Re: Home surveillance help

["Brett Griffin" <bret.griffin@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Another way that's easy to get your cameras to unused TV channels is to get
a 4 channel modulator.

http://www.channelplus.com/product_detail.php?productId=41 (Open house and
Channel Plus are sister companies)

This allows 4 inputs modulated to 4 channels.  Requires at a minimum of 9
free channels available, but with satellite you are fine.  When modulating
you do not use the channel above or below a modulated channel to minimize
noise and interference.

--
Brett Griffin, Technology Consultant
Architechtronics, Inc.
get to know home technology

*Home of "fidoh" for HAI/OnQ/Aegis
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"Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:LKSdnfXko5XE-EvfRVn-1w@xxxxxxxxxx
> "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.
>
>
>