Best home security camera options? (1 Viewer)

[BeTheMatch]

Tried searching and couldn't find any threads.

Wanting to add some home security cameras for outside and wondering what my easiest and best options are? I know Ring now has some motion-detector external cameras. Is that a good option? And whatever I get, do I want to get ones that are only running when something triggers them? I've heard home owners that have had them running 24/7 have Internet usage issues and then their monthly fee for all that data would be huge.

Total noob here, so looking for something easy and hopefully affordable, but good enough quality that it actually works. Thinking one over garage and a couple more to go over the front and rear entry doors?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[Steeler]

https://forums.footballguys.com/forum/topic/753344-home-alarm-system-advice

 

[BeTheMatch]

https://forums.footballguys.com/forum/topic/753344-home-alarm-system-advice

Thanks

 

[Peggy]

Update!

What does everyone have, what's the best? Prime day has Blink Doorbell plus 3 perimeter cameras for $119. I'm thinking of kicking my do it yourself blueiris to the curb as it's a decent amount of work.

 

[belljr]

Update!

What does everyone have, what's the best? Prime day has Blink Doorbell plus 3 perimeter cameras for $119. I'm thinking of kicking my do it yourself blueiris to the curb as it's a decent amount of work.

I have a ring doorbell and 2 cams. They are indoor cams I just put on a window sill. Works fine

 

[Osaurus]

Wyze ftw

 

[beer 30]

I'm Ring'd up, doorbell + 4 outdoor cams. They ain't exactly great but they are sufficient for what I want. Might invest in an indoor cam for the garage since I've inherited a dog that is a right royal pain in the *** and need to keep an eye on him.

 

[Al Czervik]

I went with Arlo for my external cameras. Don't recall all the factors that went into why I chose that. I do remember that the free storage library was a big factor (did not want to have yet another subscription I have to pay for).

 

[culdeus]

Are there any diy systems that don't require some subscription service to host? Ring is fine but does add up.

Have some indoor and doorbell rings and cameras on my garage opener.

 

[PlayaHata]

Update!

What does everyone have, what's the best? Prime day has Blink Doorbell plus 3 perimeter cameras for $119. I'm thinking of kicking my do it yourself blueiris to the curb as it's a decent amount of work.

I'm in the same boat. Blue Iris is good but it's kind of a PITA to maintain. I'm already in the Ring ecosystem with a doorbell, Ring Alarm system and and one outside floodlight camera, so I'm planning to eventually swap my existing PoE cameras that I use with Blue Iris over to Ring cameras at some point.

 

[Peggy]

Update!

What does everyone have, what's the best? Prime day has Blink Doorbell plus 3 perimeter cameras for $119. I'm thinking of kicking my do it yourself blueiris to the curb as it's a decent amount of work.

I'm in the same boat. Blue Iris is good but it's kind of a PITA to maintain. I'm already in the Ring ecosystem with a doorbell, Ring Alarm system and and one outside floodlight camera, so I'm planning to eventually swap my existing PoE cameras that I use with Blue Iris over to Ring cameras at some point.

I think so too. It's simple enough and cheap enough now that I don't want to spend a bunch of time anymore with Blue Iris. Jumping in with some Blink cameras and will see how it goes.

 

[beer 30]

Update!

What does everyone have, what's the best? Prime day has Blink Doorbell plus 3 perimeter cameras for $119. I'm thinking of kicking my do it yourself blueiris to the curb as it's a decent amount of work.

I'm in the same boat. Blue Iris is good but it's kind of a PITA to maintain. I'm already in the Ring ecosystem with a doorbell, Ring Alarm system and and one outside floodlight camera, so I'm planning to eventually swap my existing PoE cameras that I use with Blue Iris over to Ring cameras at some point.

How do you like the Ring alarm system? I've been on the Ring network for years but it's been all external. I wouldn't mind adding an alarm system as well.

 

[Runkle]

I'm a severe DIY'er, the Reolinks have the biggest following amongst our type. Pretty much everything is open and usable without a subscription and easy to integrate into a homemade system. But on the flipside you have to know your network settings and set it all up yourself.

