Security camera recommendations

Forums › LAN (ethernet/Wifi/routers/Bluetooth) › Security camera recommendations

dvsdave

32 posts

Geek

#293067 26-Dec-2021 10:40

Hey geek zone fam, hope you had a great christmas.

I'm looking for some advice on a small home camera setup please. (is this the right sub?)

The use case is to have a 2 - 3 camera setup for the outside of the house covering the, driveway front door back yard.

My first attempt was to get a Eufy wireless camera setup to save me running cables to the cameras. These kept going offline however, I think due to wireless interference as the cameras and base were on the street side of the house where there is exposure to a wide range of signals, and the unit is back with the retailer for rma.

If interference is going to be a problem then I was thinking wired would be the way to go, my initial thought was ubiquiti as I currently run a couple of their ap's and thought getting a cloud key Gen 2 +would be the cheapest way to get both the hardware for the camera and to run the controller full time. Looking into this unit a bit it seems plagued by a swollen battery issue which is a touch concerninging from a longevity (and fire risk?) perspective.

Running cables is not my skill set, can get it done though but our house is a 50's weather board so there is going to be some conduit involved and challenges getting cables to all the locales, so it might not be pretty.

I'd appreciate any tips on kit to use - should I commit to the unifi kit or is there a better option?

I don't currently run a home server. My home network kit is pretty basic but works so far, I have a fritzbox, a couple of cheap switches and 2 unifi ap's.

Thanks if you read all that 😊

1 | 2

32 posts

Geek

#2838527 26-Dec-2021 10:51

A couple of post post thoughts:

Would I have better luck with another brands wireless kit?
Not a fan of monthly subscriptions.

Thanks.

Sharesies kids

Free kids accounts - trade shares and funds (NZ, US) with Sharesies (affiliate link).

scuwp

3880 posts

Uber Geek

#2838534 26-Dec-2021 11:25

dvsdave: A couple of post post thoughts:

Would I have better luck with another brands wireless kit?
Not a fan of monthly subscriptions.

Thanks.

Eufy is the only one I would rate for wireless without a subscription requirement. It's not your signal, plenty of people have issues with their camera's going offline, I am one of them. I have learnt to live with it by doing a weekly re-start which seems to keep on top of it. I have also moved away from optimized performance settings preferring to sacrifice battery life for more/longer recordings when triggered. This also oddly seems to minimize the disconnection frequency. Friend is heavily invested in Arlo and reports similar issues. alerts and records things it shouldn't, and doesn't record things it should. The technology just seems a little flakey to me.

When funds allow I will be replacing with a dedicated wired system (reolink probably) as I would prefer 24/7 recording rather than just recording on motion events. A security camera system needs to be reliable.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

dvsdave

32 posts

Geek

#2838536 26-Dec-2021 11:32

Thanks for the reply, yes im watching some videos on the reolink nvr kits now too. Might be a good way to go.

Ge0rge

2039 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2838548 26-Dec-2021 12:20

I started off with Unifi Cameras and their original NVR - I was very much a Ubiquiti "fan boi", having their switches, USG, CK, APs, PtP wireless link radios, cameras etc. Over a few years the way they dealt with bugs / feature requests etc has put me off them and I've been slowly replacing it all. The single pane of glass management was nice, but in my opinion was really window dressing hiding a lot of issues.

I find their cameras to be very low quality for the price bracket they sit in. For outside use during the dark, they have a very limited range and the image quality is quite poor. I ended up using a security light to illuminate the scene when motion was detected to help the cameras, but even then I couldn't get an image that was useful quick enough. When they EoL'd the NVR, I went looking for a different option.

I've gone for a NUC running BlueIris and Dahua wired cameras from Andy @ EmpireTech on Ebay (you'll find other recommendations for Andy throughout GZ). This set up seems to work far better than the Unifi setup I had and has cost less to set up than I originally spent on the Unifi gear.

shrub

773 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#2838556 26-Dec-2021 13:07

I can recommend not going with Arlo if that helps.

3puttssuck

744 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2838620 26-Dec-2021 17:34

shrub: I can recommend not going with Arlo if that helps.

Can I ask why?

Mehrts

1055 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2838635 26-Dec-2021 17:44

I looked into going for the Ubiquiti lineup of cameras, but when they no longer supported the ability to run their NVR software on your own hardware (Unifi Video), that turned me away from them. I couldn't justify the price of the cameras vs quality/features.

In the end, I chose a Reolink kit, complete with four 4K turret cameras, an 8channel NVR & cables/mounts etc etc. The phone & computer apps make it super simple to keep an eye on everything. The new cameras have AI detection, which allows you to quickly & easily filter the various detections between people, vehicle, and general motion.

