Sadly one of the more dismaying aspects of an economic downturn is an increase in property crimes. Video surveillance has progressed as rapidly as the rest of the tech area. In addition, video surveillance equipment can allow you to keep an eye on the kids when they are in the recreation room, backyard or pool area. The costs today are significantly lower than even two years ago.
From the Costco site Q-See 4 Channel H.264 250GB DVR w/ Mobile Phone Surveillance & 4 CMOS Camera Kits Item # 379578 for $299.99 plus shipping and handling.
Costco has a wired system that should meet many small business and most home owner needs. Note, it is a wired system, not wireless. It includes a DVR complete with hard drive installed. Be careful in comparing systems, many include a DVR but don’t clearly mention that you have to add the hard drive at an additional cost. (DVR is digital video recorder) The DVR is particularly useful for proof purposes in crime. In one situation at a local cyber café, a wallet was stolen. After pursuing the stored video, it clearly showed the perp stealing the wallet. It was amusing to see how he changed his adamant and angry pleas when he watched himself lift the wallet on the monitor.
The Costco 4 channel DVR system provides you peace of mind by allowing you to remotely monitor your premises over the Internet, or even on your WinCE or Symbian enabled 3G phone. Watch live video or playback video, and even access DVR menus from virtually anywhere in the world. With the sophisticated user interface, you can plug in your USB mouse (included) to easily navigate through the program menus. H.264 compression allows you to maximize your hard drive recording time, and delivers good digital video quality when viewing over the Internet or 3G mobile networks. This DVR combo solution records real-time digital video onto the pre-installed 250GB HDD, and includes 4 complete out-of-the-box color CMOS camera kits with cables and stands for ease of installation.
Q-see solutions are the perfect answer for keeping your family secure, protecting your assets against theft, or managing your staff and resources more effectively. This easy to install complete security package has everything you need to setup a secure home or business, and can be integrated into your current security system. With Q-See, surveillance can be handled remotely – worldwide.
Key Features:
H.264 Compression providing ultra-efficient results
(CIF) Real-time recording on each channel
Triplex technology (record, playback, and remotely monitor at the same time)
USB mouse function to easily navigate through program menus
USB port for backup to flash drive or USB hard drive
Remote Internet monitoring (up to 5 users at the same time)
Mobile Phone Surveillance (WinCE & Symbian on 3G networks)
4 Audio Inputs / 2 Audio Outputs
One 250GB hard drive pre-installed
4 Camera kits with CMOS image sensors and 30 ft. night vision
1 Year Warranty
Q-See 4 Channel H.264 Network DVR:
Display at 120 FPS (shared by cameras)
(CIF) Real-time recording on each channel
Various recording modes
USB Port for backup to flash drive or USB hard drive
Remote viewing through Internet Explorer
Password Protection Function
Supports DHCP for network setup
Supports multiple channel viewing and backup
Supports dual stream for easier internet access with lower bandwidth
Pre-Installed 250GB hard drive
Triplex technology (record, playback, connect via network at the same time)
4 Channel video input / 2 Channel BNC video output
4 Channel audio input / 2 Channel output
Display Resolution: 704x480
Record Resolution: 352x240 at 120FPS, and 704x480 at 30FPS (shared by cameras)
Software Operating System Support: Windows 2000, XP, Vista
RS-485 Port (PTZ Support): Yes
Power Supply: 110-240V
Operating Temperature 50°F - 104°F
From the Costco site Q-See 4 Channel H.264 250GB DVR w/ Mobile Phone Surveillance & 4 CMOS Camera Kits Item # 379578 for $299.99 plus shipping and handling.
Costco has a wired system that should meet many small business and most home owner needs. Note, it is a wired system, not wireless. It includes a DVR complete with hard drive installed. Be careful in comparing systems, many include a DVR but don’t clearly mention that you have to add the hard drive at an additional cost. (DVR is digital video recorder) The DVR is particularly useful for proof purposes in crime. In one situation at a local cyber café, a wallet was stolen. After pursuing the stored video, it clearly showed the perp stealing the wallet. It was amusing to see how he changed his adamant and angry pleas when he watched himself lift the wallet on the monitor.
The Costco 4 channel DVR system provides you peace of mind by allowing you to remotely monitor your premises over the Internet, or even on your WinCE or Symbian enabled 3G phone. Watch live video or playback video, and even access DVR menus from virtually anywhere in the world. With the sophisticated user interface, you can plug in your USB mouse (included) to easily navigate through the program menus. H.264 compression allows you to maximize your hard drive recording time, and delivers good digital video quality when viewing over the Internet or 3G mobile networks. This DVR combo solution records real-time digital video onto the pre-installed 250GB HDD, and includes 4 complete out-of-the-box color CMOS camera kits with cables and stands for ease of installation.
Q-see solutions are the perfect answer for keeping your family secure, protecting your assets against theft, or managing your staff and resources more effectively. This easy to install complete security package has everything you need to setup a secure home or business, and can be integrated into your current security system. With Q-See, surveillance can be handled remotely – worldwide.
