I have read many posts in this community and just wanted to thank you for some amazing content!
I have been tasked with having a security camera system installed in our residential gated community (no guard on duty) after a few instances where the thieves pushed open the gates and then searched vehicles parked outside and stole things from inside unlocked cars. Most recently 2 vehicles were stolen that were parked in the driveway. We think it may have been an inside job by workers. These events are always at night (importance of low light cameras). I am not sure we have had a daytime incident that required footage.
We have about 75 homes, each on approximately 1/3 acre (close together). I am a techie at heart so I have read a lot, watched the Hook Up videos, and learned about CMOS sensors and the impact of low light and megapixels., external infrared emitters, etc. At a high level, I think I get it. I am sure there is much more that I need to learn but I am at least dangerous. I have also had 4 different vendors come onsite and price systems from Dahua, Eagle Eye + Lorex, All Eagle Eye, Flock Safety, and All Alibi. This will all be outside in enclosures so I need to consider the impact of weather on the equipment. Would love all solid-state hardware that can survive wide swings in temp (I think Eagle Eye bridges are 14-122 degrees). While I am capable of installing myself, this most likely will be a vendor-installed solution as I am using community funds. Installed prices have been between $10K-$15K for installation and that seems acceptable to the community. This includes vented exterior NEMA enclosures, running electrical, mounting hardware, equipment, wifi point to point, POE switched, etc.
What has been struggling to make a decision is a lack of clear understanding of the benefits. The police have said that they believe that these are pros that are "hitting the neighborhoods. They know what they are doing and most of the time are in stolen vehicles, fake paper, or stolen license plates. Adding security cameras at the entrance and exit gates (separated by a 15-foot wall) would allow us to capture video of these vehicles and provide the police with footage most likely without any real benefit in stopping it.
One of the last vendors suggested that we pay for live monitoring of the cameras using event-based alerting. I know this sounds ridiculous but I didn't know that existed (I should have guessed). That makes a lot of sense. If we could identify actions that signal an intruder such as forcing/ramming gates open with a vehicle, putting gates open by hand, driving around at 4 am and stopping at multiple houses, exiting the vehicle and then quickly getting back in, etc then we would be able to build a comprehensive plan to select the right cameras and monitoring solution. What I began to realize is that I needed to stop focusing on megapixels, and CMOS sensors and identify the events that need to be captured based on what actions can be taken. Start with the end in mind.
While I love hardware and software, the "plan" is not as fun to design. This takes a deeper understanding of the software and monitoring capabilities of different solutions to build a comprehensive understanding of what technology/services will support what actions/events/alerts and then buy the appropriate technology and services to support them.
This is becoming a lot to digest for a newbie. Where I could really use some help/direction is the following
We have the budget for a system and ongoing fees. Any help is much appreciated!
Thanks!!
I have been tasked with having a security camera system installed in our residential gated community (no guard on duty) after a few instances where the thieves pushed open the gates and then searched vehicles parked outside and stole things from inside unlocked cars. Most recently 2 vehicles were stolen that were parked in the driveway. We think it may have been an inside job by workers. These events are always at night (importance of low light cameras). I am not sure we have had a daytime incident that required footage.
We have about 75 homes, each on approximately 1/3 acre (close together). I am a techie at heart so I have read a lot, watched the Hook Up videos, and learned about CMOS sensors and the impact of low light and megapixels., external infrared emitters, etc. At a high level, I think I get it. I am sure there is much more that I need to learn but I am at least dangerous. I have also had 4 different vendors come onsite and price systems from Dahua, Eagle Eye + Lorex, All Eagle Eye, Flock Safety, and All Alibi. This will all be outside in enclosures so I need to consider the impact of weather on the equipment. Would love all solid-state hardware that can survive wide swings in temp (I think Eagle Eye bridges are 14-122 degrees). While I am capable of installing myself, this most likely will be a vendor-installed solution as I am using community funds. Installed prices have been between $10K-$15K for installation and that seems acceptable to the community. This includes vented exterior NEMA enclosures, running electrical, mounting hardware, equipment, wifi point to point, POE switched, etc.
What has been struggling to make a decision is a lack of clear understanding of the benefits. The police have said that they believe that these are pros that are "hitting the neighborhoods. They know what they are doing and most of the time are in stolen vehicles, fake paper, or stolen license plates. Adding security cameras at the entrance and exit gates (separated by a 15-foot wall) would allow us to capture video of these vehicles and provide the police with footage most likely without any real benefit in stopping it.
One of the last vendors suggested that we pay for live monitoring of the cameras using event-based alerting. I know this sounds ridiculous but I didn't know that existed (I should have guessed). That makes a lot of sense. If we could identify actions that signal an intruder such as forcing/ramming gates open with a vehicle, putting gates open by hand, driving around at 4 am and stopping at multiple houses, exiting the vehicle and then quickly getting back in, etc then we would be able to build a comprehensive plan to select the right cameras and monitoring solution. What I began to realize is that I needed to stop focusing on megapixels, and CMOS sensors and identify the events that need to be captured based on what actions can be taken. Start with the end in mind.
While I love hardware and software, the "plan" is not as fun to design. This takes a deeper understanding of the software and monitoring capabilities of different solutions to build a comprehensive understanding of what technology/services will support what actions/events/alerts and then buy the appropriate technology and services to support them.
This is becoming a lot to digest for a newbie. Where I could really use some help/direction is the following
- Am I trying to plan a 'too perfect' solution and just need to get started?
- What events are realistic to trigger an alert to a monitoring company
- Do I want to include LPR so that maybe I could program all residents' license plates and combine logic (unrecognized plate + late night entrance)
- What equipment supports using something like AI to support these event triggers
- Would I need to place cameras throughout the community to confirm the actions of late-night visitors (would prefer a car tracking drone as opposed to cameras past the gate)
- What am I am not asking that I should
We have the budget for a system and ongoing fees. Any help is much appreciated!
Thanks!!
