Security Cameras

[x10]

I'm using wireless Blink cameras. They are as easy as it gets if you have a constant internet connection and a smart phone.

Here's what likes to eat my wife's Hostas:
http://drive.google.com/file/d/1u7Lm5jj0EC_S5NCYL6ciRsKyAYVeYPcs/view?usp=sharing

I love the blink camera's I put up,

 

[Sailor]

Try the Wyze cams on Amazon first. $25 bucks, magnetic base, easy to setup, great picture for the price and the software is fantastic, better than Arlo software. I have had them unprotected under the soffit of my house for a year and still working. I 3d printed a cover and had one totally exposed this last winter on my parents lamp post and it did fine. If you need really long zoom to ID far out get a $200 plus 4k zoom camera. BUT for close sidewalks, rooms, garage, decks etc these work great. Here is a screenshot I grabbed expanded all the way out on my 24 inch monitor.

 

[cosermann]

You all with the cheesy brand cameras aren't worried about users hacking and taking video of you? That's my #1 fear with the cheaper commercialized ones.

Like churchmouse, mine are hardwired (PoE) to the NVR. No port forwarding. No cloud storage. If I want to view cams when I'm away I bring up a VPN connection.

Yeah, I'd worry about a wireless cam with cloud storage too. I think it was a year or two ago Ring had an issue where people were seeing pics from OTHER people's front porches for a while.

 

[Sailor]

I don't use the cloud service. Its AES 128 encrypted and I do not have cameras located anywhere where where I would care if others see me. Quality at night was good enough for the police to positively ID the kids looking in my parents windows.

 

[CTC B4Z]

Can you guys post some links of this hardwired equipment?

 

[chipbennett]

I know it's not what you said you wanted, but I'll at least throw in a pitch for Netgear Arlo wireless cameras. The wireless connection works flawlessly, camera quality is excellent, video is stored to the cloud, and storage is free for 30 days for up to 5 cameras per base station (which is plenty for average home use, for a home of average size). The system is moderately priced (not cheap, but not super-expensive). Batteries last up to 6 months or so, depending on activity level of the monitored area. (I use rechargeable batteries.)

I believe there is an Arlo Pro series, that are wired cameras. And the monthly subscription costs to expand the system beyond 5 cameras aren't bad.

 

[cosermann]

Can you guys post some links of this hardwired equipment?

I’ve found the people at Nelly’s Security helpful. I had 1 cam fail after a couple of yrs (3yr warranty). They replaced it promptly after a bit of diagnosis over the phone.

https://www.nellyssecurity.com/

 

[2ADMNLOVER]

I’ve found the people at Nelly’s Security helpful. I had 1 cam fail after a couple of yrs (3yr warranty). They replaced it promptly after a bit of diagnosis over the phone. 

https://www.nellyssecurity.com/

Is there a system they sell that you can reccomend

 

[cosermann]

Is there a system they sell that you can reccomend

Depends on your budget and the offerings vary.

 

[Sailor]

Anyone ever do any remote cameras via AREDN or long range wifi? We had a hit and run near our neighborhood this last week and I was looking for some solutions to add a camera at our front entrance. It's 368 yrds from my house.

 

[PinoyJedi]

I know it's not what you said you wanted, but I'll at least throw in a pitch for Netgear Arlo wireless cameras. The wireless connection works flawlessly, camera quality is excellent, video is stored to the cloud, and storage is free for 30 days for up to 5 cameras per base station (which is plenty for average home use, for a home of average size). The system is moderately priced (not cheap, but not super-expensive). Batteries last up to 6 months or so, depending on activity level of the monitored area. (I use rechargeable batteries.)

I believe there is an Arlo Pro series, that are wired cameras. And the monthly subscription costs to expand the system beyond 5 cameras aren't bad.

I’ll throw in a second on Arlo. Have 2 outdoor cameras now, and quality and reliability have been great.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Anyone ever do any remote cameras via AREDN or long range wifi? We had a hit and run near our neighborhood this last week and I was looking for some solutions to add a camera at our front entrance. It's 368 yrds from my house.

Is there power at the front entrance? Do you have line of sight? If both are true, You could setup a bridge for about $170. Two each:
https://www.doubleradius.com/Manufacturers/airMAX-AC/ubiquiti-airmax-nanostation-ac-loco-us.html
https://www.doubleradius.com/Manufacturers/UBNT-Mounts/Ubiquiti-Universal-Arm-Bracket.html
https://www.doubleradius.com/Manufacturers/PoE/Ubiquiti-POE-24V-Gbit-POE-24-12W-G.html

 

[Alamo]

I have a couple Ring cameras. One is an older model doorbell camera, one is a newer "Stickup" cam. Both run off WIFI and are battery operated. You can get wired versions of these for about the same price.

I got the doorbell cam (on sale for about $130) initially because wife was ill and needed to be able to check and communicate with whoever might be at the door without having to leave bed. It was easy to set up and it does the job. I would like a better resolution on it (which the newer Ring doorbell cameras have) but it does exactly what I want, and the day vision is pretty good. It would be nice if the battery lasted a little longer, but generally I need to recharge it only every three or four weeks after putting the solar panel bezel ($45 or so) around it. It gets direct Sun only a couple hours just before noon, doesn't make enough juice that I never have to recharge, but it significantly slows the depletion of the battery. It has two-way voice and I have used this feature from work to deal with visitors.

The Stickup Cam($150) is rated for indoor or outdoor use, also has night vision and two-way voice, plus a siren. It's resolution is higher 1080p, Was even simpler to set up, just added to the phone app, let it do its update, and away we went. I used it indoors for now, set it on a high shelf in the kitchen which lets it cover both entrances to the house, part of the living room, and the doors to the two extra bedrooms. And the kitchen of course, where most of the action happens. I plan to experiment with it outdoors as well, I have some wifi reach outside the house, so I plan to park it in/on a tree to cover two sides of the house.

When I had the single camera (doorbell) I was on Ring's $9.99/year plan which gave me a bunch of online storage for past videos for 90 days, I think. I could download any interesting ones that I wanted to keep. When I got another camera I went to the $100/year plan which covers 2-5 cameras. I am not keen on cloud storage, but I wanted something that was quick and easy to set up, and Ring worked. If somebody wants to hack the cloud and watch me wander around the kitchen in my boxers and hairy belly on Saturday morning while I make coffee, I figure that's its own punishment. The other downside to cloud/internet service like Ring is if the internet craps out, the system stops working. The path from the camera to my phone is not direct, it goes to the Ring servers first.

The Ring app on the phone has greatly improved since I got the first camera, and I really like it. When I open it I get a display showing recent stills (it updates the still every so often) from both cameras, with horizontal slide bars with time stamps on them underneath showing past events that have been recorded. I can slide the bars back and forth with my finger to quickly see what was recorded, and it's easy to go into live mode. Either camera view can be expanded to full screen, and I can also do all this on my desktop at work if I want. That's the benny of having the cloud service.

The cameras trigger on movement, and the sensitivity and motion fields can be adjusted somewhat. Also the notification level can be adjusted as well. I sometimes wish the duration of the event recorded (about 30 seconds)could be adjusted to be a little longer but is generally satisfactory. BTW it also records sound.

I am satisfied enough with it I am thinking of getting another stickup cam. I am going to experiment out doors with the current one, and if it works well enough outdoors on wifi I will probably get two more with solar panels, and that will be enough to cover the perimeter of the house.