Setting up a Live Capture Box

[bnshrdr]

For a while now our neighborhood has had some kids doing acts of vandalism. I live in a good neighborhood, it is just that I feel some of these kids have nothing to do other than make our lives miserable. Recently one of our cars was parked on our driveway. Lo and behold, all four tires had been slashed. Time for a new plan.

I have enough computer parts laying around to set up a box in my garage that I would like to have a camera connected to which will record constantly, with maybe a history of about a week. Really what I would like is a hidden camera so that we can catch these kids. Obviously I can't prove past acts of vandalism against them, but I can start now.

Does anyone here have any knowledge about this sort of setup? I know I could probably have a security company rig it but I feel I can do as good of a job myself. I really need help finding the right kind of camera (again, hidden, maybe a snake type one to fit through cracks or holes).

I figure after the capture device has saved the video to a hard drive, once a week or so I can run a batch script to delete all of the old files. Also it would be ideal if the camera could interface through USB or some other common port (I don't have bleeding edge MOBOs at my disposal).

I'm really new to all this so I am open to any suggestions that anyone has. Anyway, thanks for reading my rant/request for help!

[Audionut]

For a start, make sure its infared camera to see in the dark.

I wouldn't worry about hiding it. Funnily enough, most people do not look for cameras. But you could place it nice and high just in case.

Most security cameras have composite video out, you could connect this to a capture card. USB ones seem a little harder to find.

[CWR03]

For a start, make sure its infared camera to see in the dark.
To clarify this, you need a camera with infrared emitters or a separate infrared light source. The light itself is invisible, but the infrared LEDs glow red and can be seen in the dark.

Most security cameras have composite video out

Most security cameras have BNC video connectors, but that can be adapted directly to composite. Cheap cameras usually have composite connectors. There are adaptors to go from BNC/composite and power to ethernet at the camera, which is converted back at the recording device. It's the cheapest way to run the wire.

You can get PC cards and USB devices made for surveillance video. They can usually be set to record automatically when they detect motion, or set to record continuously at a low framerate with a higher framerate when motion is detected. I built a test unit from a card I bought on eBay for $10 along with leftover PC parts from various upgrades, and it would store six months of video from one camera on a 30GB hard drive. The card has four channels and four cards can be used in one PC to make a 16-channel DVR.

Do yourself a favor and don't record audio.

If you want to catch someone, use a camera good enough that they can be identified from the video. Don't worry about hiding it; you won't find a good camera you can conceal easily. A camera in plain view will act as a deterrent, but it's a good idea to have another camera that's watching the obvious one. I've set up a system at work with 16 cameras, and I made sure every camera has another camera watching it. My video just got a purse-snatcher convicted to 15 years in prison for aggrivated robbery.

[Gser]

Or you could set up motion detecting rocket propelling turrets that will blast away theifs. http://www.motiondetectingrocketpropellingturrets.com

[Minas6907]

Oooo, I like it.

I dont know anything about security cameras, but I'd like to know the outcome of this. If all else fails, you can call on me to hide in the shrubbery, and I'll bring the little guys to you by force. I'm always up for shrub duty.

[mariush]

Buy some spotlights with motion sensors and install them in front of your house or where you usually keep the car and other things those kids mess up.. they're cheap... my parents have 2 on each floor in their apartment building and as soon as you get in their range they light up... for example see this:

http://www.amazon.com/Designers-Edge-Motion-2dActivated-Floodlight-2d-L-2d999BR/dp/B0002YW1VA/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1271913111&sr=1-22
http://www.amazon.com/Heath-Zenith-SL-5511-BZ-150-Watt-Motion-Sensing/dp/B000OUZC5O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1271913111&sr=1-3

This one's kind of overboard but still...
http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-PS200-1FW-Occupancy-Floodlights-Commercial/dp/B000MUSV1I/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1271913310&sr=1-22

My parents have 500w light bulbs. Just having the place lighted may stop them from vandalising...

Don't record audio, some state have anti-wiretapping laws and other crap...for example just today I read a news report about police raiding someone's house and confiscating computers and electronics because when a cop stopped him on road he had a camera on his helmet:

http://thepursuitofliberty.wordpress.com/2010/04/10/plain-clothes-officer-pulls-gun-on-motorist-for-speeding-threaten-to-jail-him-for-recording-the-incident/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7PC9cZEWCQ&feature=player_embedded

With the actual camera I really don't know... there's some cheap chinese stuff on this site I bought stuff from in the past... dealextreme.com I'm not saying buy from them but maybe you can get your inspiration from them:

http://www.dealextreme.com/search.dx/search.security%20camera#1001

[bnshrdr]

Thanks so much for replying guys, extremely helpful! I'll sift through all of your suggestions to see what I decide to put together.

Thanks again!