Author Topic: How to link to already installed house cameras  (Read 1842 times)

summit27

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 1
    • View Profile
How to link to already installed house cameras
« on: September 01, 2011, 10:49:50 AM »
I bought a home with three already installed CCTV cameras.  What kind of hardware/software do I need to link the cameras to a system to watch the images on my home televisions as well as being able to view the images over the Internet on my computer or smartphones:  Droid and Droid x?  I have Cox Cable as both my TV signal provider and broadband provider.  I have WiFi in the home.
I know enough about computers to get into trouble.

OUAnthony

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 801
    • View Profile
Re: How to link to already installed house cameras
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2011, 05:34:46 PM »
CCTV = analog signal. Even if your computer has one of those capture cards to allow DVR functionality of the cameras, you still won't be able to view all 3 (or possibly any of the cameras) through iCam. iCam works with IP cameras and USB webcams...both of which are digital in nature. It is possible to use a capture card as a camera source, but if I remember correctly, nobody has been able to get a multi-capture card to feed more than one video source to icamsource. It's an issue with the drivers provided with the capture cards or something like that. Just don't expect any form of stability/quality if you try to use it. I don't remember reading any posts on here in which someone had good success getting these working. It would be better (although a pain) to switch to IP cameras. But for great stability, you'd want the cameras to be wired...not wireless. So the cameras would require a cat-5 feed, as well as a nearby electric outlet.

Icamuser

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 46
    • View Profile
Re: How to link to already installed house cameras
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2011, 07:31:33 PM »
I have 4 cctv cameras and looked into how this might be done.
I think a device like this would do it but I have not tested one.

http://www.ambery.com/cobncsautous.html

I have used ManyCam on the PC, with iCam, to rebroadcast the screen that is the remote view of the PC in another state with the 4 cctv cameras. So iCam and many cam is running on the local laptop which has an application designed to show me the 4 cctv cameras that are displayed on the remote PC.  But if the USB converter works it would be the better method.

Also maybe this

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/bnc-to-usb-video-converter-cable-40cm-length-51935
« Last Edit: September 02, 2011, 07:35:40 PM by Icamuser »