How to see visitors at the front door?

My bad, I thought this was about sharing information... but since my wire is already run, my DVR is already in place (with one camera installed) and I'm just waiting on another camera for this... I won't bother 'thread jacking' with pictures that could help ;)
 
I wasn't trying to be mean. I'm just trying to figure out my problem and don't want everyone to focus on something else. Start another thread and we'll discuss there.
 
Here is a picture of my front door area.  I wish I could somehow post a larger picture.  Thanks for the help!
 
The door itself is metal but the frame is wood.
 

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Gorgeous front!
 
What about installing a camera near the top of the trim piece above the window?  Or near the poles in front, so when the person walks away, you will have their face.
 
Do you even have a doorbell? I can't seem to find one at all in the picture - it may just be because of the size. You've certainly got a LOT more space there than I do. If that were the front of my house I'd end up installing a wide-angle camera on either side of the door - at about eye-level.
 
Is this a single or multi-level home?
 
Yeah the door bell is to the right of the door handle on the white border. A camera there wouldn't be optimum due to it being sorta far away from where the persons stands.

The other problem is my wife will be very picky and won't allow any eye sores at the front door.

I guess I would like the camera picture to be seen on my phone and or TVs. I'm open to ideas. I wonder if one of those spot cameras would work.
 
Oh and it is a single level home but it does have a bonus, bedroom and bathroom above the 3 car garage. The space above the door is part of the attic which would make it easy to run wire if needed.

What kind of wide angle camera do your recommend?

Thanks!
 
Yeah, the reason I was asking about it being a single or multi-level was that it would be easy to run cabling (assuming single-level), especially since the roof extends over the porch, which probably leaves you 4-ft or so of headroom above the door. I actually ran cabling yesterday in a friends home, all the way to the soffit on both front corners and I was able to get above the porch.
 
Regarding cameras, my choice would be dependent on the way you want to use the system and how much you want to spend. Do you want this recorded or just used for streaming? If you want it recorded, do you have a PC that you plan to dedicate to this or would you go with a DVR/NVR? The reason I'd try to answer these questions is because they are part of determining if you want to go with analog vs. IP cameras... many of the IP cameras have excellent picture quality and are obviously directly networked. However, they are more expensive (especially outdoor models), and depending on the chosen brand usually have limited software suites which support each companies camera... so you may love the camera, but not like the NVR software/interface. Additionally, some companies offer free NVR software while others charge per camera (license).
 
Having said that, I'd be looking for something in the 2-4mm range for this camera to try and get the widest field of view (FOV) possible.
 
Have you ever heard of Dahua (sp?) cameras?  If so, which do you think I should try?  I would like them to be IP cameras.  I do have a laptop I can dedicate to this camera and would like to add more cameras along the way.  So I guess I need cameras and an NVR?  Or does my laptop take the place of the NVR?  Thanks!
 
I haven't heard of the cameras you mentioned.
 
NVR = Network Video Recorder. I don't know that you want to dedicate your laptop as a storage device for your camera system. If you want to go the route of using a computer as a NVR, it's generally much easier to use a desktop machine which is a lot easier to scale storage (adding additional hard drives). Generally, you can 'roll your own' NVR by installing software on a computer that you already have. If you don't have or want to dedicate a PC for this, there are dedicated NVRs which can also be purchased. If you don't care about recording and only want to stream the cameras for viewing then you just need an IP camera, or an analog camera and a video encoder.
 
i was looking at NVRs but they are not cheap. you can build your own with old PC. You can buy 2T HD for less than $100. but then you may need additional cards/hardware. not sure.
 
I've seen mention of the Dahua cameras plenty of times at CCTV Forums - I haven't used them but gather they're another foscam-type contender... they're commonly brought into the US under different brand names but they're the same cameras.
 
I know the AirCam Pro is due out soon from Ubiquiti - Megapixel IP Cam, free NVR, night vision, and metal body I think - should be due out any time now... I'm kinda holding out for those - since at least they're a real US brand; and Ubiquiti seems to be a decent company; I've used a lot of their products.
 
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