Indoor/outdoor camera recommendations

[Sojourner]

spiders are usually there because the Infrared Light (IR) attracts insects. I turn off active night vision with IR illumination, and go with the low light B&W images that most cameras will produce. If there is any indicator light on the camera, it has the same effect with bugs and spiders. Most will let you control any indicator lights.
If you really want IR illumination, it takes some doing but you light it from the side with a separate fixture. That will get a spider web shortly but the camera should be OK

Interesting, thanks for sharing all that. I may try turning off the active IR illumination for that one camera. But I will say that I've had other motion-detection issues with Wyze unrelated to IR light. Enough so that I would rule out using Wyze cams for any serious home security monitoring/alerting system I might need in the future.

 

[Sunset]

Has anyone got any experience with a completely wireless setup? Batteries vs plugin power.

Small experience, the batteries ran out and I was away so couldn't recharge them. Really turned me off batteries.
Instead I use 15 and 25 foot long camera cords to put camera's in places not convenient for a electrical source. The cords are ~$7 each.

 

[Sojourner]

Small experience, the batteries ran out and I was away so couldn't recharge them. Really turned me off batteries.
Instead I use 15 and 25 foot long camera cords to put camera's in places not convenient for a electrical source. The cords are ~$7 each.

The best battery-powered cameras these days can easily go 5-6 months between recharges, so this shouldn't be much of a concern unless you're taking really long trips. IME, just making sure batteries are fully charged and topped off before long trips is more than sufficient.

 

[skyking1]

my 3 battery cameras run a month or more on a charge. They are OK for what I am doing, watching the driveway and house with a very slow DSL on a wifi extender.

 

[almost there]

I purchased 4 solar (outside) cameras off Amazon, ANSQUE model GU01 / $319.00
And am completely blown away by how well they work.
There is a video using them on Amazon, and in reality they work as well or better.
Am shocked to be honest. I would post a link, but not sure that is allowed.
But they can be found with the info posted. Install with a couple screws on my fascia.
Easy single plug to modem. Download the app on your phone. Super easy.
When one camera is out of range the other on picks up. Super clear voice play back etc.
Then pan around, up and down following the person. 2 way intercom, alarm serein from your phone, etc.
Low light, night, daylight etc.
Cant say enough good things about them. Still cant believe it. Amazing....

No Subscription Fees and Secure: No additional subscriptions, no hidden fees. Built-in 32GB local storage allows up to 120 days of loop recording
360° PTZ Technology, Motion Tracking, Cross-Camera Tracking, Siren alarm, Works Offline, Remote Access, Equipment Sharing, Share Footage, 2K Color Night Vision, 2-Way Audio, Voice changing function protects privacy (e.g. female voice becomes male voice, hiding gender and age), No Subscription fee, Secure Local Storage, Cloud Storage...............

 

[almost there]

I purchased 4 solar cameras off Amazon, ANSQUE model GU01 / $319.00
And am completely blown away by how well they work.
There is a video using them on Amazon, and in reality they work as well or better.
Am shocked to be honest. I would post a link, but not sure that is allowed.
But they can be found with the info posted. Install with a couple screws on my fascia.
Easy single plug to modem. Download the app on your phone. Super easy.
When one camera is out of range the other on picks up. Super clear voice play back etc.
Cant say enough good things about them. Still cant believe it. Amazing....

No Subscription Fees and Secure: No additional subscriptions, no hidden fees. Built-in 32GB local storage allows up to 120 days of loop recording
360° PTZ Technology, Motion Tracking, Cross-Camera Tracking, Siren alarm, Works Offline, Remote Access, Equipment Sharing, Share Footage, 2K Color Night Vision, 2-Way Audio, Voice changing function protects privacy (e.g. female voice becomes male voice, hiding gender and age), No Subscription fee, Secure Local Storage, Cloud Storage...............

Sorry if I sound like an infomercial...

 

[SimplySuzie]

We had Wyze cameras until they had numerous security breach issues with other people’s videos streaming. Though their hardware is inexpensive and their paid service in also inexpensive, I don’t trust their security issues are resolved and would never use them indoors where the possibility of video and audio could be accessed by others.

TP-Link (also known as Tapo) are a great alternative.

 

[CP Soon]

I agree with the Wyze Cam recommendations. I actually used several Wyze cams in my DM's house. 1 - aimed at her favorite chair for reading and napping, 1 - aimed at a recliner in the TV room, 1 - aimed down hallway into kitchen. They worked flawlessly and we never had any issues with security breaches. I just installed microSD cards in each camera and did not purchase any service from Wyze. Not only could I view her status via video with the app, but I could also listen to each camera and even speak to her via the camera speaker. I must admit that she really didn't like when I spoke to her via the camera speaker as it scared her. It was just easier to pick up the phone and call her than speak thru the cameras. Being she was a diabetic I could monitor if she was not moving for long periods of time as she was known to have blood sugar drop dangerously low needing EMS support on couple of occasions when I could not immediately rush to her side. They were game changing for us as a family and she really appreciated that someone was looking in on her multiple times a day.

 

[dalechristopherson]

Has anyone got any experience with a completely wireless setup? Batteries vs plugin power.

