DIY home security recommendations
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(Apologies in advance for the long post, but I could use some guidance) Any suggestions for a relatively inexpensive, but thorough DIY home security system, including remote-access surveillance cameras? We're looking for something that has good quality for both daytime and IR video, email alerts, and remote web access. We want a couple of cameras outside, and a couple in a few rooms in the house we'd like the check on when we're on vacation. I've spent a few days researching this, and I think I've found an alarm system I like (GE Simon 3 or Simon XT, not sure which yet), with Criticom[^] as the monitoring service. One of the reviews I found was here[^]. Seems kinda hard to beat the price of installing the system and contracting the monitoring service yourself vs using one of the big security companies like ADT. A few days ago I found some details on GE's site, but it looks like they changed a few things and some of the links aren't working now, so I can't link to details on the system,, but it looks pretty good from what I can tell. The problem I'm having is the camera system. As soon as I find a good system, I either find a lot of bad reviews about it, or they're split 50/50. I can't seem to find a product that stands out as being reliable. :sigh: I can search for a washer/dryer, table saw, or router and find hundreds of glowing reviews on several models, but no such luck on surveillance cameras. At first the Defender SN301-8CH[^] looked really good, but I only found a couple of reviews saying the email feature actually worked. Nearly all the others who commented on the feature said they could never get it to work, and Defender's customer support wasn't much help. Then I found the DVRUSA ViewMaster 800[^], including a live demo of the software[
dybs wrote:
Any suggestions for a relatively inexpensive, but thorough DIY home security system
Colt M1911
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dybs wrote:
Any suggestions for a relatively inexpensive, but thorough DIY home security system
Colt M1911
+1
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997 -
(Apologies in advance for the long post, but I could use some guidance) Any suggestions for a relatively inexpensive, but thorough DIY home security system, including remote-access surveillance cameras? We're looking for something that has good quality for both daytime and IR video, email alerts, and remote web access. We want a couple of cameras outside, and a couple in a few rooms in the house we'd like the check on when we're on vacation. I've spent a few days researching this, and I think I've found an alarm system I like (GE Simon 3 or Simon XT, not sure which yet), with Criticom[^] as the monitoring service. One of the reviews I found was here[^]. Seems kinda hard to beat the price of installing the system and contracting the monitoring service yourself vs using one of the big security companies like ADT. A few days ago I found some details on GE's site, but it looks like they changed a few things and some of the links aren't working now, so I can't link to details on the system,, but it looks pretty good from what I can tell. The problem I'm having is the camera system. As soon as I find a good system, I either find a lot of bad reviews about it, or they're split 50/50. I can't seem to find a product that stands out as being reliable. :sigh: I can search for a washer/dryer, table saw, or router and find hundreds of glowing reviews on several models, but no such luck on surveillance cameras. At first the Defender SN301-8CH[^] looked really good, but I only found a couple of reviews saying the email feature actually worked. Nearly all the others who commented on the feature said they could never get it to work, and Defender's customer support wasn't much help. Then I found the DVRUSA ViewMaster 800[^], including a live demo of the software[
You could always rig up a system yourself. Buy the cameras from one place, you can use a PC to record and detect intrusions, and send the required email/sms.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997 -
You could always rig up a system yourself. Buy the cameras from one place, you can use a PC to record and detect intrusions, and send the required email/sms.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997I'm planning on at least setting up the cameras myself, possibly with a standalone DVR, maybe just with a PC, although I haven't looked into the PC route much yet. The problem is I haven't found any cameras or brands that strike me as reliable and worth the money. Most of the DVR systems I've read about include sending email/sms if there's a power loss at some point. I'm sure there's a way I could do the same thing with a PC, but I suspect that may require more home automation equipment. I should probably research the PC option a bit more.
The shout of progress is not "Eureka!" it's "Strange... that's not what i expected". - peterchen
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You could always rig up a system yourself. Buy the cameras from one place, you can use a PC to record and detect intrusions, and send the required email/sms.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997So I did some googling for "home surveillance software", and found LuxRiot[^] (Review[^]). Haven't found a lot of reviews, but everything I've seen so far is favorable. One big plus is they have an API that provides motion detection notifications, so I can add my own email functionality. They also list a bunch of supported IP camera models, and the UI looks straightforward enough. Now I just need to find the cameras I want. Anybody have any experience with IP cameras? Any particular brands or models I should seriously consider or avoid like the plague? I'll keep searching, but first-hand experience always helps.
