Home security camera system question

[Rob Boudrie]

Reolink is an interesting company.

I had a female RJ45 socket go bad and tried to order the part. Nope, no parts - but they sold me a failed camera for $12 delivered to scavange parts from. Hint: Use dielectric grease if there is any chance of moisture.

I had a camera hang and their online support was great - fix was to flash via their app instead of web (different ports, web port did not respond)

But.... I wonder when/if they will have a firmware update that does not require the desupported (as of 12/31/2020) Flash.

 

[Atlantis]

I use SV3C hardwired cameras (POE) and BlueIris, couldn't be happier. No cloud, sandboxed cameras so no obvious security threat, good motion detection options and remote viewing. WD Purple drive gets me about 3 months of 24/7 storage on 4 3MP cameras.

 

[ColdDayInHell]

Nice, now Rapetile will be watching another of our members and their family.

 

[cathouse01]

OP, you said you did not want to need the Internet to play/record, but I’m assuming that you do want a real-time copy on the Internet, right. Just having a local recording does you no good when the thieves break-in and steal everything of value, including your video recorder. Even if you are backing up your recording media to the web, unless you are doing a real-time backup, you will lose the video of the culprits if they take/destroy your recoding device.

 

[NHKevin]

OP, you said you did not want to need the Internet to play/record, but I’m assuming that you do want a real-time copy on the Internet, right. Just having a local recording does you no good when the thieves break-in and steal everything of value, including your video recorder. Even if you are backing up your recording media to the web, unless you are doing a real-time backup, you will lose the video of the culprits if they take/destroy your recoding device.

If it is uploaded to the web, you don't have exclusive access to the recordings.

 

[Atlantis]

OP, you said you did not want to need the Internet to play/record, but I’m assuming that you do want a real-time copy on the Internet, right. Just having a local recording does you no good when the thieves break-in and steal everything of value, including your video recorder. Even if you are backing up your recording media to the web, unless you are doing a real-time backup, you will lose the video of the culprits if they take/destroy your recoding device.

I mean... you can stash a PC or a Network storage device in a lot of hard to reach places. Not many burglars I've heard of go rummaging around an attic or crawlspace....

If it is uploaded to the web, you don't have exclusive access to the recordings.

With BlueIris you can resonably expect that you do have exclusive access. The recordings are stored on your PC/Server locally. You have an app that connects to your server with your own login credentials. Someone would need to know what port to attack, your home IP, and then crack your username/login remotely, at which point they would also have the ability to view. Your system (and the app) has a record of all login attempts, so you'd be able to see it pretty quick if it was happening. I like it because its not "cloud" based at all, and I can keep all the cameras on their own network with no internet access, so that the chinesium payload inside can't try and call home.

 

[Night_solstice]

I bought my Dahua from Andy (Empire Tech), he has an Amazon storefront and forum on IPcamTalk; he handles warranty service directly when you buy from him (including via Amazon or Aliexpress).

+1 for Andy. Been dealing with him ever since he joined the forum and yet to ever have an issue, or found him to be unhelpful (unlike the days of some of the HikVision 'vendors' who would appear and fade in a heartbeat). The cameras have been rock steady, and if concerned about 'reporting back' easy enough to subnet out so they can't reach the outside world, so just the BI server is accessible for remote viewing.

 

[Kevin_NH]

If it is uploaded to the web, you don't have exclusive access to the recordings.

Uploading to "the web" doesn't have to mean uploading to unencrypted cloud storage just because every XaaS vendor wants us to treat them as identical.

If you're not worried about your front door footage being subpeonable, could get one of the cameras which uploads to Dropbox or GDrive using your credentials. Axis cameras can be configured to upload motion events (basically in realtime) via SFTP to an in-home or Internet destination of your choice.

Some cameras can be set to save locally on MicroSD as well as upload, overwriting the oldest file when the card is full.

