Very basic (cheap) IP Camera suggestions

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Very basic (cheap) IP Camera suggestions

dunnersdude

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#272184 13-Jun-2020 16:38

Hi everyone I don't know where to start but I saw some ads for some "cheap Chinese no-brand" IP cameras and it got me thinking that maybe these are now at an affordable price that I could get something that suited my basic usage. Situation/requirements as follows:

We have a small porch where courier parcels are left for collection, and this is generally where delivery packages would also be left unattended if not requiring signature. Theft has not been a problem (touch wood) but having a cheap/affordable basic solution to monitoring what's going on there would provide some peace of mind (as long as cheap solutions don't provide false peace of mind due to being so bad quality).

Light is variable as the porch is sheltered.

Night time capture is probably unimportant.

I have access to a power point where a camera could be plugged in, and this area has good WiFi signal.

The camera would be capturing an image through a large glass window (single glazed).

Cloud video storage is not really essential as I think I have bigger problems if there is a break-in.

Would be nice to have continuous SD card loop recording which I can access if a problem is found (I imagine this should be discovered within 24-72 hours).

Motion detection that sends a push alert to my phone - is this something that people find useful or annoying?

Finally - software/firmware that isn't annoying is something I value a lot - if that puts options outside my budget then maybe I won't bother.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also any opinion as to whether sub-$150 solutions are a waste of time, as this is probably the extent of my price budget.

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#2504146 13-Jun-2020 16:54

Wyze cams work very well and do everything you mention.
Some on trademe for ~$80.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

dunnersdude

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#2504147 13-Jun-2020 16:59

robjg63: Wyze cams work very well and do everything you mention.
Some on trademe for ~$80.

Thanks for the suggestion. I should have mentioned that I not that keen on the “no-brand” models as I know that firmware/software/support for them can sometimes be hit and miss (same can be said of some brands too I guess). Do you know how good Wyze is? In the cheap price range I haven’t heard of Wyze but have seen TP-Link.

1024kb

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#2504189 13-Jun-2020 17:49

You got an iPhone or Android device that's no longer in use? Alfred Camera app uses those to create a low/no cost instant setup surveillance system. Set it up for free, then switch to Alfred Pro for full HD recording & a bunch of other features.

Alfred is available in Play Store & App Store. Install it on each device - cameras & viewer.

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PANiCnz

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#2504192 13-Jun-2020 17:53

I've got an Amcrest camera on our front deck that I highly recommend, they're pretty cheap on Amazon etc at the moment. The other cheap brand that regularly pops up as good value is Reolink, also on Amazon. Shipping on Amazon is a killer at the moment, hopefully they'll bring it back to pre-Covid levels soon.

robjg63

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#2504248 13-Jun-2020 18:46

dunnersdude:
robjg63: Wyze cams work very well and do everything you mention.
Some on trademe for ~$80.

Thanks for the suggestion. I should have mentioned that I not that keen on the “no-brand” models as I know that firmware/software/support for them can sometimes be hit and miss (same can be said of some brands too I guess). Do you know how good Wyze is? In the cheap price range I haven’t heard of Wyze but have seen TP-Link.

Google them. They are sold (in the USA) from the wyze.com website, and also via Amazon.com.
I bought mine via Amazon, because the wyze site doesn't ship outside the states.
They are not a "no-brand". Bought 2 of them for use in my house when they came out around 2 1/2 years ago.
They work perfectly. Excellent value and still getting firmware and software updates.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Daverino

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#2508351 19-Jun-2020 19:51

Not sure if you’ve already found one OP, but I think this might fit your requirements pretty well:

https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/computers/connected-home/d-link-dcs-8300lh-full-hd-wi-fi-camera.html

On sale for $99 at the moment and also can get a smart plug via redemption. I think it’s a pretty good price for what you’re getting!

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Handle9

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#2508513 19-Jun-2020 21:59

robjg63:
dunnersdude:
Thanks for the suggestion. I should have mentioned that I not that keen on the “no-brand” models as I know that firmware/software/support for them can sometimes be hit and miss (same can be said of some brands too I guess). Do you know how good Wyze is? In the cheap price range I haven’t heard of Wyze but have seen TP-Link.

Google them. They are sold (in the USA) from the wyze.com website, and also via Amazon.com.
I bought mine via Amazon, because the wyze site doesn't ship outside the states.
They are not a "no-brand". Bought 2 of them for use in my house when they came out around 2 1/2 years ago.
They work perfectly. Excellent value and still getting firmware and software updates.

