Security Cam advice
 

I'm looking to install inside and outside security Cams' around my house, that I can access from my Mobile phone.

I tried doing searches on this Forum on the topic, but only see a few old Threads from years ago, but I may be searching incorrectly ?

Suggestions on video cams for the DIYer ?

Look at Nest. Fairly inexpensive and extremely easy to setup.

Dan

Thanks iShoot308 for recommendation about 'NEST'.

Has anyone heard about 'SmartEyes'
Smart Home Security Camera with 360° Panoramic HD Video
https://nueby.com/product/smarteyes?...SABEgJEkPD_BwE

Looks like it would do the job and inexpensively.
It will also record footage using a Micro SD card.

Ring owner


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I don’t think that smart eyes offers a live video feed...everything is recorded on an SD card for review later on....I could be wrong but that is how I read the link you provided.

Dan

Ring here
 

I have a Ring Spotlight Cam. I do like it.

Dave

Nest. Agree with Dan, easy to set up and set notifications. Live feed is free; 5 days back recording costs $50/year per camera. Can be viewed and controlled from any internet access device.

Alan

I have Blink camera's. Seems to work fine and no fees.

I use Amcrest ProHD cameras. I've got 2 of the wifi cameras that have pan / tilt / zoom & night vision capability and mount them in windows inside the house with the included adjustable mounting bracket. I can scan up and down the shoreline or inside the house and look at my weather station. They're around 45 bucks on Amazon. Setup is a cinch. Phone app works well. They can send motion activated alerts. I've had 2 of them on the island for 3 years now without any problems.

Amcrest makes a good product. We just set up 10 here at my office with an NVR.

At home I have Arlo Pro 2's, but am looking to add Pro 3 or Ultra's soon.

Your placement is important. Are you able to run wires (power for wireless ones) or Cat 6 for POE connectivity? Otherwise one of the battery operated/solar setups would be smart.

Arlo...
 

Best there is...

Anyone have knowledge about 'Night Owl' or 'EZVIZ' video cameras' ?If so, comparison to those already mentioned.

Thanks !

I have 2 EzViz for indoor use and i have been very happy with them. I recently installed an outdoor version of EzViz. Unfortunately the outdoor did not work for me. The motion detection gives many false alarms. For example if it snows or rains you get a lot of false alarms. I also had problems with memory card for the outdoor unit. It did not recognize the memory card for some reason. Therefore i returned the outdoor unit and replaced it with Eufy floodlight and camera. It currently on sale at Home Depot. So far so good.

The problem with many cameras in the market is the subscription. If you don't subscribe, it becomes useless. Because they don't have a memory.

EzViz is the consumer line of Hikvision, the Chinese-government owned surveillance camera entity. Use that at your own risk...

The Arlo/Nest/Blink stuff is generally fine for consumer-ish purposes. None of it is "great" by any standard, but it is good for the money. I would also check out Wyze in that category (https://wyze.com/).

A big chunk of the other products you will come across in the consumer lines is all OEM's of Hikvision, or their "little brother" Chinese manufacturer Dahua. Both of which have had numerous cyber security vulnerabilities.

Slickcraft...be on the lookout for a price drop on the fees for monitoring Nest Cams sometime in February or March. The current structure of $50/yr for the first camera and $30/yr for the second and subsequent cameras is supposed to drop significantly to entice more people to use the service.

BT

Do Blink cameras offer a "live" feed?

BT

Yes, it alerts your phone and you can watch it live or any time later.

Does anyone know if the cameras that can be viewed with a smartphone can also be viewed from a PC instead? Perhaps VIA "the cloud"?

Security Cam advice
 

I have a Nest outdoor that I put at the lake in the summer & at home in the winter. I can’t see spending $45/mo for WiFi to keep the cam running over the winter when we’re not there. Love the Nest because you can really customize the area where you will get alerts and what will trigger an alert.


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I use a combination between our two houses as they all have strengths and weaknesses. Blink is great for areas within wifi but without power. They are battery operated so they are very flexible but the batteries are a pain to change. I get free video clips whenever there is motion. The camera blinks blue when recording so it's rather noticeable (which is good for security but not good if you are trying to be discrete). You can check live feed if you need to check on something.

