surveillance cameras?

[RWebb]

I'm looking for a cheap way to set up a surveillance camera.

It would be mounted on the outside of my garage wall and I have access to electric power and I could also run a cable back to - say a VCR or better - a computer.

I'd prefer to use a computer since I have an old one I could dedicate to this (it doesn't run XP or anything recent tho). If I use a VCR, I'd have to buy one.

What I really want to do is have something that only saves frames (or clips, i.e. sequences of frames) if motion is detected. That way, I won't have to plow thru dozens of hours of video to see when something happened.

I could either buy a lens, or I might be able to adapt a Nikon D70 digital SLR camera with a telephoto lens to do it. I think Nikon Capture lets you use the camera as a video cam on your computer.

As usual, I want to not spend too much money for this...

Ideas??

[Drew001]

There are lots of DIY solutions using IP cameras like this Linksys or you could do it via an affordable service like Ingrid.

I don't need anything like this now, but I'm looking into it because I'll probably buy a house in a year or two and when I do, I'm going to geek it out.

[Tobra]

There is a guy who lives up the street from my parents who got his video surveillance cameras stolen.

He hit the lottery, or inherited a sack of dough, bought a house in a nice hood, remodeled after there was a "fire" in the garage. Built a stucco wall around it with cameras on the top. House is a for sale by owner, as is the 30 foot cabin cruiser with "Team Ramrod" in foot high letters on the sides of the hull.

Has great pictures of it happening. Average white dude with a beard. Will have to get the link. Put the cameras up high enough nobody swipes 'em is the point, I suppose.

Maybe like a stealth setup, a webcam or something

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I bought a four-camera system with 4-channel DVR for about $500. It's by QSee and although it's relatively simple, it's good enough (hopefully) to keep my garage from ever being broken into again - if it is, I'll have nice high-res color photos of the scumbag(s) to show the cops.

[id10t]

Logitech webcam with their motion sensing hardware, a USB->CAT5->USB extender,and some CAT5 cable will get you up to 90 feet from a computer, maybe more. Windows based.

Same extender, Linux supported webcam, and some Free software and you can do it on a low end computer.

[Danny_Ocean]

Originally Posted by id10t

Logitech webcam with their motion sensing hardware, a USB->CAT5->USB extender,and some CAT5 cable will get you up to 90 feet from a computer, maybe more. Windows based.

Same extender, Linux supported webcam, and some Free software and you can do it on a low end computer.

+1, but I would get a Linksys IP cam and a POE converter box (Power Over Ethernet). Then you'll only need one cable (Cat5) to the camera. Linksys provides free software with their cams that's pretty sophisticated. You can set it to motion, schedule or continous recording.

[Racerbvd]

Trap cameras from hunting stores are pretty good idea.

[Danny_Ocean]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

Trap cameras from hunting stores are pretty good idea.

But you'll get a pic of every homeless person, dog, car or pedestrian that passes it.

[RWebb]

Thx.

so far we have as nominees:

1. Linksys
2. Logitech
3. trap cams from hunting stores

[RWebb]

the latter seem to cost about $500....

[Danny_Ocean]

Originally Posted by RWebb

the latter seem to cost about $500....

Trap cams? $39.95 @ WalMart. Not what you need, though...

[Drew001]

Also, check out GeoVision.
Looks like they have a lot of good products.