Yes I use the Blink Cameras outside with batteries. I get about 1 year with eavch set of lithum batteries. I also like the performance of the cameras over the others I have used: Ring and Wyze. An additional feature is that the cameras do not use a SD card in each camera nor does it store the videos on the camera.

 

[dalechristopherson]

Until about 2 years ago I was liking Wyze a bit more than Blink for inside and outside. I had been using both for 2 years. But then Wyze IMHO really screwed up the app making it hard to find videos unless you use the cloud service which is extra money. That said until then is was VERY close. But outside running batteries Blink took that hands down and inside is a very close 2nd.

You can not go wroing with either. I also used RIng and as those cameras broke over time, they were replaced with Blink. 4 years into running and no blink cameras have broken. I have 20+ Blink today and no others except for a couple PTZ cameras which are okay.

 

[KanDo]

MIL is 93 and still living on her own. She is frail (tiny) and stubborn. We are trying to keep her in the house (vs a facility) as long as possible. She has a fall alert necklace/bracelet. She is getting better about the Fall alert.

My mother is also 93 and lived alone. We purchased a system called Altum View and installed in the rooms she used most frequently. There was no issue of privacy invasion, as it showed her as a stick figure. It is a fall alert system and if she fell and didn’t get up quickly, we got an alert on our phone. We used the system to check several times a day to make sure she was out of bed etc.

She did fall last January and we got an instant notice and the camera showed her laying on the kitchen floor (as a stick figure). We could use the system to talk to her and tell her that help was on the way. The system provided such peace of mind and when she actually fell (which left her with two fractures) she had attention and care within 10 minutes.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

house full of wyze. Use them as baby monitor, nanny monitor, old people monitor, rental property monitor, cat watcher and travel with them as baby monitor. The indoor outdoor ones have spotlights that are pretty great and all have 2 way microphones you can use. Setup takes approx 60 seconds. All viewable in an app you can share the login for so a buncha people can monitor. Very easy to drop or add cameras.

 

[WorkIsOverrated]

MIL is 93 and still living on her own. She is frail (tiny) and stubborn. We are trying to keep her in the house (vs a facility) as long as possible. She has a fall alert necklace/bracelet. She is getting better about the Fall alert. She was not answering when the company would call after she knocked the bracelet against the counter. Her sister calls 2x's a day. I check in by phone or stop over a couple times a week as does my wife. We are the last ones left to look after her. She did fall & laid on the floor for several hours before pushing the darn button. The pendant alerts to falls & the bracelet does not. She lives on the main level with the kitchen, LR, 2 BR & DR. There are 2 BR upstairs & a basement.

Her attorney advised cameras to monitor comings & goings during probate. Are there any camera system you like in indoors/outdoors? I live 40 minutes away so would like a remote monitoring. I'm thinking one camera on front & rear patio. One in one bedroom upstairs & 1 in the basement. Ideally I'd like one in the kitchen but she may see that as an invasion of her privacy a bit. Maybe a doorbell camera, 1 outdoor porch camera & 1 cam up & 1 down inside? I'm trying to avoid giving any money to Bezos (Ring) if I can help it. wyze looks decent enough?

My mother is 93 and still in her home as well. I put up two Arlo outdoor cameras with solar panel chargers in November and they have been working well. I got them as a package on sale at Sam's for $99. I also had to subscribe to their service for $149 annually. I thought the cost was worth it to keep an eye on things at her house.

My sister and I have the app on our phones so we get notices of Vehicle, Person, Motion (which is usually wind effects) and Animal movement. My DM also has the app on her Ipad and likes that she hears the tone when the alerts go off....telling her that something has shown on the camera. Her understanding how to look at the "feed" of pictures/videos taken is still a challenge, but she is getting there.

I like the solar panel option, but Arlo makes is clear that the panels are only to keep them charged. You have to charge them before you put them up. I monitor their battery levels from my phone periodically. During the darkest and cloudiest part of winter I had to bring them in once to charge them when they got down to about 70%.

Arlo has indoor options that would work with the app just like current ones, but I don't think my mother would be happy with those. Thinking we'll add those later when it's necessary.

I did just check with Arlo about any cellular driven cameras so I could put one farther away from her house on a garage/barn area. However, they don't have any cameras that are not internet/wifi based.

 

[RetMD21]

Yes I use the Blink Cameras outside with batteries. I get about 1 year with eavch set of lithum batteries. I also like the performance of the cameras over the others I have used: Ring and Wyze. An additional feature is that the cameras do not use a SD card in each camera nor does it store the videos on the camera.

My Blinks are at the one year mark with the original batteries. I like that I can store the video locally on the control unit. Have you tried the solar panels?

 

[ychuck46]

Wyze is very good. I got that recommendation from the good folks here when I was looking for cameras.
Mine have been flawless and very user friendly.

Same here with Wyze. I have a number both inside and outside the house. If one has outlets nearby I would recommend the plug in variants. Nothing wrong with the battery operated ones but if they are mounted in higher areas, for example, you will need to climb up to pull them down for recharging. I also find the plug in varieties seem to have a longer lifespan in general. I have both but since we have a large home with lots of outlets available, I have changed mostly to the plug in variety for convenience.

Wyze is also reasonable on the monitoring service you can sign up for. They oftentimes have sales on it and the hardware, and you can also find their hardware sold on Amazon and elsewhere at a discount.