I also have an outdoor nest plugged in with annual subscription (I think $99/yr). It's great being able to rewind as it records 24/7. It picks up most motion but sometimes stuff on outskirts doesn't trigger an alert. We also have an indoor nest without subscription that emails me whenever there is motion so I know if our dogs are up and about. You can watch live feeds anytime you want whereas blink you only get short intervals before you need to refresh (to avoid draining batteries).

I have a ring motion light and love that the video clips tend to start right before the motion (unlike blink and nest which tends to create clip after motion is sensed). It was a bit of a pain to replace our existing motion light with the Ring one but it's nice because it doesn't look like a camera. My biggest complaint is that I often can't view the motion clip immediately. I get the alert and can pull up live feed but if I'm too slow the trigger is gone and I can't see what triggered it.

My solution to the delayed ring clips is to also have an Amazon cloud camera inside that looks out window into our driveway. It only records brief clips but it's great to be able to instantly see if someone is at our house or if it was just a leaf blowing by. We also keep one in our vacation home pointed at the floor in kitchen in case there is ever a leak of any sort.

I also like to put my old battery operated game cameras toward edge of woods to periodically check to see what passes by. We see all sorts of wildlife that we would otherwise not be aware of.

You seem to have used a number of camera brands, kauriel. Which do you feel have the best picture resolution?

Off season access....
 

I put my wi-fi internet on vacation hold during the time I am not there....However, if left on, there is enough transmission (5 mps) to operate my 4 security cams. I think it's around $8/month to put the system on hold.

I just watched 16 turkeys come down my driveway from here in San Francisco.

NEST for us ….. both homes covered

Easy set up, easy payment plans for storage or simply leave some cams without storage and are view only.

One thing to remember is that on their plans the 1st cam (7 day storage fee) is $10/month -- EVERY device thereafter is only an additional $5 ( don't want to have you confused that all cam storage capabilities is another $10).

Phantom, I have 5 Nest Cams, 4 at the lake and 1 at home. The Nest Aware plan I use is the 5 days recording $50/yr for first Cam and $30/yr for every cam after that. If I'm not mistaken, they have 5 day, 10 day and 30 day plans. Early next year the cost will drop significantly to just $6 per month for 30 days of history, no matter how many cameras you have. Can't wait....

BT

I heard that as well, the thing I am trying to clarify is if the 30 day history is for motion detection recording only. In other words only when motion sensor goes off is what you get for recorded history, nothing else.

If you know the definite answer to this I would appreciate your response...

Thanks!

Dan

That's a great question Dan and until I went back and read the article again I would have thought that it was 24/7 history. You are correct. It looks like "event history" is $6/month and 24/7 history is $12/month. The link to the article where I got the info is below.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/15/...features-price

Thanks for the link! That clarifies it!

Even at $12.00 per month for 10 day 24/7 history, that would still be much cheaper (over $100.00 per year savings) for me where I utilize 4 cameras and want full history in all of them...

Thanks!

Dan

My case as well...You're welcome!

Unless I am misreading your posts …… my current cost for 5 cams, 10 Day, 24/7 recording is $30/month. $10 for first cam and $5 for each additional.

So by my math you are paying $360/yr for that service. The point of my message was to give you a heads up that a much lower price point is supposedly coming in early 2020...$12/month for an unlimited amount of cameras and 10 day, 24/7 recording.

The Nest cameras are great and very user friendly. However, don't forget that with a little computer experience (or a teen to help) you can set up your own recorder, retain months of footage for multiple cameras and access them remotely...with NO subscription charges.

Several years ago I bought an Amcrest NVR (Network Video Recorder) for $99 and put a 4 TB hard drive (not included) in it. I now have 4 cameras and the NVR saves several months of footage. With a few router adjustments I can access the NVR remotely and see all the cameras at the same time. I have a variety of cameras (Samsung/Hikvision/Amcrest/wifi and wired) and the NVR recognizes all of them without trouble. I installed a similar system at work with 8 cameras.

The NVR I bought is no longer available but here's a similar one for $79: https://www.amazon.com/Amcrest-NV210.../dp/B07KZ782ZF

I'll admit that the Nest cameras are very simple to install and work great but there are subscription charges that can really add up over the years. An NVR setup needs IP cameras (not Nest or Blink) but they are cheap and very high quality. You can get what is needed for well under $100. You can also add cameras over time.

