Good home camera system

[Relentless85]

I am looking for a good home camera system that I can install myself. There are tons on eBay that I see but don't know how good they are. Looking for a minimum of 4 cameras that will be mounted outside of the home. None inside the house yet, I am more concerned with the outside of the property right now. Looking for a unit that I could possibly add more cameras in the future in case I want to add some inside or more outside. Would like to have POE (power over Ethernet) if possible, so I can just run one cable that carries the video and power to the cameras from the recorder.

If you guys have any suggestions that would be great!!

[DowntownMan]

I am looking for a good home camera system that I can install myself. There are tons on eBay that I see but don't know how good they are. Looking for a minimum of 4 cameras that will be mounted outside of the home. None inside the house yet, I am more concerned with the outside of the property right now. Looking for a unit that I could possibly add more cameras in the future in case I want to add some inside or more outside. Would like to have POE (power over Ethernet) if possible, so I can just run one cable that carries the video and power to the cameras from the recorder.

If you guys have any suggestions that would be great!!

I installed a system back early this year and have been pleased with it. Got mine on Amazon for under 400

Brand is EZVIZ and it had 4 POE 1080p cameras and a 2 TB hard drive. My cameras record constantly and at that rate I get about 45 days worth of video on the DVR. Comes with 4 cameras and expandable up to 8. I actually just added camera 5 and 6 this past weekend.

EZVIZ FULL HD 1080p Outdoor IP PoE Surveillance System, 4 Weatherproof HD Security Cameras, 8 Channel 2TB NVR Storage, 100ft Night Vision, Customizable Motion Detection https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01682JT82..._zuS5zb0V8JYD1

If you have questions, feel free to message me.

[FighttheGoodFight]

How much are you wanting to spend? I installed a UniFi system at my fathers home. It was very nice and the quality is fantastic.

[OkiePoke]

I have the Arlo system. Took about 5 minutes to configure them. They are completely wireless using your wifi and a battery. I've had my batteries last about 6 months before needing a recharge, about 4 hours.

[BBatesokc]

You have lots of choices, so it really comes down to your personal needs and expectations. I actually have several systems at my house. Partly for our own security and party because I rent them out to clients.

IMO, for home security you need something that is reliable, gives a high quality image, records all the time (not just motion), records to a DVR and is remote accessible.

Personally, I recommend people look seriously at the offerings at Sam's Club. They are low cost, pretty good to high quality and best of all, you can easily return it if you instal it and it doesn't meet your needs or expectations. I've returned units I've had for 6 months with no issue.

Installation is pretty straight forward too. The hardest part is attic access to the eaves of you house and remote access installation.

I'd go with a system that has the number of cameras you need and allows for the addition of more. Say a 8 camera system that comes with four cameras. Just know, adding cameras later is quite a bit more expensive in most cases. So, you might consider buying one with 8 cameras now.

If budget is not an issue, then go with a professional setup you can order online. These tend to offer better quality cameras and universal connections.

Beyond the systems in a box, you can go with Nest Cameras (I have 6 - you'll need the more expensive outdoor units or weatherproof covers), Arlo Pro (I have a 4 camera system) or something comparable. The down side with these systems is they usually charge for cloud storage and often only offer cloud storage. I personally think your own DVR storage is best or cloud storage with an SD card as backup.

[Relentless85]

I installed a system back early this year and have been pleased with it. Got mine on Amazon for under 400

Brand is EZVIZ and it had 4 POE 1080p cameras and a 2 TB hard drive. My cameras record constantly and at that rate I get about 45 days worth of video on the DVR. Comes with 4 cameras and expandable up to 8. I actually just added camera 5 and 6 this past weekend.

EZVIZ FULL HD 1080p Outdoor IP PoE Surveillance System, 4 Weatherproof HD Security Cameras, 8 Channel 2TB NVR Storage, 100ft Night Vision, Customizable Motion Detection https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01682JT82..._zuS5zb0V8JYD1

If you have questions, feel free to message me.

I was actually looking at this exact system because I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a system . I only need 4-5 cameras to go on the outside of the home. I really want the capability of POE so I can just run one cable to the cameras. Wasn’t sure about the quality of the eviz cameras or recording system.

How is the video quality and the app that you use to remotely view the cameras? If you are away from the home, are you able to view the cameras on your phone?

[DowntownMan]

I was actually looking at this exact system because I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a system . I only need 4-5 cameras to go on the outside of the home. I really want the capability of POE so I can just run one cable to the cameras. Wasn’t sure about the quality of the eviz cameras or recording system.

How is the video quality and the app that you use to remotely view the cameras? If you are away from the home, are you able to view the cameras on your phone?

Quality seems great. Haven’t really messed with the motion detection settings but that is available. I have mine record constantly.

