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Anyone have a home video security system? (1 Viewer)

matttyl

matttyl

Footballguy
Looking into getting one, but have no idea what to look for.  They used to be very expensive, but have come down a lot in price - looking at an "all in one kit", like this one.  I understand that install can be a bear, but I think I'd need something with at least 4 cameras, maybe the ability to expand to more later.  Something to cover the points of entry to the house, and maybe one or two cameras in the house.  Any suggestions, tips?

 
I have a basic kit I bought a few years ago. I think it'should a Zmodo brand or something. It uses older wired cameras (max4). I am putting together a pc to set up a custom system using blue iris software.  This will allow me to use the current cameras, plus expansion with wifi or other cameras in the future.

 
Hmm, that's an option.  My wife works from home, and where the home office is located in the house, she can't see cars entering or leaving the driveway.  We do have a driveway bell that sounds when a vehicle drives down the driveway, but she would have no idea who it is.  So we'd like something where she can quickly look at her phone or a screen in the office to see who it is (Fedex driver, neighbor, me, Jehovah witnesses, robber).  Same idea with the front door itself, and maybe the backdoor/deck area. 

That's the basics we'd want, but in looking some of these systems can do some really cool stuff.  We could put an inside camera in my sons room and get rid of the video baby monitor we have.  We could put one in the room where we keep our dogs when we're out of the house and we don't want them outside.  Night vision capable cameras. Expand-ability.  It gets a bit overwhelming. 

 
I bought this camera a year ago.   The picture quality is okay enough and it is to be able to control the thing from your phone but the motion detection is awful.  So many false alarms that I had to turn them off which makes the whole thing a but pointless.

Definitely regret the purchase

 
Godsbrother said:
I bought this camera a year ago.   The picture quality is okay enough and it is to be able to control the thing from your phone but the motion detection is awful.  So many false alarms that I had to turn them off which makes the whole thing a but pointless.

Definitely regret the purchase
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Thanks for the tip.  I think that's why I'd be looking for a kit (multiple cameras, all connected to a "hub"), and one that's wired at that.

 
:blackdot:

Curious where you land on this - I got a few Foscams and ran them off my Synology NAS a few years back.  Flash forward to now, and most of the outdoor Foscams are either no longer working or are just too buggy. 

I want something cheap, easy to install, reliable, and upgrade-able (preferably not with wonky proprietary connectors or ways of working).  I just haven't found anything that works yet.  Reliable and easy to install usually mean wired or wireless, respectively, so I haven't been able to bridge that gap.  Obviously cheap often counters reliable too.  The last thing I want is to go through the trouble of installing a system only to have it fail in 2 years, then I've got worthless equipment because the system I bought doesn't play with others.

We have the same issue you have with the driveway - We can't see it from the office, or anywhere except the upstairs bedroom at the end of the hall.  Very challenging, and the wife has started working from home 2-3 days a week.

 
Fat Nick said:
:blackdot:

Curious where you land on this - I got a few Foscams and ran them off my Synology NAS a few years back.  Flash forward to now, and most of the outdoor Foscams are either no longer working or are just too buggy. 

I want something cheap, easy to install, reliable, and upgrade-able (preferably not with wonky proprietary connectors or ways of working).  I just haven't found anything that works yet.  Reliable and easy to install usually mean wired or wireless, respectively, so I haven't been able to bridge that gap.  Obviously cheap often counters reliable too.  The last thing I want is to go through the trouble of installing a system only to have it fail in 2 years, then I've got worthless equipment because the system I bought doesn't play with others.

We have the same issue you have with the driveway - We can't see it from the office, or anywhere except the upstairs bedroom at the end of the hall.  Very challenging, and the wife has started working from home 2-3 days a week.
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And from what I've seen these two don't go together either.  You obviously want the "hub" inside - or at least in my garage (attic would be poor choice due to heat and possible humidity).  So you're likely going to need to hardwire cameras at the eves and ends of the house, via the attic, to a spot inside the house to connect everything together.  As long as the unit doesn't use any proprietary connections (just uses coax cable, or maybe cat5 cable) I think you'd be good for swapping or possible future upgrades.  Take a look at the unit I liked above as that's where I am now and tell me your thoughts if you don't mind.