I know most comments on this thread are about the simple Nest or Blink cameras but the no-subscription/NVR method should be considered as well if you want to save money on subscriptions and have the experience or assistance to get it installed.

Multiple Cams
 

At the lake I have 2 Nest cams with service, Two Foscams without service (it is available), one dLink, and new, two Wize cams. The Foscams and Wize cams are pan tilt and zoom. The wise cams have a 32MB card for a bit of recording. They now offer a recording service. With only 3MB on the island I hesitate to add more recording. I get notified from 4 cams on motion and sound.

The Nest cams send me a picture when it detects sound or motion. They all have a nice picture. They reduce my insurance premium as they are security devices.

In MA I have three Nests and three Wize cams. While the Wize cams are indoor cams I bought a silicone cover for one and have it mounted outside at the lake under the roof overhand. So far so good.

NVR is a good thing. Maybe next season!

I also have a device for my router that detects the internet and reboots the router if the internet is not available for a time. This is all adjustable. On the island with the new routers, the internet does not always come back on its own. It took a bit to figure out the configuration but has been flawless for two seasons.

IG

Nest subscription pricing:

I currently have two cameras at home with 5 day 24/7 video recording. It has cost me $50 each or $100 for the 1st year. Some say that it should have been $50 and $30 for the 2nd camera however the actual charges were $50 each.

I do want 24/7 video recording and the one choice for the new pricing will be $120 a year, a price increase for me. OK it is 10 day video but 5 was fine for me.

In my situation it looks like the beak even+ point is 3 cameras. Looks like Google wants to sell more cameras.

I have beeen thinking about adding a camera at Welch Island. The new $120/year pricing is quote "Per home (as set up in the Nest or Home app)". So this 3rd camera would be on my same account but in a different wifi and a different IP address. So I am wondering...............

Go for it on Welch Slick! It’s awesome being able to keep an eye on things and seeing all the wildlife that comes to visit during the winter!

The only thing I would recommend is to plug your router into a timer that turns off for a couple minutes a day. This acts as a reset when you can’t be out there. I have been doing this for a few years now successfully!!

Dan

Remind me NEVER to step foot on any property owned by IG …….. she has WAY too many cams for one person :D :D :D

You are welcome anytime, Phantom
 

..................
:d

Inexpensive Security Camera.
 

I had a number of old smartphones that are still working and reuse them as security cameras. You can 'wake up' the camera with sound and motion!
Below is a link to start. There are others so Google away!

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/for-a-fr...our-old-phone/

My setup is the $50 for the first cam and $30 for the second and subsequent
cameras. Since I'm already at 5 cams, this new structure works for me.

I'm not smart enough to set up the system Don describes...lol

Ring camera hacks?

https://abcnews.go.com/US/ring-secur...ry?id=67679790

Yes a camera there will be good. Back to the pricing; the $120 per year is "Per home (as set up in the Nest or Home app)". So it may be an additional $120 per year even if on the same account.

You can have two homes on one Nest account, so no added cost.

https://idency.com/knowledgebase/nes...es-management/

Dan

My son is going to be coming home after school on his own, so I've been thinking of adding a camera or two to the house. Is it possible to have just one in front and one in back, or might we need one at each entrance, like the garage, etc.?

Also, any idea on how long wireless/cordless ones last or can they be run off an outdoor light?

Finally, I like the no-subscription thing, but, in general, how does one know there's been "an event"?

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My five cameras are in two different locations....

They are all pretty good (or my vision is pretty bad :laugh:). I think our Ring probably gets the best footage because it seems to record the full extent of motion plus it has integrated spotlight so it lights up the area whereas Nest and Blink don't have a flash. Ring also gets my attention the most as it is more like a phone ringing pattern (but on vibration as i never have ringer on). I put them all on silent at night as I don't need to be woken up every time a bunny goes by!

