I know we've had these threads before, but now it's more real. My wife wants one. Things are always real if it's something I want, but those of us married know when the spouse wants it too, it gets exponentially more real.
A rash of coyote sightings, and some neighborhood animals (and one healthcare worker) being spooked is all it took.
Anyway, here is what I'm looking for:
1. Don't care about a doorbell per se, just want something external (two cameras, one in the front and one on the side of the property. My back yard is fenced in.
2. Motion sensor activated
3. Night vision capable
4. Can view on my mobile device
5. Not sure if I need a service or not
6. I want to be able to install it on my own, but having vinyl siding makes attaching things to my house somewhat different than traditional clapboard siding
I assume most of the more popular ones can do all that.
My neighbor has an Arlo and he is always sending me recordings from his set up - usually coyotes that are on my property, sometimes foxes or deer. They look good.
But i hear ring and nest are the two more popular options.
Any others?
Any suggestions on the better fit?
And is the doorbell vs just an external camera/spot light worth it?
Love the quality, look, and ease of install and use. They platform is great, and their app connects with all local users to give you some useful updates about neighborhood activity. You pay $30 per year per cam for storage (I think all motion is saved for 60 days) but you can also pay $100 a year for unlimited cameras+their security system (which I had but did not use religiously so I returned).
At this point, I think its just preference, the technology has become so standard you are going to get good motion sensor responsiveness and picture quality- its more about the brand and monitoring costs...I believe some do not have reoccurring costs so thats something to consider.
these post are exactly what I'm looking for
I have the Blinkx2 system. Its fantastic. it doesnt record 24/7, only records when triggered by motion. you can adjust the sensitivity and time per recording easily. waterproof, wireless. Runs on AA Lithium batteries. I just replaced the batteries for the first time on my 4 cameras after about 10 months. I highly recommend.
Add to that the fact that each Ring device required it's own subscription to be save recordings and between my two Rings it's $20/month, I probably could have a company wire my house and pay the same amount and have it monitored.
Add to that the fact that each Ring device required it's own subscription to view recordings and between my two Rings it's $20/month, I probably could have a company wire my house and pay the same amount and have it monitored.
Add to that the fact that each Ring device required it's own subscription to view recordings and between my two Rings it's $20/month, I probably could have a company wire my house and pay the same amount and have it monitored.
Not sure what they did when setting up your account, but give ring a call and have them fix it. It’s $30/yr per cam or &100/m for multiple plus alarm monitoring. There’s a mistake if your paying $20/m
I’m also with Ring, very happy, no complaints. They’ve got a lot they’re working on in the system, amazon owned so I feel they’ll stay in biz. Plus, they started from a Shark Tank appearance... how can you not like that rags to riches story.
But in all honesty, they are all the same for the basic hardware and services. If you’re coming from an existing system, you have to be more careful to make sure the minutia of little settings and features you like and are used to, come with your new system.
I have the Blinkx2 system. Its fantastic. it doesnt record 24/7, only records when triggered by motion. you can adjust the sensitivity and time per recording easily. waterproof, wireless. Runs on AA Lithium batteries. I just replaced the batteries for the first time on my 4 cameras after about 10 months. I highly recommend.
Agree with this post. Have Arlo. Super bowl set to install, can view on phone but they are in a pain in the sense that the battery life leaves a lot to be desired
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It works great however she is constantly taking them down to recharge. like every 2-3 weeks. That reason alone is why i didnt get the arlo.
I have the Blinkx2 system. Its fantastic. it doesnt record 24/7, only records when triggered by motion. you can adjust the sensitivity and time per recording easily. waterproof, wireless. Runs on AA Lithium batteries. I just replaced the batteries for the first time on my 4 cameras after about 10 months. I highly recommend.
Agree with this post. Have Arlo. Super bowl set to install, can view on phone but they are in a pain in the sense that the battery life leaves a lot to be desired
Super easy to install *
Also, Pjacs and friends note that these things go on super sale, so be aware and get good pricing.
The $250 Floodlight cam is amazing and I got it from Costco in a package with the Chime extender for $189.
The Battery-powered spotlights, you should aim for $100 (check eBay). One more note regarding the spotlights, great design. It comes with 1 battery that lasts me 2-3 months easy on one charge for my front door and backyard since they only record with a motion so it uses battery sparingly. It also comes with a slot for a second battery (like $30) and can be connected to a solar panel! (like $60). So all in all, highly recommend.
thanks good, point. and thank you others for your replies.
I have no standard yet, other than Alexa.
Doesn't Nest work with Alexa? I think Arlo does.
Either way, thank you again (all of you)
Each cam comes with 2 weeks of cloud storage for free. I have 4 total, 3 outdoors and 1 ptz that's in my living room.
I bought the outdoor mounts that you find on Amazon. Meets all of your criteria and costs substantially less. and they natively work with Alexa. Ask any fire or alexa show device to bring up the camera.
I had that problem with Arlo. Would bog down the Internet
With any system, you will get ok images but if you want the best clarity you will need something like a starlight ipcam. Also, a ski mask is all someone needs to defeat video cams.
I do see all they coyotes and wildlife. And did catch an incident where i had to call the cops on the person (not a break in).
Mounts super easily on any surface.
3 screws into your vinyl siding won't kill it just run a bead of caulk under and don't overtighten the screws.
I hate that ring charges you a monthly fee.
not my only concern, but my main concern.
I have a Nest from door cam but haven't done the back yard yet. I wish they did a floodlight version of their camera but we use the regular Nest cam at work (mounted outside since we don't always have a front desk person working) and its great.
I had this exact problem.
After I installed a Ring Security System, a Ring front doorbell, 6 echo devices and about a dozen WYZE light bulbs my 2.4 GHz wireless network failed. The failure manifested itself by kicking my Wi-Fi devices off the network.
I called my internet provider, and they installed their latest router. I was then able to transfer enough devices to a 5.0 GHz network to solve the problem.
As it sits now, I hesitate to install anything else that requires Wi-Fi connectivity because I'm concerned that I'll overload the network again.
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You might consider an inexpensive game camera. The WiFi versions are about $100 and have night vision
not my only concern, but my main concern.
Or you could go with a simple model without the wi-fi. I got one for ~$40. It can mounted on the tripod or strapped to a tree. It might be a way for you to move it around and survey which areas are your "hot spots" and plan where your cameras will be. Its a fun item to have in any case
I heard the battery life of some of the video doorbells is poor, so I went with Arlo, which are normal doorbells, but ring your phone too.
The one negative is that after about a year, the battery life for the video camera is less. Was about 6 months early on. Now it needs to be charged about every 6 weeks.