Security Surveillance Cameras

Anyone have surveillance cameras installed at home? I was looking at Arlo, but not sold on cloud based

I'm looking for a few options

1) night vision
2) access from mobile app (iOS & Android)
3) would prefer a DVR with continuous monitoring
4) no monthly fee
5) outdoor, weatherproof

I'd also prefer wireless, but continuous monitoring maybe would need wired with PoE

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PJ_Sneakers

The Nest cameras are pretty good.

gespenstern

I'm planning to do it in my newer house, did this previously.

My rules are -- no IP cameras, analog only and no DVR, instead I get DVR software and extension cards for a regular PC.

This way it's very cheap, works well, easy to fix.

cyberguypr

I dont trust the cloud like that either. I run 8 Hikvision cameras with a dedicated PC running Blue Iris. I dont want to expose my stuff so I VPN in order to access the NVR. I do have motion alerts on exterior cameras that email out a pic upon detection.

TechGromit

cyberguypr wrote: »

I dont trust the cloud like that either.

Cloud, hell I don't even trust my home network, I use string and cans to send data at home.

tpatt100

I have some IP cameras connected to a Windows 10 box in my basement running Blue Iris. It's been running for a few years now, no issues so far. I blocked internet access for the cameras on the router but I can still access the cameras and recordings with the phone/tablet app.

I used to have Arlo cameras but it was the first generation and it didn't offer much in the way of customization of recording times. I didn't want it triggering all the time if I happened to have a day off work because it would drain the batteries. Then the outside ones would just die too fast during the winter.

I ran Ethernet cables for my backyard camera into the basement but the garage/front door cameras go to my garage to a powerline network adapter because I didn't want to do any cutting of drywall and drilling. Three years now and only a couple of disconnects, the garage cameras record 24/7 the others are motion triggered. I have one camera indoors that can do pan and tilt and two way voice.

I stay away from cloud cameras because the cameras are tied to the cloud service, my cameras can be used with other nvrs if I wanted to switch to something else.

Blue Iris is a buy once program but you can renew support yearly if you need assistance with the software, I paid the past two years just to support the developer. I highly recommend reading the how-to guide that comes with it though. The recording profiles can be tricky but it supports most IP cameras

http://www.blueirissoftware.com/6.html

I've caught stuff over the past few years but nothing major, I installed them because somebody broke into our home several years ago. We had a lot of break ins a while back during the daytime when people are usually at work.

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the_Grinch

I always looked away from the cloud cameras just from the retention basis. Very expensive and most will only give you 30 days of storage. I know in my neighborhood you will probably not hear about something for several weeks and at that point I'd have no ability to go back to see. My other concern is that a lot of police departments in my area have begun making voluntary registration lists for people who have cameras. Not against it per say, but also doesn't sit right me either. Will probably rig up some stuff at my parents home in the next couple of months.

Dojiscalper

I just picked up some defender HD cameras after a friend recommended them. They have great video quality, night vision, DVR, outdoor. Very easy installation. And a great price at home depot. The management software has a lot of bonus features that aren't listed in the sales info too such as creating motion detection zones.

MitM

thanks for the replies everyone. I'll have to check out some of these solutions. Originally, I looked at ADT Pulse, but installation was over $700. If your internet goes down, so does their camera system. That was according to their sales rep.

@the_grinch, why are they making the lists of who has cameras??

@Doji - I saw the defender HD cameras, they look good. Ubiquiti cameras seemed nice too

BlackBeret

I'm late to the party, but LaView has everything you're looking for at a decent price. I have two set-ups, one for home and one for business. IP cameras are good quality, and PoE, so I only had to run one line for each camera. The night vision is pretty good on them. The NVR has the option to connect to their cloud server for dynamic DNS, but I disabled everything external.

I have static IP's at both locations. The mobile application is clunky, but it exists. The NVR has a browser based option that I prefer to use. My particular setup is that I VPN in to my networks from whatever device I'm on, then I connect to the NVR across my internal network. If you don't have a VPN setup you could always point your external IP over to the one of the NVR ports, or use their "cloud based routing system", which basically uses their server for dynamic DNS and connects out from the NVR to their server, instead of you opening an inbound connection.

the_Grinch

MitM wrote: »

thanks for the replies everyone. I'll have to check out some of these solutions. Originally, I looked at ADT Pulse, but installation was over $700. If your internet goes down, so does their camera system. That was according to their sales rep.

@the_grinch, why are they making the lists of who has cameras??

@Doji - I saw the defender HD cameras, they look good. Ubiquiti cameras seemed nice too

It's so in the event of an issue (robbery, assault, shooting, etc) they know which houses have cameras and might have caught something. My argument would be that in the course of an investigation you would talk to neighbors and they'd most likely disclose they have cameras.

MitM

Thanks BlackBeret

the_Grinch wrote: »

It's so in the event of an issue (robbery, assault, shooting, etc) they know which houses have cameras and might have caught something. My argument would be that in the course of an investigation you would talk to neighbors and they'd most likely disclose they have cameras.

Very interesting. I wouldn't like that either

kriscamaro68

These are the cameras I am looking into: https://reolink.com/shop/#shop-poe-banner They are relatively on the cheap side but have a lot of features. Also you can use just the camera or buy one of their DVR boxes or use it with Blue Iris and make you own DVR. Lots of flexibility. I had a Swann system at my old house and it was decent but these seem like a better setup.