Key Features:
H.264 Compression providing ultra-efficient results
(CIF) Real-time recording on each channel
Triplex technology (record, playback, and remotely monitor at the same time)
USB mouse function to easily navigate through program menus
USB port for backup to flash drive or USB hard drive
Remote Internet monitoring (up to 5 users at the same time)
Mobile Phone Surveillance (WinCE & Symbian on 3G networks)
4 Audio Inputs / 2 Audio Outputs
One 250GB hard drive pre-installed
4 Camera kits with CMOS image sensors and 30 ft. night vision
1 Year Warranty
Q-See 4 Channel H.264 Network DVR:
Display at 120 FPS (shared by cameras)
(CIF) Real-time recording on each channel
Various recording modes
USB Port for backup to flash drive or USB hard drive
Remote viewing through Internet Explorer
Password Protection Function
Supports DHCP for network setup
Supports multiple channel viewing and backup
Supports dual stream for easier internet access with lower bandwidth
Pre-Installed 250GB hard drive
Triplex technology (record, playback, connect via network at the same time)
4 Channel video input / 2 Channel BNC video output
4 Channel audio input / 2 Channel output
Display Resolution: 704x480
Record Resolution: 352x240 at 120FPS, and 704x480 at 30FPS (shared by cameras)
Software Operating System Support: Windows 2000, XP, Vista
RS-485 Port (PTZ Support): Yes
Power Supply: 110-240V
Operating Temperature 50°F - 104°F
From the Amazon site the Panasonic Internet Video Monitoring System with 3 Color Cameras, TV Adaptor and Remote Control (Gray) for $799.00. This system is $1299.00 on the Panasonic site. The features that make this different from the much cheaper system are wireless cameras and pan and tilt cameras. Note that the Panasonic unit has an SD slot that you must add a card to record video, it does not contain a hard drive. 
Easy to Set Up and Watch on TV Just connect the video cable to a TV to watch the camera images and control up to 8 cameras. You can set up the network cameras where you want, and even access cameras from across the internet. Change the Camera Direction by Remote Control! You can move the camera lens in the direction you want to see by pressing the cursor key on the remote control or even access your favorite angles by using the preset controls (numbers 1-8). This simple remote control lets you operate the camera right from the TV, without having to move the camera by hand. 802.11b/g Wireless Communication This system can communicate wirelessly with standard 802.11b or 802.11g wireless devices, allowing the flexibility to install and operate the system without running network wires, and utilizing SSID filtering and powerful 40/64/128 bit WEP encryption helps to protect your wireless network from illegal intrusion. Human Detection Sensor The built-in sensor can detect the presence of people and large animals, which can trigger the camera to record images or send an email of the captured image(s) to your computer or cell phone. Warning Buzzer Informs You When Activity is Detected Each camera can utilize either a built-in sensor (BL-C10A/BL-C30A) or a commercially available external sensor to detect activity. When the sensor is triggered, a buzzer sound notifies anyone who is near the TV adaptor. When you need a little privacy With the built in Privacy mode, your privacy is protected by simply pressing a button. An indicator on the front of each camera turns red, and you know at a glance that the camera is now only accessible by you. Each camera can also be set up to show a green light when the camera is being accessed. Easily Record Camera Images By inserting an SD Memory Card into the TV Adaptor, the camera images can be recorded onto the card. The recorded images can then be displayed on the TV by remote control operation.
The Panasonic system necessitates adding an additional $163.00 camera to make a camera to camera comparison to the Q-See. Both systems have benefits but the Q-See has a far superior cost effectiveness factor if you can wire the cameras. If wiring is cost prohibitive or just not possible then the wireless system makes more sense.
Easy to Set Up and Watch on TV Just connect the video cable to a TV to watch the camera images and control up to 8 cameras. You can set up the network cameras where you want, and even access cameras from across the internet. Change the Camera Direction by Remote Control! You can move the camera lens in the direction you want to see by pressing the cursor key on the remote control or even access your favorite angles by using the preset controls (numbers 1-8). This simple remote control lets you operate the camera right from the TV, without having to move the camera by hand. 802.11b/g Wireless Communication This system can communicate wirelessly with standard 802.11b or 802.11g wireless devices, allowing the flexibility to install and operate the system without running network wires, and utilizing SSID filtering and powerful 40/64/128 bit WEP encryption helps to protect your wireless network from illegal intrusion. Human Detection Sensor The built-in sensor can detect the presence of people and large animals, which can trigger the camera to record images or send an email of the captured image(s) to your computer or cell phone. Warning Buzzer Informs You When Activity is Detected Each camera can utilize either a built-in sensor (BL-C10A/BL-C30A) or a commercially available external sensor to detect activity. When the sensor is triggered, a buzzer sound notifies anyone who is near the TV adaptor. When you need a little privacy With the built in Privacy mode, your privacy is protected by simply pressing a button. An indicator on the front of each camera turns red, and you know at a glance that the camera is now only accessible by you. Each camera can also be set up to show a green light when the camera is being accessed. Easily Record Camera Images By inserting an SD Memory Card into the TV Adaptor, the camera images can be recorded onto the card. The recorded images can then be displayed on the TV by remote control operation.
The Panasonic system necessitates adding an additional $163.00 camera to make a camera to camera comparison to the Q-See. Both systems have benefits but the Q-See has a far superior cost effectiveness factor if you can wire the cameras. If wiring is cost prohibitive or just not possible then the wireless system makes more sense.
This type of system can be put together piece meal but unless you are very knowledgeable that can be problematic. A pre-configured vendor system may not be exactly what you need but may end up saving you money in the long run.
This is not a paid blog but if you decide to buy on Amazon, go through my store front and I will get a commission.
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