Homemade video surveillance using simple usb webcams.

To make your own video surveillance systems in an apartment or house, you need to understand what you need first. That is, what tasks do you assign to this complex. For example, monitoring children in their own room from the kitchen is one option. Creating a reliable security system is the second option. This means that we can say that any most complex video surveillance system can be assembled by the owner of the house himself without outside help.

There is one point in this whole matter that involves reducing the costs of the assembly process itself. It's whether you buy a specially marketed CCTV kit or don't buy one. The second option involves purchasing each device and unit separately, and, as experts say, it is cheaper. By the way, the majority of consumers use it to organize a video surveillance system in an apartment or house.

How to make a DIY CCTV camera from a webcam

Let's move on to the simplest system that will allow you to use your computer or laptop as part of it. To do this, purchase a webcam (it is better if there are 4-5 of them in the apartment), which is connected via a USB cable or wirelessly to the receiver. It should be noted that modern smartphone and telephone systems also communicate with the webcam and understand it well. In this case, the webcam will serve as a security camera.

It should be noted that webcams are small in size, which is very convenient in terms of their hidden placement. In addition, not every stranger entering the house will immediately realize that he is being monitored using a webcam.

There is a second option in this system - this is when the laptop or computer has Internet access. True, you will have to buy another laptop or tablet; you can use the systems of a smartphone or phone that will be with you all the time. Communication with the home device will be made via the Internet.

The only thing that should be noted is that the remote video surveillance system combines both security and control functions. That is, setting up such a complex is an order of magnitude more difficult. Unfortunately, some home craftsmen are unable to do this. It will be very difficult to set it up yourself, so if there are serious doubts that you cannot handle it yourself, it is better to invite a specialist. If you nevertheless decided to do everything yourself, then you need to familiarize yourself with some information.

Microscopes for soldering and electronics repair, recommended for purchase

At the end, I will give a review of a microscope for soldering microcircuits and a method for attaching a microscope to a desktop, long ago and kindly provided by Master Sergei.

Security System Principles

There are several principles that underlie all security systems.

1. It is better not to catch a thief, but to prevent a crime.
2. High security of the cameras themselves.
3. The reliability of a security system is the reliable communication between cameras and receivers.
4. The security system itself must recognize the danger and sound an alarm; a person should not be directly involved in this connection.

Based on these principles, it is necessary to correctly choose the system itself, which would work not only correctly, but also as efficiently as possible. Therefore, the first question that requires an answer is: which connection is better: wired or wireless?

The wireless system is better in many respects. For example, it is more economical because for its assembly there is no need to deal with the process of laying cables. True, any errors in the broadcast lead to poor performance. Therefore, it is recommended to install the wireless method in the apartment. In courtyard and street areas, it is better to use a wired circuit.

But what should those who are in the city do, but want to control the situation in a country house and on its territory. It is clear that a wired connection will not help here. The only possible option is the Internet using a mobile phone, smartphone, and so on. To be honest, this is not a problem inside the city. Controlling your own apartment is simple and easy, since your provider allows you to do this. It is more difficult with long distances, because the channel capacity is far from the declared characteristics. So there is no need to talk about good communication today.

If you have doubts about the bandwidth of the Internet channel, by the way, it must be at least 1.0 Mbit/s, then everything can be checked on the spot. How?

• One option is to download a test program on the Internet and use it to upgrade the existing channel. Attention! During rush hour, these programs may show incorrect channel status. So the advice from a specialist is to do the check several times and better with different programs, since there are a huge number of them on the Internet.

• You can simply download any movie using a torrent tracker. It will show the download speed. Experts consider this option to be the most optimal and accurate. It will show the real channel speed.
• You can chat with friends via a webcam using Skype. If the picture at the other end of the connection is more or less good, then we can assume that the channel is working correctly.
• You can just play some internet game. Let it be heavy. If you can play, then everything is fine.

Testing conditions – all manipulations are carried out on site. Checking should only be done from the security system server.

Rating of microscopes by purpose

This rating is taken from one microscope expert and has been significantly condensed for ease of reading.

