Camera surveillance is a term most people are familiar with, if not always comfortable with. Mostly, we think of malls, gas stations, federal buildings, banks and post offices when it comes to video surveillance, and some guy in a uniform watching all that happens within the camera's reach.
However, camera surveillance have become something that belongs to even the private home, and more and more people are installing at least one camera on their property. It's not necessarily expensive, and it's not necessarily difficult or pricey to install – mostly you can do it all yourself. The recommended setup of camera surveillance is such that it covers your entries and exits. That means every door in the “shell” of the house, and every window that is accessible from the ground and that can be opened. The reasoning behind this, of course, is that in order to both cut cost and avoid that feeling that someone is looking over your shoulder all the time (even if it's just your own camera) one should limit the number of cameras to around four.
Front door, back door and one on each opposite corner of the house. Remember that one camera can cover two sides of the house from a corner. So what do I do, and how? The best place, today, to buy camera equipment and monitors are online. That's where you'll get the equipment at the best prices, and that's where you'll avoid all the annoying salesmen (and women) that you would encounter at a security company or a specialized store.
If you're just starting out, we recommend going to SnallaBolaget.com and clicking on “Store” on the right hand side. We have picked out a nice selection for starting up a safer lifestyle. You should be able to get a four-camera setup with a monitor included for less than three hundred USD, which also means that you don't have to pay anyone to come set it up. A professional installation would usually cost you in excess of a thousand USD.
Plan your setup. Walk around your house several times, make sure you know what angle you would like your camera to cover, and what entries. Draw it up on a piece of paper, preferably. Then get to screwing in those screws! It's not harder than that. If you feel you're comfortable with it, put all the cables inside your walls – they'll be safer there. Spring for a wireless transmission setup if you have little experience in cabling, that will save you a bundle of hours, and not cost you a whole lot extra either. Place your monitor(s) in a safe place, but easily accessible – a kitchen cabinet, or right inside your front door, hidden from direct view.
Then you're all done, and the next time someone rings the doorbell, or you think you saw someone outside, under a window, you'll know who they are before they can say “breaker bar”.