If you want a closed ecosystem, though, where everything is handled internally and you don't have to do anything yourself, Ring seems to be a popular choice.

 

[PlayaHata]

Are there any diy systems that don't require some subscription service to host? Ring is fine but does add up.

Have some indoor and doorbell rings and cameras on my garage opener.

Don't mean to be a Ring fanboy, but if you add even the most basic Ring Alarm system, then you can do the Ring Protect Plus plan giving you cloud storage for all of your Ring cameras PLUS the alarm monitoring, which should then qualify you for savings on your home insurance, so it ends up being a pretty good deal compared to a lot of the other options out there.

Update!

What does everyone have, what's the best? Prime day has Blink Doorbell plus 3 perimeter cameras for $119. I'm thinking of kicking my do it yourself blueiris to the curb as it's a decent amount of work.

I'm in the same boat. Blue Iris is good but it's kind of a PITA to maintain. I'm already in the Ring ecosystem with a doorbell, Ring Alarm system and and one outside floodlight camera, so I'm planning to eventually swap my existing PoE cameras that I use with Blue Iris over to Ring cameras at some point.

How do you like the Ring alarm system? I've been on the Ring network for years but it's been all external. I wouldn't mind adding an alarm system as well.

I'm a big fan. Exact same easy-to-use app for the alarm system and the cameras. The entire system is wireless so there is nothing to wire up at all. Plus the Ring Protect Plan gives me cloud storage for my Ring cameras PLUS the alarm monitoring, which means we qualify for a discount on our homeowner's insurance. The price is very reasonable considering all you get and Ring support has been phenomenal as well. I've had a few problems with 2-3 sensors over the years and even through my system is well out of warranty, Ring has replaced multiple pieces at absolutely no charge to me. Next on my list to add are a few of their Ring water sensors to place on the floor near my washing machine and water heater.

 

[snogger]

Tried searching and couldn't find any threads.

Wanting to add some home security cameras for outside and wondering what my easiest and best options are? I know Ring now has some motion-detector external cameras. Is that a good option? And whatever I get, do I want to get ones that are only running when something triggers them? I've heard home owners that have had them running 24/7 have Internet usage issues and then their monthly fee for all that data would be huge.

Total noob here, so looking for something easy and hopefully affordable, but good enough quality that it actually works. Thinking one over garage and a couple more to go over the front and rear entry doors?

Any advice appreciated.

We love our Blinks. They are easy to install, no wiring, and work great.

 

[snogger]

Are there any diy systems that don't require some subscription service to host? Ring is fine but does add up.

Have some indoor and doorbell rings and cameras on my garage opener.

Check out Blink on Amazon. No fees.

 

[Steeler]

Currently have a 6 camera Blink system but thinking of upgrading to something better. There are certainly pros to the blink system but there are delays and limits when it records videos which are a bit annoying to me.

Anyway, I've done a bit of research and think a wired Ring doorbell camera and 5 additional battery powered external cameras would be needed to replace my current system. I assume wired is correct for the Ring doorbell is appropriate since you are replacing the doorbell anyway. Does anyone have a similar setup? Any feedback on this approach? Any limitations with the battery operated cameras like limited record times or delays in starting the recordings once motion is detected?

 

[beer 30]

I've done a bit of research and think a wired Ring doorbell camera and 5 additional battery powered external cameras would be needed to replace my current system. I assume wired is correct for the Ring doorbell is appropriate since you are replacing the doorbell anyway. Does anyone have a similar setup? Any feedback on this approach? Any limitations with the battery operated cameras like limited record times or delays in starting the recordings once motion is detected?