Most settings must be done with tv or monitor hooked to the receiver. I ran an hdmi from my receiver in a closet to my master bedroom so I can handle settings there and also can easily turn it on if I hear something
The remote access app does what I would except. I can view all cameras live no matter where I am. Can scroll back to any day that is recorded via app. Cameras load quickly when you open the app.

[tfvc.org]

Have you ever looked at Ring? Video is stored remotely and is accessible from anywhere. They are a bit expensive but it is all IOT and you can piecemeal it.

[BBatesokc]

Have you ever looked at Ring? Video is stored remotely and is accessible from anywhere. They are a bit expensive but it is all IOT and you can piecemeal it.

The problem with Ring and similar systems (IMO) is that you have to continuously pay for storage of your video and the videos are only stored in the cloud. If you loose your internet/power then the cameras are useless.

Many of these cameras also suffer from unacceptable lag times when motion is detected and they also often only record motion events as opposed to 24/7 nonstop recording.

Of these plug and go type cameras, I really like the Nest cam (formerly Dropcam), but their monthly fee is ridiculous for a whole home solution. Plus they don't offer an SD card option for storage.

[baralheia]

If you like Nest cameras, but don't like how much the hardware and the service costs, you might consider Yi Home Cameras. They're made by Chinese company Xiaomi, but they work very well and are much cheaper. I've got five of them in my house right now. The cameras only need power, served up via a MicroUSB cable; data transfer is wireless. Video is saved to a MicroSD card inserted into the camera, with the option of paying for cloud storage as well. Live video, local recordings, and cloud recordings are all easily accessible through the app. The only drawback is they are not designed to be used outdoors, and though they are similar in dimension to the Nest Cam, they are just a touch smaller so they don't fit in all Nest Cam enclosures. Those problems aside, I've had fantastic luck with my cameras; when my house was burglarized last year, those idiots never saw my cameras and so the police were able to find and arrest them. They have multiple camera options, including cameras with pan and tilt capabilities, but even the cheapest one - the $40 720p Yi Home Camera - is quite adequate; the $60 1080p option is even better yet. I can't recommend them enough for surveillance on a budget!

[tfvc.org]

Does Xiaomi update their hardware regularly? I recommended Ring because they have a history of updating their hardware promptly especially with security patches. I am sure that Alphabet/Nest does as well and the KRACK flaw will be fixed by them as soon as they have the patch ready if they haven't been fixed already. A lot of the WIFI/security IOT Chinese devices that are out there haven't seen updates in years.

[CloudDeckMedia]

The Ring system requires good connection with your Wi-Fi network. Ring recommends a 2Mbps upload speed at the device or else resolution will be degraded, so depending upon distance from your router, a $49 Chime Pro Wi-Fi extender may be necessary. The $3/month/camera subscription to store videos in their cloud seems very reasonable.

[stdennis]

I was actually looking at this exact system because I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a system . I only need 4-5 cameras to go on the outside of the home. I really want the capability of POE so I can just run one cable to the cameras. Wasn’t sure about the quality of the eviz cameras or recording system.

How is the video quality and the app that you use to remotely view the cameras? If you are away from the home, are you able to view the cameras on your phone?

I have this exact camera setup. The video quality is very good. We recently had a break in and the cops were all commenting on the quality. We currently have the front door set to record on motion and the app will notify us if there is motion until we put up better motion sensors.

The biggest problem i have had with this system is that getting videos off of the NVR. Its easy enough to export the videos but when you export them to a flash drive they also put their own video player on the flash drive too. You have to use that player (or VLC) to play them unless you convert them using a conversion tool. I found this out after i gave the police a flash drive with the videos and they couldn't play them.

[SSEiYah]

If you want something you can pull from the Cloud, Arlo or Nest are good but are are on the pricey end. As far as inexpensive POE aliexpress/ebay stuff, I guess it would depend on your technical expertise.

You can download some freeware applications and setup some cheap cameras and setup port forwarding on your router to access the cameras remotely but its a bit sloppy in terms of the applications and the ease-of-use. I personally prefer the cloud based services (with smartphone apps) and am willing to pay a bit more to use their services.

[baralheia]

Does Xiaomi update their hardware regularly? I recommended Ring because they have a history of updating their hardware promptly especially with security patches. I am sure that Alphabet/Nest does as well and the KRACK flaw will be fixed by them as soon as they have the patch ready if they haven't been fixed already. A lot of the WIFI/security IOT Chinese devices that are out there haven't seen updates in years.

Xiaomi does update the firmware for their Yi Home cameras on a semi-regular basis... I got a firmware update for my cameras at the beginning of the month. Before that, it'd been a few months - maybe 3 or 4 or so? Firmware updates are not automatic for these cameras, but when you go into the app to view live video from a camera, it will tell you if there's a firmware update available. That sounds like a hassle, but it's really not - I find myself looking at the live video stream at least once every day or two so I get the firmware update notifications pretty quickly.

