Surveillance

[KD5NRH]

This seems a bit more on topic here than in General...

It seems WalMart is no longer carrying the little $25 B/W surveillance cameras, so any sources for something similar in the under $50 range would be appreciated.

Also, anybody know where to get a quad unit and/or time-lapse recorder cheap? I'd like the capability for at least four cameras, and unattended recording of all of them to regular VHS, DVD, or SD, 24hr minimum, with at least 1 frame per second.

Long-range wireless cameras would be a bonus, since our driveway here is longer than 300ft, and the place were planning to build will have a 400ft driveway with no direct line of sight between the house and gate. We're looking at putting in power/signal wiring for a gate opener out there, so we could easily run a camera with that, but it's not an option here. (rental)

We've had mailbox problems, as discussed in another thread, along with illegal dumping (no mail or other identifiable stuff, we checked each time) just off the end of the driveway, and during the school year we get a lot of college and high school kids partying along the road, including in our driveway, thinking they won't get caught underage drinking etc., so watching the gate would be a real bonus to any surveillance system, especially given that it may be the only way to get a plate/vehicle description on an even halfway intelligent thief. (400ft driveway at the future site gives them a lot of places to park out of sight of both road and house, while the current one would just let them get well off the road without necessarily alerting anyone in the house)

[KBCraig]

The Texarkana Sam's Club has a variety of video security/surveillance systems. Cameras, multi-channel DVRs, IP cameras, etc.

If Wally World doesn't have what you want, check your nearest Sam's Club.

[numist]

Believe it or not I found on ebay 99% of the equipment for my systems and paid much, much less for it than I would have on the local retail market. Doing a search for a "CCTV DVR" will give you lots of things to choose from to do it yourself. As far as the driveway situation, you might look into some critter cams. You know, the still cameras you can mount to trees for hunting. Good clear pictures and can be mounted to nearly anything.
I've never had a whole lot of success from wireless gadgets unless they are within 100' or so. Running wires eliminates having to access the camera itself to change batteries all the time.. they don't last very long.

[Skiprr]

As far as the driveway situation, you might look into some critter cams. You know, the still cameras you can mount to trees for hunting. Good clear pictures and can be mounted to nearly anything.

Hm. Good thought. They're designed to be weather-proof, and if you're willing to buy pricier ones, they even have infrared nighttime capability. I saw some not long ago at Sportsman's Warehouse...

Yep, here's the one I remembered being on sale: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=397853. Downside to these is that they, too, can be stolen, and the photos are all stored locally, in the device. But if you have a long, wooded drive, you might be able to position a couple of these guys so they're virtually invisible even in the daytime. Now you got me thinking about one for the backyard...

[smokindragon]

There is a Company based out of Luling,Tx. website link is http://www.scdlink.com they seem to have really good pricing. I haven't purchased from them as of yet, but when I update my camera system I will.

[Reloader]

Go to http://www.pimall.com. They have what you need. Nice folks, too.