I purchased from Amazon directly from Reolink, as the pricing was just too good to ignore compared to local retailers. I saved $500 going this way, and I thought if I ever have any problems, then I can simply purchase a new camera/NVR if warranty/CGA was going to be non-existent.

Yes there are better options, but for the price-point, features, and ease of use, I think it's hard to beat for someone wanting a simple setup.

dvsdave

32 posts

Geek

#2838639 26-Dec-2021 18:06

Thank you all for the feedback and recommendations

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#2838641 26-Dec-2021 18:09

Ge0rge: I started off with Unifi Cameras and their original NVR - I was very much a Ubiquiti "fan boi", having their switches, USG, CK, APs, PtP wireless link radios, cameras etc. Over a few years the way they dealt with bugs / feature requests etc has put me off them and I've been slowly replacing it all. The single pane of glass management was nice, but in my opinion was really window dressing hiding a lot of issues.

I find their cameras to be very low quality for the price bracket they sit in. For outside use during the dark, they have a very limited range and the image quality is quite poor. I ended up using a security light to illuminate the scene when motion was detected to help the cameras, but even then I couldn't get an image that was useful quick enough. When they EoL'd the NVR, I went looking for a different option.

I've gone for a NUC running BlueIris and Dahua wired cameras from Andy @ EmpireTech on Ebay (you'll find other recommendations for Andy throughout GZ). This set up seems to work far better than the Unifi setup I had and has cost less to set up than I originally spent on the Unifi gear.

+1 for Andy if you want Dahua kit

As for UBNT the reasons above are the reason so many people are abandoning the brand. They were a disruptive company who certainly did cause plenty of disruption in the markets they entered. Even in the WISP space now they're being abandoned by serious providers, and in the WiFi space you can now buy true enterprise hardware that doesn't have the same issues for not much more money wise.

Cabled cameras are *always* going to be the best option (with pros and cons for all the brands out there), and getting in somebody to run cables may well be a good option for a quality install.

shrub

773 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

#2838645 26-Dec-2021 18:14

3puttssuck:
shrub: I can recommend not going with Arlo if that helps.

Can I ask why?

I have the 4k ultra system and after 1 year they sting you with Monthly service subscription to use 2k video and more for 4k. If you go subscription less then no remote access unless your have VPN to home.

Local backup is not really an option.

Motion detection is patchy so if you want to record everything then again it will cost you more.

Jase2985

13419 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2838696 26-Dec-2021 18:17

whats the link to the EmpireTech ebay store?

Ge0rge

2039 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2838697 26-Dec-2021 18:21

Jase2985:
whats the link to the EmpireTech ebay store?

My mistake - google "Empire Tech Andy" and he's the first AliExpress hit.

Edit to say - the advantage of buying from Andy is that he sells OEM English versions of the cameras - not something Chinese that has then been flashed. This means that updates will work, and remain in English afterwards.

He also has great prices, and very fast shipping.

Note - not affiliated with him at all, just a happy customer.

MarkM536

307 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2838833 27-Dec-2021 03:06

Mehrts:

In the end, I chose a Reolink kit,

Yes there are better options, but for the price-point, features, and ease of use, I think it's hard to beat for someone wanting a simple setup.

Older Reolink cameras supported ONVIF, now new models don't. Reolink is starting to become restrictive to just their hardware ecosystem.

Basically every IP camera brand has a plug-and-play system with their NVRs.

Reolink does excel in their phone app but at the price of a camera with worse night vision for the price.

------

Advice in general for cctv, watch reviews online showing motion at night!

Ghost trails indicate the camera has a longer exposure/shutter to get a brighter image. It's like shopping the specs for a DSLR, the imaging sensor inside should meet your needs.

------

Mention of Dahua from Empire Tech Andy:

I have purchased from him before, I got a PTZ.

It had a unique manufacturing defect that showed up in the summer (tolerances with the IR filter), Andy sent me a replacement right away and it came within a week.

Dahua software wise; I just exported the configuration of the faulty camera and imported it into the new one. Right back to where it was.

Jase2985:

whats the link to the EmpireTech ebay store?

Andy is on Ipcamtalk.com. That site has great information, excuse some of the idiots on there.

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1200032

https://www.amazon.com/s?me=A329YQ83EBQGJF

https://ipcamtalk.com/members/empiretecandy.26381/

rogercruse

644 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2838918 27-Dec-2021 08:18

We got a couple of Amcrest POE security cameras from Amazon and had these installed as part of our new home build.

The cameras work with our Echo Show device so we can see the output. And being POE means that only one cable for each camera for power and images.

Suggest you talk to your local electrian about installation.

dvsdave

32 posts

Geek

#2838948 27-Dec-2021 10:40

And the good tips keep coming, thanks, yes the three cables off the reolink look annoying to deal with/hide away. Having one via poe would be easiest.

1 | 2