Link: http://HarborFreightReviews.com

Item: Black and White Security System with Two Cameras & Monitor
Item number: 66556
Retail price: $89.99
Target price: $54.99 (with coupon)
Best price: $49.99
Item Link

It's difficult to find a good deal on a surveillance camera from a brick-and-mortar store with Amazon, eBay, and other online retailers keeping the prices so very low, but Harbor Freight has come up with a good basic package which is a great buy when purchased at our target price. This simple, two-camera system is complete with a monitor and power supply. It's black and white, but it does have infrared sensitivity and camera illumination which claims to provide night vision up to about 20' from each camera. (FYI: Infrared IS black and white as are most low-light level cameras; some cameras switch from color in normal light to black and white in low-light conditions.)

We find the actual useful range of the night-vision feature (use in near total darkness) to be around 5 or 6 feet for facial recognition and about 10 feet for other small objects. It might provide some faint illumination up to 20 feet (e.g., detect movement in the background), but that's pushing it. However, even low-wattage yard lamps provide adequate lighting for this system to see well into the night. You might also consider supplemental infrared lighting that's available on eBay in a various sized LED arrays.

This is a good, basic surveillance system that can be used for security or other monitoring of two different areas. You can have it automatically alternative between the two cameras at a programmable rate or you can manually select either camera. There is no split screen option for monitoring both cameras simultaneously, but with the small, low-resolution monitor the images wouldn't be very clear.

Other online reviewers have noted that this system works best inside or outside under low-light conditions -- it tends to washout the images in bright sunlight. Each camera has a 58' cable which means that the two cameras can be around 100' apart. The 58' cable includes the power for the camera so no 120VAC outlet is necessary at the camera's location. The RCA output can be used with other monitors and most televisions with RCA inputs. The camera housings are stainless steel and should be suitable for outdoor use, but we haven't yet subjected it to our Buffalo winter test so we can't comment more on this feature.

Be advised that the power-supply output voltage is 18 volts not the 12 volts stated on the monitor's power input jack and in Harbor Freight's description. You would need a voltage adapter to use this system for automotive applications at 12 volts.

This system provides an inexpensive solution to most basic surveillance and monitoring applications. The hard-wired system has advantages over wireless systems in reliability and in providing the camera's power-supply through the hard-wired connection back to the monitor. For those who haven't yet installed video cameras, consider the convenience of being able to monitor what's happening in the shop or at the front door beyond its obvious security applications. Once you become accustomed to using a monitoring system, you'll realize its value and never want to go back to being 'blind' again.

Bottom line: A good basic security system at a great price. Simple plug-n-play operation right out of the box gets you immediately up and running.