Home Security Cameras

[PK Cronin]

Does anyone have any experience with these?

I'm interested in getting two wireless outdoor cameras but there are a ton of options and I'm curious if anyone likes or dislikes the different ones. I'd like something that alerts me when there is movement in the area, allows me to review footage after a reasonable amount of time (a few days), and if I can avoid having a hub I would love to do that. My wifi extends out to where these cameras would be located so I don't need to worry about that. Better still would be the ability to store the footage on my own device instead of having to rely on a cloud platform.

Right now I've looked at the Arlo cameras and the Nest ones, but both are pricey. I imagine I'm SOL on that given what I want though.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

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[chicagoskycam]

Love to hear some thoughts too on Ring as well. I feel like some of the other security cameras are better values.

 

[Gardner McKay]

Love to hear some thoughts too on Ring as well. I feel like some of the other security cameras are better values.

I've got the Ring Video Pro and I absolutely love it. Worth every penny. Install was super easy and you can customize your motion zone so you don't get a notification every time a car passes by.

 

[chicagoskycam]

I've got the Ring Video Pro and I absolutely love it. Worth every penny. Install was super easy and you can customize your motion zone so you don't get a notification every time a car passes by.

The Pro is the one that is hardwired and like $200.00? I was reading that one issue is they are really easy to steal lol. I read some reviews that people get alerts way after there was motion as well... could be limited to a few people. Also, how do these things do in sub-zero temps as I live in Chicago.

and I've had quite the experience with a couple of wifi garage door openers as well. Really nice add for under $50.00 to your house.

 

[Gardner McKay]

The Pro is the one that is hardwired and like $200.00? I was reading that one issue is they are really easy to steal lol. I read some reviews that people get alerts way after there was motion as well... could be limited to a few people.

Yes. That is the one.

The alerts after motion is strictly a connectivity issue as far as I know. If your router is too far from your doorbell then you may have that problem. I personally and the 4 people I know that have the exact same one don't have those issues.

As far as it being easy to steal... I mean it is screwed in and there is a plate that gets screwed on top of the doorbell itself. I suppose someone could just rip it off but that would effectively render the doorbell useless and, you would have a video of whoever stole it.

 

[JMCx4]

... I've had quite the experience with a couple of wifi garage door openers as well. Really nice add for under $50.00 to your house.

I presume you mean $50.00 to add wi-fi capability to existing garage door opener units? And what are the advantages for you in using wi-fi for this function versus traditional RF transmitter/receiver technology?

 

[chicagoskycam]

I presume you mean $50.00 to add wi-fi capability to existing garage door opener units? And what are the advantages for you in using wi-fi for this function versus traditional RF transmitter/receiver technology?

Yes, so there are a few advantages. You will be notified if the door is left open with the amount of time of your choosing, the standard is 10 minutes. You can close and open from the ap anywhere, so if you wanted to let someone into your house and you were not home. The one I have now has a proximity sensor so when I get within 300 meters of my house it auto opens. Technically you would not need your RF transmitters any longer and could just use your phone, or use both.

 

[chicagoskycam]

Yes. That is the one.

The alerts after motion is strictly a connectivity issue as far as I know. If your router is too far from your doorbell then you may have that problem. I personally and the 4 people I know that have the exact same one don't have those issues.

As far as it being easy to steal... I mean it is screwed in and there is a plate that gets screwed on top of the doorbell itself. I suppose someone could just rip it off but that would effectively render the doorbell useless and, you would have a video of whoever stole it.

The reviews I read were on Amazon and there were a few with people with hoodies taking them, I'm sure it's minimal. Ring also wants you to sign up for a monthly service to store your videos, correct? I think I want a camera front and back just to know what's going on but not necessarily the door bell. I would also prefer a set without the monthly service fee.

 

[Gardner McKay]

The reviews I read were on Amazon and there were a few with people with hoodies taking them, I'm sure it's minimal. Ring also wants you to sign up for a monthly service to store your videos, correct? I think I want a camera front and back just to know what's going on but not necessarily the door bell. I would also prefer a set without the monthly service fee.

I mean... its like $2.50 a month.

 

[chicagoskycam]

I mean... its like $2.50 a month.

I know but the amount of services attempting to charge an ongoing monthly fee is getting annoying. I don’t need all the video saved

 

[SPV]

I put one of these up in my yard; it's wireless, had motion detection, and lasts for quite a while when fully charged.

