Home IP Camera recommendations

[efcmandan]

Hi all,

I would appreciate any advice from you guys on what you think may be the best way to achieve what I want.

I currently have two Linksys WVC54G IP cameras. They are muck. They don't work in the dark, the software is cack, the motion-sensors...well, they don't sense motion, and they basically just lack what I think I need.

In an ideal world, I'd like to have two IP cameras, one facing the front of the house, one facing the back. I'd like them to have decent motion-sensing, and record for a definable time when sensing motion. Hey, even a .jpg snapshot would be nice. I have a spare Athlon XP2200 PC currently running Linux (Fedora Core 4), that I would like to utilise. I can put Windows on it if need-be. Could this be used as some kind of PVR server or something? I'd like to be able to view the cameras remotely, over th'internet.

Oh yeah, and I'd like to do it cheaply of course!

Are these kind of things possible?

Many thanks for any replies

Dan

[Truss and France]

What do you call cheap?

[norman]

Your avatar scares me.

[Nova-Security]

Standard hig resolution day night cameras, fed in to a DVR so it will record all the time without a PC, DVR with LAN connection for remote viewing.

I would not go down the route of IP cameras, they are at the moment only meant for boardromm conference calls / meetings. (having said that there are some poping up in trade mags at the moment with resonable spec)

[Nova-Security]

I'd like them to have decent motion-sensing, and record for a definable time when sensing motion. Hey, even a .jpg snapshot would be nice.

DVR, and will even email jpeg on motion

Oh yeah, and I'd like to do it cheaply of course!

This is the main question, what do you class as cheap, it sounds like you have thrown good money away on the IP camera already.

Are these kind of things possible?

Yep, and can get more advanced depends on the money you what to spend.

[efcmandan]

What do you call cheap?

66479[/snapback]

Well, the two cams I've got at the moment cost about £260 for the pair. I figure I can Fleabay them for about £150 for the pair. On top of that, say another £150 making £300 in total. I can make do with one camera to start with I guess.

[efcmandan]

Your avatar scares me.

66482[/snapback]

She's watching you. At all times.

[efcmandan]

Standard hig resolution day night cameras, fed in to a DVR so it will record all the time without a PC, DVR with LAN connection for remote viewing.

I would not go down the route of IP cameras, they are at the moment only meant for boardromm conference calls / meetings. (having said that there are some poping up in trade mags at the moment with resonable spec)

66483[/snapback]

Ok, I think the DVR is what is going to cost me? That's why I'd like to use that spare PC really, unless there are reliability issues.

I know where you're coming from on the IP cameras. I don't care how they connect to the DVR, as long as that is accessible remotely via IP.

Ta

[Zak]

You can get a GeoVision PC Card that is pretty cheap that comes with good software (not sure off the top of my head if they can deal with IP cameras though - therefore that bit of info is useless )

I always thought that it was not recommended to use integrated camera motion sensing externally because it never works properly (is always triggering and is unreliable).

And as Nova said, IP wouldn't normally be used for that application.

[efcmandan]

You can get a GeoVision PC Card that is pretty cheap that comes with good software (not sure off the top of my head if they can deal with IP cameras though - therefore that bit of info is useless )

I always thought that it was not recommended to use integrated camera motion sensing externally because it never works properly (is always triggering and is unreliable).

And as Nova said, IP wouldn't normally be used for that application.

66540[/snapback]

Hi Zak,

so, if I get a Geovision card like this one from Fleabay Ebay, I can then get normal cameras (do they still use co-ax?) and wire them into that card?

I like this idea, I'm hopefully going to put a nice floor in my loft, then I can put a machine up there for this purpose. It'll be easier to wire the camera(s) into the loft too.

Thanks

Dan