Home Security Cameras.

[nightmare69]

I was looking into installing a few cameras around my home and this set caught my eye at Sams Club.

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/samsung-8 ... 0120665.ip

One question I have is what happens if a perp breaks in and steals the control box? There goes your footage. Is there any inexpensive options to have a back-up online like to the cloud or to your home computer?

[philip964]

It's a wired system. Mine is still in the box unused.
Power and data wires to each camera. And yeah they steal the DVR computer.

I am using an Arlo wireless system. Easy to set up. Alerts to your iPhone when movement is detected. Day or night. Motion sensor turns camera on. Indoor outdoor. Easy to move or mount cameras any where you want. 1080p nice clear pictures. Watch people in your house from your iPhone on the other side of the world. Can download from cloud to your phone.

Up to 5 cameras are free, no subscription charge to hold video on the cloud.

Disadvantage. Uses batteries which last about 6 months.
Motion sensor tends to take a second or so to turn on fast moving subjects are out of the frame by then. More expensive than the DVR wired systems. Since it alerts you by phone of movement, no setting works perfectly to turn it off and on, since you don't want alerts of family members moving around.

Really want 10 cameras but too cheap to pay the 9.99 monthly fee.

[TexasJohnBoy]

I have a system like the one you saw at sams, I've thought about putting the NVR in a locked container with proper ventilation. I elected for one like this instead of a cloud one because I don't like the idea of anyone else having access to my camera feeds. Different strokes for different folks.

One thing to think about if you do get a hard wired system, is that a lot of these systems will try to phone home to Amazon web services or whatever other service the vendor uses. I have a firewall setup on my home network that blocks all traffic to and from my NVR unless it's over my vpn. I realize that this level of geekiness isn't for everyone, but doing your research on these before committing to one is prudent.

All that being said, I really like having it. If the wife hears something outside, we're able to look at the feeds outside.

[Archery1]

I have system like it, the Swann brand. Good, but pain to run wires and ends at box with gang of wires, power cords, mouse, and monitor. My Swann cameras quit providing color picture after a year or so. My nest install will be the wireless Arlo, which my home alarm company technician recommended even over his company install. Pricey, though for hardware.

[Jnazee]

We use cheap motion activated hunting cameras. The only problem we've had with them is remembering to replace the batteries. The last time we were reminded to replace the batteries was after someone stole our truck.
But thanks to CPD we had it back within a few hours, and the person who took it is doing 5 years.

[carlson1]

I use ring.com. Started with the door bell and added the other cameras one by one. I am notified on my iPhone immediately when the sensor goes off. I pay I think $30.00 a year and they keep all the recordings.

[nightmare69]

I’ve seen the wireless cameras but they are a bit more than I wanted to spend. I wish I could mount the DVR in the attic but I’m sure the extreme temperatures would cause the unit to fail quickly. A lock control box may be the best option to secure the DVR.

This system also has an app you download and can view it remotely on your phone. It comes with 4 cameras but you can add a total of 8 including sound.

I have a Dbell wireless doorbell that is similar to the Ring but without the subscription costs.

[LimaCharlie3]

I have both systems running concurrently. An older wired system with a dvr locked inside the air conditioning closet. It's not easy access and I Feel fairly sure it wouldn't be found by a thief. I also have an Arlo wireless system that duplicates the wired system and gives me mobile access and far superior picture quality than the older analog wired system I have. The Arlo cameras cover a 110 degree field which does the work of two of the wired cameras, the wired system records continuously on a weeklong loop and the Arlo is motion activated. My wired system was cheap and the cameras are the weak point. The night vision is excellent but daytime is poor and the field f vision is narrow. I relaced one camera with a peephole camera on my front door that was $30 on Amazon and it has a 130 degree field of vision, excellent daytime clarity and rivals the digital cameras in picture quality. You get what you pay for seems to apply.