The shout of progress is not "Eureka!" it's "Strange... that's not what i expected". - peterchen
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(Apologies in advance for the long post, but I could use some guidance) Any suggestions for a relatively inexpensive, but thorough DIY home security system, including remote-access surveillance cameras? We're looking for something that has good quality for both daytime and IR video, email alerts, and remote web access. We want a couple of cameras outside, and a couple in a few rooms in the house we'd like the check on when we're on vacation. I've spent a few days researching this, and I think I've found an alarm system I like (GE Simon 3 or Simon XT, not sure which yet), with Criticom[^] as the monitoring service. One of the reviews I found was here[^]. Seems kinda hard to beat the price of installing the system and contracting the monitoring service yourself vs using one of the big security companies like ADT. A few days ago I found some details on GE's site, but it looks like they changed a few things and some of the links aren't working now, so I can't link to details on the system,, but it looks pretty good from what I can tell. The problem I'm having is the camera system. As soon as I find a good system, I either find a lot of bad reviews about it, or they're split 50/50. I can't seem to find a product that stands out as being reliable. :sigh: I can search for a washer/dryer, table saw, or router and find hundreds of glowing reviews on several models, but no such luck on surveillance cameras. At first the Defender SN301-8CH[^] looked really good, but I only found a couple of reviews saying the email feature actually worked. Nearly all the others who commented on the feature said they could never get it to work, and Defender's customer support wasn't much help. Then I found the DVRUSA ViewMaster 800[^], including a live demo of the software[
ZoneMinder is a nice pc based security camera solution. You still have to track down which cameras to buy which is a pain, since the ones that get great reviews always seem to be so expensive. Some of the cheaper cameras seem like they might be ok and that the people who gave them bad reviews just weren't good at configuring them. Also, cameras seem to change model numbers faster than the reviews appear, so when you find a good one, it is no longer made.
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You could always rig up a system yourself. Buy the cameras from one place, you can use a PC to record and detect intrusions, and send the required email/sms.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997I expected your response to be more on the lines of Jack Daniels, Smith, Wesson, and Doberman.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. I also do Android Programming as I find it a refreshing break from the MS. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost
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I expected your response to be more on the lines of Jack Daniels, Smith, Wesson, and Doberman.
Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. I also do Android Programming as I find it a refreshing break from the MS. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost
S&W do license their name to an ADT type security system
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" — Hunter S. Thompson
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(Apologies in advance for the long post, but I could use some guidance) Any suggestions for a relatively inexpensive, but thorough DIY home security system, including remote-access surveillance cameras? We're looking for something that has good quality for both daytime and IR video, email alerts, and remote web access. We want a couple of cameras outside, and a couple in a few rooms in the house we'd like the check on when we're on vacation. I've spent a few days researching this, and I think I've found an alarm system I like (GE Simon 3 or Simon XT, not sure which yet), with Criticom[^] as the monitoring service. One of the reviews I found was here[^]. Seems kinda hard to beat the price of installing the system and contracting the monitoring service yourself vs using one of the big security companies like ADT. A few days ago I found some details on GE's site, but it looks like they changed a few things and some of the links aren't working now, so I can't link to details on the system,, but it looks pretty good from what I can tell. The problem I'm having is the camera system. As soon as I find a good system, I either find a lot of bad reviews about it, or they're split 50/50. I can't seem to find a product that stands out as being reliable. :sigh: I can search for a washer/dryer, table saw, or router and find hundreds of glowing reviews on several models, but no such luck on surveillance cameras. At first the Defender SN301-8CH[^] looked really good, but I only found a couple of reviews saying the email feature actually worked. Nearly all the others who commented on the feature said they could never get it to work, and Defender's customer support wasn't much help. Then I found the DVRUSA ViewMaster 800[^], including a live demo of the software[
Many of the suggestions provided, in particular ones that use PC as the brains will fail if power is out or cut :doh:
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" — Hunter S. Thompson
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Many of the suggestions provided, in particular ones that use PC as the brains will fail if power is out or cut :doh:
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" — Hunter S. Thompson
I would of course use a UPS, probably one like this[^]. The software writes to the Windows Event Log when a power event occurs (I assume when it switches to running off the battery), so I can register an event handler to email or text me when power goes out (our router/modem is also on battery backup, so we should still have internet connection for at least a few minutes in case of a power outage).
The shout of progress is not "Eureka!" it's "Strange... that's not what i expected". - peterchen
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I would of course use a UPS, probably one like this[^]. The software writes to the Windows Event Log when a power event occurs (I assume when it switches to running off the battery), so I can register an event handler to email or text me when power goes out (our router/modem is also on battery backup, so we should still have internet connection for at least a few minutes in case of a power outage).
The shout of progress is not "Eureka!" it's "Strange... that's not what i expected". - peterchen
Excellent, have you considered hooking up any fire / smoke / CO detection equipment into the system? That would be really cool. I just got off the phone with my mother, I was trying to convince her to get a home security system, but she is a little paranoid. I'd rather have an alarm, in addition to the amount of firearms in the house.
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!" — Hunter S. Thompson
