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  • diveRN

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 4, 2014
    227
    11
    The Metroplex
    We used a Qsee like this one at a cabin we had in the hills and it worked fine. (mine was 600 lines for this same price) Not top of the line, but sufficient for our needs. In addition to security, we used it to watch the weather and to keep an eye out for the critters that frequented the area. Our place was above the snowline on the edge of a National Forest.

    Assuming you have even a little understanding of the Internet and you can read, Qsee's dynamic DNS tools for remote viewing are pretty simple to use and fairly straight forward to set up. If you live out in the sticks or other area where power failures or brown outs happen with any kind of regularity, consider a UPS device to clean up any dirty electricity and to keep the system up in the event of an all-out failure. I kept the DVR and DSL router modem/router plugged into a 2000va APC and could connect remotely even if the power was out, which was usually during heavy storms.

    If you have a long cable run that has to be outside the house and you have any rodents in the area (including squirrels), consider putting your cables in conduit. Because of the roof pitch on one side of my place, one camera had a 25' exterior cable-run that I tucked up under the rafter tails where they met the outside wall. Squirrels chewed through the exposed section of cabling, the little bastards.

    Q-See's IR isn't the greatest, but I added two 300w motion activated floods to the darkest, most secluded places where an asshat would likely try to gain entry.
    ARJ Defense ad
     

    STXdevilsquid

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Feb 14, 2013
    783
    31
    Live Oak
    Just picked me up a surveillance system for the house from Fry's. Anyone know a good company to install it? Too busy to DIY and I have a 2story house so I don't have a big enough ladder to reach the top.

    Same questions? Status?

    I am looking for a system that I can watch while away and while home.
     

    Davetex

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Mar 27, 2010
    8,451
    96
    Greers Ferry Lake
    We used a Qsee like this one at a cabin we had in the hills and it worked fine. (mine was 600 lines for this same price) Not top of the line, but sufficient for our needs. In addition to security, we used it to watch the weather and to keep an eye out for the critters that frequented the area. Our place was above the snowline on the edge of a National Forest.

    Assuming you have even a little understanding of the Internet and you can read, Qsee's dynamic DNS tools for remote viewing are pretty simple to use and fairly straight forward to set up. If you live out in the sticks or other area where power failures or brown outs happen with any kind of regularity, consider a UPS device to clean up any dirty electricity and to keep the system up in the event of an all-out failure. I kept the DVR and DSL router modem/router plugged into a 2000va APC and could connect remotely even if the power was out, which was usually during heavy storms.

    If you have a long cable run that has to be outside the house and you have any rodents in the area (including squirrels), consider putting your cables in conduit. Because of the roof pitch on one side of my place, one camera had a 25' exterior cable-run that I tucked up under the rafter tails where they met the outside wall. Squirrels chewed through the exposed section of cabling, the little bastards.

    Q-See's IR isn't the greatest, but I added two 300w motion activated floods to the darkest, most secluded places where an asshat would likely try to gain entry.

    +1 on Qsee equipment. I've got their gear on 2 houses. Also have their app on my phone so I can watch from anywhere. Also have the app on a tablet that stays at one house so I can see the other one. Good equipment, I'd recommend it.
     

    TXDARKHORSE361

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    8   0   0
    May 15, 2012
    7,280
    46
    361
    Definitely tagging for later, this is something I've been looking into since we bought our house, mainly been putting it off because I'm a little lost on the wiring, don't have any outdoor plugs (remedying that a little bit shortly), and running things through the attic are gonna be a pain in the butt, looking into wireless options but still have to figure out something for running power.
     

    F350-6

    TGT Addict
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    May 25, 2009
    4,237
    96
    The cameras we use at work use low voltage wire for power. That's small enough you could hang it on the exterior with a staple gun and if it were painted, you likely wouldn't know it was there if it was tucked up into the corner of a molding.
     

    BIGPAPIGREG

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Mar 21, 2013
    23,059
    21
    San Antonio, TEXAS
    The cameras we use at work use low voltage wire for power. That's small enough you could hang it on the exterior with a staple gun and if it were painted, you likely wouldn't know it was there if it was tucked up into the corner of a molding.
    helped a friend put some of em up years ago, we ran the wire up against the edge. All we did was cover the wire with some caulk.
     

    ShootTheBreeze

    Active Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 16, 2015
    401
    11
    Round Rock, TX
    Hi there, I had bought this set last year at Amazon during "Black Friday" sales, but did not install them until a few weeks ago as we were moving: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IAAGEDY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage for $ 270, which was at the time a very good price. I can't complain, the video quality during day and night are good enough for me, recording is good, just finding things on the playback is a little tedious. I haven't setup remote access when I am traveling, but I will do this before I go in vacation.

    With this experience in mind I want to share a few thoughts:
    - Even with the cameras in plain sight, my neighbors didn't see them until I pointed them out. Even if you see at night a "red ring", guess it has to do with infrared. So if you want to let people know they are on camera you should also put a sign on it. Mischievous people will probably go to a place easier to pick.
    - I installed the cameras high enough so you can't reach them with out a ladder or a very long stick. Well, you can still shoot them, but that is a different story.
    - You have to decide how to run the cables; my set required special cables to run power and video. So I had to buy extended cables, those are extra cost. Also my set had BNC connectors from the camera to the cable. I don't think it's a great idea to leave them open, so I used some shrink tubing to protect them from any weather conditions. Although I am not certain how long that will last in the hot Texan sun.
    - You have to find a good central place to put your control unit with the DVR and if you want to monitor the screens all the time or just record in the background and only look at them if something happens. I go with recordings and remote access.

    I hope that will help you deciding on what you going to install.

    STB
     

    Mac7

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Mar 31, 2015
    117
    11
    South of Dallas
    I got Swann from best buy, about three years ago. The wired units, 9 cameras and 80ft of IR. Love them, they connect to the wifi and we can view them from out tablets or phones. Got less than a grand invested in it and its worth it in my opinion.
     
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