Outdoor Cameras

[street]

I know this subject has been brought up a few times but can someone help with a product of my need.

I'm looking for an outside camera for the back yard to monitor when we are not at home and for night.

Of course, with my frugal character I'm looking for a lower budget system.

 

[COcheesehead]

Wyze. We have 3 of them. Cheap, easy, reliable.

 

[street]

Wyze. We have 3 of them. Cheap, easy, reliable.

Thanks, COcheesehead! I know that was a brand name I heard of here before. I will check them out now.

So, I'm looking at one that jus plugs in to AC outlet. Is there a cost for the app for my phone or how does that work? Thanks You.

 

[48Fire]

Simplisafe is really reasonable. They just started offering outdoor cameras in the last year or so. We have Simplisafe, indoor version, and it's only $10 per month for motion detection and 25 second video clips. We're going to get an outdoor version soon.

 

[RetiredAt49]

I just installed 8 outdoor ReoLink hardwired (cat 6) cameras attached to a ReoLink POE NVR. It’s a 4k system. Paid $700 for the entire system
(a 4TB NVR plus 8 4k cameras) on Amazon. They have cheaper versions and ones with less cameras. Their software is excellent.

 

[street]

I just installed 8 outdoor ReoLink hardwired (cat 6) cameras attached to a ReoLink POE NVR. It’s a 4k system. Paid $700 for the entire system
(a 4TB NVR plus 8 4k cameras) on Amazon. They have cheaper versions and ones with less cameras. Their software is excellent.

What does it cost per month for the service?

 

[RetiredAt49]

What does it cost per month for the service?

100% free! Their mobile app (and/or desktop app) directly connects to the NVR inside your home. No monthly fees. 4k quality. Records 24x7 and/or based on motion.

 

[street]

100% free! Their mobile app (and/or desktop app) directly connects to the NVR inside your home. No monthly fees. 4k quality. Records 24x7 and/or based on motion.

WOW! Thanks for that info!!

 

[levindb]

I like the RING cameras with solar panels. I do not plug them into AC...and I have them in trees pointed TOWARDS my house rather than on the house looking away.

I pay $10/month or $100/year to have RING save my recordings which is important if you need evidence of someone near your house. I have 5 units, one for each side of the house as well as the doorbell. I bought refurbished cameras on sale at amazon or woot.com for $45 each and the solar panel for $22 each.

 

[Sunset]

I have Wyze camera's , they start at ~$20 each, and the subscription cost which is not required, but makes them more useful is ~$15/yr per camera, or $100/yr for up to 99 cameras. They record in 1K.
If you don't get the subscription then they record for 12 seconds to the cloud, then stop for 5 minutes, then repeat if thief still there.. Note all the recording is on the micro SD in the camera, but have to search through playback to see the movie.

I also have some Eufy cameras, they cost ~$35 each (but record in 2K) I don't pay for a subscription for them and they work very well and store the image on a micro SD card in the camera. You can see the movie via the phone app without touching the camera.

All my camera's I set to continuously record (they loop every X days depending upon the size of the micro SD card). So I don't miss anything, too quick to set off the camera.

 

[COcheesehead]

I have Wyze camera's , they start at ~$20 each, and the subscription cost which is not required, but makes them more useful is ~$15/yr per camera, or $100/yr for up to 99 cameras. They record in 1K.
If you don't get the subscription then they record for 12 seconds to the cloud, then stop for 5 minutes, then repeat if thief still there.. Note all the recording is on the micro SD in the camera, but have to search through playback to see the movie.

I also have some Eufy cameras, they cost ~$35 each (but record in 2K) I don't pay for a subscription for them and they work very well and store the image on a micro SD card in the camera. You can see the movie via the phone app without touching the camera.

All my camera's I set to continuously record (they loop every X days depending upon the size of the micro SD card). So I don't miss anything, too quick to set off the camera.

Our Wyze are a little different. We paid about $30 a camera. $15/year for the service and if there is an event, the video of the event is sent to us right after it happens. You can go live to the camera and watch in real time and speak though the camera. So we use them for security and keeping an eye on the dog.
We do not have dog camera on the service and click on and off as we desire.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We have 8 all direct wired POE. WiFi to easily hacked by predators. All Doors covered and then some. Not hard to install on a single story with full access to the attic.