Thinkxingu - let me try and grab some of your answers from a NEST user of 5 cams

-- how many cams? ……. the field of view for these cams is quite wide so one cam for example could cover your entire backyard or large living space. You do have the ability to zoom in and leave/set zoomed. this of course shrinks the wide angle affect. As far as how many cams to use, my suggestion would be to start with perhaps 2 and get use to them, Then you can decide ( or get hooked as I did). A great example of the wide angle view is to simply view the following ( which I am fairly confident is slightly zoomed & set) https://video.nest.com/live/4B5aUz6Fe7

How long do they last? ……. I have 2 cams that are at least 7 years old

Can they be run off an outdoor light -- all you need is an AC plug within reach of the cord length (6-8 ft? / check spec's). Do be aware however that some models are indoor use only and others for exterior (weatherproof). If you try and "cheat" by placing an indoor unit on a windowsill looking out, they are VERY sensitive to back reflection from the glass. This occurs especially at night and the unit will be virtually useless if you utilize the "night vision" mode.

Knowing an Event occurred -- with NEST in your App settings you can choose how to get alerts-- for me, not all cams are set for alert, Those that are pop up on my phone similar to receiving a text msg.

Hope this helps …….. need more detail, simply PM me.

Awesome, thanks! I think the first solution to seek is power--I've got outdoor lights I could use in both locations but I can't recall a (close) AC outlet.

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a simple solution

I shoot, I’d give it a shot acting like it is the same location. (Who’s to say you don’t have a big house with separate routers?) Worst case they say “no,no” and you have to pay for 2.


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FYI Blink XT2 outdoor cameras are on sale today (12/13) on Amazon. $74.99 for 1, $134.99 for 2, $184.99 for 3, or $284.99 for 5. These are battery operated wifi cameras that send alerts directly to your phone through Blink App and you can see the motion videos.

You must of been replying to someone else?... anyway, there is absolutely no charge from Nest for a second home on the same account. Standard “same house” camera fees apply to your second home...

Dan

Verified -- I am running off same account for houses in both MA & Gilford.

My original question was about the future pricing which is "per home". I agree that with the current pricing you can have up to 3 locations on the same account. The current situation from the Nest support site :

With the current pricing you pay by camera so Nest/Google does not really care where they are.

With the future pricing of $120 "per home" I suspect that Google may actually care where they are. It would be easy for Google to tell that a camera at a different IP address is not in the same "home". I'll have to wait and see.

I just ordered another camera. Thanks for the tip! :)

Seems like a perfect system for us, too--I'm gonna order a few. Anyone know if the "included" cloud storage is per device or account?

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Resolution is important...
 

Recommend 1080 over 720...HIghly!

For a bit more money up front, I prefer Axis cameras with the zip stream system. If your able to setup, or already have your home setup with multiple cat5/6 connections, install is simple as connecting the cameras to the network via Ethernet cable, and connecting those ports to a POE switch, or POE injector. I prefer wired network because it tends to be more robust than WiFi, and if powe loss is a concern, a UPS attached to the POE switch will power the network for quite some time. Additionally the zip stream cameras offer onboard recording as well as NAS (network attached storage) recording if you want. This means the camera can record internally (capacity based upon the memory card you install) and or to a hard drive based system, providing redundancy.

Best of all, so long as you are crafty enough to set the cameras and network storage (if you so choose) up yourself, there is no cost beyond initial equipment purchase.

Install is not nearly as straight forward as nest or other similar products, but if your crafty with a computer, or competent enough to follow along a you tube tutorial than it’s easy enough to get up and running on your own.

For blink the free included storage is pretty large. I have six blink cameras between our two houses and can scroll back at least two weeks through my notifications and my storage is only 20% full. I should caveat that I don't get a ton of alerts as they are in less frequently traveled parts of our yards and a few are offline right now as I need to replace some batteries but I've had no issues with the included free storage.

Thanks, friend. What length of recording do you have your camera set to (I've read it can be from 5-60 seconds, and it will restart when it re-senses movement)?

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I have most of them set to 30-45 seconds and to retrigger quickly. I try to set them up in strategic areas where there isn't a ton of extraneous motion and I try to turn them off when it's time to mow lawn or other stuff that triggers lots of alerts. I probably only get around 9 months of battery life but I'd rather change batteries more frequently than miss something happening. Thankfully so far our cameras have only picked up wildlife, contractor's, etc.!

So I'm assuming the storage is per camera rather than per account.

What types of batteries? AA lithium?

