Question: We are detecting signs of off-hours hanky-panky going on and would like
to start monitoring activities, locally and remotely. We've taken a look
at the x10 barrage of ads, but am not convinced this is the right
solution.We have a large building, 683' x 110' wide. The area we want to surveil
is around the entrance and loading doors, tool and equipment storage
areas and an outside yard area. The building is not heated and in the winter, will be as cold as the
ambient temperature is, which can be as low as -20 F.
Ideally, we'd like it to tie into a computer and/or record the night's
activities on a VCR. The computer is running Windows 2000 Professional
and has two 20 GB hard drives, one of which can be dedicated to video
recording. I'd like to have sharp resolution from the cameras, which will operate
in very low light conditions at night. I'd like the lenses to have a
wide angle of acceptance and be able to zoom in remotely on
"interesting" activity, if required. The distances between the camera locations and the office area can be as
long as 500 ft., although it will mostly be ~100 ft or so.
We also have two Sony Camcorders, Model TRV320 with night vision and
wide angle zoom lens, if there's a way to integrate these into a system.
It would also be a good thing to real-time monitor what's going on from
a remote location. Does anyone have any ideas about the Sony Surveillance Camera?
Answer:You can easily integrate the sony camcorders into the surveillance system by
means of a wireless transmitter. these transmitters can theoretically go 500
feet if there is no interference. The advantage of having the sony
camcorders is you get to work with what you have, and you get an electronic
iris for autofocusing. Although I am not aware fo any features fo these cameras, teh nightshot
technology is just a sensitive CCD chip with maybe 0.1 lux enahnacement. I
also know these cameras have a built-in I/R illuminator, but may prove
insufficient at such great distances. Your best bet would be an I/R
illuminator. Another problem is the temperature range of these cameras, they are not
designed for outdoor use, especially at -20 degrees C.
Honestly, the best would be an outdoor camera with an auto-iris. Added to
this to further inhance nighttime viewing is an IR illuminator (you can buy
them seperate or integrated into the camera, usually a bunch of LEDs around
the lens). You will also need to hardwire the system to the VIDEO-in of a
popular video card. Systems such as these will go up to 1000$ CDN. Not to
mention, this is not a Pan and Tilt system, where you have 360 degrees
freedom of rotation (remotely of course).
Now, if you want a hidden camera, you can easily hook one up. But, dont
forget these cameras only give you around 400 lines resolution (not too good
to get facial recognition over 20 feet distances). But, these cameras can be
remotely set up anywhere (once again, remote=susceptible to interference).
Heh, I cant personally suggest you a system, but i can suggest you a website
www.smarthome.com
