Home security cams

[Chromeslayer]

Lookin to get some suggestions on  cams for the outside of the house since we finally got wifi on are road.. im sure brands are like a truck debate.. im more intrested in clarity if something was to happen and need to read a plate # or facial ID.. so 1080, 2K, or 4k?  I know 4k will give the best image but will 1080 do the job? 

[Bionic]

I run a pile of Blink XT2 cameras, and have not felt a need to upgrade.  I run them on eve’s etc but to answer your question, clarity is good, but placement is key just like trail cams.  Take into consideration sun, rain.  I have one on both driveways low, to catch license plates.  The cameras on the eve’s, and corner soffit areas will show a lot in detail, but not license plate detail from the distance from driveway to roofline.  I usually buy them on sale, and blink is on a great sale right now.  I purchased a Blink 5 cam system with an interior blink cam which I have on my oil tank gauge for $269, it was a Mother’s Day sale actually.  Hope this helps.

[mowin]

I've got a  Lorex  system  with 4k cams.  Great system. Going on 4 yrs with no issues.  

Most cams have a low temperature rating. Mine are rated to -15°.  Some cams will stop working or even get damaged if the temps get too low.   

 

[phade]

I use Eufy. They’ve worked really well for me. Even more so cost wise. No subscription service needed and I paid a really low price for them on BF sale. Going on two years.

There are alot of brands out there that do work well. 

[GreeneHunter]

5 hours ago, Bionic said:

I run a pile of Blink XT2 cameras, and have not felt a need to upgrade.  I run them on eve’s etc but to answer your question, clarity is good, but placement is key just like trail cams.  Take into consideration sun, rain.  I have one on both driveways low, to catch license plates.  The cameras on the eve’s, and corner soffit areas will show a lot in detail, but not license plate detail from the distance from driveway to roofline.  I usually buy them on sale, and blink is on a great sale right now.  I purchased a Blink 5 cam system with an interior blink cam which I have on my oil tank gauge for $269, it was a Mother’s Day sale actually.  Hope this helps.

X2 ... I run 4 Blink Cameras and it's always nice to know when someone enters the driveway or the man in brown (UPS) delivers something to the front porch (Porch Pirates ya know)  , I also have one facing the back deck simply Because !  No problems with these temps !

[sbuff]

Ring spotlight cam,simple and cheap 

[Cabin Fever]

I have several Ring floodlight cams at my house and a couple indoor cams at my mothers house to keep an eye on her when no one is there (dementia). No complaints.

[NYRturkeycall]

I run lorex And I love them. Don't have to worry about batteries, it's power over ethernet, and the app is pretty user friendly. My NVR takes up to eight cameras, I run five.

Images are pretty decent too

 

 

[mowin]

48 minutes ago, NYRturkeycall said:

I run lorex And I love them. Don't have to worry about batteries, it's power over ethernet, and the app is pretty user friendly. My NVR takes up to eight cameras, I run five.

Images are pretty decent too

 

 

Same system. No fee's. No batteries. 4k as long as you have a 4k monitor. Can customize the notification zones, and zoom in as needed. I've run 4 also.  One cam failed, and was replaced during a 48 month warranty. 

Edited February 7, 2023 by mowin

[GreeneHunter]

I also have a couple of these spotlights ( motion detect ) around the backyard and along the driveway , they have a small red light that blinks all night long and gives one the appearance of a security camera !   $ 20 on Amazon ! I was going to put one in my woods as a goof just to spook out potential trespassers ! LOL

 

[Nontypical]

I have Arlo cams at home and at our business. They’re wireless with rechargeable batteries and super easy to setup. They have infrared and a spotlight along with a microphone and a speaker. A good option if hardwiring isn’t feasible. 

[Chromeslayer]

Arlos is what i had my eyes on... all will be wireless and fees arent a concern

[hueyjazz]

My job for 35 years was being a facilities manager for large industrial facilities. Important factors with cameras, some cameras should be seen while others should not.   The fact they see a camera will deter some.   However visible cameras can always be evaded unless zones are carefully crisscrossed and that takes a lot of cameras.

Cameras need to always need to be timestamped with accurate information.  You need to have some idea of camera to view and event time/date to view.  Viewing images of multiple cameras for an event is really hard to do.  I've had to many times and four is really the max to watch.   Not knowing what day, it happened, good luck.

Cameras should be located at control points that funnel traffic like doors, driveways, paths, etc.   Face pictures are useless unless the person is known.  License plates are useful as that's information that can be acted on. They should be obtained even if it takes multiple cameras, and these should be hidden and at low level.   Avoid steep camera angles as these images are often useless.   The lower the angle on the subject matter the more image you will collect in a given distance.   

Sheltering cameras from elements is a good idea if possible as this can mess with image quality.  Dirty lenes don't make a good image so a little maintenance is necessary.  

But the real important fact is real crooks don't care about cameras.  They hide their faces in hooded jackets and drive stolen Kias.  Hardening premise is more effective as are lights and noisy alarms.  

[NYRturkeycall]

2 hours ago, Chromeslayer said:

Arlos is what i had my eyes on... all will be wireless and fees arent a concern

We had those and then I decided to switch because I wanted a wired system. The cool thing that I like about the Arlo is the mount. Super strong magnets and the ability to micro adjust pretty much any which way you want

[Nontypical]

2 hours ago, NYRturkeycall said:

We had those and then I decided to switch because I wanted a wired system. The cool thing that I like about the Arlo is the mount. Super strong magnets and the ability to micro adjust pretty much any which way you want

We are having some construction going on so I was able to put a few up to help keep an eye on things. They are in an open area and have about a 180-200’ range. When the building is complete, there will be some hardwired on it. The wireless ones will be put elsewhere on the property. There are 4 of them. And you’re right, the magnet mounts do work great. They didn’t move at all last weekend in the wind. It did rip 90% of the Tyvek off the building though. 🤣