Surveillance Systems

With a surveillance system, you'll never have to ask the question, "who's at the door?" Place a camera at your front stoop and you'll be able to tell if it's the UPS guy delivering your spiffy new hardware or an annoying door-to-door salesman (or worse). Why surveillance systems are even better than having a pair of eyes in the back of your head! Thankfully, it's never been easier to put together a custom surveillance system ...

Surveillance systems come in all shapes and sizes. While a simple surveillance system might consist of just one security camera and a monitor or PC, high-end systems can get quite complex, with multiple cameras feeding a dedicated digital video recorder (DVR). You can get started for less then a hundred bucks. But if you want to go high-end, get ready to peel off the c-notes.

There's a staggering array of security cameras in both wired and wireless varieties. Although there's certainly something to be said for a big obvious camera, stealth is often the way to go. With the tiniest models the size of a coin, it's not tough to be stealth. Of course, tough is important, too ... you'll find a wide range of vandal resistant domes, from relatively inexpensive black and white fixed single-lens models through beefy dual sensor designs.

Need something to handle low-light or infrared night vision? No sweat. Want to pan, tilt and zoom? You're covered.

We all know that VCRs are passe these days. It's the same case in the surveillance world. Time lapse VCRs might have their place, but DVRs are standard issue on state-of-the-art surveillance systems.

While the surveillance system in your humble abode or business might not rival that of one of Steve Wynn's casinos, you'll still want to be able to geek out for the neighborhood, right? Go for the DVR and you'll capture all of the action ... even if it's just the postman or your neighbor's dog.

Related: hidden wireless surveillance cameras