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Yes each camera takes AA Lithium batteries. I think the storage is per account unless they aggregate it. Their website says "Blink’s server provides each system storage for up to 7,200 total seconds of video (or 1,440 five-second events). If you reach your storage limit, your oldest alert clips will be overwritten by the newest."

I'm guessing they also only keep clips for something like 14 days though because my storage isn't full and clips only go back to 12/1. If there are particular clips you want to keep you can download them prior to deletion and then you can store them on your phone or computer to view later.

Thanks for your info!

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Arlo activity...
 

During the last five days, my Arlos have recorded 5 events...All nicely packaged videos stored in the "library". These were videos of turkeys in the yard. The longest video lasted 1:45. All stored in my library, for I believe an unlimited time. I have an external hard drive hooked up for essentially unlimited storage. The cost per month for the Arlo?...Nada! Just need a wi-fi connection.

I had a neighbor test the system. HE stood about 100' away and spoke to me on his cell phone. My audio not only picked up his voice speaking on the phone, but I could hear my reply on his speaker phone.

I tried uploading a 45 sec. vid, but got an "invalid file" response from the Forum. They're MP4 files.

WOW !!!!!

I had no idea when I opened this Thread what a hot topic it would be and the amount of responses ! :)

Another question, based on everyone's responses...
Do any of these security cams have a audible alarm and strobe lights ?
These features would determine my purchase selection.

Thanks !

I got the Blink cameras in yesterday and, man, are they easy to set up. Ten minutes and all 3 cameras were up and running. Now, I just have to mount them and figure out/adjust settings.

My plan is to double-sided tape these out of reach so's not to have to drive into the siding--hoping the red 3M is strong enough!

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Blink is a great way to go. Have 4 of them. They caught someone attempting to break in. I was in bed. Blink did it’s job.


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My hardwired ring spot light turns on motion light if motion is sensed and it has a siren option. I've never used siren feature and you might need to manually trigger it if you see an issue. I think the ring spotlight looks like just a regular spotlight so it isn't very obvious that it's also a camera. My blink cameras have a somewhat subtle but noticeable blue flashing light on them when recording so it's funny to see reactions when people turn around in our driveway and see the blue lights start blinking.

My son in law just put up Arlo Pro 2’s and they do have an audible alarm, which he tested by touching a icon on the Arlo app. Unfortunately, the sound comes from a speaker in the Arlo base/hub which is connected to the router which in this case is in the living room. The sound is loud & piercing to the point of it being painful at close range. (I know this because I was sitting 15 ft from the hub when it went off. Ouch!!!!)


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Arlo pro 2 system
 

Look into the Arlo pro line, they are made for completely wireless indoor outdoor use, however if you don't come up but a few times a year to the property battery life could be an issue. Mine last roughly 3-4 months before needing a recharge. You can also buy and accessory that allows you to plug them in but if your going that route then just buy a wired set for cheaper. I have an outside came wireless a way from any electricity so I needed the wireless ability..

We have used SimpliSafe for a couple of years with inside cameras, entry sensors, temperature sensors, water sensors, and 24/7 remote monitoring. SimpliSafe is now offering outdoor cameras and I plan on installing a couple in the near future.

There is a dip-switch when you replace the batteries that turns that blue light off/on.

My Blinks are terrible. I can walk in front and it catches me. I run and it doesn't. I can walk out to my car, pop the trunk and not move for 30 seconds then walk back to the front door directly in front of the camera. It catches me going out and not going back. 10 second retrigger does not work.

Reviews on Blink are quite bad if you really read them thru. Tried every combo of settings, and learned that at max all batteries last 12 days with ~ 12 triggers a day.

Solution - Upgraded to Ring and everything works great now, no issues. Blinks relegated to indoor cameras, and they work for that. You can talk to the dogs when they misbehave.

Good to know about the blink. I only use them in the house and they seem to work fine for my purposes. The new one that I just bought will be facing outdoors but inside a window. It will be interesting to see how that works.
My daughter got the ring camera's because she had someone steal stuff from her car in the driveway. She really likes them.

I tried that, not sure if it's the type of glass or what but it works relatively well during the day, but I basically lost night vision capability when there were two panes of glass in the way. I don't have special glass on the windows (tinted or the life), but at any control/intensity settings I'm blind at night with Blink when thru glass. Shadows / vague motions only. Could be just me....

