Input please, Home Security Cameras ??

[Jim]

Ring.com
or Nest.com ?
I'm thinking 4 or 4 cameras. Inside & outside. Front and back......
What say you, our educated inmates ?

TIA

Jim

 

[Jay Dub]

We have Arlos. They are a few years old. We have outside only. Five cameras. They work great for us

 

[TeamGreene]

I have two ring stick up cams and a ring doorbell I added the solar panels to the cams which keeps the batteries at or near %100 which is nice the doorbell is hardwired but needs a battery which in the cold doesn't last but a couple of weeks but I have spares charged to switch out. They work real well and have them set up to different tones so I know which one is showing motion.

 

[RVR_RCN]

I prefer Ring, good app and easy to set-up. Between home and river I have 12 cameras going.

 

[RitcheyRch]

We had Arlo cameras at the house and they always seems to take forever to load.

 

[25Elmn8r]

I tried Blink from Amazon, they were ok but kept losing connectivity to the home base. Mostly due to my setup here in the shop while we wait for our house to finish. The tin siding causes issues with WiFi. I returned them to give Ring stickup cameras a try.

Because of where we live our internet setup has a couple relays that also work as a WiFi router. This allows us to connect the Ring cams to those relays and not required to connect to our main WiFi router or home base in the shop like the Blink cams. Because of this the Ring cams have been working better. Only complaint so far is the cold causes the motion detection to not be 100%. Night time viewing is better with these as well. Here's a screen capture of a live view with apparently moisture on the lense. We got about 2" of snow last night.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

I have Nest inside the house for watching the dogs, but I'm still trying to find the right POE cameras that are compatible with HomeKit, so I can see everything in one place. "Outdoor cameras, doorbell cam, garage opener, smart locks, Lutron switches, blinds, etc." If you're creating somewhat of a "smart home" you may want to make sure they all aggregate somewhere vs. going into different apps for each product.

 

[Brian]

I have Arlo at home (about 5 years now) and Eufy at the river. Eufy is better but I think it's because technology has advanced. Both have been trouble free. I will say the Eufy batteries last 6-9 months before needing to be re charged which is awesome. The arlo's now need to be charged about once a month but I think it's because the batteries are pushing 5-6 years.

 

[Meaney77]

I have a Ring Doorbell Camera and A ring spot light over my garage. It works but I am not overly impressed. It seems like there is a good delay when you receive a notification for movemnet and being able to look at the video becasue its "processing". Not sure if this is just a Ring Camera thing or if that is common with all cameras?

 

[STV_Keith]

I'm using NEST inside and outside my home. Works well. If you want the best quality, expect to use 2-4GB per camera per day to stream it to the cloud.

 

[outboard_256]

I have NEST inside and outside plus the door bell. I like the camera's, but the doorbell makes you use the google app instead of the nest app which I don't like.

 

[Mr. C]

I have a Ring Doorbell Camera and A ring spot light over my garage. It works but I am not overly impressed. It seems like there is a good delay when you receive a notification for movemnet and being able to look at the video becasue its "processing". Not sure if this is just a Ring Camera thing or if that is common with all cameras?

I've noticed the delay in my spot over my garage as well . Mine is on a solar charge ( which works awesome) but the spot is only 2.4 GHz.
Where I don't seem to have as much delay with the doorbell cam and it is hardwired but 5.0GHZ ( wonder if that's the difference?)

 

[Hardly Satisfied]

We have 5 Ring cameras works great. 1 is hardwired and the rest are on solar battery

 

[Badchoices03]

I have Arlo....they work well, easy to set up because they are wireless, but that means you have to charge them more...most of them last a few months before having to charge, I actually have two extra batteries that I can rotate....the one in my driveway dies faster because it picks up cars and what not that drive by....for that one, I bought the little solar charger that plugs into the cam and that has helped tremendously....

I have one on my front porch, one on the driveway, one in the back side yard, and then I have an extra one in the house that I move around to watch the dogs or that I turn on when we are gone, I use that one to charge the extra batteries, that way when the ones outside are almost dead, I just got to switch them out with a fully charged one.

 

[havasujeeper]

Funny, I was just looking on line for more ring cameras. I have the Ring doorbell camera, and pay $39 a year for the cloud storage. If I purchase and add on to this account, will I need to pay an additional $39 per year for each device? I want one on each side of the yard, so if a bad guy jumps the fence, I will be notified quickly, so I can be locked and loaded.