Microscope for mobile phone repair

The following microscopes for soldering and repairing smartphones are sorted by increasing image quality:

• MBS-10 (low contrast, unrealistic colors at high magnifications, discrete switching of magnifications, 90 mm distance);
• MBS-9 (65 mm distance and low contrast);
• Nikon SMZ-2b/2t 10cm (8x-50x)/(10-63x);
• Nikon SMZ-645 (8x-50x) 115 mm;
• Leica s6e/s4e (7-40x) 110 mm;
• Olympus sz61 (7-45x) 110 mm;
• Leica GZ6 (7x-40x) 110 mm;
• Olympus sz4045 (6.7x-40x) 110 mm;
• Olympus VMZ 1-4x 10x with a working distance of 90 mm;
• Olympus sz3060 (9x-40x) 110 mm;
• Nikon SMZ-1 (7x-30x) 100 mm;
• Bausch and Lomb StereoZoom 7 (working distance only 77 mm);
• Leica StereoZoom 7;
• Nikon SMZ-10a with Nikon Plan ED 1x lens and 10x/23 mm eyepieces;
• Nikon SMZ-U (7.5x-75x) working distance with Nikon Plan ED 1x 85 mm, with original 10x/24 mm eyepieces.

Microscope for repairing tablets and motherboards

For such applications, the issue of maximum resolution is not so important; magnifications of 7x-15x work there. They require a good universal tripod and a low minimum magnification. The following microscopes for soldering motherboards and tablets are sorted by degree of image quality magnification:

• Leica s4e/s6e (110mm) with 35mm field;
• Olympus sz4045/sz51/sz61 (110mm) with a field of 33 mm;
• Nikon SMZ-1 (100mm) with a field of 31.5 mm;
• Olympus sz4045;
• Olympus sz51/61;
• Leica s4e/s6e;
• Nikon SMZ-1.

Microscope for a jeweler or dental technician

The following microscopes for the dental technician or jeweler with a long working distance are sorted by degree of image quality improvement:

• Nikon SMZ-1 (7x-30x) with 10x/21 mm eyepieces;
• Leica GZ4 (7x-30x) 9 cm with 0.5x lens (19 cm);
• Olympus sz4045 150 mm;
• Nikon SMZ-10 150 mm.

Microscope for engraving

The following microscopes for engraving with a large depth of field are sorted in ascending order of image quality:

• Nikon SMZ-1;
• Olympus sz4045;
• Leica gz4.

Video surveillance system and server

What can be used as a server? In principle, assembly at home implies simplicity of the circuit and low cost of materials. For the home version, you can use any device such as a computer. As mentioned above, it could be a laptop, netbook, tablet or even a 3G modem.

The best option to create an entire system with several cameras in an apartment is any device that has several USB ports. Their number will determine the number of connected cameras. True, you will have to minus one port, the mouse will be connected to it. But it should be noted that the USB connection is not the best. It is susceptible to interference, and the length of the connected cables should not exceed 20 m.

A few words about the IP address of the cameras. Their presence does not mean that the camera itself can access the Internet. It requires a host and a provider anyway. And if you are assembling a video surveillance system of six cameras, then know that for each of them you will have to purchase six connection points from the provider. This, of course, is the case if a wired connection is established.

And a few words about archiving the information received. Everything will depend on how long the information should be stored. For example, the hard drive of the laptop itself is 120 GB. It can fit 4-5 months worth of pictures if you use frame activity up to 50%. Then some of the information can be reset or automatic erasure can be set. Don't discount old tried and tested DVDs. If you manually reset information on them in accelerated viewing mode, then four of them will be enough to download an annual volume of all information coming from webcams.

Appearance

The seller offers different models to choose from, I didn’t want to overpay, I decided to try 130X first, what the seller himself writes about it: Zoom ratio: 15: 1 Magnification factor: 1X ~ 130X Material: 2.4 mm-36 mm Working distance: 55- 570 mm Focal length: 110 mm Mount: 28 mm (C-mount) Promises a large viewing area. It’s worth asking the seller about the lens mount ring; as far as I understand, they come in different diameters. I decided to take it with a 50mm ring:

The lens diameter is 30 mm, excluding knurling:

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is installed this way due to its curved lens cover.

Inside the tube, a group of lenses runs along the hollows, changing the focal length:

The lens has the ability to use additional magnifying rings as an extension attachment:

You can also attach another lens there; I tried this with a lens from a CCTV camera. Example of a view on a camera without a front panel:

An example of a view on a camera with a front panel and a 10mm extension installed (more about it below):

To be honest, I calculated the magnification for this lens differently and got either strange numbers or results close to 100x; in the end, I was unable to fully assess the magnification and decided not to mislead you. All materials received are purely visual in nature.

CCTV Cameras

What you need to pay attention to when choosing cameras for a video surveillance system in an apartment or house. Let's start with the fact that there are two types of devices: open and hidden. It is clear that there is no point in installing open cameras in an apartment if you are going to monitor your household. For safety, it is better to install hidden models. They are most often installed in private homes.

