Re: Home surveillance help

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"zman" <zman97@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

> Is the black and white version adequate for an entry, or should I get
> color?

B&W is adequate, but color is really a whole lot better for making sense of
what you're seeing.  The tradeoff is that most color cams need more light
than their B&W counterparts and they are more expensive.  I find it worth it
because there's so much more "information" available to the brain in a color
photograph.  Everything tends to be more of a jumble in black and white.
Still, if all you want to see is the face of whomever's at the door, B&W is
acceptable.

> I'm not sure what type of camera to mount under the roof.  It will be
> aimed at the entrance to the back yard.  Any suggestions?

I use weatherproof bulletcams (mostly weatherproof, that is - put silicone
sealant on the wire lead-outs and the back seal to be sure!).  If there's
not much light back there, I would use one of the newer cams that have their
own IR illumination.  The only caveat I can think of is making sure that you
are able to wipe off the spider webs that always seem to form on IR cameras.
The IR light attracts insects and wherever their are insects, spiders are
soon to follow.  I've tried everything I can think of to inhibit them, but
every few months the backyard IR cam turns into a Tholian web and I have to
open the window and lean out and clear the cobwebs.  Put the cameras where
you can reach them without killing yourself!

> Assuming all of the above gets worked out, how do I combine the feeds
> from all 4 cameras such that they can be used as an input to either the
> antenna input on the multiswitch or the Channel Plus splitter/combiner?

There are a number of ways to do this.  First, there's a very simple
"scanner" device that switches to each camera in sequence for a preset
number of seconds.  The next would be the same sequencer, but with alarm
inputs that allow you to specify which camera you want to view at a specific
moment.  The third type of device is called a "quad processor" that splits
your screen into four different quarter panes, each showing a separate
image.  These units are often equipped with alarm inputs that enable you to
switch from the quad view to any specific camera output that you want to see
full-screen.  They are usually the most expensive of the multi-camera
options.

These devices are for cameras with a normal video output (i.e. you could
plug them into the "video in" jack of your VCR).  I am not sure what's
available for the cameras that you've specified.

I started with a simple 8 camera sequencer with variable dwell time and the
manual ability to switch cameras in and out of the "loop" but that gets old
pretty quickly.  Invariably a sequenced camera switches away from the camera
you want at exactly the wrong moment.  Now I use a sequencer that can switch
manually, but can also switch electronically to whatever camera channel
whose alarm contacts are closed.

--
Bobby G.