 

[4Waters]

Swann for around the outside and ring doorbell at the front door

 

[DWC]

We have 9 Ring and a few Wyze. I’d do Ring all day long. If there is an issue with Wi-Fi they come right back online. Battery power is a bit of a pain. Someone mentioned the solar panel. It’s a timesaver if you don’t have power in the area.
We cover or unplug the inside cameras when we’re in the house. Assume someone can access any camera at anytime.

 

[Aces & Eights]

Ring has been good for me, I’ve had ‘‘em for about 3-4 years so far, they work well, easy to monitor via a cell phone or iPad and have been trouble free. Also easy to install and setup. I have the doorbell, 1 wired camera on the garage that covers the front of the house, 1 side yard camera with solar, 2 backyard cameras 1 is hard wired the other is solar.

 

[renodaytona]

I like the ring stuff, no issues on my end and definitely one of the easier systems to install. Looking into the solar charging for my GF's house as she has one camera on her garage that goes through a battery every week.

 

[LHC Kirby]

Wyze
5 LHC house
5 OC house

90% of the time great, occasionally there are a pain with slow loading.

No subscription required - although you can do the plus+ part for longer videos when capturing movement. But with cards installed I can back up and see everything.

 

[Activated]

We have been using Ring for a while, one on the side yard and a doorbell. I was worried the one on top of the shed with a solar panel charger would have a hard time staying connected but it works like a champ.

 

[floatn turd]

I run Blink with 5 cameras.

Works well enough.
But
If I had to do it again.

I would get a hardwired Camera/ DVR system that continuously records on a 48hr loop.

 

[Racey]

I put Ring in my dad's place as he's getting pretty old, that way i can keep an eye on him remotely and not womder why he isn't answering his phone. They work well.

10 bucks a month to record all of them, but free if you don't need recording.

The ring cams also have 2 way audio that works pretty good

 

[Gramps]

ring... I have 5 of them outside with solar panels they work great, easy to use app

 

[Inland Air Balance]

Lorex Home. Use them at both houses and office, No monthly fees, not cloud based storage, its hard drive storage, phone app retrieve and monitoring. up to 16 cameras, wi-fi or cat 6 wired.

 

[X Hoser]

Funny, I was just looking on line for more ring cameras. I have the Ring doorbell camera, and pay $39 a year for the cloud storage. If I purchase and add on to this account, will I need to pay an additional $39 per year for each device? I want one on each side of the yard, so if a bad guy jumps the fence, I will be notified quickly, so I can be locked and loaded.

I believe Ring has a flat rate for as many cameras as you want? I will have 4 exterior cameras and a doorbell at my new house and my daughter mentioned something to the effect of a $100 flat rate. I have not inquired as of yet. Worth checking into.

 

[Water Romper]

I find this thread interesting---
First, I know NOTHING about home security cameras and the timing of this thread is perfect as I am thinking of installing a few outside covering each side of the house.
Lots to choose from and things i didnt think of like cloud storage vs home (DVD) Apps, loops and monthly service fee's.
Keep the info coming.
One quick question- Do these cameras provide "night time" vision (in the event there is no motion light on) ?

 

[Cobalt232]

I have 6 Wyze at the Havasu house. They work well. I don't subscribe to their storage plan as I have cards in all of them. The newer ones are much better quality than the original ones. Still, not as good of quality than the commercial system that we have at the office.

 

[steamin rice]

I have had Arlos for a few years. I don't have experience with any other ones to compare, but overall I think the Arlos are decent but overpriced for the monitoring service. The cameras are very easy to setup and use, the app has a simple interface, and video quality from the cameras is good. I am disappointed with Arlo's business model, as they mostly force you to subscribe to their cloud service if you want to have more than one person monitoring the cameras on their phone. I have the option to store the video locally without paying for the Arlo cloud service, but then only one user can access the video. If the same user logs in on one phone, then they get logged out on all other devices.

I originally bought 3 cameras around 3 years ago - One of them stopped working after around a year, but the other 2 are working fine. When they eventually stop working, I will look to see what other options are available.

Regardless of the brand, I will say that it's very nice to have the cameras and see what's going on around my house overnight and when nobody is around.

 

[SkyDirtWaterguy]

How do the exterior Ring cameras with the solar panel hold up in the Havasu heat and sun if not mounted in a location that can be shaded? Any issues if mounted where direct sunlight will affect the cameras over time?

