New with home security

[LoraMae]

I don't know which forum to begin with. I joined because I need help and I don't even know where to begin. I truly have a "stalker" and I'd like to position a camera in my yard so that I can video record his car and license plate. I'd like to have this be a simple as possible, as I have minimal tech skills. Arlo cameras surround my home and one points to the road, but I don't think it will capture a clear vehicle image and I know it will not read the license plate. My Internet comes through the basement and even with the extra satellites, the signal barely reaches the cameras attached to the house. What separate unit can I purchase to take video of the road and can it be motion triggered? Can I have the video saved without changing a memory card daily?

 

[mat200]

I don't know which forum to begin with. I joined because I need help and I don't even know where to begin. I truly have a "stalker" and I'd like to position a camera in my yard so that I can video record his car and license plate. I'd like to have this be a simple as possible, as I have minimal tech skills. Arlo cameras surround my home and one points to the road, but I don't think it will capture a clear vehicle image and I know it will not read the license plate. My Internet comes through the basement and even with the extra satellites, the signal barely reaches the cameras attached to the house. What separate unit can I purchase to take video of the road and can it be motion triggered? Can I have the video saved without changing a memory card daily?

Welcome @LoraMae

Sorry to read about your situation. Many of us came here with similar concerns for the safety of ourselves and our families.

NONE OF THE CONSUMER cloud dependent cameras that are currently sold will adequately solve your what you want to do. This is especially true of any battery powered cloud dependent camera.

You will need quality cameras which are "wired" - that is both getting power and data through a wire. This will require some understanding which you can DIY learn.

Take some time and read the cliff notes here as well as look for the summary that @SouthernYankee includes with his welcome messages and see the LPR section.

 

[SouthernYankee]

Read Study Plan before spending money.

--------------------------------
My standard welcome to the forum message.

Please read the IP Cam Talk Cliff Notes and other items in the IP Cam Talk Wiki. (read on a real computer, not a phone). The wiki is in the blue bar at the top of the page.

Read How to Secure Your Network (Don't Get Hacked!) in the wiki also.

Quick start
1) If you do not have a wired monitored alarm system, get that first
2) Use Dahua starlight cameras or Hikvision darkfighter cameras if you need good low light cameras.
3) use a VPN to access home network (openVPN)
4) Do not use wifi cameras.
5) Do not use cloud storage
6) Do Not use uPNP, P2P, QR, do not open ports,
7) More megapixel is not necessarily better.
8) Avoid chinese hacked cameras (most ebay, amazon, aliexpress cameras(not all, but most))
9) Do not use reolink, ring, nest, Arlo cameras (they are junk), no cloud cameras
10) If possible use a turret camera , bullet collect spiders, dome collect dirt and reflect light (IR)
11) Use only solid copper, AWG 23 or 24 ethernet wire. , no CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum)
12) use a test mount to verify the camera mount location. My test rig: rev.2
13) (Looney2ns)If you want to be able to ID faces, don't mount cams higher than 7ft. You want to know who did it, not just what happened.
14) Use a router that has openVPN built in (Most ASUS, Some NetGear....)
15) camera placement use the calculator... IPVM Camera Calculator V3
16) POE list PoE Switch Suggestion List
17) Camera Sensor size, bigger is general better Sensor Size Chart


Cameras to look at
IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED . Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+) - 4MP starlight
.................... Dahua IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED review
IPC-T5442TM-AS ..... Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ - 4MP starlight+
IPC-B5442E-ZE ...... Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+
IPC-T2347G-LU ...... Review of the Hikvision OEM model IPC-T2347G-LU 'ColorVu' IP CCTV camera. (DS-2CD2347G1-LU)
IPC-HDW2231R-ZS .... Review-Dahua IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS Starlight Camera-Varifocal
IPC-HDW2231T-ZS-S2 . Review-OEM IPC-T2231T-ZS 2mp Varifocal Starlight Camera
IPC-HDW5231R-ZE .... Review-Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE
IPC-HFW4239T-ASE ... IPC-HFW4239T-ASE
IPCT-HDW5431RE-I ... Review - IP Cam Talk 4 MP IR Fixed Turret Network Camera
IPC-T5241H-AS-PV ... Review-OEM IPC-T5241H-AS-PV 2mp AI active deterrence cam
DS-2CD2325FWD-I
N22AL12 ............ New Dahua N22AL12 Budget Cam w/Starlight -- low cost entry