[tfvc.org]

Xiaomi does update the firmware for their Yi Home cameras on a semi-regular basis... I got a firmware update for my cameras at the beginning of the month. Before that, it'd been a few months - maybe 3 or 4 or so? Firmware updates are not automatic for these cameras, but when you go into the app to view live video from a camera, it will tell you if there's a firmware update available. That sounds like a hassle, but it's really not - I find myself looking at the live video stream at least once every day or two so I get the firmware update notifications pretty quickly.

Oh, I wonder if they are the same company that does cell phones too. Most of the Chinese/Korean made stuff haven't been updated in years and are owned when you plug them in for the first time and I tell people to steer clear of any camera (or IOT device for that matter) that doesn't provide regular updates. Even reputable brands just rebrand cheap Chinese made stuff that has been part of these DDOS attacks over the years.

[baralheia]

Oh, I wonder if they are the same company that does cell phones too. Most of the Chinese/Korean made stuff haven't been updated in years and are owned when you plug them in for the first time and I tell people to steer clear of any camera (or IOT device for that matter) that doesn't provide regular updates. Even reputable brands just rebrand cheap Chinese made stuff that has been part of these DDOS attacks over the years.

So, it turns out, sort of? Xiaomi was a major investor in Yi Technology to the tune of $90 MM in Series A funding - but they don't actually own them; Yi Technology is their own company, with offices in Shanghai, Palo Alto, and Seattle. As part of that funding, Xiaomi sold some of the Yi devices under their name, but it's actually Yi that manufactures and supports these things. But yeah, update frequency and ongoing support was one of my concerns when I started looking at these low-cost IP cameras, and at least so far Yi seems to have done a fairly decent job keeping their stuff updated. I just sent their support team a note to see if a firmware update to plug the KRACK vulnerability is in the works and I'll report back when they reply.

[tfvc.org]

So, it turns out, sort of? Xiaomi was a major investor in Yi Technology to the tune of $90 MM in Series A funding - but they don't actually own them; Yi Technology is their own company, with offices in Shanghai, Palo Alto, and Seattle. As part of that funding, Xiaomi sold some of the Yi devices under their name, but it's actually Yi that manufactures and supports these things. But yeah, update frequency and ongoing support was one of my concerns when I started looking at these low-cost IP cameras, and at least so far Yi seems to have done a fairly decent job keeping their stuff updated. I just sent their support team a note to see if a firmware update to plug the KRACK vulnerability is in the works and I'll report back when they reply.

That would be cool. I have a Synology box and bought some surveillance station licences years ago but never did anything with them. Been thinking about setting up a cat cam or two. This might be a good solution. Granted I am out in the country so my WiFi is open since I have no neighbors in range, but when I move back to population security will be on.

[Relentless85]

Quality seems great. Haven’t really messed with the motion detection settings but that is available. I have mine record constantly.

Most settings must be done with tv or monitor hooked to the receiver. I ran an hdmi from my receiver in a closet to my master bedroom so I can handle settings there and also can easily turn it on if I hear something
The remote access app does what I would except. I can view all cameras live no matter where I am. Can scroll back to any day that is recorded via app. Cameras load quickly when you open the app.

How did you mount the cameras to the outside of your home? I see where the camera mounts have screw holes built into them. I am wanting to mount the cameras to the eve/over hangs of my home, however my concern is that since there is thin wood on the undersides of the overhangs, it may not be a very secure mount. There doesn't appear to be a bracket that the camera could screw into on the inside of the eve/overhang to make it suck up to the thin wood.

[Relentless85]

How did you mount the cameras to the outside of your home? I see where the camera mounts have screw holes built into them. I am wanting to mount the cameras to the eve/over hangs of my home, however my concern is that since there is thin wood on the undersides of the overhangs, it may not be a very secure mount. There doesn't appear to be a bracket that the camera could screw into on the inside of the eve/overhang to make it suck up to the thin wood.

Also, what cable did you use to get from the nvr to the cameras? Cat5e or cat6? I have both right now and I’m debating on which one to use since it is Poe.

[DowntownMan]

How did you mount the cameras to the outside of your home? I see where the camera mounts have screw holes built into them. I am wanting to mount the cameras to the eve/over hangs of my home, however my concern is that since there is thin wood on the undersides of the overhangs, it may not be a very secure mount. There doesn't appear to be a bracket that the camera could screw into on the inside of the eve/overhang to make it suck up to the thin wood.

I just used screws and anchors into the wood. The cameras aren’t that heavy to cause problems

I used cat5. The EZVIZ system I bought came with 100 feet of cat5 per camera