Arlo versus Morepork versus Others?

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#1963062 23-Feb-2018 16:16

BLazeD:
The only thing outstanding with this setup would be off-site backup like to Amazon S3. Any ideas on how to achieve that with an AMcrest NVR? I have no idea what the software on the NVR looks like at this stage.

Grab a copy of their manual to check out the capabilities. You can get it to back up to a USB device (including optical media via a burner, also remotely to an FTP server.

One thing about the manual is that Amcrest's docs are always about a generation behind their hardware, so the manual describes older models, there may be new capabilities added that postdate the manual. The cameras themselves, with slightly newer manuals, also support some sort of SMB-based file storage, I don't have the docs handy at the moment.

ronw

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#1963099 23-Feb-2018 17:22

If you want a standalone system why not have your cameras save to Google Drive or Dropbox. That way you could access the content from anywhere with your phone?

ronw:

I have Morepork and it is really a full intruder package. You get two video devices and magnetic contacts for doors and windows. It has many other companies whose products integrated with it. I have Zwave separate sirens. You can also get electronic door locks and many other systems. You pay for monitoring separately. You get alerts to your cell phone. Sean's s pretty good deal to me

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neb

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#1963102 23-Feb-2018 17:26

ronw:
If you want a standalone system why not have your cameras save to Google Drive or Dropbox. That way you could access the content from anywhere with your phone?

It depends on how good your device's motion detection is, i.e. how little data you can get it to send. Continuously streaming six channels of HD video to Google is going to cause problems. That's why doing local processing via an NVR or in-camera for a smart enough camera and only sending critical data overseas is a useful capability to have.

justinwebster

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Wannabe Geek

#1964689 26-Feb-2018 17:22

Cleverloop is a joke.

The concept is really good, the hardware is reasonably good, the iOS app is 90% good.

But the motion detection software is appalling - totally unusable and not at all what is advertised.

It constantly throws false positives and false negatives and never seems to learn anything, perpetually reacting to the wrong events. I spent weeks trying to train it and then gave up when it got no better. I usually have notifications turned off now.

It throws alerts any time it rains at night. It throws alerts when a cloud passes over the sun, it throws alerts when a few blades of grass move. And yet other times it fails to notice when people walk thru frame or stand staring at the camera.

Support was initially good with some hardware issues but with the software problems I often don't get a response at all. I did finally manage to get the engineers to look at my data and they apparently changed the algorithm... now it ignores most human activity and no amount of training will improve it. bah!

BLazeD

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Master Geek

#1965631 28-Feb-2018 10:56

Update on this from me. I've decided I'm too lazy and don't have the time to fiddle around with a more DIY solution like Amcrest (using my own DVR, setting up off-site backups myself, making sure it is all optimised, watching my own down time, etc etc). So that more or less leaves me with Morepork or Arlo Pro 2.

Would prefer the Arlo 2 but it is very expensive. About $815 to get the kit with 2 cameras landed in New Zealand. Another camera would be ideal which is another $280. Total around $1,100 for 3 cams and then 7 days free cloud storage, streaming etc.

Morepork currently have a deal for $300 for 2 cameras (or $500 for 3) which are only 720p (much inferior to the Arlo 2 cams I suspect). And then $10 per month ongoing for cloud, storage, etc) 1st 6 months free. TBH probably pretty good and all I need.

I guess the only thing stopping me from Morepork is the cameras (obsolete once and if Morepork come out with an upgrade) and being locked into their ecosystem (even if I on sold the cameras that new owner would need to subscribe to their service to get them working).

With the Arlo 2 the only thing is the price. Of course I am locked into their ecosystem but it is free for 7 days = easier to on sell if I need to. I am not interested in the Arlo 1.

I need to decide today as the Morepork offer ends today.

timbosan

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#1965640 28-Feb-2018 11:06

BLazeD:

Update on this from me. I've decided I'm too lazy and don't have the time to fiddle around with a more DIY solution like Amcrest (using my own DVR, setting up off-site backups myself, making sure it is all optimised, watching my own down time, etc etc). So that more or less leaves me with Morepork or Arlo Pro 2.

Would prefer the Arlo 2 but it is very expensive. About $815 to get the kit with 2 cameras landed in New Zealand. Another camera would be ideal which is another $280. Total around $1,100 for 3 cams and then 7 days free cloud storage, streaming etc.

