New Project: Video Security System

I was grazing up and down the aisle of the tool store and I found a Video Security System on sale.

Being a project guy I thought to myself, "Why not"  Besides doing projects keeps me out of the bars.

The system I bought supports eight cameras.  It comes with four and I bought four more.  It has a 500 Gig hard drive to record many hours of surveillance.

There were two different systems, wired and wireless.  I chose the wired version.

I mounted four cameras in the front of the coach and four in the rear.  The cameras on the corners point back along the sides and two cameras on each end give views that cover the forward and rear views.

I enclosed all the wiring in protective looms and secured the wiring harness to the roof in the same manner as the wiring for the Solar Panels,

I also ran the cables down thru the roof in the same area as I used for running the solar power cables.  I have a chase that runs down the wall between the bathroom and the bedroom.  The video cables all enter a cabinet behind the large flat screen in the bedroom.

I also bought a small, (19 inch) high def TV monitor to use for full time display of the output of the cameras.  I also ran the HDMI output to the large, (40 inch) 4K flat screen in the bedroom.

I mounted the small monitor to the outside of a cabinet door.

If I notice anything on the small monitor I can just use the remote on the big TV to switch the input to HDMI2 and see a much bigger view.

The remote for the Security system also lets me choose any single camera or different displays.

Here are some pictures.

more pictures on the next post.

more pictures.

Very nice.

Pretty cool.

So how much wire did it come with and did you have to add any more?

Are the cameras suction cupped on?

Thanks,

Each of the cameras came with 60 feet of cable.  More that enough to place them anywhere on the rig.

The cameras have a base with three holes for screws to mount them directly to a surface.  I used anchors and screws.

They have hoods that slide over the lens.  I super glued the hoods to make sure that they did not come off.

Another interesting fact is that all the cameras and the DVR control box are powered by 12 volts DC.  It comes with 110 volt power supplies that convert the power to 12 volts.

I am planning on eliminating the power converters and wiring the entire system directly to the 12 volt battery bank using a fuse and switch.

I will do this because I want the system to not suspend recording when not hooked up to 110 volts.  I am currently plugged into a receptacle that is powered by the invertor, however if the invertor is shut off I would lose power to the system.  Each camera draws about 250 ma or 1/4 amp and the DVR draws less than 2 amps.

Thanks for that info.

A few more questions.

What make is the unit?  And can I ask what it cost?  You can PM me if you don't want to tell the world.

With 60 feet of wire I might be able to put one on the back of my trailer.
I wouldn't have a problem screwing into my trailer - but I'm not so sure about putting screws in my MH roof.

What kind of end is on the wire from the cameras and could it be extended if needed?

The wireless units would be nice but then I assume they would have to be recharged and taking them down all the time.......

I did look up backup cameras with monitors and they were in the $400-$600 range for 1 camera, so this might work?????

Nice work Bill! I have been wondering a lot lately about the possibility of doing something just like that. And I want it to record as I am rolling down the road.  I have seen so many examples of poor/distracted driving all over the country in the last few months, any video proof of "what really happened" is gold.

Here is one that I am looking at that has been developed by for the trucking industry.  It's called "Mobile Mule" 

http://www.rearviewsafety.com/mobilemule-mobile-dvr-video-recording-wifi-5520.html

 

The name of the system is Bunker Hill Security and I got it on sale at one of my favorite places to wander up and down the aisle, Harbor Freight.

It is probably made in China, but it seems to work well.

They are having lots of sales at HF and I got it for about $250 with 4 cameras.  Four more cameras were about $35.00 each.  I bought about 10 of those plastic looms for protecting the cable.  I went to Walmart and got a 19 inch high def TV and wall mount for about $150.  I also got Dicor sealant, HDMI cable, stainless cable clamps to secure the wire down, and a waterproof junction box to seal the opening where the cable goes thru the roof.  All together about $600.00 for all the parts.

Each of the cameras has a 60 foot cable.  The cable has a yellow BNC twist lock connector at each end and is labeled.  It also has a red power connector plug at each end.
The cables connect to the rear of the DVR for video and the power ends connect to a plug from a transformer type 12 volt power supply, (nine of them, 8 cameras and one for the DVR).

Very simple wiring.

Depending on where you locate the Control Unit/DVR you can probably put the cameras anywhere you want.  The instructions say not to splice the cable. but they also offer a longer cable with higher amperage.I would think that you could design a plug/receptacle at the rear of your DP to connect the cable to the trailer.

