A little techie help required please

bluenose1940 · February 15, 2017

I know that there are some really clever techie folk on this forum and so I am seeking a little help please.

My question revolves around some sort of CCTV thingy. What I am looking to do is to install a single camera that will cover the frontage area between my house and the pavement, say about 50 feet wide by 42 feet deep. Ideally I want a camera that gives a good image in the dark and which can be connected to my computer by way of something simple such as a USB connection. Would such a connection also power the camera or would it always need a mains powered connection? I could either mount the camera either indoors (looking through a window) or outdoors under the soffit board where it would be dryish. My computer is in the room where the window is that I would be using or, it would be outside that same window. It would be quite easy to get any cables through the wall. I would anticipate the recordings being made to a dedicated drive on my computer and am wondering what sort of size drive (gb) I would need that would hold say an overnight or hours of darkness amount of data.

I wouldn't know where to begin looking for what I want, nor indeed the type of camera that would meet my requirements and so, any help that you fellow members might offer will be very much appreciated. Thank you.

I suppose I should ask, is there such a thing that I am looking for without going to a full blown CCTV system? I have seen these advertised but they are way over the top for my needs.

The reason that I am looking to do this is because yesterday a number of cars on the opposite side of the road were all keyed by some idiotic moron who may well decide to have another go at some point. I know that such an installation that I am considering won't guarantee catching any culprit but, every little helps as they say. I might also catch the inconsiderate yeti who allows their dog to do its business on my lawn!

Thanks again for any help that may be offered.

wildpolish · February 15, 2017

Hi,

Currys has a nice selection of outdoor CCTV cams.

They do NEST, Motorola and other brands. These are usually full HD , wide angle, night vision that connect by Wi-Fi with your PC and smartphone.

There are cheaper options of eBay but it would be Chinese so really no warranty and doubtful reliability.

I wouldn't bother with indoor cams.

Hope that helps.

bluenose1940 · February 15, 2017

Damn! I was in Currys on Monday just browsing whilst waiting for my wife, I didn't know I needed one then though.

Thanks for the input Wildpolish.

wildpolish · February 15, 2017

In terms of hard drive size. PC will be sufficient and you can always ask for the one that sends to the cloud. It is a service that can cost annual subscription but sometimes comes free.

Plenty of options there. I'm sure they will find you one for your needs.

Pav