Home cameras for outdoors?

Reliable isn't a problem, but you are not going to find inexpensive cameras or DVR/Camera kits that have any kind of quality as far as picture goes. Basically the kits that include 8 cameras and a DVR and sell for less than $1000 at Costco or Sams will let you see motion and people shapes, but at any kind of distance beyond 20 feet or so, especially outdoors, forget about facial recognition.

No. Unless you are thinking of a game/trail camera. Security cameras are wireless only in that you don't have to run a signal line to the camer. You do need to run power, but that can come from any nearby source and doesn't have to come from the DVR or PC.

No.

Night vision in a package system is usually a dozen LEDs built into the camera body. They're good for about a tight circle of light about 10-20' away from the camera, but all they allow again is a general outline to be discerned. You aren't going to get any kind of facial recognition.

Yes. And the presence of PTZ has no bearing on the quality of the image.

Jane,

I hope your question is legit and you didn't follow me here.

Please don't start up your political soap-box here, these guys will spank you down.

To ASA:

"Jane Galt" posts in 2 groups I participate in, and is quite troll-ish. I have a suspicion she followed me here and will start with her political rants. For the sake of the group, I'd suggest staying on-topic with this one. It's the 3rd coming of Paul!

Dang it all, Graham, there you go stirrin' the pot again.

Hell ..... an I was jus gonna ask her if she knew where John went.

Nah, she'd just shrug and say she didn't know... heheh... get it?... "shrug"...

It has been a little too quiet in here. :-)

I wasn't trolling you.

RHC: Yeah, say what you will about RLB, when he was here things were much more active than since he left (for whatever reason good or bad.....).

It's really boring now.....

reportedly he died..

RHC: Yeah, say what you will about RLB, when he was here things were much more active than since he left (for whatever reason good or bad.....).

It's really boring now.....

Question of the wireless cameras I have seen there either low end junk or high end expensive does any one make middle of the road ones

I don't look at wireless CCTV anymore.

With wireless, (espcially if you're doing it for profit) always has that unknown factor. Just where you want to put the camera or the receiver is where at least one camera wont work for some unknown and undeterminable reason. So now ya hafta start moving things around and by the time you're done ( if you're lucky enough to be able to find a neutral location for every component and you can see what you wanted to see) you may as well have wired the damn thing to begin with.

If it's a DIY'er job, they're willing to spend the time to futz with it cuz they're not losing money on the job.

...

Kind of what I figured all my cams are hardwired coax or cat 5 with baluns

Yeah ..... but on the other hand ....... you don't like me when I get angry. ;-)

You haven't defined the problem enough to get an answer. You need to be able to specify something like:

I'd like visual surveillance of any area that's X by Y located Z distance from the camera. Resolution needs to be enough to perform facial recognition on an unknown person at night with no sources of illumination beside what the security system can provide.

And the answer to your question is no. Such a system will cost a lot of money.