I have been trying to locate a single site you could use as a starting base, but the info has become even more specialized than I last remembered. I wasn't advocating a large scale system but something small and relatively inexpensive, which would not require high maintenance. However it would require electricity in the home being visited!

I would go to ebay and do a search on "nightshot". You 'd be suprised at how cheap you can get a good used camcorders.$100 to $200.Hi8 or dig8 would do fine. The main problem for video is that the visits are usually at night. I would rig 2 of these in opposite directions with the "feed" of at least one going to a vcr inside left on 8 hr slp. vcrs are very cheap. You just have to make sure the cam has the rf plugs. The super night shot uses filtered infrared light and is rated up to 100 feet. At the first hint of a visitation I would trigger all devices(set from inside and let them run for the duration-until the batteries die) It would certainly add an unexpected dimension for any intruder. This will require some creativity on your part. Concealing camera and obvious wiring, etc.

Here, a person using a sony handicam comments..

[www.epinions.com]

"Finally, I was impressed with the Super Nightshot feature. One night I tested the camera by taking it with my family on a night walk. The picture was remarkably vivid and clear up to 10 or 15 feet away. Beyond that distance the image began to get fuzzy and lose resolution. Considering it was pitch dark, I could not have been more satisfied with this result."

There is an optional Ir light now sold online for about $40, the hvl-irc

Nightshot
Low light? No problem. Absolutely no light? No sweat! Now you can capture video even in total darkness (0 lux). Sony's NightShot system uses infrared light to capture images invisible to the human eye. You can shoot subjects like sleeping babies up to 10 feet away in total darkness.
Invented by Sony, the NightShot system is available on selected Sony Handycam® camcorders. With the optional HVL-IRC NightShot light, you can even capture images from up to 100 feet away! Top models have Sony's Super NightShot system, which automatically adjusts the shutter speed for even better exposure and even greater detail
[www.welectronics.com]

Personally, I would rig it to a rotating tripod.different lenses and filters could also be experimented with to improve the range, etc. I am assuming you would not need permission to rig your own residence in such a way.