The sixty feet of cable for each camera was about twice as long as I needed because in my case the cable ran over the roof and entered right over where It needed to be.

As far as your concern about putting a screw in the roof.  I ran all the solar panel wiring and put plenty of screws in the roof.  I used plenty of Dicor and I am not worried about it leaking.

I preferred the wired system over wireless for a couple of reasons.  In my experience a hard wired connection is usually better for bandwidth, picture quality and is simpler to troubleshoot.  The other reason is that I am converting the power connection to a direct DC feed from the battery bank to insure continuous operation.

Marty:

After posting this I will look at your link.

Marty,

That system has a few extra features and looks easier to implement the remote viewing capabilities.  It also has a GPS function. 

To use the remote viewing capabilities with the system that I installed you need to enable the networking function thru a router and the setup looks like it would require someone with networking skills

Nice work!

I just went with this system that is designed for RV/Trucking industry........

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WR6ZRP8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WR6ZSAC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$90 for the 12V DVR and $36 for each camera.

Been thinking of installing a similar system at the stick & brick whenever I get to move back in.  Never considered the RV.

rbertalotto said:

Nice work!

I just went with this system that is designed for RV/Trucking industry........

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WR6ZRP8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WR6ZSAC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$90 for the 12V DVR and $36 for each camera.

Click to expand...

You will have to let us know how it works. Some of the reviews on Amazon were pretty horrible.....

Bill, we have the same security system in our house that you just installed in your RV (500 gigs, 8 cameras) and it's worked flawlessly for the last three years. Ours is branded "Swann" but I'll bet its made by the same manufacturer. I've wondered about putting one in the MH, so I'll be interested in hearing how yours works over time. FWIW, having the ability to view our house with my phone, from anywhere in the world (with cell service) is awesome.

Kev

Update:  After installing this system I bought a new house.  The DP is in a RV Garage so the view is pretty boring.

I am in the process of installing 8 cameras on the house and in the garage.

A couple of comments:

The home install does require longer cables.  I called Harbor Frieght corporate to get extension cables.  They did not know anything about them.

I did find a local audio/video store here in Lake Havasu City and he had them already made up in 60 foot lengths for only about 15 dollars each.

I am waiting to get some help installing the system.

Funny thing about Lake Havasu is that there are almost no young fellows that want to work.  The town is full of retirees and old geezers like me.

I fully understand the installation process after doing it on the Coach.  I just do not want to climb a ladder or get into the attic.

I know what you mean Bill. I upgraded our home security system from 4 cameras to 8. The attic crawl was NOT fun. But I got her done. And when it's over you always  say "well, that wasn't so bad". 

Update:  I did install the camera security system as well as a full ADT system, (which I set off by mistake every once in a while).

Here are some pictures of the final install.

Wow that looks awesome. I know this post is very old but I never thought to put cameras on the outside of the RV. It would probably give me some peace of mind at night. Ill have to look into the brand and set up.

Can I ask how your ADT set up went? Did they come out and do it for you? I?m looking into it for my moms new house, they quoted 6-8 hour install.

The ADT install only took a couple of hours.  The new systems are wireless.  The installer placed sensors on all the doors and windows and installed the keypad/control unit and programmed it.

I am very impressed with the response time when I set it off by mistake.

I quit carrying the key fob in my pocket because I was setting it off without knowing it.

One day three cops walked into my RV garage in response to a false alarm.

I can cancel an alarm but I have to be fast about it.

One interesting aspect of the system is that it announces when any door is opened and calls out the location of the door that has opened.

We also have a very sturdy "Safe Room" built into the Master Bedroom where I keep the extra key fob and other  protective items.

The ADT monthly monitoring fee is either $50 or $75 a month.

I hope that answered your questions.

It does thank you. I?ll have to make a note about the FOB for her...I can see that being an issue. Thanks.

I just got an updated version of the video security system that I installed on my old Country Coach to install on my Class C.

The new version now has 1 T of storage and better definition cameras than the old one.

It also has 100 foot cables.

I have a few different ideas that I will incorporate into the new system.

Got it at my same favorite place to graze up and down the aisles.

With the larger battery bank that I now have I can leave it on 24/7 even when boon docking.

Maybe I will also install a new one on the new home also.

I will post pictures after I, or someone else installs it.