 
matttyl said:
And from what I've seen these two don't go together either.  You obviously want the "hub" inside - or at least in my garage (attic would be poor choice due to heat and possible humidity).  So you're likely going to need to hardwire cameras at the eves and ends of the house, via the attic, to a spot inside the house to connect everything together.  As long as the unit doesn't use any proprietary connections (just uses coax cable, or maybe cat5 cable) I think you'd be good for swapping or possible future upgrades.  Take a look at the unit I liked above as that's where I am now and tell me your thoughts if you don't mind.
Click to expand...
The Amcrest one you linked is intriguing - nice price point.  LOOKS nice.  I just don't know what the "good" brands are in this space I guess.  So many Chinese junk brands with good marketing these days. 

I guess just looking, my biggest concerns would be simply 1) You don't appear to have much expand-ability beyond what you get (i.e. the 4 camera model can only support 4 cameras.)  I'd like it better if you could buy a 4 camera model, but the box had hook-ups for 8, etc.  2) How do you extend the wires to the camera?  That's always been a question for me.  I think an ideal wired camera would use Cat6.  REALLY ideal would be if it could use PoE to power the camera too...then I'd basically just run 1 Cat6 to each location and be done.  That set looks like it has pre-bundled wires with connectors built in, and it looks like they all take power from that massive multi-connector power adapter.  I guess I'd just worry I'd need more cable than they provided.  Sure you can solder something in, but what a pain to solder video cable, and power cable...and who knows if that would actually work well.  That's kind of what I mean by having issues with proprietary connectors. 

If I do get something, I'll certainly get one with an external display option.  Phone is nice, but I want to be able to just look at a screen too.  Computer monitors are so cheap these days, it would be useful to just have one plugged in and on at all times.  That Amcrest one has that, and HDMI too, which means I could easily add it to my TV so I could input over to it to check if I thought someone was here, etc.

ETA: Are you considering this for true security or just monitoring while home?  If true security, how do you address the issue of someone just breaking in and stealing the main box to avoid you seeing the video?  Cloud-based monitoring are big winners in that department.

 
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Just bought a Ring door bell.  Works great.  They sell cameras, which I'll probably buy for the back of the house.  Door bell is awesome. 

 
Fat Nick said:
The Amcrest one you linked is intriguing - nice price point.  LOOKS nice.  I just don't know what the "good" brands are in this space I guess.  So many Chinese junk brands with good marketing these days. 

I guess just looking, my biggest concerns would be simply 1) You don't appear to have much expand-ability beyond what you get (i.e. the 4 camera model can only support 4 cameras.)  I'd like it better if you could buy a 4 camera model, but the box had hook-ups for 8, etc.  2) How do you extend the wires to the camera?  That's always been a question for me.  I think an ideal wired camera would use Cat6.  REALLY ideal would be if it could use PoE to power the camera too...then I'd basically just run 1 Cat6 to each location and be done.  That set looks like it has pre-bundled wires with connectors built in, and it looks like they all take power from that massive multi-connector power adapter.  I guess I'd just worry I'd need more cable than they provided.  Sure you can solder something in, but what a pain to solder video cable, and power cable...and who knows if that would actually work well.  That's kind of what I mean by having issues with proprietary connectors. 

If I do get something, I'll certainly get one with an external display option.  Phone is nice, but I want to be able to just look at a screen too.  Computer monitors are so cheap these days, it would be useful to just have one plugged in and on at all times.  That Amcrest one has that, and HDMI too, which means I could easily add it to my TV so I could input over to it to check if I thought someone was here, etc.

ETA: Are you considering this for true security or just monitoring while home?  If true security, how do you address the issue of someone just breaking in and stealing the main box to avoid you seeing the video?  Cloud-based monitoring are big winners in that department.
Click to expand...
This one has both of those.

They also have a kit with better resolution, but it's getting really expensive.  As for the last part, you can't just have the DRV box sitting out in the open.  I'll likely have it in a locked closet in the office or something.  If it's not out in the open, a perp may just think the cameras are fake. 

 
matttyl said:
This one has both of those.

