Surveillance cameras are an effective way of improving security and providing peace of mind for your family or your coworkers. Although commercial systems can run many thousands of dollars, you can design your own surveillance camera network with a minimal hardware investment and a little forward thinking.
Camera Equipment
The two chief options are fixed cameras, feeding a video-display terminal, and webcams linked to computers. In general, webcams are the least expensive option---some run as little as $20, although image quality will be poorer. A decent system to detect and monitor will cost $40 to $60 for a webcam and more than $200 for a high-quality, color closed-circuit TV system.
Monitoring Station
No camera is useful unless it is monitored, so investing in appropriate hardware is crucial. Simple TVs can monitor closed-circuit monitors, and a single TV can service multiple cameras with a switcher or video codec unit. Webcams are easier to monitor; a single computer can monitor one or more cameras with ease, and some webcams can transmit wirelessly to reduce the need for cabling.
Concealment
If concealing your cameras is important, consider placing them where you will have a good view but which is out of the normal field of vision of the people being monitored. For example, a camera watching your front door could be mounted to the side or even behind the door, so visitors will not see it. You could also hide your camera behind a screen, obstructing the view of the camera body, or behind a carefully placed tinted window.
Legal Considerations
Be sure you have the right to monitor or record---in some areas, recording a person in a public space is against state law or local ordinance. Placing concealed cameras may also be illegal, even in your own home, as a violation of privacy statutes. If surveillance is important to you, check with a local attorney first.
Tags: cameras with
