Security camera help

[Sixfivesavage]

Looking for a little advise and experience from some guys. I have a place I'd like to keep an eye on but don't have internet service there and don't want to get it. I don't need to be able to view the camera from my phone and just looking to store photos and video or just video to a SD card to view weekly or when I notice something amiss. I need time and date stamp as well as decent night recording where there is some ambient light from a yard light. I'd prefer wireless if possible and was wondering if I can use something like Arlo but have it run on a local area network withought actual internet connection. I've had a gamecam set up in the air for almost a year now but it seems to miss some stuff for some reason time to time and the video always catches the end of whatever triggered it or stops recording before you see the result of what happened. Trying to see what options I have without internet. If I have to go corded I will, it's only one maybe two cameras I'm looking for and the recording station won't be located far away from them. The cameras will be in a pole barn watching my shop door.

 

[STROP]

There are many standard outdoor security cameras with "edge" recording - the term they use for the same method a trail/game cam does. They still require a power source, but if you use a PoE-powered camera you can download through that same network cable that powers it. Aerial/burial grade cable is needed, not too expensive. PoE power can come from a PoE network switch or PoE injector. Distance limitation is the standard 100 meters.

ETA: Recording at night is tricky unless the camera's viewing area is well lit and there are not moving masses like bushes, trees, long grass. Bush, tree, grass movement looks like motion. As does the pixel "noise" of a dark area.

PM your phone number and call time if you need more details.

 

[ophious]

I use blueiris, with a dedicated i7 computer. Technically you can run just about any cam with that software but storing video on a card won't get you much recording time. My advice is dont skimp out on cheap resolution cams. It's pointless unless you can use the video as evidence.

 

[W54/XM-388]

A pretty good very easy to setup system would be the Ubiquity cameras.
You just need a computer running windows or Linux & it can be low powered.

Cameras are POE, so just need to run a network cable to each one & then a small network switch they all connect into & hook up to the computer.
All the data is stored locally, but you could add a network connection to the outside world if you wish.

 

[missed]

https://www.lorextechnology.com/security-camera-systems/N-1wtg35h

We have a Lorex 4K system at our place.

I just bought it as a quick easy solution, I had looked into some more of the diy systems or integration into the central computer at the shop.

 

[Sixfivesavage]

Thanks for the help so far. Lots to look into for this. I'll hit you up soon strop.

 

[ophious]

I can help as well if you need some advice. I've setup quite a few systems analog and ip based. Most stand alone systems will work just fine without internet. You will most likely need a LAN setup though.

 

[Sixfivesavage]

Looking at the lorex stuff, this may be my ticket. Any thoughts? I won't be running it with internet for remote access. Would like to have it store to a thumb drive or something so I could view it at home but it wouldn't be a big deal to bring a laptop over there and plug it in to view it if I had to or get a dedicated cheap screen. I assume the unit has its own sorlftware to be able to delete stuff and whatnot without an actual computer or smart phone?

https://www.lorextechnology.com/hd-...echargeable-wire-free-cameras/LWF1080B-62-1-p

 

[ophious]

Lorex stuff is like Apple fyi. You are stuck with their cams and equipment. If you don't want to dick with stuff much, a costco system is probably your best bet. Having a dvr is your best option as it will store much more than say a trail cam etc. The triggering options are going to be ok with a lorex, but it will do everything you need. And if you decide later to add internet access, that's typicaly an option for them too.

 

[missed]

We had ours going to a DVR only for a while without internet connectivity. I just had one of the old computer monitors there for easy replay if needed.

When I go to expand the system I'm going to further research. But the system works well, it's easy to deal with.

 

[STROP]

I have little experience with the home/small office type systems. I work with commercial systems.

That said, I have found wireless cameras (Arlo, etc.) have to make compromises to save power:
- Most wireless are in 100% standby to save energy and they only record after the point of motion. Some only record 30sec max to further conserve power. It would be interesting to see if the Lorex records X number of seconds prior to motion event.
- The area covered by the Lorex PIR sensor is similar to the coverage of a flashlight pointing from the camera - make sure the area you want to protect is within that cone of "light". Motion detectors like that are great for targeted areas like a doorway or across an area. However sometimes if you're not careful with placement you leave a blind spot. It's commonly called a "crawl" zone where a person can walk under or crawl under the PIR detection area. If the Lorex system relies solely on PIR then think it through.
- This being snipershide and us knowing about focal planes - realize that daylight and IR have different focus points. Good cameras can re-focus when they enter "night" or IR mode. Most affordable cameras do not do that - and that is why IR recordings on a lot of security footage looks fuzzy. Conversely if you focused an IR-capable camera (that does not have autofocus/re-focus) then the daylight video would be fuzzy.
- A decent wired surveillance camera will perform it's own motion detection using the pixels in the image. You tweak the sensitivity and you can even mask off problem areas in the image. Areas such as tree leaves that move in the wind.

Just some thoughts.

 

[hermosabeach]

What about adding some IR illumination all night long?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01K...dpPl=1&dpID=41THd83UwzL&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1



https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01G...r=8-13&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=ir+led


Observers would see a porch light that was off...

Would the constant light help with night time focus and picture quality?

 

[STROP]

What about adding some IR illumination all night long?
...

Illum always helps.

However the focal point for IR is at a physically different distance than for color. So it is physically impossible to have both day and night in focus unless the camera has an auto-focus mechanism*.

Also the camera depth of field is greatly reduced because the lens's aperture is generally wide open to allow max IR light + compensate for the slight darkening of the IR filter that swings in when it switches to IR mode (if so equipped with an IR filter.) So that makes things outside focus point even more out of focus.

*The better and high end security cameras have auto-focus mechanisms that can be used in two ways:

1) Auto-focus every time it switches from day to night mode and back to day. Great except the camera can be fooled by objects temporarily in view - like a vehicle or trash can that were close and focused on then later moved.
2) During set up/commissioning save pre-set focus points for both day and night modes. The camera is set to use one for day, one for night and you'll get the depth of field where you want it most. It's best to set the IR point at night but you can use a dark neutral density (ND) filter or ND filter material to do it in daylight.