You are far more likely to have long term support from Wyze than TP-Link or a router manufacturer.

Wyze have been around for a while now and seem to have a sustainable business model.

MurrayM

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#2509490 22-Jun-2020 10:27

Handle9:

You are far more likely to have long term support from Wyze than TP-Link or a router manufacturer.

Wyze have been around for a while now and seem to have a sustainable business model.

Does Wyze actually offer support outside America? I was under the impression that since they don't officially sell outside America then they also don't offer support outside America.

I've got a Wyze camera that I bought in July last year, from a Trademe user (it was brand new and he had imported a few of them I think), and it just stopped working a week ago. I've tried everything I can think of to get it working but it just seems totally dead. I haven't approached Wyze for support as I don't have a receipt and I've been told that they don't help people outside America anyway (I think I read that on Reddit).

driller2000

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#2509641 22-Jun-2020 11:59

I purchased 2 Xiaomi cameras (via BG) and they work well - incl storage to SD card + Storage to my unRAID server - and remote access.

Good value for money and reliable thus far.

robjg63

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#2509652 22-Jun-2020 12:12

MurrayM:

Handle9:

You are far more likely to have long term support from Wyze than TP-Link or a router manufacturer.

Wyze have been around for a while now and seem to have a sustainable business model.

Does Wyze actually offer support outside America? I was under the impression that since they don't officially sell outside America then they also don't offer support outside America.

I've got a Wyze camera that I bought in July last year, from a Trademe user (it was brand new and he had imported a few of them I think), and it just stopped working a week ago. I've tried everything I can think of to get it working but it just seems totally dead. I haven't approached Wyze for support as I don't have a receipt and I've been told that they don't help people outside America anyway (I think I read that on Reddit).

If the trademe user is a 'trader' then they should be your point of contact for failed hardware in that case.

They aren't 'officially' sold here - If its completely dead then you might be able to send it back to the USA (At your expense) and they might well want to charge you freight sending a replacement - So probably not worth it.

There is always a risk buying online. Have you posted anything on their support forums?

EDIT: I think I found your post on their forum. Still worth a go at the Trademe seller if they seem to be a trader.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

jonathan18

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#2509660 22-Jun-2020 12:27

I’ve received assistance in the past from The Wyze helpdesk, and I’m sure I was upfront about my location in NZ.

A basic Wyzecam would seemingly do everything the OP wants at a cheap price, with no ongoing costs. I don’t think much of their low light performance, but that’s apparently not an issue for the OP’s use. I’d certainly recommend one in this case.

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dafman

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#2509664 22-Jun-2020 12:35

+1 for Wyze.

I bought two from Amazon about a year ago. They work flawlessly, have a good alert system when motion sensors are triggered and, if you install a micro SD card, they contiguously record and it's very easy to go back via app to review history for a given time.

MurrayM

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#2509699 22-Jun-2020 12:57

robjg63:

If the trademe user is a 'trader' then they should be your point of contact for failed hardware in that case.

They aren't 'officially' sold here - If its completely dead then you might be able to send it back to the USA (At your expense) and they might well want to charge you freight sending a replacement - So probably not worth it.

There is always a risk buying online. Have you posted anything on their support forums?

EDIT: I think I found your post on their forum. Still worth a go at the Trademe seller if they seem to be a trader.

I've just checked and he is indeed marked as In Trade, so it might be worth my time following him up.

I really liked the Wyze, it did pretty much everything I wanted, and I had it set up with IFTTT to automatically turn notifications on and off while I was at work/home.

Yup, I posted on the Wyze support forum and received a lot of troubleshooting info, unfortunately none of it helped.

I was just looking at the D-Link DCS-8300LH that is on sale at the moment at Harvey Norman for half price. Looks like it too would do everything I want, although it's free cloud service only keeps recordings for 1 day.

dafman

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#2509711 22-Jun-2020 13:11

MurrayM:

I was just looking at the D-Link DCS-8300LH that is on sale at the moment at Harvey Norman for half price. Looks like it too would do everything I want, although it's free cloud service only keeps recordings for 1 day.

I owned a D-Link prior to Wyze. The camera was fine, but the mydlink app was a nightmare to use, really slow to log on, kept crashing. It's a while ago, so they may have significantly improved, but how the app has evolved is something I would look into if I was looking at D-Link in future.

panther2

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#2509896 22-Jun-2020 16:43

Got a Reolink Argus PT Solar powered, seems to be fairly good App is decent push notification, email photo. Remote login. From amazon or aliexpress was about 240 shipped to nz.

PC client is also pretty good .

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