I use these:

Reolink 4MP PoE IP Security Camera Audio Recording In/Outdoor Night Vision 420 and 410 4 of each

 

[folivier]

Another vote for Wyze. I have 4 at my cabin and just bought 2 of the outdoor rated panning cameras. They work great and easy to use and setup using the Wyze app for your phone or tablet. My newer MacBook with the M1 processor also works with their app.
These require power which is from a 5 volt usb connector. On my house I used a POE adapter to provide 5 volt to each camera through the existing cat5 cable from my older system.
They also have battery powered and solar powered cameras.
So far the app and service is free. Here's their link for their monitored plans: https://www.wyze.com/pages/wyze-cam-plus

 

[njhowie]

I'd recommend Tapo (TP-Link) C320WS. It is an outdoor 2K camera, uses AC, has onboard micro-SD slot that can take up to 256GB. It does not require any subscription. Can use wifi or wired. Completely accessible through app on phone wherever you are. Setup is extremely fast and easy.

I've lots of experience with 10 eufy cams of various flavors and 6 Tapo, both wired and wireless using solar power. I really like the Tapo cameras.

The C320WS is $45 from Amazon - I just received my third one a couple days ago for another project I'm working on.

https://www.tp-link.com/us/smart-home/new-release/tapo-c320ws/

 

[street]

I'd recommend Tapo (TP-Link) C320WS. It is an outdoor 2K camera, uses AC, has onboard micro-SD slot that can take up to 256GB. It does not require any subscription. Can use wifi or wired. Completely accessible through app on phone wherever you are. Setup is extremely fast and easy.

I've lots of experience with 10 eufy cams of various flavors and 6 Tapo, both wired and wireless using solar power. I really like the Tapo cameras.

The C320WS is $45 from Amazon - I just received my third one a couple days ago for another project I'm working on.

https://www.tp-link.com/us/smart-home/new-release/tapo-c320ws/

Thanks!

If I order one from the link you posted is that all I need to get? I know really nothing about them and it seems like when I go and research the cameras there are items that may have to have to work.

Thanks

 

[njhowie]

Thanks!

If I order one from the link you posted is that all I need to get? I know really nothing about them and it seems like when I go and research the cameras there are items that may have to have to work.

Thanks

Yes - you just plug it in, and the app will guide you through setup. Put the micro-SD card in (you have to purchase one if you don't have a spare laying around), it will format, and then you can have it recording 24x7 if you like or just certain hours. Either way, you can set up notification if motion is detected. Like other cameras, it provides a number of ways to customize based on how rigorous you want it to be.

 

[mpeirce]

I just want to bring up the privacy aspect to these things.

For outdoor cameras, it’s less important than for cameras inside your house. But not unimportant either. Many of the cheapest cameras have serious security issues. I personally wouldn’t use a cam that used Chinese software anywhere.

Waze are pretty good cameras. They’s inexpensive and work well. They are Chinese manufactured, but use American made software. I use one of their cameras outside looking at a road area (basically a public area with no expectation of privacy) and one in our crawl space. It seems like a reasonable trade off of possible privacy issues with excellent pricing and features.

For anything inside or outside where you don’t want someone to be watching (pool area, your windows, etc.) I wouldn’t use a cam that didn’t use encryption that I trusted. For me that’s HomeKit cameras.

HomeKit provides an end-to-end secure and private mechanism to record, analyze, and view clips from HomeKit IP cameras without exposing that video content to Apple or any third party.

 

[qwerty3656]

We have a Ring alarm and Ring outdoor cameras and are happy with it

 

[Chuckanut]

Wyze. We have 3 of them. Cheap, easy, reliable.

+1

Make sure you get the current version (version 3, IIRC). The older ones are not as good. Wyze updates the firmware from time to time. Many of the very cheap cameras never get updated. Not good.

I would never have a camera working 24/7 inside my house. Never. Maybe if I was going to be gone for a long time, I might setup one inside, but never while I was homes. Never.

Too many old holes in network security have not been discovered and/or patched. And every change increases the chances of a new security hole opening up.

 

[5Miler]

For many years I used a proprietary NVR system with 6 POE IP cameras. When my NVR unit blew its brains out one day I found the company that made my proprietary system had gone out of business. The cameras I had would not work with any other manufacturers NVR due to the firmware they used.

I made the decision to buy a used business class pc on EBAY and installed Blue Iris software for my video surveillance program. It was less expensive than buying a new NVR (saying it would work with my cameras) and was vastly more configurable than a stand alone NVR. I added an unmanaged POE switch for power and everything just worked. I later added a EZVIZ doorbell camera which incorporated into my Blue Iris system without need of subscriptions. I have my cameras all record 24x7 and also trigger on motion detection so I can quickly review any motion alerts. So far racoons have been the largest threats detected. I can add almost any IP camera available.

