OT/FOAK: PC-based surveillance systems?

Very OT, I know, actually maybe it isn't, I'll start typing and see how
it goes.

My folks live on a splendid little estate; nice individual houses, and
it's very very quiet. Sort of place where you can leave the car outside
with the keys in it and you need to make a conscious effort to remember
to lock the doors when you go out.

It's been like this since it was built in the 50's.

Now, for the first time, there's been some odd goings on in the gardens;
small items going missing or being taken then being abandoned in the
street; pots getting knocked over, stuff getting damaged. All of it more
consistent with petty vandalism than with wind damage IYSWIM

Which is a bit of a concern, especially as a lot of the residents are
not in the first flush of youth.

So has anything changed in the street? Not really, except perhaps for a
builder that's moved in with his teenage boys, pissed everyone off by
building massive walls without planning permission and then getting a
right hump on when the local council told him to rip it all down again
following complaints from local residents. It would be all too easy to
start pointing the finger of blame in their direction, which would be
just plain wrong. I mean, the fact that the kids party in the street and
throw their empties into their neighbour's gardens doesn't make them bad
kids that would trespass in the gardens of old folks at night and commit
acts of criminal damage, does it? Of course not.

Now, I think it's worth trying to track down the miscreants (be them
2-legged or squirrel) for the good of *all* the neighbours. And for my
peace of mind, I'd like to keep an eye on the perimeter of my folks
house too. The last thing I want is for my 80-something folks to either
feel intimidated or worse, be at risk in their own home from anything
riskier than the contents of my father's fridge.

The obvious first step would be a few PIR lights around the property,
which would be great for scaring off miscreants. However, if this were
simply opportunist burglars wandering around a secluded part of a
village, I wouldn't expect the damage that has occurred. And if it is
something other than an opportunist burglar, I would have thought it
more likely to cause them to change their MO.

So I'm thinking a PC with low-light cameras, motion-triggered recording,
maybe real-time viewable with a web interface/remote access. If I've got
to buy him broadband for his egress comms then so be it

So, thoughts, FOAK?

Normally I'd say "cheap as possible", but under the circumstances, price
clearly isn't right at the top of the requirements list.

While it's in the planning, I get to dig out a ****-off solid Hills
Hoist with an unexpected bend in the middle of a remarkably unbendy bit
of tubing.

Oh and in doing so I get to help protect the R65RS

 

I've had a word with my brother and he set up a motion sensor to trip
a webcam and through all sorts of trickery he gets an email telling
him when it's been tripped. Apparently he switches something off in
the daytime to avoid getting pictures of the postman etc but the good
bit is that it cost him under £50 all in.

I've emailed you his details so you can contact him if you want more
details.

 

As you have had a sensible answer from Andy.....

The lad came home with a Creative web cam for 2 quid from a car boot
sale the other day. He then proceeded to install it guarding the door to
his room and set it on motion detection.

I had to have a severe word with him about the angle of elevation it was
pointing down the landing, in view of the master bedroom not being
ensuite.

--

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

<stunned>

 

I've also forwarded an email he sent to me with more details but the
main thing is that he didn't use a webcam, he used an IP camera and
sends images to a gmail account that holds 2.5 Gigs of mail.

 

You no longer have to spend an arm and leg on CCTV, thanks to the
Chinese.

I got a wireless CCTV from here...
(you can also use it as wired, if you like)
http://tinyurl.com/yuj2ry

Also a fairly decent, if slightly outdated, B/W NOS low light Vantage
camera from ebay, for 25quid.

And a PC vid input card
http://tinyurl.com/24ukow

All of these cheapy cards are a ripoff of the Pico2000 card, but work
well enough.
The overall quality is fine, but the software supplied with the capture
card is shite... use something else, like
http://www.pysoft.com/ActiveWebCamMainpage.htm

This is very good, for not a lot of dosh.

I have versions of pryme and tincam I can email you, if you want to try
them.

 

Don't worry. I'm sure you won't keep it up. ;-)

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Cab

Oi you, stop nicking Adie's lines.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer as featured in
Performance Bikes and Fast Bikes

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha Vmax Honda ST1100 wiv trailer

 

I was researching this recently. One common theme was the quality (lack
of) of cheaper systems, particularly in terms of using the footage as
evidence in a prosecution. Some systems aren't even good enough for you
to be able to tell who said miscreant is, you only get to see them doing
the damage that you know has been done.

Another thing is needing 2 cameras, one for the "big picture", and one for
close ups to get peoples faces.

You might not be wanting to go for prosecutions, but presumably the
purpose of your capturing footage is to stop the events taking place,
which means at least confronting the toe-rags with your evidence to smack
their wrists with. If all you get is a human shaped object smashing up a
pot plant, you're gonna get laughed at.

 

Gyp coughed up:

My own experience involving CCTV and neighbours ended up in court last
week, details here:

http://www.thisisoxford.co.uk/display.var.1168159.0.dispute_led_to_a_bil
l_for_26k.php

do be careful Bond.

--
Dan L

http://thebikeshed.spaces.live.com/
1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr

BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005/6)
X-FOT#000
DIAABTCOD #26
BOMB#18 (slow)
OMF#11

 

Cheers, Andy, I've got that and it all looks very sensible (double
shock)

 

Thankfully, having 1/3 of an acre to play with I should be able to get
the camera locations sorted. As I hinted at, it would be all to easy to
point the finger at one family, but to be honest I'd be absolutely
delighted if this ruled them out. To start with I want to find out if
there is a problem, and if so the extent of it.

Reading the article though, the concern it has raised for me is that my
new kitchen extraction system blows all the smells directly into
next-door's back door, which is often left open.

And my Zed is parked in her garage...

 

Though I was wondering about real-time alerting when the camera is set
off; I'd be quite happy to let a blurry image lead me to call the police
and get them to make an accurate identification down at the station.

Indeed so.

 

That stuff seems rather decent for the price

Looks pretty decent too.

Decisions, decisions... as has been mentioned elsewhere the quality is
key as it's better to have pictures you can recognise. One major appeal
of the IP cameras is that they should be easy to remote (though I need
to consider bandwidth I guess), so they go straight into a router and
the IT can be at my end, rather than having a PC to support at my folks'
house.

One of the neighbours (the one that's had the most garden disruption)
has wireless broadband, and I'm sure he could be persuaded to let me
connect in a couple of IP cameras, especially if I set up a couple for
him at the same time

I may well do, ta.

 

Gyp coughed up:

Is that a euphamism?

--
Dan L

http://thebikeshed.spaces.live.com/
1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr

BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005/6)
X-FOT#000
DIAABTCOD #26
BOMB#18 (slow)
OMF#11

 

Regrettably not.

 

I wondered how that was going. Looks like a result.

Indeed.

--
platypus

"Merely corroborative detail, intended to
give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise
bald and unconvincing narrative.”

 

I say, well done. You mustn't have been so bad in court after all.

 

They know where they live. Send the bailiffs round, or sell the debt to the
local Triads.

--
platypus

"Merely corroborative detail, intended to
give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise
bald and unconvincing narrative."

 

platypus coughed up:

It was probably the most stressful week of my life to date.

Far from being a walk in the park, we had more ups and downs than a
rollercoaster.

The final result was the right one, as we had told the truth throughout.

The right result, although we are yet to get the money, which I don't
think will be too easy.

--
Dan L

http://thebikeshed.spaces.live.com/
1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr

BOTAFOT #140 (KotL 2005/6)
X-FOT#000
DIAABTCOD #26
BOMB#18 (slow)
OMF#11