They also have a kit with better resolution, but it's getting really expensive.  As for the last part, you can't just have the DRV box sitting out in the open.  I'll likely have it in a locked closet in the office or something.  If it's not out in the open, a perp may just think the cameras are fake. 
Click to expand...
That one with the PoE hook-up is pretty sweet.  Then you can just run your own cable and it'd be super easy to upgrade or switch things out over time as technology improves.  I'd pay for that upgrade before I'd pay for higher resolution.  At the pace of technology, you could get a better system in 5 years and as long as that's PoE too, you could just swap them out.  No wires.

 
Yeah, that first one is currently my pick.  It's the only one that comes with non-black cameras.  A black camera would stick out like a sore thumb against my house.  I'd like for someone to notice I have cameras if they are looking, but I don't want them to totally contrast against the house.

 
I recently got this one. You have to have an outlet for each camera to plug into (my outlets, I installed in the attic down by the eaves), but they broadcast on WiFi. There's a hub that plugs directly into my router. I can watch live from my mobile devices & computer. Two of the seven cameras I put up aren't working right, but I'm positive it's installer error and the installer hasn't felt yet like spending time on the phone with customer service or getting someone less lame to help the installer get them right.

 
Uruk-Hai said:
I recently got this one. You have to have an outlet for each camera to plug into (my outlets, I installed in the attic down by the eaves), but they broadcast on WiFi. There's a hub that plugs directly into my router. I can watch live from my mobile devices & computer. Two of the seven cameras I put up aren't working right, but I'm positive it's installer error and the installer hasn't felt yet like spending time on the phone with customer service or getting someone less lame to help the installer get them right.
Click to expand...
Running electrical to them would be very difficult (and expensive) for my install.  Also I've heard that the wireless cameras aren't as reliable and are more expensive to replace.  And the wifi interference they would cause would be an issue - I've got a single wireless video baby monitor and it causes quite a bit of wifi interference. 

 
FatUncleJerryBuss said:
There is another thread on this somewhere.   Simplisafe was the best if I recall correctly. 
Click to expand...
Looks like it's more of a security system than video monitoring system.  Each camera in their kit is $99, and it doesn't do any recording.  Not quite what I'm looking for, but thanks!

 
Prime Day has a bundle for an Echo Show (a screen that works with alexa) and 1 Arlo camera for $300.....talk to me about these cameras.

I know they are expensive, is the system good? hard to set up? need a subscription? 

I want to pul the trigger on this but if I do, I know I'll be in the Arlo world from there on out for my system

 
Quick question. I bought an A-Zone 8 channel camera system off of Amazon. Everything works except the app for the dvr. I can monitor the cameras but only on the monitor not through an app on my phone. My question is, could I buy a different brand dvr and keep the A-zone cameras and just plug them into the new different brand dvr? Or would I have to re-install all new cameras for the brand of dvr I bought? If that is confusing, let me give an example. Say I went and bought a Samsung dvr, could I just keep the A-zone cameras and plug them into the Samsung dvr and use the app for the Samsung dvr to view on my phone? If so, does anyone have any recommendations for a good dvr that will support 8 cameras that is very very simple to hook up to my smart phone via an app? Thanks for any help in advance.

 
JShare87 said:
Quick question. I bought an A-Zone 8 channel camera system off of Amazon. Everything works except the app for the dvr. I can monitor the cameras but only on the monitor not through an app on my phone. My question is, could I buy a different brand dvr and keep the A-zone cameras and just plug them into the new different brand dvr? Or would I have to re-install all new cameras for the brand of dvr I bought? If that is confusing, let me give an example. Say I went and bought a Samsung dvr, could I just keep the A-zone cameras and plug them into the Samsung dvr and use the app for the Samsung dvr to view on my phone? If so, does anyone have any recommendations for a good dvr that will support 8 cameras that is very very simple to hook up to my smart phone via an app? Thanks for any help in advance.
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how are they connected to your dvr? Are they wireless?

 
JShare87 said:
No, they have the analog BCN connectors. I would be buying a dvr that has the same connections. I am assuming I can get a different brand dvr.
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yes, it will work. The only thing that may be different is the resolution of the camera vs the max resolution of the dvr. I have multiple cameras from different manufacturers all with BNC connectors. They work fine with my Xmodo DVR. 