It has phone apps available for one time fee of 5 dollars last time I looked with no further subscriptions needed but I elected not to have my cameras exposed to the internet for security reasons. The Blue Iris system is on a separate VLAN and isolated from my other networks.

I have recently been implementing Home Assistant and Blue Iris integrates well with it so I can now access my cameras remotely although only in real time with no review of previous recordings. It allowed me to view my cameras remotely during my recent 5 week dive trip until the last week when a power outage did me in. Apparently my UPS batteries needed replacement which I took care of when I got back home. At least I could use the EZVIZ app to monitor my doorbell camera.

The Blue Iris server runs on Windows 10 and also lives in the closet under my basement stairs as it runs headless. I access it using Remote Desktop for management and with a web interface for access by any device with a web browser in my home.

All in I spent about $150 for the desktop on EBAY and $55 for Blue Iris software vs $200 for a standalone NVR. Current prices are $80 for up to 64 cameras or $40 for 1 camera.
I already had my old 3 megapixel cameras but have since added a couple of newer ones from Amazon. Just buying an NVR security system would be a little easier but where is the fun in that.

Still looking for that 12 step program.

 

[OldShooter]

One thing to investigate, though it is not necessarily easy, is the extent to which the vendor collects and stores your personal and house information in his mother ship database. I bought a Ring motion light a few years ago and as part of the setup it collected house location, wifi password, and other information. For a light! Ring is well known for storing video and providing it to law enforcement without notice to the customer. The upshot of this for the customer is that the Ring database is a fantastic target for hackers. Among the things they can steal is views of your house plus complete security system configuration and the IP addresses necessary to determine whether the house is currently occupied. Very nice to package up in lots of 100 and sell locally to tech-savvy thieves. My impression is that the quantity of mothership data collected varies quite a bit from vendor to vendor but I have not investigated any details.

 

[skyking1]

I personally won't drop my data on somebody else's cloud, despite the convenience. There are other options up to having your own server.

 

[Sunset]

Our Wyze are a little different. We paid about $30 a camera. $15/year for the service and if there is an event, the video of the event is sent to us right after it happens. You can go live to the camera and watch in real time and speak though the camera. So we use them for security and keeping an eye on the dog.
We do not have dog camera on the service and click on and off as we desire.

Maybe I used bad wording in my post, but your experience with the wyze camera's is like mine.

My non-subscription camera's (Wyze) I can using the app see them in real time and see the history and alerts.

For my critical view, I pay the subscription fee for the year for 1 of my wyze cameras.
When we go in vacation, I pay the monthly fee for all my Wyze camera's and I love that I can just pay for 1 month at a time.

 

[Sunset]

One thing to investigate, though it is not necessarily easy, is the extent to which the vendor collects and stores your personal and house information in his mother ship database. I bought a Ring motion light a few years ago and as part of the setup it collected house location, wifi password, and other information. For a light! Ring is well known for storing video and providing it to law enforcement without notice to the customer. The upshot of this for the customer is that the Ring database is a fantastic target for hackers. Among the things they can steal is views of your house plus complete security system configuration and the IP addresses necessary to determine whether the house is currently occupied. Very nice to package up in lots of 100 and sell locally to tech-savvy thieves. My impression is that the quantity of mothership data collected varies quite a bit from vendor to vendor but I have not investigated any details.

I minimize any hacker issue by:

• Run all camera's on 2.4 GHz network, and our computers on the 5 GHz network.
• Point the camera's outside, so they will see the street view.
• Camera's inside the house, I only plug in when we leave, so won't catch me walking around naked
• My IP address is not near my house due to how xfinity does there dynamic IP address assignments. If you have a static IP address, maybe it's an issue.
• When criminal activity has happened on our street, I've had the Police come by and ask me to look at my camera's to see if I could see the criminals. I didn't see them, but my neighbor's camera did catch them in view and he gave that to Police.
• Any other data the camera company has is like any other store like Amazon has (CC & shipping address, name, etc).

 

[Sunset]

I personally won't drop my data on somebody else's cloud, despite the convenience. There are other options up to having your own server.

Too much work.

I tried camera's on my own network, uploading to my own servers, but just too much hassle to maintain..

Switching to these cheap, phone app cameras, with optional cloud storage, that are 5 minutes to set up is just great.