# Single security camera to connect to computer



## drsparky

MacroManage said:


> I am looking for a good camera to use for surveillance that I could connect directly to my computer, USB or Firewire. This camera will be located on the outside wall just a few feet from my computer. The camera will need to be able to see about 20-60 feet. Id like something good, but not to expensive.
> 
> Any recommendations?


Why does everyone request that?


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## MacroManage

drsparky said:


> Why does everyone request that?


Because just about any line of products has something that is considered good but isn't too expensive. Best bang for the buck, so to speak. 

Would you rather I asked for crappy and extremely expensive?


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## mikeh32

ive used these and had great results. more so the indoor ones though

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/webca..._security_systems/master_systems/devices/4324


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## MDShunk

One camera, one computer, you should probably look at an IP camera. Just type the address of the camera in a browser window and see what the camera's seeing.


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## wildleg

you can get a dedicated system (dvr + 4 stationary IR cams) for 5 or 600 bucks now. that's with a big enough hard drive for 30 days 24/7 recording, and software to connect intra and inter net.


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## MacroManage

MDShunk said:


> One camera, one computer, you should probably look at an IP camera. Just type the address of the camera in a browser window and see what the camera's seeing.


If I did that, I would need to run a Cat5 to the other end of the house where the router is. I'd prefer to connect the camera directly to the computer that will be monitoring/recording it. 



wildleg said:


> you can get a dedicated system (dvr + 4 stationary IR cams) for 5 or 600 bucks now. that's with a big enough hard drive for 30 days 24/7 recording, and software to connect intra and inter net.


I really don't want to get that involved, I only need one camera. The hard drive in my computer will give me many months of storage from one camera.


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## mikeh32

MacroManage said:


> If I did that, I would need to run a Cat5 to the other end of the house where the router is. I'd prefer to connect the camera directly to the computer that will be monitoring/recording it.
> 
> 
> 
> I really don't want to get that involved, I only need one camera. The hard drive in my computer will give me many months of storage from one camera.


You can not do that. USB and firewire have distance restrictions. anything over 15 feet, and you are just asking for problems. unless you do it over ethernet. 

Im telling you that the easiest way is either wireless IP, or just regular IP.

Either way you are going to have to pull cable. what is the difference from cat5, USB(wont work), or even co-ax


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## RIVETER

MacroManage said:


> I am looking for a good camera to use for surveillance that I could connect directly to my computer, USB or Firewire. This camera will be located on the outside wall just a few feet from my computer. The camera will need to be able to see about 20-60 feet. Id like something good, but not to expensive.
> 
> Any recommendations?


We installed one for my father-in-law. He has a building out back where his cats (21) of them, sleep. It was a good image at 35 feet and into the house on a monitor. It does not have a recorder but it was only $79.00 at Sam's. It is wireless and I don't know if it has any other outputs.


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## MDShunk

MacroManage said:


> If I did that, I would need to run a Cat5 to the other end of the house where the router is. I'd prefer to connect the camera directly to the computer that will be monitoring/recording it.


Oh, boo-hoo. God forbid an electrician would have to pull a wire. 

If the computer is closer than the router, just get a little wee switch and put that near the computer. It might add 20 bucks to the installed cost.


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## MacroManage

MDShunk said:


> Oh, boo-hoo. God forbid an electrician would have to pull a wire.


 What benefit would there be in opening up walls to pull a Cat5 to the router over connecting the camera directly to the computer? If there is a benefit, I'm all ears. 

BTW, I'm not a very good electrician.


> If the computer is closer than the router, just get a little wee switch and put that near the computer. It might add 20 bucks to the installed cost.


The computer is connected to the router wirelessly, a switch won't work.


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## MacroManage

mikeh32 said:


> You can not do that.


 What can't I do? I don't think we are talking about the same thing anymore.


> USB and firewire have distance restrictions. anything over 15 feet, and you are just asking for problems. unless you do it over ethernet.


 I only need the distance to be about 6 foot, maybe 8. As I mentioned in the opening post, the camera will literally be on the wall directly outside of my office, that's why I think it's so perfect to just connect it directly to the computer.


> Im telling you that the easiest way is either wireless IP, or just regular IP.


 If you could recommend a camera that will work for my situation I'd appreciate it.


> Either way you are going to have to pull cable.


 For what reason?