I bought another inside camera but maybe I will put it outside because I have a front porch with a roof over it that will protect it from the weather. I will see how that works and maybe I will order an outdoor camera.

BigDog -- NEST Cam's do not trigger alarms or lights ( not sure of their doorbell model).

We are having a standard security system installed in our little house. It will work off the cell towers and will have monitoring. No camera.

Maybe sometime in the future we will get one, but to me the most important thing is that a siren goes off if someone tries to break into your house, we are notified, and the police are automatically called.

We lived secluded in the woods for 32 years and were fine with this system, though that one worked off a landline. We recently had installed fake cameras and put up signs that the home had video surveillance. Same with Beware of The Dog signs. The people who bought our house said they thought they were real. LOL! Bingo!- that was the point!

Sure- maybe cameras are somewhat useful, but I remember when I accidentally left a shopping bag with XMAS presents in it on the cash register counter at a drug store in the mall some years ago. The camera showed that the person behind me took it, but she did not pay with a credit card and the police said they had no way of finding out who she was just by looking at her face.

Check with your local PD and ask them about average response times and how they handled "unverified" alarms (those that do not have a video clip to confirm it is not a false alarm). Many PDs will not respond to unverified alarms, or will not respond with priority. It varies heavily by city and tends to correlate to funding of the PD and typical workload/coverage, as you might imagine.

Oh yes.. I get it. Where we used to live in the rurals we did not even have a police dept! We relied on state troopers who were 20 minutes away!

But as we will be home most of the time anyway I am not too concerned.The main thing is that a siren will go off and our neighbors are shoulder to shoulder with us as well.

Like I said- we might get a camera at some point- maybe one inside. Or maybe just use my husband's deer cam.

My wife and I were house-sitting for my parents one time and came home late in the evening. After tucking in, the house alarm started going off. The loud nose freaked us out, but not as much as finding the back door to the porch open. The police arrived, having been triggered by the Brinks automatic report, and they searched the house with no finding.

Some time later, the alarm sounded again but, since I was still awake with adrenaline, I got to the alarm pad before it triggered an automatic police response (Brinks makes a quick call first, to make sure it's not an error).

The back door was cracked again and we walked the house and found nothing. We dead-bolted the back door, shut the alarm off, and went to bed.

The next day, Dad told me the back door latch had been malfunctioning for a while!

We won't have an "alarm" anytime soon--my experience is that a "you're on camera" or "protected by" is just as useful without the midnight freak-outs.

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The though that police might be 5 to 10 minutes away leave the thieves plenty of time to fill a pillow case (yours) with most of your valuables and leave is not comforting.

In a previous house I installed a bull horn speaker tied in with the alarm in the gable end vent aimed outside the house. That should have let the neighbors know.

I installed a second one, the loudest one I could find, inside a first floor closet. I figured that the thieves would find the loud noise so unpleasant, and figure the whole world must hear it, that they would make a hasty exit. Fortunately, in 20 years at that house, I never had to find out.

Sure- right. They are not even deterred by cameras. Not to mention some could wear ski masks or something to hide their faces. And I have heard of them ripping out those ring doorbell type ones. That is why I would rather have one inside looking out the window near the front and back doors and maybe one inside to see what is going on- IF we even bother with cameras at all.

Heck- we even have Alexa ready to play a barking dogs recording to give the illusion of dogs in the house. Ha! Ha! A nosy neighbor could also be helpful. LOL!

Nothing is full proof that's for sure.

Ultimately, this.

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For those with cameras, what are your settings? I was gonna set notifications, but then what happens when I or my family leave/return? I'd be getting notifications all the time!

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I have mine all set to send notifications every time there is motion 24/7 and I just ignore it when I am coming/going and at times I expect someone else to be coming/going. I have notifications on silent for overnight as I have my cameras set to be fairly sensitive (they pick up the bunny that comes in and out of our yard most nights). I believe with Nest you can set it to only send you notifications when you aren't home but I find them helpful when I am home and hear something outside and can't tell if someone is at our house or neighbors (our houses are close together). If we are having work done at house I can snooze ring so it will still record but not notify me of events. Blink seems to either just be on (with notification of choice) or off with no recording and no notifications so I usually leave it on except for times like lawn mowing when we are triggering lots of notifications ourselves.

