Happy with my QSee system.
The Linksys (Cisco) cameras are pretty good. You can view them on an Android phone.
Placemark bump!
Anyone try the Izon?
QSee is good, as long as you can run wire.
Anything wired. You don’t want your wireless cameras hacked. Inconvenient; a pain in the @$$? You bet. But a more secure system IMHO.
Google X10 security systems. No monthly fees and many choices for home security. My husband set it up. It works.
I’ve toyed with home security cameras since the days of the first X10 systems. First, go wired, CCTV, since wireless cameras suck. Second, buy your cameras and CCTV DVR separate. Third, I hope you are familiar with router port forwarding, etc.. to get the remote access to work.
I use the cameras and DVR below and can see my home from anywhere in the world as long as I have 3G or internet access.
I have a 1TB drive which gives me about 90 days of recording.
CIB K404AV500G H.264 4 CH Network Security Surveillance DVR Recording System w/ 500GB HDD.
http://www.amazon.com/CIB-K404AV500G-Security-Surveillance-Recording/dp/B005G92RCE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335126686&sr=8-2
VideoSecu Outdoor Day Night Security Camera Infrared Weatherproof CCTV Home 1/3” CCD 420 TV Lines 28 IR LEDs Wide View Angle Lens with Free Power Supply A71
http://www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-Outdoor-Security-Infrared-Weatherproof/dp/B003DZ6PQ2/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1335126761&sr=1-2
Good luck!
Thanks everybody. Always lots of great help on FR.
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I have had so many different kinds of camera systems I can’t remember all of them. Right now I have cameras attached to ADT security systems, Swann systems that are wired and Dlink wireless cameras. I also have the first generation Wilife cameras which are wired via the electric lines and plugs in the house.
The ADT stuff is poor, one Swann is a 8 camera system that is about a year old. The 16 camera system is the latest and greatest 1TB system from Swann. They both run the Linux OS. Just the DVR for the 16 camera system was about $900 without cameras. I bought the Swann and Dlink gear at Fry’s.
I would have told you not to use wireless like others have but I have changed my mind about that. The Dlink DCS-932L wireless cameras work perfectly. If you have a lot of space between the cameras and the router this may not be the best solution. They cost about $100 a piece. The place those are watching is a pretty small townhouse so the cameras are not too far away from the router. They are a breeze to setup if you have a router with UpNP. I can watch them from my iPhone, iPad and Android devices along with any browser. If there is any movement in front of the camera it emails me a camera shot. When watching them live they have sound too. This biggest downside is that they do not record things and save them.
The Wilife gear is pretty cool. Plug and play. The Wilife cameras are very good. But expensive. I understand that the current generation is really good but cost some bucks.
For a wired system I’d go with the SwannView or something like it.
It would have been helpful if you had posted what you are trying to watch. If a house how big? Do you need cameras outside that might be in the weather? Is the house two story? Etc, etc.
There are inexpensive things you can do besides cameras. Fake cameras for example that have a blinking light that comes on at night. Motion detection lights. Keeping shrubs and whatnot from blocking windows where the bad guys can hide while breaking in. If you go to Home Depot in the motion lighting section they have a battery powered motion sensor that sends a signal to a device you plug in to the wall. You can plug anything in to the device that plugs in to the wall. Say you have a garage you want to protect. You can setup the sensor up in an eve or some high spot outside and then inside the garage plug in a radio that is “on”. Whenever something moves the sensor send a signal to the inside device and the radio blares. Or, plug in a blinking light. Crooks will leave if they are surprised.
Best of luck...
I have a Q-See system that has worked great so far. You will need to run wires though. One thing about a wireless system most people forget is they have to be powered. How many outlets do you have in your attic. I had one. So you will have to run some kind of wire whether you use wired or wireless...
I have a Nightowl DVR system with 8 wired cameras that works fine. I can monitor everything from any internet connection.