 

[Dog]

I use Blink they have some quirks but easy enough to work around. I have 3 outside and a inside. If you use ANY battery powered outdoor devices use LITHIUM batteries. I have an outside weather station that I have used reg and lithium batteries in and the lithium last 100 times longer. I am talking years for lithium a couple of months for regular AAs. They work well in my cameras also.

 

[Nordie]

I have Ring, and also some hard wired PTZ cameras, they both serve a purpose, but the quality of the Ring cameras is amazing.

The DVR hardwired stuff also has a purpose and with a 3tb memory I can go back a ways.

The ring stuff only records motions or if the doorbell goes off.

@lbhsbz cameras really impressed me, and something I would look at in the future.

Ring camera

PTZ Camera

 

[Inland Air Balance]

I find this thread interesting---
First, I know NOTHING about home security cameras and the timing of this thread is perfect as I am thinking of installing a few outside covering each side of the house.
Lots to choose from and things i didnt think of like cloud storage vs home (DVD) Apps, loops and monthly service fee's.
Keep the info coming.
One quick question- Do these cameras provide "night time" vision (in the event there is no motion light on) ?

Nocturnal, Infrared, flashing lights, PTZ. 4k, 2k, and 1080p, etc. enough to make you dizzy- and simple to install/program and affordable... https://www.lorex.com/

 

[Badchoices03]

I have had Arlos for a few years. I don't have experience with any other ones to compare, but overall I think the Arlos are decent but overpriced for the monitoring service. The cameras are very easy to setup and use, the app has a simple interface, and video quality from the cameras is good. I am disappointed with Arlo's business model, as they mostly force you to subscribe to their cloud service if you want to have more than one person monitoring the cameras on their phone. I have the option to store the video locally without paying for the Arlo cloud service, but then only one user can access the video. If the same user logs in on one phone, then they get logged out on all other devices.

I originally bought 3 cameras around 3 years ago - One of them stopped working after around a year, but the other 2 are working fine. When they eventually stop working, I will look to see what other options are available.

Regardless of the brand, I will say that it's very nice to have the cameras and see what's going on around my house overnight and when nobody is around.

I bought the 3 pack from Costco, on first install one of the cameras would not sense motion only sound, got on the phone with Arlo and we uninstalled and reinstalled a few times, still didnt work, so they sent me a new camera and told me to keep the other one...thats how I ended up with 4...the extra one that only detects sound I leave in the house when we are away...

 

[oldboatsrule]

Do not get a camera that uploads to an external server ( cloud )
You know, just incase you need to use the backhoe

 

[Spudsbud]

Thank you so much for all the input.
This will be (2) for my kids. Son & DIL just bouvht a condo in Tampa.
Mr Daughter & SIL close next month in Iowa.
Amazon next !

 

[LuauLounge]

Wyze

Wyze offers smart home cameras and devices packed with features at a price that is accessible for all. Wyze Cam includes 1080p full HD video, smart motion and sound alerts at a revolutionary price.

www.wyze.com

I've got about 15+ of the Wyse from the time they started, several years ago. My first thought was they were so inexpensive, $20, I'd buy them, just to see where I would want cameras. A while back they offered storage for up to 100 cameras for $99/yr. Added that.
I have them in 4 different cities. overall, they work great. There is no PC app, yet, only iPhone and Android. The new models have much better color in low light conditions.

 

[SoCalDave]

But
If I had to do it again.

I would get a hardwired Camera/ DVR system that continuously records on a 48hr loop.

Exactly what I did. 24 camera system (only have 9 up as of now) hardwired into a DVR with 8TB hard drive. Set to record motion only so I'll probably get about a year of recording before it over rights. Monitoring from our phones is free via the app. Maybe a little over kill but it was free via a promotion as my work has bought several systems from them. Very good quality stuff.

https://www.cctvsecuritypros.com/

 

[Activated]

How do the exterior Ring cameras with the solar panel hold up in the Havasu heat and sun if not mounted in a location that can be shaded? Any issues if mounted where direct sunlight will affect the cameras over time?

I live in Phoenix and my side yard camera in post 21 is a little shaded in the morning but full sun the rest of the day. I haven’t had any issues.

 

[Mr. C]

But
If I had to do it again.

I would get a hardwired Camera/ DVR system that continuously records on a 48hr loop.

