Security camera options (not security co)

[taimaishu]

Originally Posted by CaptainNJ

im not sure this is really relevant. its more an issue with alarms but even still an alarm can help hasten the criminal's exit. if you know that your police response time is slow, then you would probably be more likely to add a camera to 1. deter and 2. help capture after the incident. you may also want other security devices like a big dog.

it looks like the kuna doesnt get great reviews. its a shame because it seems like a nice solution and i want to replace the current exterior lighting anyway.

I have 2 kuna setup for the front and back door. I think it's decent enough for my use. The only problem is that you only get a 2 hour window to view your recording. BUT you can download them to your phone if you need to.

Or, pay for their monthly cloud storage service.

The cameras are 720p with good day time quality but "ok" night time quality.

You get a notification on your phone every time someone walks to the door.

You can setup the light to where it makes a sound when somone walks by or have it on silent mode. Same with the LED lights.

There is an alarm button you can press. And it works. I had kids playing soccer on my yard. I press the alarm and they all ran.

[CaptainNJ]

Originally Posted by taimaishu

I have 2 kuna setup for the front and back door. I think it's decent enough for my use. The only problem is that you only get a 2 hour window to view your recording. BUT you can download them to your phone if you need to.

Or, pay for their monthly cloud storage service.

The cameras are 720p with good day time quality but "ok" night time quality.

You get a notification on your phone every time someone walks to the door.

You can setup the light to where it makes a sound when somone walks by or have it on silent mode. Same with the LED lights.

There is an alarm button you can press. And it works. I had kids playing soccer on my yard. I press the alarm and they all ran.

that sounds like fun.

[Serenity2019]

I used Night Owl Security cameras at my last house. Excellent, great picture, work at night, and you can purchase them at Costco. I had it set up myself and viewed in my home. No fees.

[Nonesuch]

I'd start by thinking through what you want to accomplish -- do you need a camera at eye level to capture the face of people who come to your front door, a wide-angle weatherproof unit to capture the entire driveway, or maybe one of each?

I am not a fan of anything that will stop working when the cloud service is down or unreachable, so I use a local network video recorder (NVR). Most NVRs can record locally to a hard drive or flash, and optionally allow remote access, and/or upload a notification and snapshot/video when motion is detected. If you are really ambitious and have plenty of free time, you can build your own NVR with commercial or open source software.

Personally I look for wired IP cameras and DVRs which state "ONVIF Profile S" compliance, this gives some assurance that a camera or DVR will be compatible with other brands, avoiding vendor lock-in and having to replace everything when the manufacturer goes out of business. For example, looking at Netgear's history of dropping support for cloud-dependent products, I am dubious about Netgear's Arlo.

While most cameras can be powered by a 12VDC plug-in adapter, I prefer power-over-ethernet (PoE, one cable for power and data), specifically 802.3af or 802.3at (not proprietary "simplified" cabling). I like PoE because I can connect the switch and recorder to a battery backup, all the cameras stay live and recording even if power is out, and I can expand my system with any PoE-supplying Ethernet switch.

For motion detection, cameras which also have a PIR sensor (usually a white faceted dome on the front of the unit) generally have fewer false alarms than ones which only use image processing to detect motion.

[semiurbanite]

Originally Posted by HighFlyingBird

My security company charges way too much for their cameras and they aren't even up to date with the technology. So I am looking for other option.

I would like 2 out door cameras (severe climate) and 3 indoor cameras that I can view with my iPhone or tablet. I would like the option to have them have motion sensor and let me know when it goes off, then to record the motion when on and keep the footage. I would like them not to be too obvious or have cords that just hang around.

What are my best options?

Check out the nest cams, they have indoor and outdoor models.

[bobandsherry]

Found Blink for Home as option for indoor and outdoor, totally wireless. Specs show battery lasting 2 years. They were on Kickstarter and now in production. Less expensive than Arlo and Nest.

Here's link that includes $25 off $99 or more: https://share.blinkforhome.com/x/3MstOS