Video Doorbells or Cameras Experience

[hammerdrop99]

I am thinking about installing some type of outdoor video monitoring system and could use some helpful information. Does anyone have any experiences or recommendations for a budget friendly setup to keep an outlook for anyone messing around outside your doors? I have looked at some of the reviews for the Ring style doorbells with mixed results. Is that a viable option or would some type of eave mounted cameras be a better choice?

Thanks in advance.

[DaveTN]

I chose NEST because I have 110V outlets available where I wanted the cameras. They record 24/7 and store online for 5 days. $50/year $30 each additional camera. They will Email you or send a text message when they detect something. You can control them and watch them anytime you want from your phone.

RING is good also. When I got mine they didn’t offer anything except the doorbell CAM; I didn’t want that. They now have a floodlight cam that will run 24/7. It needs to be wired in, have a corded added. Their subscriptions are $30 a year.

ARLO cameras run on rechargeable batteries so you can put them most anywhere. They only record when they detect something. That didn’t meet my needs so I didn’t go any farther.

Crazy Story: NEST is owned by Google. So last week I got this info in an email:

Quote

 

Recently, we shared our commitment to privacy to outline how our products work in your home. As part of that commitment, we explained that you will always see a clear visual indicator when your Nest cameras are on and sending video and audio to Nest.

So we’re changing how the status lights function on Nest cameras, Dropcam, and Nest Hello. You will be able to dim the light on your camera, but it will always be on when the camera is on. We’re doing this to make sure you, and those around your camera, are aware when the camera is on and recording.

 

So… I have (had) my outside cameras indicator lights turned off. No one needs to know they are there but me; they are after all SECURITY CAMERAS.

Google and Nest has decided that their commitment to someone’s privacy (who knows who) is more important than their customers security on their own property. That is something to think about in making your choice.

Edited August 28, 2019 by DaveTN

[FUJIMO]

I've been running Arlo Pro at my fathers house for a year now with great results. The drawbacks are all battery related but have recently been solved with the addition of solar chargers. I have an app on my phone and laptop for constant coverage as well as a interface to control each camera, record, snap pics, speak through the cam, etc. I won't go as far as saying it's THE best but it serves the purpose for what I need.

 

[Trekbike]

You might check out the Blink camera's that are owned by Amazon.    Several family members have them and the video quality is good, battery life is very good, the app is pretty stable, and no monthly charges.   

[hammerdrop99]

Thanks for the input. I will certainly check out the systems mentioned in your replies. Always good to be associated with such a knowledgable and helpful group.

[Defender]

1 hour ago, DaveTN said:

I chose NEST because I have 110V outlets available where I wanted the cameras. They record 24/7 and store online for 5 days. $50/year $30 each additional camera. They will Email you or send a text message when they detect something. You can control them and watch them anytime you want from your phone.

RING is good also. When I got mine they didn’t offer anything except the doorbell CAM; I didn’t want that. They now have a floodlight cam that will run 24/7. It needs to be wired in, have a corded added. Their subscriptions are $30 a year.

ARLO cameras run on rechargeable batteries so you can put them most anywhere. They only record when they detect something. That didn’t meet my needs so I didn’t go any farther.

Crazy Story: NEST is owned by Google. So last week I got this info in an email:

So… I have (had) my outside cameras indicator lights turned off. No one needs to know they are there but me; they are after all SECURITY CAMERAS.

Google and Nest has decided that their commitment to someone’s privacy (who knows who) is more important than their customers security on their own property. That is something to think about in making your choice.

I use Ring doorbell cams on my front and side doors, they cover those areas well and the motion detection is adjustable in different ranges and directions or zones.  Drawback on mine is having to charge the batteries every few weeks or so.  I also use Belkin and wyze inside cams aimed outside the windows to cover the other approaches to my house.  Ring now offers solar chargers for their outside cams.  

[1madss]

I went Blink a few months ago. 4 cameras and two hubs to give me 2 "zones" Other than the battery life issue we are overall happy. I had to go solar for the driveway camera as the wind blowing tree branches triggers the motion sensors and I got about a month before I had to go back up the ladder. BTW the  Activity Zone feature does not work yet. It was in Beta when I got the cameras. First thing to note with any of the Cloud based solutions is the delay in the video/alerts. Someone detected by the driveway camera can be in the house before I get a notification. The delay is not an issue for me as the 5 dogs are my early warning/alarm system. Second thing to keep in mind is that the cameras only record for a short period of time after motion is detected and the range of the cameras far exceeds the range of the IR sensor. Example, I wanted to cover the length of my driveway (only about 75') with one camera but the motion detector cannot reach the end of my driveway. It's not like a DVR based system that will record constantly. It is nice that it ties in with Alexa/FireTV as I can voice command the TV to switch to the camera. One last thing. There are no subscription fees with Blink. If purchased through Amazom you get double the Cloud storage for free. I'm in no way a Blink fanboy but it seems to serve it's purpose so far.

Edited August 28, 2019 by 1madss

[Guest]

In the news today

https://m.sfgate.com/news/article/Doorbell-camera-firm-Ring-has-partnered-with-400-14383981.php

[krunchnik]

I have the Ring Flood Light Cam that is hardwired into my front outside light-we were having problems with some malevolent teenagers awhile back and decided we needed something to be able to record their activities.Ours has video and sound which works pretty well.Ring has their yearly charge of $30.00.Ring saves the videos for 90 days allowing a person to download them to a PC.The floodlight is LED and is very bright-it is fully adjustable camera and flood. 

[bduncan1231]

My personal experience is with Ring.  I have the doorbell on the house, floodlight/cameras on every corner, and a doorbell inside my shop (does a great job as a video camera on the whole interior of the shop and also a floodlight camera on it.   $10.00 month monitoring fee and unlimited devices at the same address.

[Esko 270]

3 hours ago, bduncan1231 said:

My personal experience is with Ring.  I have the doorbell on the house, floodlight/cameras on every corner, and a doorbell inside my shop (does a great job as a video camera on the whole interior of the shop and also a floodlight camera on it.   $10.00 month monitoring fee and unlimited devices at the same address.

I'll be giving you something to look at with all those cameras soon. Just make sure you look at the footage alone!

[Defender]

13 hours ago, Esko 270 said:

I'll be giving you something to look at with all those cameras soon. Just make sure you look at the footage alone!

Do tell...

[Magiccarpetrides]

I have a professionally installed system that's hardwired and then a supplemental ring doorbell and cam...If I had to do it all over again I would go all RING....COSTCO has the best deals typically on their equipment...$10 per month no contract security and my doorbell is a Ring 2 with the lithium pack...I get a solid month out of it before needing to be recharged.  I will say the hardwired cams pull up faster on my phone but for what I paid...well it was not a deal....and the RING cam's clarity is on par and in some ways better.

[DaveTN]

3 minutes ago, Magiccarpetrides said:

I will say the hardwired cams pull up faster on my phone but for what I paid...well it was not a deal....

What software are you using on your hardwired cams? Are you storing it, or are you paying for a service?

[Patton]

I have some of the ring products.  My only complaint is about a 12 second delay sometimes in being able to pull up the alert.