Wireless Rechargeable Battery Powered WiFi Camera, Home Security Camera, Night Vision, Indoor/Outdoor, 1080P Video with Motion Detection, 2-Way Audio, Waterproof, compatible with Cloud Storage/SD Slot
by ZUMIMALL

 

[Gardner McKay]

I know but the amount of services attempting to charge an ongoing monthly fee is getting annoying. I don’t need all the video saved

So don't pay for it. You don't have to pay for the subscription if you don't want your video saved.

 

[chicagoskycam]

So don't pay for it. You don't have to pay for the subscription if you don't want your video saved.

do I have an option to save videos otherwise like in a PC. What’s the timeframe I have to do it in

 

[The Crypto Guy]

I have 5 Ring cameras around my house, never had a problem with them. They are all hardwired so i had a guy come install them. Have to pay $100 a year though to save the footage but it is what it is. If you can save the footage if something happens then they are pretty worthless.

 

[Gardner McKay]

do I have an option to save videos otherwise like in a PC. What’s the timeframe I have to do it in

That I don't know to be honest. I've had the subscription for as long as I have had the doorbell.

 

[chicagoskycam]

I have 5 Ring cameras around my house, never had a problem with them. They are all hardwired so i had a guy come install them. Have to pay $100 a year though to save the footage but it is what it is. If you can save the footage if something happens then they are pretty worthless.

Are you paying more because you have multiple cameras?

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Are you paying more because you have multiple cameras?

Yes, one camera is cheap then you can pay for the unlimited amount of cameras which i do. ($8 a month for 5 cameras...not terrible)

 

[chicagoskycam]

Yes, one camera is cheap then you can pay for the unlimited amount of cameras which i do. ($8 a month for 5 cameras...not terrible)

Okay, thanks, that makes sense.

 

[PK Cronin]

I'm really hesitant to go with Ring because I'm already invested into the Google side of things, but the price is just outrageous to me so I was hoping to get something cheaper but compatible.

 

[GreytWun]

I have a Ring floodlight on the front of my house and it works perfectly. As someone else has said it's all connectivity. Anyone complaining about slow alerts or laggy video streams hasn't made the proper changes to help there cause, or doesn't have there home WiFi setup correctly. I have a Google mesh network and it works perfectly with that, easily reaches the front of my garage and videos / live starts right away when I open the app.

 

[chicagoskycam]

I am going to try this Wyze indoor camera my friend recommended, it's $34.00 on Amazon. I'm going to have it shooting out my front bay window so obviously talking to people outside is out of the question. It also rotates and zooms so I can move it remotely to the interior views, 1080P, night vision ect. Also works with Alexa and Google assistant. I really have not got a good answer on some of the other options regarding sub zero temps.

I know I have good wifi coverage as my garage door gets instant responses and that's about as far as anything gets in my house. Review of different cameras and their cloud options. I think I like the Wyze because it has the SD slot.

We compared 6 popular home security cameras to determine which offers the best free cloud storage — the winner is only $26

 

[PK Cronin]

I am going to try this Wyze indoor camera my friend recommended, it's $34.00 on Amazon. I'm going to have it shooting out my front bay window so obviously talking to people outside is out of the question. It also rotates and zooms so I can move it remotely to the interior views, 1080P, night vision ect. Also works with Alexa and Google assistant. I really have not got a good answer on some of the other options regarding sub zero temps.

I know I have good wifi coverage as my garage door gets instant responses and that's about as far as anything gets in my house.

I thought about doing a similar thing and having an indoor camera look out of my garage but I also think people being able to see the camera is a deterrent in itself. If I have a camera there that they can see, where else do I have them? Also, I have a fairly large dog who sounds like he'll rip your trachea out like he's John Rambo, so I don't think people would spend too much time snooping around to scout out if I had more with him lurking around.



I'm kind of surprised everyone went with Ring over Nest. Any particular reason?

 

[chicagoskycam]

I thought about doing a similar thing and having an indoor camera look out of my garage but I also think people being able to see the camera is a deterrent in itself. If I have a camera there that they can see, where else do I have them? Also, I have a fairly large dog who sounds like he'll rip your trachea out like he's John Rambo, so I don't think people would spend too much time snooping around to scout out if I had more with him lurking around.



I'm kind of surprised everyone went with Ring over Nest. Any particular reason?

Good point, if it works well and I like their setup I may add an exterior.