CCTV recommended camera

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › CCTV recommended camera

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420 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1985422 29-Mar-2018 14:23

Do people back up their CCTV footage offsite, ie. in the "cloud", or is it better to just keep the storage server in a secure location? I'm paranoid a burglar would take the storage server rendering any recordings useless.

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TechnoGuy001

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#1985425 29-Mar-2018 14:25

Some cameras you can put a micro SD card in as a backup. But again they could take the camera too.

neb

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#1985429 29-Mar-2018 14:30

TechnoGuy001:
Some cameras you can put a micro SD card in as a backup. But again they could take the camera too.

Depends on the camera, if you've got dome cameras for outdoor use they'll take a fair bit of effort to dismantle, particularly since they're usually up out of reach somewhere. Even the cheaper bullet ones will be a pain to get to if they're out of reach.

Also, someone lopping off your camera from its mount with bolt cutters may kinda draw attention...

CJC

54 posts

Master Geek

#1985485 29-Mar-2018 16:26

TechnoGuy001:

Those of you who bought from China/aliexpress were you able to update the firmware from hikvision?

I'm thinking about buying a hikvision camera from Amazon, they say "English Version, can be upgraded from hikvision website", but I'm sure they all say that.

I thought maybe I'd buy it, try update it to the latest available firmware to wipe whatever call home stuff they have on it, if it doesn't work, return it.

I had interesting results updating the Hikvision I have. The only firmware I've tried pretty much bricked the camera, but I was able to recover it with A LOT of searching and attempting random fixes. Haven't been game to try that again. It's now sitting in a locked down VLAN and is just feeding the footage to a NVR, so there's probably no need either.

hairy1

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#1985487 29-Mar-2018 16:32

That's what I do with my Dahua's. Block traffic on them and feed Blue iris.

My views (except when I am looking out their windows) are not those of my employer.

Tinkerisk

4158 posts

Uber Geek

#1985495 29-Mar-2018 16:42

HowickDota:

Do people back up their CCTV footage offsite, ie. in the "cloud", or is it better to just keep the storage server in a secure location? I'm paranoid a burglar would take the storage server rendering any recordings useless.

I'd keep a small NVR "below the roof" (either stand-alone or as backup mirror) for several reasons since it would be only 147 x 85 x 29 mm in size and is called Odroid-HC1.

- NET: FTTH, OPNsense, 10G backbone, GWN APs, ipPBX
- SRV: 12 RU HA server cluster, 0.1 PB storage on premise
- IoT: thread, zigbee, tasmota, BidCoS, LoRa, WX suite, IR
- 3D: two 3D printers, 3D scanner, CNC router, laser cutter

neb

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#1985641 29-Mar-2018 20:06

CJC:
I had interesting results updating the Hikvision I have. The only firmware I've tried pretty much bricked the camera, but I was able to recover it with A LOT of searching and attempting random fixes. Haven't been game to try that again.

That was what put me off getting a grey-market Dahua or Hikvision, quite a bit of research turned up plenty of stories in user forums about people bricking devices, having them set to Chinese only in the new firmware (since the grey marketers are getting the version for the Chinese domestic market, not the one for international distributors), and other issues. Occasionally you see posts saying that someone had some luck buying from shenzhen_bob_35 on Aliexpress, but it all seemed like too much of a gamble for me, I'd rather pay $50 extra and get something that's known to be OK and supported in the future.

richms

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#1985645 29-Mar-2018 20:15

The local ones are wholesaled by atlas gentech for about twice what you see them for on aliexpress, they will only sell to security installers, who will double the price again and stick on a fee to install it, so about $700 a camera from memory. Take the risk. If it was $50 extra for local ones I would be all over it, but both stages are making excessive margins so I will bypass them all

Richard rich.ms

neb

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#1985650 29-Mar-2018 20:20

richms:
The local ones are wholesaled by atlas gentech for about twice what you see them for on aliexpress, they will only sell to security installers, who will double the price again and stick on a fee to install it, so about $700 a camera from memory. Take the risk. If it was $50 extra for local ones I would be all over it, but both stages are making excessive margins so I will bypass them all

Oh sure, you don't buy them from the local ripoff merchants, but you can still find them from legit overseas resellers for a fraction of the local price. I mentioned earlier that I've got rebranded Dahua's for USD 100-150 with full support from the reseller. In this case it really was about $50 extra.

Edited to add: By "full support" I mean responses to tech support email within 24 hours, latest firmware update was last month, and latest Android app update was yesterday.

u13turbo

156 posts

Master Geek

#1985662 29-Mar-2018 20:39

What is the big issue with the "phoning home" issue? What would it matter if they could view your camera live from the other side of the world when your purely using it outdoors for security??

blakamin

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#1985664 29-Mar-2018 20:45

I'm moving bush in 4 weeks and needed something to watch the dogs.

I went with Arlo Pro 2.

Cloud recording on motion for 7 days free, 1080p, motion detection is heat related so trees swaying don't set them off, plus you can set the sensitivity. Fully wireless. Waterproof.

Great field of vision, and can talk to people like an intercom.

Also have Ring doorbell, and some wanscam indoor cameras on a VPN.

VERY expensive, but easy for everyone in the house to keep an eye on things when we're out.

chevrolux

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#1985668 29-Mar-2018 20:55

We buy from Atlas when doing a "proper" job. But I tell friends to just buy from a Chinese importer.

We get stuff all updates from Atlas in terms of software. And to get the latest firmware it is best to check the Hik international site.
The 'support' at atlas is there for muppet security installers who don't understand IP.

If anyone wants to buy official hardware, I'm happy to accommodate. But honestly, just buy Chinese.

Tinkerisk

4158 posts

Uber Geek

#1985735 29-Mar-2018 21:59

u13turbo: What is the big issue with the "phoning home" issue? What would it matter if they could view your camera live from the other side of the world when your purely using it outdoors for security??

Checking the Ethernet traffic of the camera (i.e.) with WireShark by your own is always recommended. You can block it within your router. Nevertheless the mobile APP tries to access a server in Hanghzou (IP 123.56.159.92).

If you show the cam's login to the net (opening of ports to Access it from outside your network), it can be hacked by a procedure (keyword: TLS, but I don't explain here) and be brought under control. If you entered your eMail credentials within the CAM for notifications - this account can be accessed just by using it. Another (next) step could be the installation of a bigger bot-net client on the camera to prepare other bad things (i.e. coordinated attack of a server - the camera stream itself isn't the real target of the hack in most of the cases.

As mentioned here by several postings, be EXTREMELY careful with IP cameras and their offered "very comfortable functions" in general.

rogercruse

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#1985813 30-Mar-2018 08:06

Why wouldn't you consider this?

https://nest.com/nz/

Backed by Google and apart from the price, it gets you fairly painlessly into home automation. Available online and your local electrical retailer.

richms

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#1985867 30-Mar-2018 10:27

u13turbo: What is the big issue with the "phoning home" issue? What would it matter if they could view your camera live from the other side of the world when your purely using it outdoors for security??

Because what happens if the phone home server gets redirected elsewhere, and a firmware update is pushed that is a complete network backdoor or similar? Or it allows someone to get in and use it as a botnet as has already happened with a crapload of cameras?

Richard rich.ms

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