Security Cams for Home (NEST ?)

[Deleted member 77025]

Currently looking for some Security Cams and Doorbells for my Smart Home in 2024

Have seen that some users (@shabbs) here already have some Nest Cams from Google.
Would love to upgrade my Smart Home with some Security Cams.
As we have some refugees from Syria and other Countries, just to be on the safe-side.

Maybe some advice too, having iOS and have seen that there is a monthly Plan for arround 10€/$ to record all for 30/60 days online/wifi to save it or having a backup.
Would love to have arround 2-3 devices outdoor and 1 doorbell.

Any advice is welcome

 

[bbunge]

Amcrest PoE cams or similar. Invest in a good PoE managed switch and a NVR. Sure, you will have to run Ethernet but it is well worth it not to worry over poor WIFI from the cams. You can also put micro SD cards in the cams that will record a lot. I've built a cam server from an old PC with an i5 processor and a 512 GB SSD. Runs Debian 12 and Zoneminder doing motion detection. Both free! And I can access my cams from anywhere.

 

[sfx2000]

NestCams these days are a bit lower resolution, e.g 1080p - but over WiFi they pretty solid...

Have to engage them with Google Home App - free accounts are 3 hours for events

They're ok for casual usage - for more - consider a dedicated NVR and Cam setup...

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Once in a while, they do Costco specials...

 

[Digilog]

I run an Amcrest system. I bought the 5MP system when it was a new item, 4 cameras plus an 8 channel POE NVR, I connected my cameras directly to the NVR. Later, I got one of their doorbell cams which I am replacing because it works like most of them which is with a mobile app for controlling it. Unlike standard doorbells that are made, these don't have a local web gui to configure the camera. It also creates traffic out on the network which I block. The NVR that I connected it to records it and relays alerts without the doorbell mobile app. So I have remote viewing with the NVR and I can toggle that off when I'm not using it and want more internet bandwidth. Since I run IPfire, I was able to route away the wifi doorbell to the NVR but if I was using a store bought router, I would get a seperate wireless access point and plug it into the camera inputs of the NVR after connecting the wireless doorbell to the regular network and set the password. The NVR detected and connected the doorbell after giving it its password. But since I can not find a wireless doorbell that works without a distorted picture (because I have tremendous RF interference). I am replacing it next year with an Ubiquity POE doorbell cam. Which will live nicely with the amcrest NVR. I chose Amcrest over others because of their build quality and the next step up is the Hikvision commercial cameras that would cost a little bit more that would be the same performance, but in more sturdier camera cases (aluminum instead of plastic). But I discovered that the amcrest cameras with the plastic cases don't conduct the cold very vell and so they don't stop working at -40F in extreme cold like the Hikvision cameras I tested.

I recommend setting up the camera side of the NVR as a private cam network. Since this network does not need internet access it does not run traffic on the computer network. Only viewing from the network by the NVR or its mobile app is the best way, because the NVR is the media server and will compress the camera into mp4 streaming data to be deliver to the app or browser. Otherwise if you use cloud recording, then the local computing network will be congested with data from each camera connecting to a cloud NVR. Then on top of that you have to pay them to store the camera data while it loads down your network. This is the main advantage of the NVR: to keep the cameras off the network and provide a compressed data delivery to apps and web browsers.