 
Uruk-Hai said:
I recently got this one. You have to have an outlet for each camera to plug into (my outlets, I installed in the attic down by the eaves), but they broadcast on WiFi. There's a hub that plugs directly into my router. I can watch live from my mobile devices & computer. Two of the seven cameras I put up aren't working right, but I'm positive it's installer error and the installer hasn't felt yet like spending time on the phone with customer service or getting someone less lame to help the installer get them right.
Click to expand...
I had someone come out and basically re-set this up, and it's working correctly for the most part. Sometimes one of the live cameras will show off-line (it's random; not the same camera each time). I'm guessing that's more a WiFi issue but, as of now, I can live with some slight wonkiness until I decide to upgrade my WiFi system.

 
I'm all in on Blink.  No wires, inexpensive, and dead simple.  Cameras have to be armed to record video.  They can be armed on pre-set schedules or integrated to other systems like security systems or smart home hubs using IFTTT. Video can be observed via app at any time.

https://blinkforhome.com/

 
Got an Arlo set on Black Friday online. 3 cameras for like 250. Cameras are battery powered and connect via WiFi. Set up took less than an hour including mounting and positioning the cameras. Have cameras on the doors of my house and get app notifications when movement is defected. Free cloud storage for 7 days or 1gb. 

Very pleased so far. 

I have Simplisafe for home alarm, but their camera is indoor only. I have my arlo cameras outside. 

 
Poke_4_Life said:
Got an Arlo set on Black Friday online. 3 cameras for like 250. Cameras are battery powered and connect via WiFi. Set up took less than an hour including mounting and positioning the cameras. Have cameras on the doors of my house and get app notifications when movement is defected. Free cloud storage for 7 days or 1gb. 

Very pleased so far. 

I have Simplisafe for home alarm, but their camera is indoor only. I have my arlo cameras outside. 
Click to expand...
How’s the image quality?  Any issues with lag in motion detection?  I was initially turned off to Arlo because lots of comments that the motion detection had a big lag before recording. 

 
Ron Swanson said:
I'm all in on Blink.  No wires, inexpensive, and dead simple.  Cameras have to be armed to record video.  They can be armed on pre-set schedules or integrated to other systems like security systems or smart home hubs using IFTTT. Video can be observed via app at any time.

https://blinkforhome.com/
Click to expand...
They just got bought by Amazon. I'm guessing they will be making more of these and adding features.

 
I recommend the $20 Wyzecam for anyone that doesn't want to take a plunge on an entire system, or sign up for another monthly fee.

The nest cam is really cool, but I'm don't want the monthly fee.  I'd pay hundreds for their new camera, but I'm not paying for cloud storage.  I pay for cloud storage with Google already.  Google just announced Nest won't be a stand alone company anymore, and will be more incorporated into Google.  Most likely, this means they can be subsidized more and lose money.  Hello free cloud storage!  The space is so highly competitive right now that Google & Amazon are likely going to be the only ones standing in 5years.

 
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Fat Nick said:
How’s your experience been on this in the past few months?  
Click to expand...
Good.  I've expanded my system and now have a total of 6 cameras.  I've had one OOB failure but otherwise been rock solid. I have the arming automated by time of day and also via IFTTT using Simplisae arming as the trigger.  Battery life has been good so far.  Haven't had to change any.

 
Punxsutawney Phil said:
I recommend the $20 Wyzecam for anyone that doesn't want to take a plunge on an entire system, or sign up for another monthly fee.

The nest cam is really cool, but I'm don't want the monthly fee.  I'd pay hundreds for their new camera, but I'm not paying for cloud storage.  I pay for cloud storage with Google already.  Google just announced Nest won't be a stand alone company anymore, and will be more incorporated into Google.  Most likely, this means they can be subsidized more and lose money.  Hello free cloud storage!  The space is so highly competitive right now that Google & Amazon are likely going to be the only ones standing in 5years.
Click to expand...
I also bought one of these to play with and really like it. It works well but does require a wired power source.  The price can't be beaten though.

 
Fat Nick said:
How’s the image quality?  Any issues with lag in motion detection?  I was initially turned off to Arlo because lots of comments that the motion detection had a big lag before recording. 
Click to expand...
The image quality is fine. 

The back door notifies me almost immediately when I let the dog out. Like within a second or two. I haven't noticed lag on the other doors either, I don't have lag I guess.

