Zoneminder saves the day: Free-software-based video surveillance
Hiroka is the manager of JCI Gardens Apartments, a subsidized housing facility for seniors in Torrance. When the 16-channel surveillance camera system conked out, we learned that the system was no longer supported by the manufacturer (Rainbow). The vendor suggested we scrap the whole thing and install a new system for an estimated $2500.
This seemed incredibly wasteful to me, so I teamed up with consultant Tim Craig to switch us to Free Software. I repaired the hardware with some used parts that I had on hand, installed Debian gnu/linux and Tim set up Zoneminder.
The system is back up and running, has better hardware and software features than before, for a grand total of $1200 (including new, better hardware and paying me and Tim for our time). For others out there with old Rainbow camera surveillance systems, know that Zoneminder supports your hardware and you can switch to all free software.
For anyone stuck with a proprietary surveillance solution, I highly recommend switching to Zoneminder. And Tim Craig is the perfect Zoneminder consultant! (contact me for his email address).