Home Video Security System

 I've always wanted to get a video security system for my home. But I didn't want to buy a brand-new system. There are lots of options out there, so I first had to make a list of my requirements. I wanted a wired system with at least 4 cameras. The wire had to be light colored so it wouldn't stand out against the tan siding on my home. It also needed to have at least a 1TB hard drive, 1080p resolution, and have remote viewing capabilities. I had narrowed the brands to either Lorex or Swann with possible budget alternates Samsung or Night Owl. Samsung no longer makes video security systems, but you can still find them on the used market.

A wireless system from SimpliSafe, Arlo, or Blink would be easier to install, but I don't want to mess with batteries or connection reliability. The system I ended up getting was from Night Owl. It came with 4 cameras and can be expanded to 8. It also has all of the other features that were on my list. I bought it used for $71.48 with tax and shipping. The cameras and cables looked brand new. The only thing that was missing was an HDMI cable and a mouse. My biggest challenge would be installing the cameras. I decided to put two in the front and two in the back of the house.

I needed to buy a few more items to complete the installation. A staple gun for the low voltage cables, grommets for two wall holes, self-adhesive wire clips, two junction boxes, and an 1/4" x 8" drill bit for making pilot holes. At the front of the house, I used a 3/4" drill bit to make the holes for the wire in the garage. From the garage, the wire for the front cameras went into the master bedroom where the DVR would be located. At the back of the house, I used the junction boxes to mount the cameras and routed the cable along the siding and into the bedroom. The scariest part was drilling the holes, because you want to get it right the first time. Even with a 3/4" hole, it was tricky getting two sets of wire to pass through.

I don't have the remote viewing or email alerts setup yet, but the video looks good during the day. At night, the night vision tends to make the nearest object glow, and bugs seem to be attracted to the infrared light. The system is set to capture motion. One of the first videos it captured was a spider that dropped down right in front of the camera. At night it looked huge and was glowing white. I played it back for my girlfriend and it made her jump. So far it hasn't recorded anything other than rabbits and package deliveries. It will just make it easier to see what happened if anything suspicious does occur.

Follow up: A few weeks after I posted this, my cameras started having problems activating night vision. The infrared LEDs would flash, and one camera was completely dark. I tried rebooting the system, but that didn't fix the problem. The power output on the transformer for the cameras showed 11 volts with no cameras connected. It should be a minimum of 12 volts, so I connected only two cameras to the transformer, and the problem went away. This proved that the transformer was bad. If you have a similar issue with your wired security system, check that your camera transformer is the proper size for your setup and is working properly. For now, I'm using two transformers to power my cameras.