I just installed a security camera in my studio

I'm going all-out to make sure my studio is secure. I've sealed off the attic crawlspace, installed deadbolt locks, alarms, and bars on the windows. Today I installed a webcam on the ceiling so I can look in from inside the house, on the road or anywhere across the planet that has internet access.

Here's the camera I bought, mostly on faith and after only minimal research. It was just 80 bucks. Comes in white or black so I chose white to be less consp icuous against the white ceiling.


I am amazed at what this thing can do for less than a hundred bucks. It tilts and rotates, either continuously panning or by remote control. I've tested it on my wife's iPhone; aside from the tiny UI it works great. It has infrared lights, so it can see in the dark. It has a motion sensor so you can set it up to automatically take a snapshot whenever motion is detected, which it can then email to you or copy to an ftp server. A burglar would have his picture taken before he could disable the camera.

I'm using it as a wired rather than wireless device, and I gave it an assigned IP address, making my installation a little different than the scenario described in the manual. I wasn't even sure it would work that way, since the instructions repeatedly say "make sure DHCP is enabled" (I don't use DHCP in my office network). But it works fine this way and wasn't difficult to configure.

Of course, the real test will be if it's still working a year from now. In my experience, most <$100 electronic devices don't.

One of my friends has a large recording studio and has been the target of a couple breakins, he has a bunch of cameras all over, in all cases the thieves were masked.

I live in a suburban middle/upperclass neighborhood, everyone here has had breakins, cameras or not, only thing that scares thieves are large dogs. So now everyone here has dogs, once in a while someone new moves in with no dogs, it's only a matter of time before they get robbed.

One house even got robbed while they were watching TV in the basement, came up and a whole bunch of stuff was gone.

A couple large vicious snarly dogs is the only thing that scares thieving trash.

Installing the camera was prompted by the recent burglary of my business partner's home, during which his safe was stolen containing passports, auto titles, bank accounts - the works (including documents with my name and address on them). Plus his wife's car, which the thieves conveniently also had the title to. But their primary objective was identity theft.

We were almost certain that the robbery was the work of his meth-addicted stepdaughter, but there was no way to prove it. A camera would have provided that confirmation. 


The good news is that the car was recovered, the person in possession of it was arrested, and many of his financial documents were found in her apartment. But she was just a worker bee in a larger organization, and the stolen goods had already been distributed among individual specialists.

Those were pros, though. Most burglaries are committed by kids with too much idle time and a warped sense of personal entitlement. Even if they were smart enough to wear masks, it's unlikely they'd remember to cover tatoos or change out of their favorite hoodie. If the neighbors' teens broke in, I'd recognize those little buggars, ski masks or not. 

pdlstl, your setup is my dream solution. My next installation will be a camera on my driveway gate, so I'll be less likely to miss a delivery. If the gate is closed, UPS just dumps off packages by the gate - I found my KSM-44 in the wet weeds where it had been sitting for hours.

Don't forget the curtains on any windows and the scary skeletons staring out.

Its sad you need to do this, but a good idea. Thanks for sharing, now I'm looking into a few cameras as well.

I've always wanted a camera just so I can see what's going outside,,, bears, deer, that kind of thing. It's distracting while cloistered away in the studio to think you just heard something. I have very few windows as that would have required dormers, So I have to go downstairs to investigate. A camera is on my wish list, but I want to mount it on the peak of the roof. 
  
Dogs do keep people away. It's sad that city people would have large dogs locked up in a house just for this purpose.   
. Anyhow consider this over picking up dog crap and $50 a month for food and vet bills. . 
http://www.x10.com/products/pk9000_deal.htm 
This retailer seems to have a lot of cameras too. Prices seem good. 

i'm looking at you right now, thru that camera.

The camera supports two-way audio, but I haven't hooked up that part yet. Suspiciously, it's my wife that keeps bugging me to do so. I think she wants to be able to nag me on her lunch break at work.

Here's another link, to Amazon's page.

These cams are available on AMAZON. Search Foscam F1982 and you can find them..... 

I just ordered one to play with. If it works well, I'll be selling the Honeywell cam I currently have,  on Ebay and shutting down the monthly service.... 

BTW: the phone app is free...and for android it's called Camviewer.  I learned more about this from a Youtube video than I did from the Foscam company web site.  In the video I saw, I thought they said the IR came on automatically in the dark but that it was manually controllable as well...and it is accessed through the software on computer and phone. 

Thanks Dave for the info on this. 

bitflipper



BTW, even though the IR is not visible to the eye, it does show up in the viewer of a digital camera or cellphone camera. That's how you can check to see if it's on or not.

I use my cell phone camera to check the TV remote if I suspect it is not working properly. Handy tip to remember. 

I have my doubts about the suitability of this particular model for outdoor use. I'm guessing you'll have to pay big for one rugged enough to stand up to the weather in Florida. In fact, you're probably better off renting them from ADT, if that's an option.

At one point I considered building a kind of bird-feeder-like box for it, a glass enclosure that would protect it from the elements. But I read on the Foscam forum that you can't put this camera behind glass because the IR reflects off it and screws with the image.

I would like to install one or two cameras around the house and one to cover the driveway. Maybe when those lottery investments begin to pay off...

Hey Dave,
THANKS for the info on your camera project!!!

I have recently developed a neighborhood concern and was looking at what to do to help the community out.

Ive been working with the county narcotics unit and the city on this and your project will greatly help my cause out

We have already shut down one house that was bought by an out of state guys just to grow dope and manufacture Meth in.  He only lasted long enough to get everything setup and making it before we hooked him up, the house now belong to the city.  The house next to that one is ahead of track as far as what this guy was doing but we are still working on that one.

Sad this is what the economy has done to our neighborhoods but unless we get involved it will continue and be a growing problem.

Im now putting cameras up for who ever needs to tie in to monitor the questionable things that are going on.

Thanks again for the info you posted throughout your thread here, its a big help to us  

Yup, I have closed off all horizontal access to the attic with half-inch plywood. I didn't want to put plywood over the ceiling joists directly, because that space serves as a giant bass trap. My ceiling is pegboard (it was a bugger to install but looks good) with 20 inches of batting atop. The calculated 70Hz resonance I'd been expecting to be a problem turned out to be a very minor issue; the yet-to-be-installed corner traps should take care of it easily.

Yup,

Already checked on the issue of privacy-Its not an issue

Safety First LOL