I mean... you can stash a PC or a Network storage device in a lot of hard to reach places. Not many burglars I've heard of go rummaging around an attic or crawlspace....
With BlueIris you can reasonably expect that you do have exclusive access. The recordings are stored on your PC/Server locally.

With a NAS, BI, etc you could also configure 'rsync' to a remote server under your control, with minimal delay between the event and the upload. You'd lose the final video showing the intruder taking a crowbar to recorder, but that's pretty much unavoidable.

 

[Atlantis]

If you're not worried about your front door footage being subpeonable, could get one of the cameras which uploads to Dropbox or GDrive using your credentials. Axis cameras can be configured to upload motion events (basically in realtime) via SFTP to an in-home or Internet destination of your choice.

This is a new layer to me. What legal difference does it make having a local HDD with 3 months of storage versus a dropbox account?

Is it just that dropbox could comply with the subpeona and you would not know?

 

[Kevin_NH]

If it is uploaded to the web, you don't have exclusive access to the recordings.

If you're not worried about your front door footage being subpeonable, could get one of the cameras which uploads to Dropbox...

This is a new layer to me. What legal difference does it make having a local HDD with 3 months of storage versus a dropbox account?
Is it just that dropbox could comply with the subpeona and you would not know?

Bingo. Also dropbox has an audit trail (e.g. of deletion), so you couldn't as easily claim to be incapable of providing the requested data.

 

[Prepper]

I would not use dropbox to save the recordings to, unless you truly don't care who looks at it including the cops or 3 letter agencies. Sure, it is cheap and easy to do, but what if they ever used a video on there as evidence against you even if you did nothing wrong? Heck, if you leave the record audio checked, and they discover you have a video on dropbox that included audio, they could get you for that alone. (Unlikely, but if they ever need to "get someone" just for the sake of getting someone, these are the kinds of things that could put you away without ever having had to harm anyone else.)

What I use is Blue Iris, which saves to the "local" storage device. But, I have that storage device mirrored in encrypted cloud storage. The one I use is called sync.com, but there are other options. You might also just want to have the Blue Iris PC hidden away somewhere and hope the burglars don't find it, then no need for cloud.

 

[ProGun]

Dumping my Blink system, just too many issues lately. I think they are blocking IP addresses (and none of them are running through VPN...and it's Amazon, so I'm done after a few calls and hours with tech support).

Any installers anyone recommends that would service north shore area? Probably 4-5 cameras. Would be a nice upgrade over what Blink did when it was working.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

I use Reolink at home with Blue Iris DVR software. The Reolink native interface still (at least on my cams) is Flash (obsolete) based, but BlueIris accepts the standard H264 from the cams. Blue Iris is hugely vertical - more setting that you could imagine and many brands (dozens or more) supported. About $60 for Blue Iris.

I damaged a cord on a Reolink - no spare parts but they sold me a dead cam to salvage the connector cord from for $12 delivered and that worked great).

I use ACTi at Hopkinton. I sent a dead cam to Irvine, CA for repair. They charged me $80; sent it to Taiwan for repair (!!!!); the sent it back from Taiwan via Alaska with two day air shipping. Would have cost them less to give me a new camera (and yes, I could tell it was the unit I sent in). The ACTi NVR is nice, but the cameras are price ($200 - $600ish; installer price that you can easily get is about 50% of retail)

 

[ProGun]

Looking at Axis now. +1, I was able to talk to a US based rep that could answer questions. I about hung myself after my calls with Blink tech support.

 

[Atlantis]

Blue iris or GTFO

 

[Kevin_NH]

Looking at Axis now. +1, I was able to talk to a US based rep that could answer questions.

Axis are great, and their US HQ is in Chelmsford. I like how none of their US-destined products are made or programmed in China, the last batch of cameras we received were shipped direct from Sweden.

They're definitely not aimed at consumer installs, as evidenced by the aesthetics, lack of WiFi, and the price.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Axis are great, and their US HQ is in Chelmsford. I like how none of their US-destined products are made or programmed in China, the last batch of cameras we received were shipped direct from Sweden.