> what is the difference from cat5, USB(wont work), or even co-ax


 The difference is that a USB or firewire cable connecting to my computer will take about half an hour to install and do what I need (record from the surveillance camera). Running Cat5 to the router would require opening up multiple walls throughout my house and give me no benefit (that I know of) over connecting directly to the computer. Basically I would be doing a big circle, running a Cat5 to the router so that the router can wirelessly send that info right back to the computer 4 foot away from the camera. And from the little that I know, IP cameras are much more expensive anyway, aren't they?


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## garfield

BB-HCM371A panasonic, Great camera, wireless, color, voice record, great tech support from panasonic. about 6-900 though.


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## Speedy Petey

garfield said:


> BB-HCM371A panasonic, Great camera, wireless, color, voice record, great tech support from panasonic. about 6-900 though.


I don't know much about this stuff...yet. But my supply house guy is a computer guru. He installed Panasonic cameras all over. I do think he went IP though because he can monitor anything he wants from home. 

Panasonic makes some NICE stuff!


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## mikeh32

an ip camera only requires you to plug in a network cable to the router. use the provided software to detect it, and it works. 

used to take us about 10 minutes to install them


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## JohnR

You can monitor the cam from anywhere once you install 

VNC real or tight,

get a no-ip.com web address or equivalent

open a port on your router firewall

install those type in your new address, put in your password and BAM your using your computer like you are sitting at it. :thumbup: From anywhere!
Depending on the type of vnc you get you may not have audio.


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## blindsided

You can get an ip addressable color camera for under $100.00, for a simple situation like yours that's the route I would go.

You can configure port forwarding on your router to view the camera from any pc with a web browser connected to the internet or your internal network.

Initially you might have to configure your router to be on the same subnet as the the default address of the camera... after that it's a walk in the park.


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## MAK

http://www.google.com/products?hl=e...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQrQQwAA

I would try google and pick just about any piece of crap that is wireless. These are not really security cameras they are more like toys. By the way is this connecting to a laptop or desktop?
You could get an analog camera and dvr for like 200 bucks and connect to it remotely via network. This is all kind of low budget crap so your likely to get some really elite Chinese engineering with what ever you purchase.


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## simmo

Why not buy a cheap DVR card to go into one of the PCI slots on your computer, and connect an Analog Colour camera to it using Co-ax cable with a 12 volt power pack.
The cheap Chinese DVR Cards on ebay come with software (not great software) but usable. You could be up and running for less than $60.00


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## HomerB

Check out the iCam app if you have a smartphone. It'll allow you to monitor up to 4 USB or IP cameras on your phone at once. 

You can have 4 separate computers on separate networks each with their own camera to monitor 4 different locations, like the office, home, other office, and other house. Or, you can run multiple cameras on the same computer and network. (or any combination) 

There's no service subscription plan, no DVR, no BS. All you do is assign a common username and password for all the devices and it'll work across multiple networks and firewalls. No setup time. 

You can set it up to record motion events, and even send you push notifications when it detects motion. 

I just bought a cheap USB webcam with night vision from amazon for like 6 bucks!! "6 LED USB PC Webcam Web Camera + Night Vision for Desktop PC Laptop Notebook http://amzn.com/B001LJIQ32

Im gonna mount that outside the window by my front door. I have a cheap laptop that I use as a camera server for the front door (one camera looking out, one looking in) and a third camera looking through the downstairs space that can see outside into the back yard. 

My fourth camera is my built in iSight camera on my work laptop. I use it to see who stops by my desk during my lunch break. Or, I can just set that computer anywhere in my house, turn off the screen and have a hidden camera in plain sight.

I'll post up a follow up to see how well that camera works. 

Let me know what you think of iCam. It's the easiest camera app I've used so far.


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## HARRY304E

HomerB said:


> Check out.


So are you an Electrician or a Spammer..


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## HomerB

HARRY304E said:


> So are you an Electrician or a Spammer..


Excuse me for sounding enthusiastic. I get that way about electronics. 

A question was asked and I made a recommendation. An insightful one at that. What else can you do with a camera besides check it out? Take a look at it? 

I don't work for that company. Just trying to provide a solution that no one else has brought up yet.

Here's a screen shot of the app running with 2 cameras hooked up to a laptop using the iCam app. 

The outside cam is a $49 Microsoft HD unit and the inside cam is an $18 piece, both from Wal Mart. The Microsoft one has a pretty good low light picture. I'll be interested to see how the night vision one works that I just ordered from amazon.


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## johnsmithabe

try w high power security cams.
captured video storage is also and issue in security systems.


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