How to Install a Home Video Survelliance and Security System

Video Transcript

RON HAZELTON:
You know, working out of the house with two small children and a pretty hectic lifestyle, leaves me precious little time to keep an eye on what's going on around here. So I've decided to add a few eyes and ears in the form of a home video observation system.

It would be great if I could keep an eye on the driveway, front walk, side entry door, rear deck and sliding doors, the children's playroom and, of course, the swimming pool, all at the same time. A home video observation system consists of television cameras that are cabled to a multichannel video recorder and a TV monitor. When a camera sees activity, the video recorder activates and records the action, which can be viewed in real time on the monitor or played back later.

Today, I'm going to install my own video observation system, starting out here by the pool. First, I'll install a mounting bracket under the eave. Then, attach a weatherproof camera to it. I'll aim the camera toward the pool area I want to keep under surveillance, especially the gate.

Next, I attach a 50-foot length of cable to the leads coming out of the camera, then run the cable along the eave and down the side of the house, next to the downspout, attaching plastic cable clamps every few feet. Just above the foundation, I drill a hole through the siding and into the basement and push the ends of the cable through. [TAPPING SOUNDS] Next, I mount cameras outside the sliding door on the front of the garage, above the kitchen entry door and in the kids' playroom. In my case, I run all the cables into the basement and thread them through the floor joists.

Once I've reached the right location, I bore through the floor near the baseboard, finishing the hole from the top to minimize splintering. [DRILLING SOUNDS] Then, I run the wires into the room above.

Each cable has a pair of wires and two connectors. I separate the wires and plug one connector into a power supply. The other plugs into the back of a special video recorder that can record images from up to eight different cameras.

Once the video recorder is connected to a television, I can view all the cameras at one time. Now let's say I'm working at my desk when someone approaches the front door. I notice some movement on the television monitor [DOORBELL], I switch to a full screen view of that camera and can see that the person at the door looks like a legitimate delivery person.

Or I may be in a position where I can't see the monitor. The recorder can be set to sound an audible tone when one of the cameras detects movement. Here, it's an unsupervised child attempting to enter the pool enclosure.

Using infrared technology, these cameras can also detect activity at night. They can see well at distances up to 150 feet, as well as close up. Now, all this is fine, but how can I keep an eye on things while I'm on the road?

Now here's another really cool thing about this system. Whenever I'm traveling, I can take my laptop, go online and get real time pictures of any of those cameras, and also review any action that's been recorded since I've been gone.

There's a lot to be said for having enhanced powers of observation. It brings real peace of mind not only to me, but my wife as well.
[PHONE]
Hello.
LYNN:
Hey, honey, I need your help with something.
RON HAZELTON:
I'm a little busy right now sweetie, I'm working pretty hard here.
LYNN:
You're working?
RON HAZELTON:
Yeah, yeah, I'm working, working quite a bit right now.
LYNN:
Oh, yeah, I could see you're working, real hard.