webcam software for security

[raverx3m]

i live in appartments with lighted parking lot and have to park my car outside(no more garage)

so i had to come up with some budget security besides what i have in the car.

bought a logitech quickcam pro

with the logitech software i set it up to max exposure for night and its very detailed (alot better than i expected)

but the problem is in manual exposure setting when the day comes its all white

if i use auto exposure its too dark at night


is there a way to modify it a lil to make it overexpose at night and normal during the day?


or can anyone suggest alternative software that records a live video and not snapshots.

 

[Harper]

Problem......
If some one is going to tamper around with your car, then they are going to that at night. Most webcams only work during the day as they have no night vision. And what webcams that do have night vision are rather weak.
And webcams are only going to be good for seeing things up close. About the only people that I have seen using webcams for CCTV have been
1. Service clerks as change booths. Now ever the camera (and clerk) is normally behind bullet proof glass.
2. People that want to monitor thier flat/house mates when they want to keep them out of thier personal stuff.

Both instances are only good for upclose applications.

How about pick up the following
USB Digital Video Recorder/Camera Adapter from OzSpy Security Solutions
12v 300mA Regulated power supply from OzSpy Security Solutions
20m RCA Video, BNC Audio and Power Extension Cable from OzSpy Security Solutions
Colour Outdoor IR Camera from OzSpy Security Solutions
and do the job properly as appose to messing around with a webcam.

Now if you are in the USA or have access to eBay, I am sure you can find some thing cheaper than that I offered up there.

but the problem is in manual exposure setting when the day comes its all white

if i use auto exposure its too dark at night

is there a way to modify it a lil to make it overexpose at night and normal during the day?

That is all dependant on the camera. If you get a good quality CCTV camera with IR Night Vision and position it properly, you will avoid those problems. Bar in mind, that night vision on most entry level cameras will give you at best 5 meters range. You can get some larger cameras that brighten up larger areas. However they do cost money and you will be needing a larger AC Adaptor.

The to avoid the white out during the day, have the camera facing downwards and not pointed directly at any light source. Otherwise, depending on what your lighting is like in your car park, you could look at purchaseing
High Resolution, Low Lux Colour CCD Camera from OzSpy Security Solutions
along with
12-30mm CS vari focal auto iris DC lens from OzSpy Security Solutions
Make sure that the lens has an auto iris so that it can change lighting in the footage depending on the avalable day light.
Atleast there you can mount your camera in your appartment and zoom in on the location which you want ot monitor.

Seriously, for what you are after, you are going to need some thing better than just a simple logitech webcam. If you are on a budget, then I would suggest eBay

Also, check with your local police or who ever in regards to what need to be done in be CCTV monitoring your area.

 

[raverx3m]

ok you probably missed the part about lighted parking lot.

heres the auto exposure at night

heres with maximum exposure

so its enough light

like i said my budged was alot lower than a full security camera setup

the webcam cost me 79 dollars...

its also autofocus and just enough focal length to reach the end of the parking lot.

 

[QuaziBee]

I would be interested in an easy to use Mac application for security camera recording, either webcam or RCA line in recording.

 

[Harper]

ok you probably missed the part about lighted parking lot.

heres the auto exposure at night

heres with maximum exposure

so its enough light

No. I was just not aware of how much lighting that you did have in your parking lot.

The only problem that I see if that your you have Venetian Blinds and your webcam is picking up the reflection. The only way to avoid that is to try to put the webcam up as close as possible to the window or put the camera outside.

You are also picking up your appartment room too.

Is your car the one up close or the hotted up ricemobile in the distance?
If it's the ricemobile, then I don't fancy your chances on getting a face until you have a good telefocal lens.

 

[raverx3m]

well im not worried about the face i just need color of the skin and clothes and how tall the guy is lol i kinda have an idea of who it might be if something happends.

 

[KSoD]

You wont get the height of a person via a camera angle like that. You could get a general idea but you would never get exact. Its not like you have a scale to show what 1 Foot, 2 Foot and so on would be per your camera view. At best you could get a estimate. Since you can get the height of your car and judge it from there.

Again the same thing can be said of clothes. Who is to say if it is black or dark red or dark brown? There is decent light but not enough to be able to pick out every color. It wouldnt be that hard to make a mistake on what color clothes were worn.

What you have done is a good start, but it is in no way going to be 110% accurate if something were to happen and you had to present the video as evidence. You will need something better. A webcam is not going to offer you enough detail over the distance you need to cover.

 

[Harper]

well im not worried about the face i just need color of the skin and clothes and how tall the guy is lol i kinda have an idea of who it might be if something happends.

And you are going to do this why?

When it comes down to CCTV footage, police need some thing solid to work from. And even with that being said, unless some thing serious happens (some one getting hurt or killed), they are more than likely to dust the area for fingures prints and run those details into thier database.

My problem with CCTV cameras is that they are more of a deterrent to get people to think twice before stealing some thing.

 

[raverx3m]

so anyway, anyone can help me with my original question?
is there a way to adjust the auto exposure settings maybe?