about that. 16 hours is probably sufficient storage, which will be swallowed by either method.

My problem is that I don't believe, even if I catch somebody red-handed that the BIB will take any action, so is it worth a mega investment? We think we know who is doing it, and we are hoping the cameras will work as a deterrent, rather than trying to imprison them. If they aren't a good enough deterrent, the images are currently sharp enough to easily pick out faces, even with no lights on. Of course, sharpness may deteriorate with time. My intention is to present a show of strength now in the hope it settles the situation.

[VincentD]

Don't bother with the 'cloud'. They charge an extortionate amount (per camera?) and basically it is someone else's hard drive. A camera is not a deterrent. Just get your wife to file a police report to say your dog has been poisoned for the record. Then further incidents can be escalated. Also, at least in Bangkok, you can get a police post box in front of your house where they will patrol and keep an eye on your house. My neighbor has this service; they will sign a book in the box every few hours and keep an eye on your house when you're away but you have to inform them. It does cost a fair amount monthly but you will have more peace of mind.

[Big Boy]

No, I think I agree about the cloud. I was going to investigate, just in case,but won't bother now.

Yes, we had the police box when my son's ex-girlfriend turned psycho. The frequency is not enough to deter a neighbour who would soon work out the frequency. It certainly didn't deter the psycho girlfriend. Don't get me wrong, my son is more than capable of looking after himself, but normal men don't like to attack women or defend an attack from same. When they were called on an emergency call (included in the police box package) to remove her, all they did was talk for about 4 hours, and then left, leaving her there still ranting. Soon after, the police suggested we stop our subscription.

[handdrummer]

It is extreme, but now you know why Americans have guns.
Even a shot fired into the air can discourage a break-in or other mischieve.

[Big Boy]

I said I'd provide an update, and yes, there were a few teething problems i.e. (list follows for tapatalk users):

• Probably the biggest problem was getting the company's software to download. As soon as hhinner pointed me in the right direction, I was sorted.

• The first 4 nights were a nightmare, with alarms going off on both cameras at 1am each morning. I couldn't see anything that would trigger the alarms. Once I had the software download problem sussed, I could see the wi-fi wasn't configured probably, setting off the 1am alarm. Why 1am on both cameras I don't know, but that is when most decent people are asleep in bed.

Basically, I am so pleased, I have purchased 2 more cameras, and now have full coverage as I want it. Very easy to do.