We have two Nest cameras, one outside looking at the driveway and one inside. For each camera a zone can be created and notifications tailored to both inside and outside the zone. The notification choices of movement, person detected or noise can be individually selected for each zone. Notifications are sent whenever a camera is on and a selected type event occurs and a video clip is generated.

Camera on/off can be set manually, by a daily schedule and/or my "home away assist". The latter is based on my phone leaving wifi range and returning to within wifi range. Returning home does not preclude having the camera on by schedule or manually.

With my current setting the outside camera in on automatically from early evening to early morning just prior to any normal departure. It is also automatically on when I am not at home. The inside camera is on a schedule to be on from just after bed time to early morning. We do get notifications that we cause (person in driveway) that we ignore.

If we are away on travel or at camp the schedules are shut off and the cameras are on 24/7.

Finished installing the front Blink over our home entry door, and I started getting immediate repeat triggers--didn't take long to realize it's my garden flag. (Way to heed the setup tips!) Before moving the camera, though, since it's perfect otherwise, I played with the camera settings to identify areas to ignore--pretty cool feature--and everything's good.

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I see many here like nest or ring cameras. I have a lot of friends that do the same.

I don't like subscription fees nor my internet bandwidth being consumed by cloud cameras.

I currently use Lorex wifi cameras. They are 1080 wifi but with local SD card storage. They also have white deterrence lights as well as a siren alarm, or you can turn these features off. The camera can record only motion clips, or you can have continuous recording by a schedule. You can live view or review motion events, or the recorded footage. Night vision is pretty good to over 80 ft or more.

On cameras where I want 24 hour continuous recording I swapped the 16gb SD card to a 128gb SD card and get over a week of recording.

I can view on my smart phone, or using my Amazon fire TV stick while watching TV I can just say "show my driveway camera" if I hear a noise or someone drive up, and it switches to the camera quickly, then one click and I'm back to my TV or movie without missing anything.

The cameras also have two way voice to talk with anyone.

Lorex used to be owned by FLIR, so this is how I found them. I've been happy with the cameras so far.



I just thought I'd mention these as an alternative to paying subscription fees and consuming network bandwidth.


https://www.amazon.com/Lorex-Weather.../dp/B07XPCR2KQ


I got a very good deal buying on a black Friday sale and also buying some open box units, so they do have sales from time to time. Lorex also has many types of wifi, POE, NVR, battery powered, 4K or even solar charging cameras available.

Decision time to purchase, but still questions ???
 

Decision time to purchase, but still questions ???
Lot's of feedback on this Post to filter through but still confused.

Here's my 'wish-list' of must haves' for my security cam purchase:
1. Must be outdoor cam
2. Would like wire-less unit, but could go wired
3. Night vision required
4. Would like the ability to Pan, Tilt, Zoom, or any combination
5. Two way audio
6. Would like, but not necessarily need 'spotlight'
7. Would like, but not necessarily need 'siren'

Would like to keep the price-point down as much as possible....
Not too concerned about storage or monitoring, as I'll be checking daily from afar ! :)

From the Post read, I think only Ring may fit the bill, but maybe Arlo-Pro ?
One not mentioned, that seems to get high marks from electronic reviews is the 'EZVIZ Husky Air Wi-Fi Outdoor Camera', which seems to fill my wish list !

Your feedback is greatly appreciated !!!!

Nest
 

I have the latest outdoor Nest camera on Mink Island. It does have some basic zoom features. You can lock it in to maintain/record at a zoomed level. Automatically zooms when something moves into its field of vision. Two way audio. Relatively inexpensive. 30 day video costs $60/year. Easy set up. Wireless. This newer outdoor camera is a big step up from the earlier version (have at home in MA).

Ring will cover a lot of that, but not PTZ. Arlo wont either. I like my Ring setup, way easier than Arlo which I had before. If you want true PTZ capability try Amcrest. They make some good products.

EZVIS Security camera option ?
 

I was just checking out the EZVIS Husky C3X camera which seems to have all the options, I've been looking for in a system.

Does anyone have, or know info. about this company and products ?