The difference between them is the size of the devices. The former can be quite large, the latter, on the contrary, have small dimensions. The most popular mini cameras today, although they are the most expensive. Manufacturers are clever, trying to please the picky consumer, so today you can buy cameras disguised as various lamps and other decorative elements.

And another type of separation of cameras is outdoor and indoor. From the definition itself, it becomes clear that the former can withstand bad weather and sun rays well, while the latter quickly fail under natural stress.

How to properly place cameras and install them yourself

When it comes to your apartment, there are a few places you need to keep an eye on. These are windows and the front door, so in front of these elements of home furnishings you need to install cameras under the ceiling. If the owner of the house is also interested in other rooms, then he will have to choose the right viewing area and point the lens at it.

As for the installation of the entire video surveillance system, anyone can do it with their own hands. Firstly, the cameras are installed with self-tapping screws or glued with suction cups or Velcro. The first option is more reliable and durable. To do this, you need to remove the mounting casing from the camera, make marks through the holes, for example, on the ceiling, in which the holes will be aligned. Plastic dowels are inserted into them, to which the casing itself is screwed with self-tapping screws. After which the rest of the camera is installed.

Laying wires with your own hands is also a simple process. It is important to do everything secretly here. You can use special boxes for this, but the ideal option is to lay the cables in floor skirting boards.

Making a stand

The stand will be made from an old Leningrad photographic enlarger, you can now get one at all sorts of flea markets, or if your relative was into photography:

Installed pantograph on the projection table:

Illumination of the working area is required; as illumination, you can buy a ready-made module for microscopes, or make it yourself.

Of course I chose the second option, it’s transitional so to speak, I’ll order a good one

light. Everything was done on the knee in a matter of minutes from an SD tape:

Surprisingly, there is enough light, but it is not a panacea. In order to connect this whole thing to the action camera, I will use this adapter:

These adapter rings, if they are cheap, then come without an IR filter, and then we either order with this filter, or we farm, I collectively farmed from what I had, and I had one IR filter in my bins, don’t blame me, when I glued it my hand trembled and it went crookedly, but completely blocked the peephole:

It is worth considering that perhaps not all cameras will be compatible with this adapter shown above, for example, on my own, you will have to remove the front panel. In order to use it with the front panel, I bought extension rings for M12, like these:

One such ring will be enough for the front panel to fall into place (there is a confusion with the rings, they change the focal length very much, the microscope can only be used in the lower position of 200mm, everything higher will be out of focus). In general, I’ll say right away that there are special video modules that allow you to broadcast the image directly to the monitor, and you can also use video cameras for recording offenses; both of these camera representatives use the C-mount standard (28mm). An example of a camera sharpened for such observations:

I have a similar camera, it broadcasts in PAL. Now it’s difficult to say how many megapixels the sensor itself is, because documentation for it can no longer be found, but the picture via Video RCA shows a decent image for its age. We will check it too:

The analog camera will be connected through a DVR surveillance system, if anything it can be captured from it, but I still plan to work through EKEN. Next, you need to install the adapter ring that comes with the microscope lens. Here I was very lucky that the lens mount on the enlarger has the same diameter as the adapter ring, an interference fit was made, this is what happened:

Next, insert the lens there and center it with the clamping screws:

In the following pictures you can see what the installed cameras look like:

They fit very well, nothing interferes or touches anywhere, the only BUT

, the action camera is powered via microusb and connected via an HDMI adapter, the problem is that when the camera is active, power cannot be supplied to it due to the rather bulky HDMI adapter. To solve this problem, I ordered an angled cable for the camera:

It doesn’t really bother me yet because there are 5 batteries per camera, but it’s necessary for convenience. I did not use the complete table, it is not convenient, it takes up a lot of space, I used a simple screw clamp to attach the pantograph stand to the desktop, this will save space and increase convenience; you can always move the stand with the microscope to the side. The photographs below show the maximum and minimum distance of the pantograph; while I was testing everything, I connected it directly to the TV for evaluation: For a CCTV camera

:
Maximum distance:
In general, I did not expect much from it, and immediately refused, very small things merge, despite the increase, the sensor is very weak for such things. For EKEN camera

:
Maximum distance:
The minimum distance is 200mm for both cameras, while narrower

you can work quite well, if it is too large, then it will be enough to adjust the pantograph to the middle distance and the work will be much easier.