A bunch of threads I've seen here recently have gotten me thinking more about home security. I'm also a big open source fan and I've built my home surveillance system around some open source products. But I realize not everyone eats and breathes this stuff everyday like some of us here so maybe I and other geek/nerds here could give back to the community a bit help others get their cctv systems kicked off on the cheap and realtively easy. The target audience of this thread is those with a basic background in computers (ie anyone computer savvy enough to use this forum). If you can figure out how to get to and post on this forum, chances are you can work your way though this build.
A simple CCTV system can be put together for a modest outlay of cash to get started especially if you have an old PC laying around. An old dual core processor and a few gig of ram are plenty. For example, I run my CCTV system on a 7 year old PC that is also running my open source DVR that is constantly capturing over the air broadcast and transcoding. It really doesn't take a beast and I would guess many have old systems that would work just fine. If you have such an animal and a wireless network at home, for around 50 bucks, you can start a simple and reasonable CCTV that is capable of motion detection, recording, and alerting. If the bad guys do come, you might be able to put a face with the deed.
So what you are going to build will be based in Ubuntu. Ok so what the hell is a Ubuntu? Ubuntu is a popular and well supported open source operating system (like Windows) based on Linux. Linux is derived of an old Unix operating system developed in various flavors back in the day to run high powered computers and main frame. It is extremely module and powerful but like anything with lots of dials and switches, you have a great deal of control which means you have a great deal of potential to mess things up. Fast forward about 20 years, Linux has taken off and a lot of Linux based projects have taken off specialized into all kinds of uses. In Ubuntu's case, they have developed Linux to be extremely easy to install and maintain while still offering the power and flexibility for those who want it. We are focusing on Ubuntu because it already has the packages (programs/applications) you need to build your CCTV system available to install easily.
The first thing you want to do is download Ubuntu from the link below and then follow the steps. If you have a cd/dvd burner, you can create a boot disk on that but I recommend using a USB stick detailed in the 3rd link. It's the most complex for the beginner but really just involves similar steps to a cd/dvd but you a USB drive. The only other catch is many PCs are configured by default to try to boot from the cd/dvd drive but you ahve to modify the BIOS to boot from a USB before it attempts to boot from the hard drive. This typically involves looking at the display which will tell you to press some key to enter the BIOS (F1, ESC, or similar). We can get into that kind of stuff in the thread below.
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/server
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/server/install-ubuntu-server
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick
If you've gotten this far, you are likely booting up your new server and you are faced with some menus. This is where we will have to get into some Q/A because how you answer them depends on how your network is setup. For example, you will be asked about IP addresses and you want to set this one permanently because the camera you are going to buy will be sending its video stream here. You will need to know your IP network address range (typically something like 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x) and the subnet mask (typically something like 255.255.255.0). We can get into this more but in a nutshell, the first number is the address to your computer (like your house) and the second is the subnet (think of it like a zip code). There will be a 3rd number called a gateway or router that looks like like the first but the last numbers will be differnet. Think of this as the post office that knows how to send your mail to other post offices in other cities zip codes.
Here is a youtube video on how to install the most recent version. It has an annoying digital voice but has the steps with pictures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5lMuMhmd4Q
So this thread is getting a little long winded and I figure we can stop here and if anyone actually wants to attempt this, we can help get you going up to the point you have a basic server built. This is by far the hardest part!
Also, while you are doing this, head over to foscam and look at some of the camera. I'll post links to deals I've gotten recently but you can get an indoor pan/tilt camera for a little over 50 bucks and an outdoor fixed camera for under 80. I've used them for quite a while and they've worked fine. Post up questions or even an "I'm doing this" and I'll continue to the next step which is installing and configuring your CCTV software called Zoneminder and help with the camera configs.
A simple CCTV system can be put together for a modest outlay of cash to get started especially if you have an old PC laying around. An old dual core processor and a few gig of ram are plenty. For example, I run my CCTV system on a 7 year old PC that is also running my open source DVR that is constantly capturing over the air broadcast and transcoding. It really doesn't take a beast and I would guess many have old systems that would work just fine. If you have such an animal and a wireless network at home, for around 50 bucks, you can start a simple and reasonable CCTV that is capable of motion detection, recording, and alerting. If the bad guys do come, you might be able to put a face with the deed.
So what you are going to build will be based in Ubuntu. Ok so what the hell is a Ubuntu? Ubuntu is a popular and well supported open source operating system (like Windows) based on Linux. Linux is derived of an old Unix operating system developed in various flavors back in the day to run high powered computers and main frame. It is extremely module and powerful but like anything with lots of dials and switches, you have a great deal of control which means you have a great deal of potential to mess things up. Fast forward about 20 years, Linux has taken off and a lot of Linux based projects have taken off specialized into all kinds of uses. In Ubuntu's case, they have developed Linux to be extremely easy to install and maintain while still offering the power and flexibility for those who want it. We are focusing on Ubuntu because it already has the packages (programs/applications) you need to build your CCTV system available to install easily.
The first thing you want to do is download Ubuntu from the link below and then follow the steps. If you have a cd/dvd burner, you can create a boot disk on that but I recommend using a USB stick detailed in the 3rd link. It's the most complex for the beginner but really just involves similar steps to a cd/dvd but you a USB drive. The only other catch is many PCs are configured by default to try to boot from the cd/dvd drive but you ahve to modify the BIOS to boot from a USB before it attempts to boot from the hard drive. This typically involves looking at the display which will tell you to press some key to enter the BIOS (F1, ESC, or similar). We can get into that kind of stuff in the thread below.
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/server
http://www.ubuntu.com/download/server/install-ubuntu-server
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick
If you've gotten this far, you are likely booting up your new server and you are faced with some menus. This is where we will have to get into some Q/A because how you answer them depends on how your network is setup. For example, you will be asked about IP addresses and you want to set this one permanently because the camera you are going to buy will be sending its video stream here. You will need to know your IP network address range (typically something like 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x) and the subnet mask (typically something like 255.255.255.0). We can get into this more but in a nutshell, the first number is the address to your computer (like your house) and the second is the subnet (think of it like a zip code). There will be a 3rd number called a gateway or router that looks like like the first but the last numbers will be differnet. Think of this as the post office that knows how to send your mail to other post offices in other cities zip codes.
Here is a youtube video on how to install the most recent version. It has an annoying digital voice but has the steps with pictures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5lMuMhmd4Q
So this thread is getting a little long winded and I figure we can stop here and if anyone actually wants to attempt this, we can help get you going up to the point you have a basic server built. This is by far the hardest part!
Also, while you are doing this, head over to foscam and look at some of the camera. I'll post links to deals I've gotten recently but you can get an indoor pan/tilt camera for a little over 50 bucks and an outdoor fixed camera for under 80. I've used them for quite a while and they've worked fine. Post up questions or even an "I'm doing this" and I'll continue to the next step which is installing and configuring your CCTV software called Zoneminder and help with the camera configs.
