Any experience with wifi cameras??

[Brian Ski]

I am looking for a few wifi cameras. 4-6? Everything I found on the net seems to be biased toward their brand.

Ok, what I am looking for is kind of cheap. $50 each range (each). I want wifi so the wires will not get "accidentially" unplugged. Rechargeable is fine, but I was planning on running power cords. I want remote access, be able to pull up videos on a desktop computer. (I heard there are programs to run apps on windows.) Cloud storage is great, but nobody seems to be upfront with what it cost. SO far I have looked as Zumimal (not sure the difference between the F5 or Q1pro) And looked at Blink.

Maybe a POE with a router that could connect to a modem by WIFI?? No idea if that would work. Then I may be getting back to a NVR system. Hmm. Mayybe?

Ideas??

 

[firecadet613]

Wyze. Insert a MicroSD card and save it to that 24/7. Instant motion / sound notification and live viewing...

 

[indyblue]

I just want ones that don't need any "cloud" or an app to work. LAN web based only. I can serve the video however I want (zoneminder).

 

[bwframe]

Cameramonkey will be along soon to tell you his adventures trying to make wifi cams work well.

Cliff notes are that wifi runs out of bandwith very quickly. You will struggle to run as many cams as you'd like or run at acceptable resolution for the detail you would like.

 

[churchmouse]

Cameramonkey will be along soon to tell you his adventures trying to make wifi cams work well.

Cliff notes are that wifi runs out of bandwith very quickly. You will struggle to run as many cams as you'd like or run at acceptable resolution for the detail you would like.

And the dreaded word “cheap” always comes 1st.
you will pay for a good product.

 

[Brian Ski]

And the dreaded word “cheap” always comes 1st.
you will pay for a good product.

That is true... This is not to be a find the bad guy. My Nephew is causing trouble at my mothers house and I want to keep an eye on him/her. Long long story. I know if I use Ethernet it will get unplugged. Wifi to the cable modem would be ideal. SD cards or rechargeable... Eh don't need to be climbing ladders constantly. Just more like a baby monitor to keep an eye on who is coming and going.

 

[firecadet613]

That is true... This is not to be a find the bad guy. My Nephew is causing trouble at my mothers house and I want to keep an eye on him/her. Long long story. I know if I use Ethernet it will get unplugged. Wifi to the cable modem would be ideal. SD cards or rechargeable... Eh don't need to be climbing ladders constantly. Just more like a baby monitor to keep an eye on who is coming and going.

Blink if you want wireless wifi. Wyze if you can run power to them. I've used both for years with zero issues..... much prefer Wyze as you can stick a microSD card in them and also pan/tilt.

 

[Brian Ski]

Blink if you want wireless wifi. Wyze if you can run power to them. I've used both for years with zero issues..... much prefer Wyze as you can stick a microSD card in them and also pan/tilt.

I have looked at the Wyze cameras. I have a few questions. Wyze is listing 14 day rolling cloud storage. I guess that is only `12 second recordings. If you pay for the cam plus you can get longer recordings?? How much is the cam plus? Nobody wants to put it in writing.

One person mentioned a base station. Would that store recordings? I don't see a base station listed. Do you need one? It would be great instead of cloud storage.

How many cameras can run off of WIFI? Thanks for the ideas.

 

[firecadet613]

I have looked at the Wyze cameras. I have a few questions. Wyze is listing 14 day rolling cloud storage. I guess that is only `12 second recordings. If you pay for the cam plus you can get longer recordings?? How much is the cam plus? Nobody wants to put it in writing.

One person mentioned a base station. Would that store recordings? I don't see a base station listed. Do you need one? It would be great instead of cloud storage.

How many cameras can run off of WIFI? Thanks for the ideas.

$1.99/cam/month for the plus, still 14 days but no limit on recordings. With the 32gb cards, I get 2+ weeks of 24/7 recording. You can access the recording remotely as well.

No base station with Wyze, there is with Blink.

I run two cameras on my boat and I'm sure I could do many more.... very fast transmission speeds and instant notification of motion or sound.

 

[Brian Ski]

With the 32gb cards, I get 2+ weeks of 24/7 recording. You can access the recording remotely as well.

Ok, I can access the recordings off the net (app?) from the SD cards without pulling the cards?? Can I download them from the app?? Sorry for the questions. I am a slow learner. I can remote view live and download recordings without paying the cloud fee?

Thanks for the help.

