Recommendations for Digital Security Systems?

An Anonymous Coward asks: "My company has an ailing analog security system, (you know the types: 16 position multi-plexer etc, 24hour VHS tape, and so on). We're in the market for a 21st century solution, and was hunting around for a computer/hard drive solution, being able to store up to 8 weeks of video, from 8am to 10pm, 7 days a week at multiple frame rates (up to 30, but we'll settle for 3 to 5 frames per second, with motion detection...) and preferably at a resolution where you can tell if that's a nose on the persons face or not!" It's a reasonable enough question. Just for fun, how difficult would it be to build such a system using consumer-level-off-the-shelf parts?

"Some of the ones we're looking at have in the order of 480gb of storage. Windows or Linux based, it does not matter, but the ability to schedule recordings, export the pictures (water-marking for possible criminal and court proceedings...), backup options to dat/cd-r/dvd-r, always on, ability to view previous footage AND record live from multiple camera's (8/16 or better), possible remote network access, motion recording, and ability to use both digital or analog cameras (significant previous investment in these, would like to re-use the colour newer models...) and newer digital higher resolution camera's are some of the features I would like. Any ideas from the very knowledgeable Slashdot crew?"

Comments

Run, don't walk, to x10.com

[Anonymous Coward]

As an added bonus, you can spy on your female coworkers. At least that's what the popups say.

note to self:

[Anonymous Coward]

note to self: break in between 10pm and 8am.

cheap solution

[alexjohns]

Get a new domain - hotchicksinoffices.com or something like that - set up your cameras as webcams, get every employee to link to that homepage so that Google ranks it high, get a little word-of-mouth advertising via your geekiest employees, then, to coin (and extend) Linus's infamous line: "Let the perverts on the net mirror your images." It might help if you could get your female employees to dress slutty, sometimes. You could have "Dress Slutty Fridays" or "Hooker Thursdays". If you have any good-looking men, you might try the same thing for them. "Lumberjack Days" and "Construction Worker Week" might do well in certain markets.

I don't really know how you would get the correct images back if you need them. Hmmm, maybe a promotion for somebody to win something if they have images with a certain timestamp. Perhaps a date with the cute secretary. Or money, if you have to stoop that low.

Re:dangers

[Lumpy]

next time this happens, light up inside, set off the smoke detector and all doors unlock.
dont tell me they dont, because by law they have to, no matter where in the US it is... other countries? they could care less about your personal safety, so it might just do nothing but make loud noises.

NOTE: i learned this first hand... when trying to get beck in the locked office, my boss said, "watch this" started hot-boxing his cigar and blowing it in the mail slot.... smoke alarm went off and the doors unlocked. he calmly opened the door and called the alarm company to let them know it was a false alarm.