CCTV

[Radio Fixer]

Does anyone besides Refugee (picked up on another thread) use this?

How good do you think the deterrent value is?

Its certainly less obtrusive then an alarm (which often get ignored) and I believe its a legal requirement to have a key holder for police access?

If you have CCTV what make is it and how has the reliability been?

thanks Gary

[Refugee]

The DVR I have is branded Swann and came with 4 inputs but only two cameras.
As far as deterrent value goes it mellows with time as once footage gets seen in court the word gets about and the deterrent value improves greatly.
When you get a criminal on the recorder doing something dodgy your home becomes a police station for half an hour or so while they all chat about the last tome they arrested the thief/arsonist ETC.
The hard drives are the main problem and the ones used in desktop computers have a short hard life. Fortunately CCTV grade hard drives are almost the same price as the desktop ones.

[mendipviews]

I have a couple of Cameras fitted on my workshop, these are baxall and are fitted in a outdoor housing.
I think they offer a visual deterrent to the would be opportunist criminal in that it shows you gone to a bit of effort to protect your property.

I use a four channel Samsung DVR Unit which I just fitted a new harddisk to, this allows it to now record 14 days and a good quality resolution and is handy when I am working away and need to see if anybody has been sniffing around as we get trouble with metal and fuel thefts.

I hear alarms ringing quite a lot and no one seems to take a blind bit of notice

[Nick]

My experience is that CCTV is basically worthless. Those that you are targeting with it know how to not be seen - the conceal their faces and the police I know say it rarely stands up in court - I have had exactly this confirmed on another forum by serving officers.

My BiL has been targeted several times by thieves - he runs a grounds maintenance business so has lots of Stihl etc, kit. The police themselves installed cameras & DVRs as he was repeatedly targeted (they came back to nick the newly replaced stuff) - we got fantastic pictures of the car they used, complete with number-plates etc. but the scum that owned it said that they had loaned it to some bloke in the pub - sorry, couldn't remember his name...

Like others here in a rural situation, there are fuel & general opportunistic thieves around, so I'm looking at an integrated system that will include outbuildings & driveway - almost certainly it will be IP/wireless and will have a DVR as well as uploading to an FTP site and sending emails to my phone - these sorts of systems are becoming much cheaper now and are extremely powerful.

Main problem is finding suitable discrete IP65/66 rated cameras which use PoE (power over Ethernet) so that you don't need multiple cables to cameras stuck up telegraph poles etc.

Ho, Hum...

[Joe]

I would have thought that anybody who breaks in to steal would make sure that they made off with the recording device.

- Joe

[mendipviews]

I have a Dlink DCS-7110 on loan from a company at the moment, Power over Ethernet and its an IP65 rated camera and has IR, gives a decent picture and a reasonable menu system. Quite a small camera only downside is the cost which is around £300.

Indeed cameras are only a deterrent to some people, and half the time you can't make out who it is and they usually have there hoody up.
I have just started configuring my system to my new phone so hopefully can watch it remotely although the broadband speed might be a factor

[Nick]

I would have thought that anybody who breaks in to steal would make sure that they made off with the recording device.

....hence my comment regarding using IP & FTP upload. If they can just nick or trash the DVR, there's no point at all....

[pwdrive]

Yes, safe upload storage plus some smart water, some for the gear and some auto spray for the intruders..

Lawrence.

[Radio Fixer]

Some very useful stuff here for me. Point taken that if they get in they are going to take the DVD recorder. Don't know about upload to somewhere else. And I don't even have a phone capable of taking emails. What do I do about it if I'm thousands of miles away anyway?

it just gets so complicated. I suppose the DVD recorder could get hidden away or even be in a strong box.

Maybe for a home, without outbuildings, and not in a rural area, then even a basic system does provide some protection. The idea is to make your place less attractive to target than someone else's. Sound harsh buts that's the reality.

This site provides some interesting info: http://www.cctv42.co.uk/camera-buying-guide.aspx

Not Ethernet but Cat 5 cable.

thanks, keep the ideas and comments coming

Gary

[pwdrive]

Smart water, police normally have a stock list of offenders, proving and evidence is the key, from what I hear smart water evidence is addmisable as evidence, has a unique signature apparently and is difficult to wash off in the near term, I might be wrong...check it out or phone the local plod.

Lawrence.