Thoughts on surveillance cameras?

[elagache]

Dear WeatherCat users who need to keep an eye on their property,

Our house has the good fortune of being up a steep, rarely-traveled street.  As a result, crime hasn't been the problem that it has been in areas less than a mile away.  Still, "hiding in plain sight" isn't exactly a defensive strategy.  Our house is 75 years old now, so wired security systems or surveillance cameras aren't that easy to install.

Costco (ever ready to extract more money from us,) has a sale on Ario Essential XL wireless surveillance cameras.  Here is the link:

https://www.costco.com/.product.1546096.html

You have to login to get the membership price.  You can also buy solar panels to keep the cameras recharged:

https://www.costco.com/.product.1561317.html

Not surprisingly, Amazon also sells this camera:

https://www.amazon.com/Arlo-Essential-Spotlight-Wire-Free-Compatible/dp/B092RRNTF9/

The reviews are definitely mixed.

I'm really a neophyte when it comes to security technology, and honestly, I'm reluctant to take this sort of project on.  The major incentive would be the ease of installation of a wireless camera that would be recharged by solar.

Can some WeatherCatters offer some wisdom on this sort of thing?  Are these sort of wireless cameras worth considering?  Are there better solutions that I should be looking into?  Any thoughts in general about security in the suburbs that I should keep in mind?

Thanks in advance!

Cheers, Edouard

[Steve]

Hi Edouard,

As you know, my system is almost all wired PoE cameras, plus one older WiFi camera from before our remodel. These all feed into my Mac, and run on Ben Software's SecuritySpy https://bensoftware.com This is a fairly expensive chunk of software, but I'm very please with it. It works with WiFi cameras, too, but not the kind most often seen in security packages like you've shown. Those are more phone notification based.

A couple of years ago, we gave our daughter and son-in-law a set of EufyCam cameras, with a hub and three cameras. These are all wireless, and they only need to charge the cameras a couple of times a year. They can watch it live on their phone or iPad, but I don't know if they can on the Mac. It does not record 24 hours a day like mine can, because that would eat the battery and the storage in the hub.

This system stores locally instead of cloud based like a lot of others, so there's no subscription. I haven't looked at it compared to the ones you linked, so can't comment on one being better than the other. Dufy is the only one I looked at because it played well with the iOS products that they use.

Take a peek. I didn't look to see what the difference is between the regular and pro, as that wasn't offered when we bought it. It appears they are having a sale, too. Also available at Amazon, Best Buy, et al.

https://us.eufy.com/products/t88611d1?ref=navimenu_4_img

Here's my dashboard for the SecuritySpy

[Weatheraardvark]

We have a wired set of cameras, ADT put them in about 14 years ago.  We had vandalism and in went the alarm and the cameras.
They are wired to a DVR and with that I can access them either via the app for the ADT system  or with this monitor. Now it records in real time, 

I used to use FOSCAM, but trying to get them to work with a mac system to even set them the way I wanted, had been increasingly difficult as they are made for the Windows system.

An IP camera is what you want, and it has to be MACOSX or IOS compatible as you need that to set it up.

[The Grand Poohbah]

My kids gave me a Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) for Father's Day. This unit contains a battery that lasts for months and can be recharged. It requires the Google Home app that's available for iOS. It works very well and even has a watchOS app that will rattle your wrist when the unit senses and records movement. You can put the unit anywhere, not just at the front door. It uses the local WiFi network, which is my preference, rather than the cloud.

Unfortunately, it is not HomeKit compatible. If I were to get a security camera, I would want it to be HomeKit compatible because I am a devout Apple Ecosystem junkie.

[xairbusdriver]

I think you might start by listing what you want the cameras/recorders to see and how you want an alarm handled.

As for cameras, most systems I've seen demoed are not much use in actually identifying an individual unless the person is within a couple of meters of the camera. Eye-level is probably best, but that also means the camera will be within easy reach of the person (a piece of duct-tape makes a great lens cover). A system that sets off an alarm may overcome this proximity problem... as long as it only makes a silent call to the police or you. More and more cities are setting limits on the number of free alarm calls you can have, BTW.

I think window/door/glass-breaking/area-sensing/water-leak/etc. monitoring systems are more important than cameras. They are certainly less expensive. If these entry systems are monitored 24/7 by a human, they will alert you first and then call authorities if you don't answer and provide a passcode. DO NOT WRITE THIS PASSCODE ON THE INSIDE OF THE ALARM CONSOLE!

One "system" that never needs recharging/wiring is a bunch of stickers placed in all first floor windows and near entries. Most burglars are smart enough to read and usually don't want to prove whether or not the "system" is is actually connected/monitored.

[elagache]

Dear Steve, Weatheraardvark, Grand, X-Air, and WeatherCat users who need to keep an eye on their property,

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.

I have never been particularly enthusiastic about home security systems because of the family health issues.  It is extremely rare that nobody is home, so the usual concern about a burglar seeking to break into an empty house isn't our problem.  I'm not aware of a sort of "panic button" system that would aid a frail individual when there is indications of someone trying to break into your home - what would be much more useful for us.

I don't like surveillance cameras because they don't really deter crime.  They only help the authorities locate the wrongdoers after a crime has been committed.  One of the reasons I'm considering this because often neighbor's security cameras pick up information that aids in identifying criminal activity in the neighborhood.  I'm more sympathetic to installing surveillance cameras that can support the community as well.

Obviously, I need to do more research and look into the suggestions you have made.  I'll keep everyone posted on what I decide.

Thanks again,
Edouard 

[Blicj11]

I'm late to this party because I took a few days off and went to Disneyland because I like to stand outside in long queues during hot weather.

I have wired surveillance cameras recording to a DVR. I like 'em.

I monitor the camera dashboard on my iPad when I'm not home.

Let us know what you decide.