security camera to catch neighbor & dog

17 years ago

Is there a camera system to catch someone letting their dog soil my yard and not cleaning it up. I have a pretty good idea of who it is, but after very politely speaking to this person, there is still dog waste in the yard. And it just might be someone else, there are many dogs in the neighborhood.

Is there a camera system that I could set up to look out of my picture window and just record 24 hrs. I have a spare computer to record the images. How much would this cost and is it a DIY kind of project? I have no idea how to do this.

I think the view out the window would be enough. The neighborhood is pretty safe otherwise. I don't think I need a security system for the entire house and perimeter. Any advice or guidance you have will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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Comments (8)

garymunson-2008
17 years ago
Costco and Sams club sell reasonable units...very DIY friendly.
maryland_irisman
17 years ago
I've seen one of the Costco camera systems (a neighbor) in action and they are very good for the price. A really low budget system would be a camera w/sound from Harbor freight (B%W)for around $30.00. For around $40.00 they have a color version. It will hook into any VCR. It also has night lights built in but the object would have to be within 6 feet or so for best results. It can be mounted up to 80 feet from the house and is made for outside mounting and use. Radio Shack and stores like it also carry a wireless camera and rec'vr unit. Both types are small and can be concealed in a bird house. I'm familiar with the Harbor Freight one because I bought one to record a bear that kept raiding the bird feeder.
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pjb999
17 years ago
A webcam sort of arrangement might also work for you and they are pretty inexpensive.
maryland_irisman
17 years ago
The webcams have certainly come way down in price. I saw one at Walmart in the clearance aisle for $10.00.
Pooh Bear
17 years ago
I have one of the Harbor Freight color cameras.
It actually has good picture quality at a short distance.
The night vision only works for about 10 feet max.
I haven't had time to do any serious testing of the camera.
But I'm happy with what I have seen so far.

Pooh Bear
farfrae
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks everyone. The road frontage is about 50 ft from the house. How do I record onto a computer, will the cameras have software? I thought if I look everyday for evidence the dog has been there then I could just check the previous 24 hrs of images. I am ok with spending $100-130 for this.
Thanks again.
Pooh Bear
17 years ago
The HF camera doesn't come with software.
I haven't tried using it for recording yet.
I use the free VirtualDub to just watch the yard outside.
It's about 50 feet to the road. It will see the other side
of the road no problem in good light. Further than that
and it starts to loose detail. Too much light blinds it.
I'll try to get some video from it to compare.

Pooh Bear

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.virtualdub.org
jjaazzy
17 years ago
Do you really want to invest that kind of money to stop poop! The other poster is right Harbor Freight has a cheepo and you could hook it up to a vcr, cheep and effective.