[bmwrdr]

Good info from fellow board members, thanks for sharing.
I am currently developing my own solution with wired IP based cameras powered of a PoE switch and a mini PC with a customized Linux OS. My plan is to use a local hard disk and a shadow copy of pictures for a 7 day history. All automated via Perl or Shell scripts and notification via e-mail. Wether or not I open a port to my firewall needs To be determined at a later point.
I decided to use PoE to ensure uptime and to avoid battery maintenance for the cameras.
The hardest part is to retrofit the CAT5 cables in my home.
At this point I do not have a price point but it won't be as cheap as other solutions. My goal is to avoid any monthly charges to a provider, it has to be near bullet proof and the system has to be "hacker proof" as well.
I'll start a new post with a priceline for my solution once I am finished but it will take a while.

[philip964]

I’ve seen the wireless cameras but they are a bit more than I wanted to spend. I wish I could mount the DVR in the attic but I’m sure the extreme temperatures would cause the unit to fail quickly. A lock control box may be the best option to secure the DVR.

This system also has an app you download and can view it remotely on your phone. It comes with 4 cameras but you can add a total of 8 including sound.

I have a Dbell wireless doorbell that is similar to the Ring but without the subscription costs.

To me you have to locate the DVR computer at a spot where you have the closest run of wiring to get as many cameras working as possible.

[Jago668]

The other thing to remember about wireless is you can be watched via your own cameras. That stuff isn't nearly as secure as they make it out to be.

[bmwrdr]

The other thing to remember about wireless is you can be watched via your own cameras. That stuff isn't nearly as secure as they make it out to be.

And turnkey solutions using the cloud aren't designed for privacy either.

[nightmare69]

I have both systems running concurrently. An older wired system with a dvr locked inside the air conditioning closet. It's not easy access and I Feel fairly sure it wouldn't be found by a thief. I also have an Arlo wireless system that duplicates the wired system and gives me mobile access and far superior picture quality than the older analog wired system I have. The Arlo cameras cover a 110 degree field which does the work of two of the wired cameras, the wired system records continuously on a weeklong loop and the Arlo is motion activated. My wired system was cheap and the cameras are the weak point. The night vision is excellent but daytime is poor and the field f vision is narrow. I relaced one camera with a peephole camera on my front door that was $30 on Amazon and it has a 130 degree field of vision, excellent daytime clarity and rivals the digital cameras in picture quality. You get what you pay for seems to apply.

The A/C closet idea sounds perfect for my set-up. Mine is in the garage and I could install a lock to secure the door and it has a big shelf on wheels on front of it that has to be moved to open the doors. I just need to gets a small monitor or TV to be able to view and set-up the system.

The cameras in the link I posted can view 130' in daytime and 82' at night. Range is 100 degrees. That isn’t too bad for the price.

[rtschl]

I agree about the lack of good security for Cloud on the internet. With my system, it is a risk that the NVR could be stolen. But hoping the alarm system, dogs, and it being hidden keep that from happening before the Police arrive.

I also agree about the lack of security for WiFi but can be helped with a good home firewall. But WiFi cameras will make a dent on your bandwidth on your home network. So if you add WiFi cameras don't be surprised that your consumer WiFi router will have trouble handling it and all your other WiFi traffic. So from a network performance perspective a wired IP camera set up is better than wireless.

I put IP cameras at my house that I bought from Nellys: https://www.nellyssecurity.com

You can buy a complete system or like me, buy separately. Over time I will add more cameras to get better coverage of my home. I bought 4MP bullet cameras, an NVR, and a PoE (Power over Ethernet) switch. All I had to do was put the cameras where I wanted them and then run CAT5 network cable from the switch to the NVR. With PoE you only have to run one cable and CAT5 cable is pretty easy to run and fish through the attic and that is coming from someone who hates running cables and terminating CAT5 cables with RJ45 connectors.

[strogg]

I have a custom made system. I use POE Trendnet cameras on a DVR w/o internet access (I don't trust the "cloud"). I like the Trendnets because they have the best picture quality for the price. The DVR is a regular ol' desktop computer with a 2TB drive running a program called Blue Iris. Everything is on backup power too just in case. The DVR computer is not easy to get to. I just rely on the fact that it'll take the baddies over 8 minutes to find it and disable it. By then, the local LEOs would have shown up from the tripped alarm.

Here's how I see it. No matter how much you invest into home security, like cameras, high security locks, security film on windows, etc, nothing beats a monitored alarm system, especially if you live in a town where the local LEOs are bored out of their skulls.