 
Ron Swanson said:
Good.  I've expanded my system and now have a total of 6 cameras.  I've had one OOB failure but otherwise been rock solid. I have the arming automated by time of day and also via IFTTT using Simplisae arming as the trigger.  Battery life has been good so far.  Haven't had to change any.
Click to expand...
Good to hear.  My wife didn't want to spend that much at first, but I'm still wanting more cameras.  For now, I got an EZVIZ Husky camera for the driveway.  Our driveway is a blind spot in the house.  One window in the far bedroom that can see it directly.  A camera + and Echo Spot in the bedroom is our solution for now.  EZVIZ camera looks nice...I can't get the wifi to hook up at all, so I'm going to hard-wire.  It takes PoE or plug.  The one location I need it in already has a plug accessible as I had an old Foscam there.

Still very curious about the Blink cameras, so I may still pony up for a set.  I'm all-in on Echo/Alexa, and I'm curious how the recent Amazon purchase of Blink will impact that relationship.

 
question: are you guys who are getting them or considering them experiencing break-ins, or other troubles that are prompting them? Or is this the wave of the new norm to be surveilling everything. 

We got the Ring doorbell on Prime Day sale and enjoy it more then we thought. So now we are adding on to the coverage but don't have a real valid reason to do so. 

 
DOT.

I also am looking for a camera that I can use to monitor our construction site of our new home. It's two houses up the street but not close enough to connect to my wi-fi. Also need it to be battery powered, not hard-wired. 

I would like something that could give me time-lapse but also be used as a motion detector enabled camera in the evening.

I was looking at something from Brinno but it's a little pricier than I wanted at $238 via Amazon.

I would love to be able to connect to it remotely, even if it's a local WAN when I am standing below it so I don't have to climb up and get the card out every time I wanted to see the video/pictures.

Does anyone know if there are any cameras that would connect to the local Xfinity wifi that is transmitted from residential wireless modems?

 
glvsav37 said:
question: are you guys who are getting them or considering them experiencing break-ins, or other troubles that are prompting them? Or is this the wave of the new norm to be surveilling everything. 

We got the Ring doorbell on Prime Day sale and enjoy it more then we thought. So now we are adding on to the coverage but don't have a real valid reason to do so. 
Click to expand...
We moved into a new house that has an 8' wall between the front of the house and where we park our cars so our visibility is zero from the front of the house to the front.

I bought the Ring floodlight camera and so far, so good. It gives us visibility over the wall out to the street and motion detection so we know if anyone is coming near our cars. 

 
glvsav37 said:
question: are you guys who are getting them or considering them experiencing break-ins, or other troubles that are prompting them? Or is this the wave of the new norm to be surveilling everything. 

We got the Ring doorbell on Prime Day sale and enjoy it more then we thought. So now we are adding on to the coverage but don't have a real valid reason to do so. 
Click to expand...
It's just better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. 

 
We've had a crappy NVR all-in-one system for a few years and the NVR just died, so I'm taking the plunge and switching to (PC-based) Blue Iris.  A couple of my co-workers have it and they love it.  BTW, I found a lot of great info on this site - https://ipcamtalk.com/

 
@Ron Swanson

I'm thinking about the Blink XT - saw this three pack on amazon which says a 2 year battery life - is that just for the base unit?  Or is that for the whole system?  Asked another way, any issues with the battery life of the cameras since the whole thing is wireless?  Wireless is really the way I want to go for the convenience so I don't want to have to worry too much about maintenance or whatever.

https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Home-Security-Smartphone-Detection/dp/B071YPNMN1/ref=sr_1_2_sspa/147-5581458-7037669?ie=UTF8&qid=1527178042&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=nest+outdoor+camera+2+pack&psc=1

Any other recommendations for a wireless system?

 
I have a Ring Doorbell and just got an email from Amazon for their Ring Alarm system.  It doesn't offer video yet as far as I can tell, but it looks really good, and monitoring with a cell backup is just $10/month with no contract.  I figure it's just a matter of time until they integrate their Ring Cams to this.  Now I'm not sure how good their Ring Cams are in terms of quality, etc. but the low price of this system (they've apparently got bundles at Costco with more contact sensors) and the super low monitoring, has me thinking about switching to this.

 
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