Security camera recomendations

[oldbrownhat]

Need some advice here. My neighbor up the street bought an el-cheapo system from Costco a few years ago after their ATV was stolen, but the system has died and she wants to get something better "without breaking the bank." I'm hyper-security conscious as far as internet-type stuff is concerned so I can't be much help as I distrust most "consumer" stuff, but I figure there must be something decent out there that she can use. I figure that if I can convince her to use strong passwords on the system and cameras, she should be OK.

She wants wireless cameras, not because of long distances or awkward locations but so as "not to have to bother with wiring." However, none of the locations she needs to put a camera would be impossible to run cable to and power is available. She lives on her iPhone so having an app that she can use to access the cameras and alerts would be needed. (Seems just about all systems can do this.) She has fiber internet (if that matters) but I think having local storage for the cameras - as opposed to the cloud - would be preferable. I doubt she would need to store more than 7-10 days at a time, and storage is cheap.

She needs 3 cameras. One looking over the front door/gate area (about 40' to the road), one on the side of the detached shop next to the house and one to cover the patio area between the house and the shop. 1080p resolution would be enough for the cameras aside from the one for the gate/road, which should be higher, and good night imaging would be important. I have used external IR illuminators on my property with good results, as the ones in most cameras are really only good at close range. There are inexpensive ones from Amazon for ~$40.00. which work well.


Fire away....

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

It's literally what you want you can get....and pretty cheap, too.

Keep in mind, though that any system you get these days is going to have its quirks AND be obsolete within two years at best.

Swann makes a good system...many people I know use it...but it is bought at Costco and Sam's. I used a Swann body cam for years and swore by it.

Depending on level of activity and the sensitivity of the camers (I always advise using motion sensing cameras with automatic lighting as well) most DVR systems record up to 30 days with either auto erase at that time or you can transfer to another memory system.

 

[Kiwi cop]

I went for a Eufy system a few years ago, and it was the best decision I ever made. When a couple of young gang prospects tried to break into my shed, containing my guns and reloading stuff, again the system alerted me and the video footage, once downloaded to a computer screen was "the best quality" that the cops attending had ever seen, (good enough to identify both offenders beyond doubt).

The system runs off my phone (iPhone 11) via two "home base" units and two wi-fi extenders (I only use the two homebase units as it was cheaper to buy a second home base with two camera than the camera separately, otherwise everything would run off the one base unit).

The only downside is having to remove and recharge the cameras about every three months, which is a simple step. The batteries in the motion sensors and door sensors are still fully charged after almost two years.

I can set each camera differently (at home to activate without the alarm and away with the alarm). And adding to the system is a breeze.

 

[LVSteve]

Real thieves love wifi cameras. Just Google "wifi jammer" to see why.

 

[Faulkner]

Here is my recommendation, it's good stuff. I'll let the marketing on the web page do the sales pitch but this is what I use. It's not expensive, fits the iPhone interface you mentioned, and provides HD quality video.

Wyze Cam v3 Pro: The 2K smart camera you've been waiting for.

 

[oldbrownhat]

Tnanks, folks. This is a good start. Keep 'em coming.

Thinking about it more last night, as Kiwi cop mentioned, one problem with wireless is having to recharge the units; inevitably "someone" will forget to do so, esp. before they go off camping for a week! (Despite having 3 perfectly capable teenagers.) And yes, one of her kids mentioned the problem of wi-fi hacking at dinner last night. Presumably setting a proper password can help.

Eufy I have not heard of (except in a NY Times/Wirecutter article about shortcomings in the Apple Homekit system which had a couple of them in the article photo.) Wyze I have heard of, and usually good things. Likewise Arlo. It seems actual image quality and brand isn't much of an issue nowadays; even my dash cam has remarkably good quality. Much of the quality of the "footage" (as we still call it) is dependent on proper location and lighting.

There is also the question of storage. On-board SD cards are OK, but you have to clamber around to access them, which may or may not be a problem depending where they are installed. And online (cloud) storage is pricey, esp. for the amount needed for video files.

My own system is "old school" - a HikVision DVR and cameras, but a bit of a PITA in some ways as commercial DVR's seem to live in their own eco-world. It's not connected to the internet and I've never managed to get the DVR onto my intranet for home access from my laptop or iPhone. If I was doing it again, I'd ditch the DVR and use a PC running Blue Iris software, which can use just about any IP camera. Unlike my neighbor up the road. I like to be able to reach out on the property and see what's creeping about. The pic below is a screen shot from one camera looking about 180' out to the road to see what the bear and coyotes were up to a week ago at 5:30am. (You can see the bear in the reduced image.) This is an 8k camera (but running at only 12 fps) with an inexpensive Autens 8-bulb IR illuminator mounted opposite the camera on the edge of the building.

 

[zipty6]

BlueIris DVR software is inexpensive and will run on many older off-lease PCs. It is compatible with most IP cameras.

 

[oldbrownhat]

BlueIris DVR software is inexpensive and will run on many older off-lease PCs. It is compatible with most IP cameras.

Yup. This is certainly what I would use if I were doing a new install for myself. But my neighbor wants a simple system that requires minimum setup. She's a busy working mum, so there will be a number of compromises involved. From what I've seen so far, one of the Wyze cams might be a start. She has AC power available for all locations. Onboard SD storage will be OK as long as she can access from her iPhone. Being able to store video clips on an attached drive in the house would be a bonus if she can connect the system to her router. She doesn't need lights, sirens or probably facial recognition etc. Notifications can be tricky to manage as false ones can be a PITA, unless you're away and know that no one else (kids, neighbors etc.) will be around, plus she has someone renting part of the house. But her tenant is a friend and could alert her if anything untoward is happening. So it's really just about high-quality recording in case there is riff-raff mucking about.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Given your parameters, I’d buy game cameras . . .