Morepork currently have a deal for $300 for 2 cameras (or $500 for 3) which are only 720p (much inferior to the Arlo 2 cams I suspect). And then $10 per month ongoing for cloud, storage, etc) 1st 6 months free. TBH probably pretty good and all I need.

I guess the only thing stopping me from Morepork is the cameras (obsolete once and if Morepork come out with an upgrade) and being locked into their ecosystem (even if I on sold the cameras that new owner would need to subscribe to their service to get them working).

With the Arlo 2 the only thing is the price. Of course I am locked into their ecosystem but it is free for 7 days = easier to on sell if I need to. I am not interested in the Arlo 1.

I need to decide today as the Morepork offer ends today.

Not sure if you know this already, but Morepork cameras need power, and come with a short power-cord that plugs into the wall. I ended up splicing in extra cable so I could position the camera where I wanted it. Arlo needs expensive batteries and you loose out on the first few seconds of video as it comes out of low power mode (NOTE, I don't have an Arlo, this is what I have read on multiple forums). But you get better video quality.

The Moreport video cameras are OK (I have the original, not the newer HD ones) but they are no comparison to the 3MP Dahua cameras.

Hope this helps!

BLazeD

239 posts

Master Geek

#1965642 28-Feb-2018 11:10

timbosan:

Not sure if you know this already, but Morepork cameras need power, and come with a short power-cord that plugs into the wall. I ended up splicing in extra cable so I could position the camera where I wanted it. Arlo needs expensive batteries and you loose out on the first few seconds of video as it comes out of low power mode (NOTE, I don't have an Arlo, this is what I have read on multiple forums). But you get better video quality.

The Moreport video cameras are OK (I have the original, not the newer HD ones) but they are no comparison to the 3MP Dahua cameras.

Hope this helps!

Thanks that is interesting re the power cables! Requiring power is all good though and actually what I wanted. The arlo 2 can be powered also so I don't think that low power mode thing would be an issue. Wow OK that's good to know even the original Morepork cams are OK. By the newer HD ones you mean their 720p ones right?

Thanks!

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timbosan

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#1965657 28-Feb-2018 11:21

BLazeD:

timbosan:

Not sure if you know this already, but Morepork cameras need power, and come with a short power-cord that plugs into the wall. I ended up splicing in extra cable so I could position the camera where I wanted it. Arlo needs expensive batteries and you loose out on the first few seconds of video as it comes out of low power mode (NOTE, I don't have an Arlo, this is what I have read on multiple forums). But you get better video quality.

The Moreport video cameras are OK (I have the original, not the newer HD ones) but they are no comparison to the 3MP Dahua cameras.

Hope this helps!

Thanks that is interesting re the power cables! Requiring power is all good though and actually what I wanted. The arlo 2 can be powered also so I don't think that low power mode thing would be an issue. Wow OK that's good to know even the original Morepork cams are OK. By the newer HD ones you mean their 720p ones right?

Thanks!

Yeah, the newer ones are 720p. I have the "Indoor Video Camera", the spec sheet says it runs in 600x400 by default. The new one is the "HD Indoor video camera". By OK, I mean I can see who's in the room. But its not detailed. Hard to explain without images! I would however prefer the 720p camera. The camera in a Morepork system is used to trigger the alarm based on movement when the alarm is set, and also record video so you can see what set it off.

ronw

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#1965962 28-Feb-2018 15:39

Re Morrpork mykit included one Pir battery powered camera which takes a pix if it detects intrusion. The other camera is an Infrared camera which requires a power socket. I did not have a socket where I wanted camera so just used an extension cord. It takes good pix in darkness. The other bits of morepork are the door windows sensors which are battery powered with a disc Mercury battery. I imagine they will need replacing in a year. Don't forget the control panel has a sim card which keeps alerts working if WiFi goes down. I have a lot of WiFi outages and router does not come back up without a reboot. To get around that I have a UPS and a small device that monitors internet and if access to it net fails it will reset the router electronically.
I also mentioned earlier that Morepork had many other devices that it will work with. I have an external siren in bedroom using zwave which works great. If you are into Google home it may be possible to interface with that. I want to put zwave door locks next and ITTT has some nteresting ideas. Also like the idea of Morepork Geofence which allows you to fence your property so that when you venture outside the property the alarm set automatically. Heaps more to discover and play with
For a fairly small Outlay and a small monthly fee I am very happy. So much better that 45 dollars a month for ADT who quite often don't even respond to alarms

Thanks!