Pretty much the setup I have except I have a battery doorbell as well (my old doorbell wires just don't work for a wired unit where I need it). No real downside other than motion doesn't always like you'd hope. The system does have limitations compared to a professionally installed system that monitors 24-7 but you're not paying for that. The live shots are great, the app is fairly easy to navigate, you can customize it as you like, etc. The one downside I'd say is changing out the batteries. You get one per camera even though it has slots for two. Batteries tend to last 7-14 days depending on the amount of motion that takes place. With two batteries you can usually go about a month or more. It also takes about 6-8 hours to recharge them so I bought a complete other set of batteries that I keep charged up so when I swap there is no down time. Pull the depleted batteries out, hook them up to charge and after a few days, throw them in the drawer until I need them. I also try to wait and change them all out at once since it's a bit of a PITA.

 

[PlayaHata]

I've done a bit of research and think a wired Ring doorbell camera and 5 additional battery powered external cameras would be needed to replace my current system. I assume wired is correct for the Ring doorbell is appropriate since you are replacing the doorbell anyway. Does anyone have a similar setup? Any feedback on this approach? Any limitations with the battery operated cameras like limited record times or delays in starting the recordings once motion is detected?

Pretty much the setup I have except I have a battery doorbell as well (my old doorbell wires just don't work for a wired unit where I need it). No real downside other than motion doesn't always like you'd hope. The system does have limitations compared to a professionally installed system that monitors 24-7 but you're not paying for that. The live shots are great, the app is fairly easy to navigate, you can customize it as you like, etc. The one downside I'd say is changing out the batteries. You get one per camera even though it has slots for two. Batteries tend to last 7-14 days depending on the amount of motion that takes place. With two batteries you can usually go about a month or more. It also takes about 6-8 hours to recharge them so I bought a complete other set of batteries that I keep charged up so when I swap there is no down time. Pull the depleted batteries out, hook them up to charge and after a few days, throw them in the drawer until I need them. I also try to wait and change them all out at once since it's a bit of a PITA.

We have wired doorbell and one external Ring camera that I specifically had hard-wired just because I don't want to deal with the batteries. I think they sell solar powered ones too, but I am just paranoid that the one time I need a camera feed will be the one time the camera isn't recording due to a dead battery. I actually have a friend whose home was broken into and of course their camera battery was dead so they got absolutely no video.

 

[beer 30]

I've done a bit of research and think a wired Ring doorbell camera and 5 additional battery powered external cameras would be needed to replace my current system. I assume wired is correct for the Ring doorbell is appropriate since you are replacing the doorbell anyway. Does anyone have a similar setup? Any feedback on this approach? Any limitations with the battery operated cameras like limited record times or delays in starting the recordings once motion is detected?

Pretty much the setup I have except I have a battery doorbell as well (my old doorbell wires just don't work for a wired unit where I need it). No real downside other than motion doesn't always like you'd hope. The system does have limitations compared to a professionally installed system that monitors 24-7 but you're not paying for that. The live shots are great, the app is fairly easy to navigate, you can customize it as you like, etc. The one downside I'd say is changing out the batteries. You get one per camera even though it has slots for two. Batteries tend to last 7-14 days depending on the amount of motion that takes place. With two batteries you can usually go about a month or more. It also takes about 6-8 hours to recharge them so I bought a complete other set of batteries that I keep charged up so when I swap there is no down time. Pull the depleted batteries out, hook them up to charge and after a few days, throw them in the drawer until I need them. I also try to wait and change them all out at once since it's a bit of a PITA.

We have wired doorbell and one external Ring camera that I specifically had hard-wired just because I don't want to deal with the batteries. I think they sell solar powered ones too, but I am just paranoid that the one time I need a camera feed will be the one time the camera isn't recording due to a dead battery. I actually have a friend whose home was broken into and of course their camera battery was dead so they got absolutely no video.

Had that happen last weekend, the doorbell cam was dead. I don't check it hardly ever, my wife keeps an eye on the cameras and usually lets me know. I tend to check them ever other week or so but I'm not a monitor it every day kind of guy.

You can wire them and there is a solar option as well. At some point I'll get tire of the batteries but the solar panels just look like an eyesore to me since they will be on your roof and where my units are at, I'd have to drill into the wall of the house to hardwire them and it's just not that important to me.