I’ve got this one from Costco:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11534508&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|79|4802&N=4001405&Mo=19&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=4802&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C

It is a dedicated system on a dedicated DSL 1.5 MB download and 1 MB upload speed. The static IP makes it much faster and convenient to remote access. I went with the slow DSL to save a few bucks but it tends to be a little slow and clunky. Granted it is moving a lot of data so if you can justify it, get a faster uplink.

It records about 2 weeks on the disc running 9 cameras, audio off.

Mine came with 4 color and 4 b/w cameras. The b/w tends to have better resolution, but no night vision. At night the color cams will switch to b/w and turn on its Infrared emitters. There is no way to override this auto function as if there is for example a streetlight aiming at the lens, the IR won’t turn on.

The resolution is crappy on all these systems. I upgraded two cams to the higher 560 lines which made a big difference. But still not like we are used to seeing on your TV at home. Here is my upgraded cams:

http://www.cloverusa.com/default/product_view.php?part_idx=219&goods_data=aWR4PTEyOTMmc3RhcnRQYWdlPTAmbGlzdE5vPTEyJnRhYmxlPWNzX2dvb2RzJnBhcnRfaWR4PTIwOCZzZWFyY2hfaXRlbT0=||http://www.cloverusa.com/default/product_view.php?part_idx=219&goods_data=aWR4PTEyOTMmc3RhcnRQYWdlPTAmbGlzdE5vPTEyJnRhYmxlPWNzX2dvb2RzJnBhcnRfaWR4PTIwOCZzZWFyY2hfaXRlbT0=||

The trick is to get the cam as close to your subject as possible to get images that you can at least recognize a face.

Another thing is the number of cams. You really need a bunch of them. The field of view tends to be quite tight and once you put one cam up, there will be areas that it won’t see so you have to put up another. For example, you may have a wide overall shot, tight for an entrance gate, reverse angle, you get the idea.

It has capability to connect to an alarm but I don’t use this function.

Unless you are trying to be stealth at night and use the invisible IR, I suggest lighting the area with bright lights. Just point them away from the lens.

I started with a QSee system with 4 channels and returned it right away as it was extremely slow and ran on USB 1.1. Talk about old tech.

Another option if you have a computer nearby is to get a card for your PC computer to connect the cam. Cheap motion detection software will turn it on and run it. Not as easy for remote monitoring however. This is one reason I went with a dedicated system.

Remember these things are more for your peace of mind as it won’t stop a thief. But it may help with the cops.

Buddy of mine has nice video showing his business being broken into and his stuff carried off, never to be seen again. 🙁