, the newer ones are 720p. I have the "Indoor Video Camera", the spec sheet says it runs in 600x400 by default. The new one is the "HD Indoor video camera". By OK, I mean I can see who's in the room. But its not detailed. Hard to explain without images! I would however prefer the 720p camera. The camera in a Morepork system is used to trigger the alarm based on movement when the alarm is set, and also record video so you can see what set it off.

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tehoro

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Geek

#1966599 1-Mar-2018 16:32

For indoor use I bought a couple of Netatmo Welcome cameras. At Amazon Prime prices they were about NZ$205 each package, including shipping to NZ. A lot cheaper than the local price. They have reasonably good motion and person detection, and you don't need to subscribe to cloud storage. Videos are saved to the on-camera SD card and can also be uploaded to your personal dropbox or an FTP site. Plus, Apple HomeKit compatibility is promised soon. I believe that promise since the equivalent outdoor camera (Netatmo Presence) is now compatible with HomeKit. Worth consideration, in my view.

BLazeD

239 posts

Master Geek

#1966990 2-Mar-2018 11:49

I went with Morepork, will post back later

kiwipawl

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1967009 2-Mar-2018 12:27

tehoro:

For indoor use I bought a couple of Netatmo Welcome cameras. At Amazon Prime prices they were about NZ$205 each package, including shipping to NZ. A lot cheaper than the local price. They have reasonably good motion and person detection, and you don't need to subscribe to cloud storage. Videos are saved to the on-camera SD card and can also be uploaded to your personal dropbox or an FTP site. Plus, Apple HomeKit compatibility is promised soon. I believe that promise since the equivalent outdoor camera (Netatmo Presence) is now compatible with HomeKit. Worth consideration, in my view.

I've had a Netatmo Presence for a few months now.

I have had alot of problems with it. It doesn't always identify the subject correctly and it is always identifying cats as people, couldn't recognize motorbikes, is very random with cars, it will record a car that is there the same time every day and then on other days it won't. The play back freezes, jumps time during playback and has just started to record multiple 1 second clips of 20 seconds or more recordings making them unviewable. You can't initiate and recording, we had a incident that I could see with the camera but it wouldn't record it as it had detected it, it was really frustrating.

It sort of worked originally but has got progressively worse, so at this stage all i really have is a very expensive security light.

timbosan

2160 posts

Uber Geek

#1967063 2-Mar-2018 14:19

BLazeD:

I went with Morepork, will post back later

Well done! I am interested in the quality of the new cameras. I am considering getting another 1 or 2 as part of the alarm system.

BLazeD

239 posts

Master Geek

#1971191 8-Mar-2018 13:09

Here's my mini Morepork review: In a few words "it just works".

Setup was very easy (WPS on modem) and adding them via the website to my account was also. Same with setting up the app. All works well.

Video footage seems fine in terms of quality (720p) I am no expert though. App is fast and I can start streaming the video quickly.

Night vision works well (at first I had the camera pointed to close to a wall and the light was being absorbed by that, so I thought it wasn't working).

Motion detection works well, there is heaps of settings to tweak, and the uploaded video gets sent to the cloud fine. I can view the clips on my ph or via the website no problem.

Geo fencing works well too. I didn't realise how important this was (otherwise you would be uploading clips of yourself 24/7!!!). Only thing is that if you are in your zone/house, the system has to detect you outside it before it will start recording motion. I thought it would have worked better if the system pinged you and simply couldn't find you (or you were outside). Ie if I switch my phone off inside the house, motion will not be recorded. You can add multiple phones to the geo fencing and have different rule. Notification by app or email or both

Other than that it is great. Does everything I wanted and was easy and simple. No messing around with complex issues or problems. It more or less works out of the box and the price is right! 100% happy with my choice.

burci

1 post

Wannabe Geek

#1992167 9-Apr-2018 16:57

cruxis:

I know that cleverloop cameras work with surveillance station on both a QNAP and Synology NAS. I am guessing other onvif cameras would be too.

I have been trying to get my Cleverloop cameras to work with my Synology surveillance station. I can't figure out which camera manufacturer and model # to use. Any help is appreciated.

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