Other dahua 4MP starlight Dahua 4MP Starlight Lineup

My preferred indoor cameras
DS-2CD2442FWD-IW
IPC-K35A Review-Dahua IPC-K35A 3mp Cube Camera

If interested in Blue Iris and other setup items see the following post

Newbie Starter Guide to IP Cam System – VPN setup – Computer Hardware – Blue Iris – Dahua Cameras

This is an intermediate / newbie guide for people just starting out looking for a surveillance setup. I know this setup might not be for everyone and there are many options. You can find a lot of this information in the Wiki: IP Cam Talk Wiki | IP Cam Talk A great place to start in the Wiki...

ipcamtalk.com

Read,study,plan before spending money ..... plan plan plan
Test do not guess

 

[windguy]

@LoraMae - Welcome. You've come to the right place to learn about camera systems. Sorry to hear about this.
Do you know this stalker?
How long does the stalker park in front of your house, assuming that's what he's doing? Day or night?
Does he stalk you elsewhere or just at your house?
Have you contacted your local police to report this activity? Maybe if they "talked" to him it might encourage him to move along. Just a thought.
Putting in a camera system might take some time and I'd rather see you nip this one in the bud as quickly as possible before it escalates.
It's good you're being proactive about this. Good luck!

 

[sebastiantombs]

Sorry to hear you're having a problem like that. I'd be considering the 158, or 110, grain backup solution.

In terms of reading a license plate, at night, that is done with a dedicated camera that only is used for license plate reading. The settings required are very specific to the camera and each situation and, generally, needs a separate source for IR illumination rather than relying on the camera IR illuminators. There is a whole thread dedicated to the art of reading license plates here on IPCT, LPR Reading license plates, contrary to what Hollyweird would have you believe, is an art.

 

[LoraMae]

@LoraMae - Welcome. You've come to the right place to learn about camera systems. Sorry to hear about this.
Do you know this stalker?
How long does the stalker park in front of your house, assuming that's what he's doing? Day or night?
Does he stalk you elsewhere or just at your house?
Have you contacted your local police to report this activity? Maybe if they "talked" to him it might encourage him to move along. Just a thought.
Putting in a camera system might take some time and I'd rather see you nip this one in the bud as quickly as possible before it escalates.
It's good you're being proactive about this. Good luck!

Thank you for your response. We have 5 Arlo cameras which monitor the doors, windows, and yard. Yes, I do know the stalker. Two separate jurisdictions have placed a "no contact" order for two years. The order from the county in which I live also included, "must not be closer than 1,000 feet from the home and from the place of employment." When law enforcement has been notified in the past, they simply reprimand and the behavior stops temporarily. My home is on a corner lot with one busy road in front. An Arlo camera is placed on the side of the house to detect cars which travel on the slow-traffic road. The Arlo does not produce the quality I would need to hold up in court. I have received good advice so far, but I know I am not qualified to do this alone and it seems like a lot of work to hard wire a camera. I thought a deer cam would be an easy solution.

 

[mat200]

.. The Arlo does not produce the quality I would need to hold up in court. I have received good advice so far, but I know I am not qualified to do this alone and it seems like a lot of work to hard wire a camera. I thought a deer cam would be an easy solution.

Hi @LoraMae

Any video without embedded time stamps can easily be rejected when challenged as evidence in courts.
Does your Arlo video capture include embedded time stamps?

note: You can hire someone to run the cabling if you are not willing to DIY.