Are you actually talking hard wired as in wires that run from every camera into the DVR unit? Or are the cameras and Dvr WiFi and wireless.
???

 

[Mr. C]

How do the exterior Ring cameras with the solar panel hold up in the Havasu heat and sun if not mounted in a location that can be shaded? Any issues if mounted where direct sunlight will affect the cameras over time?

I’m not in Havasu. But my front spot ring is on a solar charge and we get upwards of 110 in the summer and it is in full afternoon til dark direct sun. Times a blur but I would say at least 4 years now and not one issue on camera output or charging.

 

[Ace in the Hole]

Ring on both houses…zero complaints.

Camera quality is spot on….we’ve had one issue in havasu ever…I had the SOB ID’d in less than an hour.

 

[Dunerking]

I went with Ubiquity camera system. Primarily because the info gathered on the cameras stays with me. It’s all POE and was pretty easy to install.

 

[FROGMAN524]

Reolink 12MP POE. They’re awesome.

 

[havasujeeper]

I installed a Lorex 4k system for my neighbor. It uses cat6 cables for power and video outputs, and can set for flash with a siren when it identifies movement. It is 8 cameras on a 2TB memory, which lasts about 2 weeks. It also sends alerts to your phone but this system is $1800, and although they have a microphone input to talk thru, Lorex said they are unavailable. A nice system provided you have an attic monkey to help you install the beast. Then you need a 4k monitor but with the zoom feature, you are still unable to read license plates.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

We put in a Ring system for our place at the springs. It’s only three cameras: one at the main side door that covers the other door as well, we have one internal camera pointed at the doors and then one camera covering the patio area. That last camera isn’t really for security, my dad gets a kick out of pulling up the Ring app and checking out the view like he’s out there.

At the time we originally setup the ring cams we had HughesNet which obviously made checking the cameras a real pain, but now with Starlink the performance is as good as anywhere.

I thought it was so easy I then put up some cameras at my place. Originally I just had a few exterior cameras. This year I dumped my home security provider and went full Ring security. It does everything the traditional systems do it I’m already using the Ring app for the cameras, the security is all still part of the same app which makes it super easy. At this point I have the same external cams, video doorbells, the range extender, all the door and window contacts and two motion sensors. Its all covered under the same Ring Pro plan I was already paying for.

My only knock against Ring is their camera lights aren’t upgradable (they are LED but they are like 3K color temp and not the 5K/6K color temp I’d prefer) and perhaps the most annoying is the cameras can’t distinguish between people and animals. I’m constantly getting ring alerts for people motion and it’s birds, squirrels, bears, mountain lions or escaped house pets.

 

[Rondog4405]

Ring.. straight forward platform. Does what it's supposed to do. Love the 2 way mic feature

 

[floatn turd]

Are you actually talking hard wired as in wires that run from every camera into the DVR unit? Or are the cameras and Dvr WiFi and wireless.
???

Hi,
Yes, I would personally do a hardwired camera system.
My system is currently wifi.
It's good..... but not good enough for me.

A wired system will not diminish your Bandwidth as well, like a wifi system does.

Hardwired is much more money but the cameras, picture and replay quality is much better (IMO).

Also depends on what your protecting?
(IMO)
If it's just a vacation house filled with "hand me downs" from your regular house then a wifi Blink or Ring is just fine.
But for a house and garage filled with the "good stuff", I want more protection that my Blink Systen has to offer.

 

[Mr. C]

Hi,
Yes, I would personally do a hardwired camera system.
My system is currently wifi.
It's good..... but not good enough for me.

A wired system will not diminish your Bandwidth as well, like a wifi system does.

Hardwired is much more money but the cameras, picture and replay quality is much better (IMO).

Also depends on what your protecting?
(IMO)
If it's just a vacation house filled with "hand me downs" from your regular house then a wifi Blink or Ring is just fine.
But for a house and garage filled with the "good stuff", I want more protection that my Blink Systen has to offer.

. Just to difficult or way to labor intensive to run the cable where I want. That’s why I asked.
Thank you.

 

[floatn turd]

. Just to difficult or way to labor intensive to run the cable where I want. That’s why I asked.
Thank you.

I 100% hear ya man.

If you go wifi:
Make sure you have good wifi signal everywhere you want to put a camera and enough bandwidth for the entire system.
Otherwise those cameras will be paperweights.

Good luck Sir