I set up my first hidden cam in 2009 using a wired security camera from Radio Shack and a VCR that recorded 12 hours of tape. Last month I tried one of those cheap wifi pinhole cameras off Amazon for $35, and the lag was brutal. The wired one never dropped a frame and the picture was crystal clear. Has anyone else found old analog gear to be more reliable than cheap digital stuff for long term use?
Put one in my kitchen in Phoenix after a break-in down the street. The fisheye lens gave me a view of the toaster and nothing else. Plus the IR LEDs bled through the plastic like a Christmas tree. Anyone else tried hollowing out electronics and regretted the blind spots?
Neighbor said I could just wire my old Blink cam to a 12V SLA battery and save money. After 2 days the camera died because the voltage regulator couldn't handle the 14.4V charge cycle from my solar panel. Heard someone else mention a buck converter - has anyone tried that instead?
I've been running a Raspberry Pi with a motion sensor cam pointed at my back porch for three months. Reviewed 200 hours of footage this month just to catch who kept messing with my grill. Found out it was a raccoon family having nightly parties at 2am. Worth it for the proof but my vision is blurry. Anyone else miss sleep watching their own recordings?
I spent last weekend debating whether to go with a wireless Ring cam or run a PoE cable to a cheap Dahua bullet cam for my back fence. Picked the wired option because my neighbor's WiFi is spotty and I got a 50 foot Cat6 for $12 on Amazon. The Dahua gives me clear 1080p even at night but I spent 3 hours crawling through the attic to route the cable. Anyone else regret going wireless for outdoor cams?
I wasted 3 weeks trying to make a $20 USB camera work for watching my driveway after dark. The IR LEDs were so weak that anything past 10 feet was just black. Swapped to an old analog bullet cam with a DVR board I built myself for $45 total. Now I can clearly see license plates from 40 feet away at midnight. The difference was the sensor size and actual IR wavelength, not just the price tag. Anyone else run into this where the bargain option just cannot handle low light?
Someone pointed out my night footage looked like a muddy mess because of the factory filter. Swapped it for a custom 850nm filter I cut from a sheet, and now I can read license plates at 30 feet in pitch black. Has anyone else messed with swapping filters on cheap PTZ cams?
I was up on a ladder replacing a shingle on my own house last Tuesday and realized my neighbor's camera had been pointed at me the whole time. It hit me different because I build surveillance setups for clients all day but never think about being on the other end of the lens. Has anyone else ever gotten weirded out after realizing you're the one being watched in your own neighborhood?
Had my trusty old DVR from 2012 sitting in the garage running 4 bullet cams around the property. Last Thursday I went to pull up footage from the night before and the thing just showed a black screen. No power light, no hard drive clicks, nothing. Opened it up and the power supply board had a big burn mark near the capacitor. I spent the weekend swapping it out with a used unit I found on Facebook Marketplace for $40. Still need to figure out if I lost any saved footage from the old hard drive. Anyone here ever pulled a drive from a dead DVR and got it working in a PC?
Stopped at a KOA in Flagstaff last weekend and zip-tied a trail cam to a pine trunk near my site. Ten minutes later some retired guy comes over saying I'm 'invading everyone's privacy' - in a public campground. Has anyone else dealt with park owners or guests freaking out over basic security?
Buried it in my front garden bed near the mailbox and that golden retriever from two doors down brought it straight to my porch like it was a chew toy. The lens was covered in slobber and the SD card got bent, anyone else’s pets wreck your gear?