They're definitely not aimed at consumer installs, as evidenced by the aesthetics, lack of WiFi, and the price.

I think of ACTi as a cheaper player in the Axis space.

 

[ProGun]

Some good info here on cameras. Any recommendations on installers (north shore area)?

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Blue iris or GTFO

Blue Iris is a great system for those who don't mind a system with numerous config options - tremendous flexibility, but less easy for plug and play.

The nice thing is that unlike the plug&play NVR+Camera kits you can get cheaply at places like Costco, the system is maintainable. You can upgrade the software, the PC, the hard drive capacity, etc. If the NVR in one of those "everything kits" breaks down or even has a simple hard drive failures a few years down the road you are, at best, dealing with shipping an el-cheapo product to a no-name price point company for out of warranty repair.

 

[Kevin_NH]

Blue Iris is a great system for those who don't mind a system with numerous config options - tremendous flexibility, but less easy for plug and play.

The biggest reason I don't use/recommend Blue Iris or X-protect is because the last thing I need is yet another Microsoft Windows system to maintain.

The nice thing is that unlike the plug&play NVR+Camera kits you can get cheaply at places like Costco, the system is maintainable. You can upgrade the software, the PC, the hard drive capacity, etc. If the NVR in one of those "everything kits" breaks down or even has a simple hard drive failures a few years down the road you are, at best, dealing with shipping an el-cheapo product to a no-name price point company for out of warranty repair.

And if you buy cameras which claim to be "ONVIF Profile S" compliant, you can also mix-and-match cameras or even replace the entire NVR with any other "ONVIF" recorder and reasonably expect it all to just work together.

 

[sacksjacked]

Looking at Axis now. +1, I was able to talk to a US based rep that could answer questions. I about hung myself after my calls with Blink tech support.

Used Axis myself. Was able to buy all that was needed online for a lot less than what installers were quoting. Found a couple guys who came out to see the project. They did an excellent with the job and setup. Ended up setting up two other properties with the same setup. For my setup the Axis 180 degree cameras were the way to go. Cheaper options out there but I was looking for quality and not made in china.

 

[Underwhere]

I had Reolink. Don't use them anymore. They are cheap enough that you really want to buy them but compares to a nicer camera they are really sub par.

I started using the Dahua or white labeled Dahua's with Starlight. The video quality is amazing compared to the Reolink. So much so that I started replacing my Reolink with them.

The nicer Dahua cameras that I have actually never make it to night mode with IR because there is enough ambient light from my house. So nighttime is always in full color. It can also read license plates in the middle of the night even when headlights are pointing right at it.

For a video recording system look into Camect. Has AI built in and keeps things local.

Here is the link to a nice camera.
Amazon product ASIN B07S21FVC7View: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S21FVC7?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[Kevin_NH]

Used Axis myself. Was able to buy all that was needed online for a lot less than what installers were quoting. Found a couple guys who came out to see the project. They did an excellent with the job and setup. Ended up setting up two other properties with the same setup. For my setup the Axis 180 degree cameras were the way to go. Cheaper options out there but I was looking for quality and not made in china.

There's two downsides to buying "gray market" Axis cameras online:

1. Axis USA will likely refuse to provide support or warranty service, so you're on your own.
2. While you'll probably get Thailand product, there's a chance the seller ships China-market units (which unlike all other Axis, are built in China)

 

[Rob Boudrie]

It is often possible to buy from the same places installers use. I but ACTi cameras directly from ACTi or an distributor that services installers - the "retail" price exists only to allow installers to double the street price. I also buy access control systems directly from an alarm/camera/security supply company, no doubt paying somewhat less than I would for the parts if I paid someone to put them in. In both cases, I use official distributors to get US support (although ACTi helpdesk is run from Taiwan).

ACTi has an interesting claim they feature - "NOT made in China - manufactured in Taiwan". I appreciate their sense of style.