 

[firecadet613]

Ok, I can access the recordings off the net (app?) from the SD cards without pulling the cards?? Can I download them from the app?? Sorry for the questions. I am a slow learner. I can remote view live and download recordings without paying the cloud fee?

Thanks for the help.

Yes to all, I haven't tried to download large files, but you can easily save the motion clips.

As cheap as they are, buy one and play around with it.

 

[Brian Ski]

Yes to all, I haven't tried to download large files, but you can easily save the motion clips.

As cheap as they are, buy one and play around with it.

That is what I was thinking. Going to grab one or 2 and see what I can do with them.

 

[db308]

wyze is probably worth checking out for the price.
I've not had the positive experience that I see reported online.
Motion fails to capture what I want to see. 12 seconds just isn't enough.
example: caught an amish buggy leaving the driveway, but nothing capured coming in.
It's no likely that he was going to fast for the cameras motion detect to capture.

Looking for what I want to see in what has been recorded to SD card is an exercise in frustration. I'll have the blue bar indicating recording, but it generally not there.
I have 3 cameras that will no longer connect to WiFi after a firmware update.
used and SD card to roll one of them back, still won't connect.

Alerts to the app for motion are not timely.

I appears that when I am at home, connected to my network that the app connects to the camera via the internet vs connecting to the camera locally on my network. My internet is 13/1 Meg, so that could be why I my experience has been less than positive.

If REMC ever gets fiber connected maybe it will improve....

I'm looking pretty hard at the ~$250ish DVR based systems with wired cameras. A co-worker picked up a cheap dvr system awhile back for his folks and they are satisfied with it, and the images are good.

 

[cburnworth]

IT guy here, I have installed several different systems. I have a couple of clients using lorex & swann. I go for the commercial systems for all of my installs. I personally do not like cloud systems. You want an nvr locally for storage especially if internet is spotty. If your having to run power to a camera you might as well go poe cameras. All the new cameras have notification & motion so that it will immediately create a small clip & send to your phone. All hard wired systems can be accessed remotely by an app on your phone.

 

[rooster]

Arlo used to be local network access from the app. Now all video is routed through their servers before the app views it so it causes lag and crashes.

I bought the arlo specifically bc it was LAN and then they changed it on me later. My guess is any product that is now LAN will eventually get routed through the “cloud” before you see it.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Not sure why I missed this first time around.

As others have said, you're not going to be happy at that $50 price point. And they typically have to be plugged in to work, so why not run an ethernet cable to it and get both... power and network? (Power over Ethernet) The DIY system I used to recommend has crapped the bed and I wont even mention its name anymore. (it started with bad management decisions, made worse with ZERO supply due to the chip shortage) And if they can "accidentally" unplug a locking RJ45 cable, they can "accidentally" unplug a power brick even easier... a power brick can fall out of an outlet. Ethernet cables cannot. And if properly mounted, they cant even SEE the cable to unplug it.

Look for ONVIF standard cameras and just go ethernet cameras. You want at least 4MP cameras, 8 would be better. And the nice thing about ONVIF standard IP cameras, is that its standard. You can mix and match your system with any ONVIF camera/NVR combo. Even software like BlueIris so you can roll your own NVR. One really good camera style are turret cams. They put the IR illuminator NEXT to the lens, but not AROUND the lens. Spiders especially are attracted to IR. and will block your lens. With turrets they build the web over the light and the camera stays clear. Like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Hikvision-DS-2CD2343G0-I-Network-Replacement-DS-2CD2342WD-I/

 

[Brian Ski]

Not sure why I missed this first time around.

As others have said, you're not going to be happy at that $50 price point. And they typically have to be plugged in to work, so why not run an ethernet cable to it and get both... power and network? (Power over Ethernet) The DIY system I used to recommend has crapped the bed and I wont even mention its name anymore. (it started with bad management decisions, made worse with ZERO supply due to the chip shortage) And if they can "accidentally" unplug a locking RJ45 cable, they can "accidentally" unplug a power brick even easier... a power brick can fall out of an outlet. Ethernet cables cannot. And if properly mounted, they cant even SEE the cable to unplug it.

Just the opposite for me. The modem is right in the middle of the living room. The power plug I am installing is in the middle of an unfinished attic. Power cords can be cut at all of the cameras too. I guess it is a point of where do you draw the line.

I know a cheap system is a cheap system. I have a Swan NVR system and love it. It just will be a waste of time at a remote location.

Thanks for the ideas.