 

[Capt Steve]

Take a look at the Blink system...

I have been using the Blink camera system for 4+ years with excellent results. I have 5 cameras that cover every door and window of our house as well as good views of the front and back yards/driveways.

Blink was so successful when they came out that after 3 years Amazon bought the company. Their customer service is outstanding, I initially bought a 3 camera system {for about $200}. When I reviewed it online I stated that the system was excellent except they lacked clarity at distances more than 70 - 80'.

Three days later I got a call from the head of the company who said he thought I just needed a couple more cameras for the additional range I was seeking. He then sent me two more cameras for free asking only that I amend my review if I agreed that the 5 camera system worked well. It did and I did.

After 4+years i have yet to replace a battery and have had no issues with the system. I added a 6th camera that is mounted in my garage facing the large gun safe. These cameras transmit directly to the Cloud so if someone tries to damage/destroy them I will just get a nice close up of them trying.

I get alerts on my i-Phone if motion is detected or the system goes down/is interfered with and they have infrared for night recording. All of the cameras have speaker and mic so I can even verbally confront any intruder. I do not advertise {no signage} that our property is covered with security cameras. I also have a Eufy door bell camera that also works well.

It is nice when we are away from home to be able to monitor our entire property from my phone and yes I keep the local PD on speed dial.

Works for me.

 

[oldbrownhat]

I personally wouldn't trust anything security-related that is connected to Amazon or Google, but that's just me. My neighbor might find the Blink system just fine I've seen quite a bit of Blink footage posted online and the quality is excellent. She won't go for online storage, though, so would be linited to what can be kept on the cameras' internal cards.

As to trail cams, I have a couple of Browning Strike Force HD cameras and they're pretty darned good. But I think she wants video and some trail cam video can be iffy, plus difficult to access depending where the cameras are mounted. I know her place pretty well and I don't think easily-accessible locations will be best for good images.

 

[Bald1]

Given your parameters, I’d buy game cameras . . .

Cell phone game cam. Pay $10 mo to operate one and daisy chain as money as u want off that.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Have eufy’s front and rear.
Front door doorbell button replacement stores data on inside house module.
Rear light fixture replacement stores internally until you down load.
Both have pretty good video.

 

[oldbrownhat]

Anyone have experience with Reolink?

 

[Heinz]

I have had good service with blinks. As to the WiFi hobgoblins and magical hackers: It ain't the CIA trying to break into your shed or garage. They would be there and gone and you would never know. Or they have been and you still do not know.

My system gives me a tamper alert whenever anything drops of line.

 

[Tom S.]

Stay away from Arlo and any of their products. I am speaking from extensive experience with them.

 

[oldbrownhat]

Stay away from Arlo and any of their products. I am speaking from extensive experience with them.

Thanks. That was another brand I was going to ask about.

 

[Tom S.]

Thanks. That was another brand I was going to ask about.

They are somewhat high priced, which is OK if you get what you pay for. I have 5 of them and although they work, they work sporadically. They are wifi based and even though I have a very strong wifi network, the cameras often drop out, don't record events or record events for no apparent reason. They are designed for use with a smart phone but have a computer app. The problem with the computer app is you have to log on to it every time you want to use it - no leaving it running for long periods of time - and you have to re-certify your computer every 14 days by entering a code sent by Arlo to your cell phone. So if something is happening that you want to watch (like you hear a car in the drive), it might take two or more minutes before you can log in, enter your code and turn on the camera. I have had a running dialog with Arlo about this idiocy for more than 6 months. My desktop is more secure than my cell phone. My desktop is password protected, never leaves my house and is accessed only by me (I won't let my dog on it because he keeps ordering stuff from Chewy.com), but Arlo maintains it must be re-certified every 14 days. Their cell phone on the other hand NEVER needs to be re-certified. It's a flaw in their program that they refuse to address.

In addition to all that, the cameras are battery operated which means you have to either keep recharging the proprietary battery or run a AC line to the camera to keep it constantly charged. Battery life is dependent on use of course. All of my cameras are wired except one that would require a major unsightly effort. That one camera has a solar powered recharge unit but I still have to remove/recharge the battery weekly in the winter when the charger won't keep it charged.

Nor is their camera firmware reliable. As noted above, sometimes the cameras won't pick up action and other times, they trigger for no apparent reason. The whole thing relies on Arlo's cloud based system, which cost a monthly/yearly fee. There is no local storage unless you manually download video to your computer/phone. Nor will their camera's work with any third party programs that I'm aware of - I wish it would!

If you want a foolproof system, hard wiring is the best way to go though it is a PITA and expensive, especially if you hire it done. Be aware that camera's must be mounted outside to work properly, especially at night. A friend mounted his inside and at night, all they record was glare off his window screens from the camera's lights. In other words, all you could see is a white screen at night.

 

[pharmer]

I've had a "Blink system" for a year now. Paired with motion activated LED floodlights It has functioned perfectly. I was in Colorado for the month of August 2022 and several times I was able to communicate to folks at my front door while my wife was at work. Point is, anything that works is better than nothing and nothing is foolproof. Joe

 

[Gamecock]

I'm thinking some conspicuous, big, fake cameras will stop most burglars.

It's better to stop them than to have their picture.

A friend told me the story of his neighborhood setting up a camera system. Someone broke into a vending machine. They got his picture, like an 8.5X11 glossy. They handed the picture to the responding deputy. The deputy asks,

"Who is that?"

"We don't know."

"Well, I don't know, either. What do you want me to do with it?"

End of story.