 

[CCTVCam]

I think the reality is you're going to have to weigh up the cost vs the danger. Presumably with all the Arlos and Orders you have already spent money on, you're able to / prepared to invest some in your personal protection. There's good advice above and if the worst comes to the worst, it maybe you have to get someone professional to install it. I see no reason why you can't start with 1 camera to supplement your Arlos and then get a LPR or replace the Arlos if you feel the need from there. Maybe it will be 1 camera and LPR to start, I don't know. The only advice I would give is be careful who you employ so as to avoid being ripped off.

 

[windguy]

@LoraMae - thanks for the update. Understand your situation a bit better. This person sounds like a real menace with nothing better to do than make you miserable.
Are you fearful that he will escalate to violence or are his actions just to annoy you? What's your take on his motives?

If you get an LPR camera setup, what will you do with the video?

One thing I would do is get your neighbors informed, if possible. Make up a flyer with a pic of the guy and his car and personally distribute to your immediate neighbors to make them aware of this person and what he is doing in their neighborhood. The more eyes and ears on this guy the better. Strength in numbers can be very effective sometimes. Can't hurt.

I'd also contact your local district attorney's office and see if you can see someone to discuss your case. If this stalker is constantly violating the terms of the non-contact orders, then perhaps they can impose greater sanctions against him. They can go back to the judge and ask for a harsher order. The one in place now is obviously not working. Hopefully you've been keeping a log of all your calls to the police to support your position. Just some thoughts to consider. Regardless of what you do with your camera system, please keep us updated. Sending good karma your way!

 

[area651]

I don't know which forum to begin with. I joined because I need help and I don't even know where to begin. I truly have a "stalker" and I'd like to position a camera in my yard so that I can video record his car and license plate. I'd like to have this be a simple as possible, as I have minimal tech skills. Arlo cameras surround my home and one points to the road, but I don't think it will capture a clear vehicle image and I know it will not read the license plate. My Internet comes through the basement and even with the extra satellites, the signal barely reaches the cameras attached to the house. What separate unit can I purchase to take video of the road and can it be motion triggered? Can I have the video saved without changing a memory card daily?

This sounds like a terrible situation you're facing. To be honest with you, BlueIris is not for anyone non-technical. An out of the box, off the shelf, (however you want to say it) will be what would serve you better.

Stay safe and good luck

 

[CCTVCam]

I'm not the person to advise you on the fine details as I'm no expert. But as I touched on avoiding being ripped off above, I'll just add a few comments. Apart from the risk of being overcharged. You need to avoid someone fitting cheap cameras to save themselves or you money - see the recommended models in the Wiki.

I'd say the new 4mp Starvis + , cameras are the sweet spot now between pixel count and night vision. More pixels = better daytime picture but can make night images poor to unusable depending on the camera model. It's important to get a quality camera with the right balance between pixel count and night vision. The best now have excellent day and night vision. However, the best does not equal the one with highest pixel count. The Wiki and the associated reviews on here will identify the best ones and at least one of the new 4mp Starvis +, cameras is excellent day and night and relatively cheap.

Second danger, cameras fitted with the wrong focal length lenses - the ideal solution is a camera with a varifocal lens so it can be adjusted to your need (read this comment on lenses as the field of view or how wide or narrow the area covered by the picture is - wider gives you a better overview (not necessarily needed if you have other cameras doing the same), the wider the view, the more it degrades the image quality of individual objects in the picture, making the retrieve of detail by zooming and identification of objects from within the picture more difficult. A Narrow view gives you a better quality image, but too narrow and events may happen off camera). It's all to do with how the pixels are spread out over the area of the picture to get technical. You need the right lens for your situation. Many cameras have varifocal lenses, these are adjustable and so can be adjusted from wide to narrow to fit your needs in situ by you or the installer. Don't be persuaded that ultra wide or narrow is better it's not. The best view is the one that captures the detail you require it to capture and that has to be determined from your situation.