me said:
Seems like most of the replies suggest a webcam. But I need something
that will record directly as I do not have internet connection where I
am living now. And it has to record in low light and on object movement.
I need something that will record to cd or directly to the computer hard
drive. Does that exist either in hardware or hardware + software combo?
Or am I not reading the replies carefully enough? Sorry, I am pretty
ignorant on this topic.
The solutions suggested are based on price. Webcams are the highest
volume, and cover the low dollar range of cameras. (You get what you
pay for.) The SuperCircuits site, with its collection of NTSC video
output cameras, can match on price, but you need a video capture card
to work with those. And the video capture card would need a motion
detection and recording program, to be useful for surveillance.
IP connected cameras (uses Ethernet cable), have a processor inside
them, and are much more expensive. There are even high resolution
Firewire connected cameras, that stream at 50MB/sec or a bit less,
and those would be $1500+. Cameras with even higher resolution probably
have their own digital interconnect standard, and price would be a lesson
in astronomy.
Since you expressed an interest in low cost, then webcam is where
you start. You are more likely to get a good integrated application
package with a webcam.
The cheapest cameras use pinhole lenses. The next cheapest would
have a fixed lens. If you are lucky, some cameras use a C/CS mount
on the front, so you can screw your own lens on. My camera had
that, but I didn't find the mechanical tolerance that good, and
the lens assembly is a loose fit.
"Real" surveillance cameras, have pan/tilt/zoom, and can pan
360 degrees, to look all around the room. A webcam is going
to be pointed at the point of entry, and as long as that is
the only way to get in, that is good enough for logging the
event.
V-Gear Auto Zoom Webcam
http://www.crazyaboutgadgets.com/detail.asp?ID=663
"or even set the system to monitor for motion and record / sound
an alarm if it detects anything"
The USB connected camera, uses a software package that can watch
for motion. It helps if you can download a user manual for the
gear you are about to buy, as sometimes the software packages
are poorly written and documented, and it is hard to tell
what you are getting. I've played with products, where the
motion detection is an entirely separate program, written
by someone else, and it doesn't integrate well with the
rest of the package.
ftp://ftp.vgear.com/user_manual/Bee%20manual_EN_2007.pdf
For devices that offer a "following" capability, generally
that capability only exists at a smaller frame size. When
the device is capturing large full frames, the software doesn't
"follow" the subject. But that should not stop the motion
detection capability. If the camera is downloading 1280x960
frames at 15FPS, that is a lot of data to analyse, and a
strong processor might be needed. The camera driver/utilities
usually do all the grunt-work, and not something in the
camera itself. To get an "intelligent" camera (such as the
TCP/IP cameras that connect via Ethernet and have a
web server inside, for remote viewing), those cameras are
a lot more expensive, and effectively the camera has its
own computer inside for handling AOI, motion, multiple
cameras (chaining) etc.
The infrared illumination is needed, if you suspect the
perpetrator will enter in the dark. If the perp has a bag over
his/her head, then I doubt your captured file is going
to do much good in court. (In my old apartment, all the
keys are on a wall of hooks in the admin office, and multiple
staff members had access.)
Some surveillance packages will even email picture(s) if you
have a reliable TCP/IP connection, which is useful if a
thief is there to steal the computer and potentially take
recorded files with them. The emailed picture might be
all you get, in such a case.
If you don't want to tie up a computer doing stuff like
this, there are also dedicated digital recorders for
NTSC video cameras, like this one. You could plug
this into your broadband router, punch appropriate
holes in the NAT/Firewall, and log in remotely to
see if anything has happened. The recorder should
be securely locked up, so it cannot be stolen on
entry.
https://www.supercircuits.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3752
Paul
