security systems and cameras 8)

[DDW_OR]

what system do you recommend?
do you have any PTZ cameras. if so, are they really needed?

I like the POE cameras (Power Over Ethernet)

[Raider Bill]

I have the amazon blink system.
Wifi no wires.

[YellowHammer]

I have several different Reolink cameras.  All but one type is POE to an NVR (High Resolution Video Recorder), the other is Wifi.  I've used several different systems, some of which you mention, but so far the Reolink is the best, and the easiest to set up.  Plug them into the NVR, give it a minute or two, and the NVR it will automatically find them.  Then get within range of the same network router that the NVR is plugged into, with your phone, laptop, or iPad, and launch the App, and the app will find the system.  At that point, the app knows their IP addresses, and you can access them from any network, anywhere.  Thats pretty much it.  Some of the cameras, depending on model, can be set to triggered by a person, or a vehicle, or anything.  

I use the high res 8 MP cameras, and they easily read license plates from a reasonable distance, and what's nice about a true POE NVR system, is that every camera records 24/7 in both high resolution (called clear) and lower resolution (called Fluent) mode.  So even if a camera isn't triggered, I can still call up whatever video was recorded at that time.  This is great as it allows me to view all the cameras at a given time, whether they were triggered or not.  Playback is virtually instantaneous when a camera is triggered, and generally sent to the phone in the lower resolution Fluent mode to reduce wifi or cellular network bandwidth requirements.  Once something of interest is found, it can be switched to high resolution mode on the phone or computer, and the picture quality is remarkable.

The advantage of the low resolution mode is that as soon as a trigger event has happened, the phone is notified, and I can click and play the entire video back real time.  So no photos, but actual recorded video.  

Another advantage of an NVR system is it records all cameras, at all times, whether triggered of not, in high resolution, and depending on the disk capacity, will not overwrite for a couple weeks or so.  So even if the triggers didn't trigger, or whatever, then I still have the recording.  If a trigger happens, the NVR puts a mark on the timeline so you know when the trigger happened.  This is a huge advantage, because whether the camera triggers of not, I still have all the video.  Who out there hasn't missed an event do to a non trigger, or missed trigger or whatever?  With a POE system, I can put it in high speed playback, and see everything that walked within view.

Some cameras also record trigger events directly to on board SD cards, (not 24/7) so if the NVR is stolen or damaged, or whatever, each individual camera has recording of their own trigger events.

These same triggered events can also be sent to the cloud.  So there are multiple ways to safeguard the recordings. However, out of the box, there are no subscription costs for an NVR system.

The videos or snapshots of the videos can then be downloaded, with pretty much no effort.

I don't see a need for pan and tilt for most cameras, (I do have one) unless it at the front gate, or possibly in the house, because there should be enough cameras to cover all the scenes, anyway.  The cameras are relatively inexpensive, $50 to $80 bucks and you can't ever have too many cameras.

There may be some good equivalent cameras out there, but for me, the main advantage of these is that I can get them easily through Amazon, and more importantly, if they break, can return them as well.

I also have an ADT professional security system installed, with cameras, but I actually like this system better.  Its more user friendly.

[mike_belben]

looking for recommendations on the cheapest possible self contained camera that i can screw to a tree out in the woods and have it trigger my phone in real time when it is triggered.  battery or solar powered, night vision, no subscription fee and no access to wifi are the guidelines.  cant be expensive since itll just get shot or smashed when noticed. 

[Raider Bill]

looking for recommendations on the cheapest possible self contained camera that i can screw to a tree out in the woods and have it trigger my phone in real time when it is triggered.  battery or solar powered, night vision, no subscription fee and no access to wifi are the guidelines.  cant be expensive since itll just get shot or smashed when noticed.

That's a Unicorn you're looking for.
Got to be connected to something in order to notify your cell.

[PoginyHill]

Have a friend who uses cellular enabled game cameras. Cameras can be gotten under $100. Need a cellular service available, I think like $5/month depending on amount of pics you plan to send. So, yes, a subscription, but rather cheap I think. Does not need to be tied to a phone plan, you'd purchase the cellular service through the camera manufacturer (cameras are specific to provider - Verizon or AT&T mostly)

[mike_belben]

That's a Unicorn you're looking for.
Got to be connected to something in order to notify your cell.

i kinda figured that but when i wasnt looking they invented robotic vacuums and lawn mowers so figured i should ask anyway! 

[stavebuyer]

looking for recommendations on the cheapest possible self contained camera that i can screw to a tree out in the woods and have it trigger my phone in real time when it is triggered.  battery or solar powered, night vision, no subscription fee and no access to wifi are the guidelines.  cant be expensive since itll just get shot or smashed when noticed.

Spypoint Cell Link Adapter coupled with 
the $28 Tasco camera from Walmart will be $100. I think the cell link with no premium options is free for 25 text messages a month.

[tamarackman]

looking for recommendations on the cheapest possible self contained camera that i can screw to a tree out in the woods and have it trigger my phone in real time when it is triggered.  battery or solar powered, night vision, no subscription fee and no access to wifi are the guidelines.  cant be expensive since itll just get shot or smashed when noticed.

I mentioned a cheap light bulb with a hidden integrated camera in a different thread. The real advantage of the thing is that it supports rtsp streaming so you can connect to it using your phone, tablet, or computer.  I recently opened the bulb up and notice that everything appears to be 5v on the camera side on it's own board. With a bit of ingenuity and cobbling together, you could have a easy to hide security camera that can run off of a small solar panel, a cheap charge controller with a USB 5v port, and a small 12v battery.

I know you said no wifi but if it's on location,you can buy very inexpensive used routers that support dd-wrt or tomato router and point a high gain antenna at the camera.

My current setup is as follows: A old computer with linux installed running vlc to view and record the camera feed using rtsp. A TP-Link branded router with dd-wrt installed that I got on kijiji for 10$. An adapter and a length of coax to an old cell phone booster antenna off the router pointing at the 30$ camera I got on amazon 200 feet away.

I'm thinking of buying a second bulb camera thing and modifying it to run directly on 5v. I could place it further out onto my property where 120v ac isn't available. Just have to find a second high gain antenna to point it back at the house.

[DDW_OR]

I got a Reolink 8 camera, 4K, 16 channel recorder

I LIKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
8) 8) 8) 8) = 4 stars, always room for improvement

100% control at the NVR
90% control with laptop connected locally to the NVR IP address
85% control with remote connection on the APP on the Iphone or the laptop

Emails, can be text, photo, or short video
I like the short Video.

can be set up for motion, person or vehicle. or any combination of the three

now the only bad that i have found.
at night, bugs are tagged as people or vehicles
i have had up to 20 emails during the night

during the day sometimes yellow jackets are also tagged as people or vehicles

Sensitivity = Medium

[mike_belben]

How many greenbacks?

[farmfromkansas]

Being techless, I have to ask for explanations about this camera gear.  My farm yard has no wifi, we have that at home to run the computer.  I also would like to find some kind of camera that would catch the thieves that come and steal my stuff at the farm.  So far probably running over 15,000 in losses, not including the truck the state troopers recovered.  No I don't have theft insurance, never needed it till recently.  My game cameras took their pictures, but they only come at night,  wear hoodies, and have blacked out their tag light. The game cameras don't do nearly as well in the dark as they do in daylight.  The deputy turned up the resolution, but that is for next time. My wife figures they will steal my lawn mower before long.

[YellowHammer]

I'm glad it's working out.  I saw the video feed, it looks excellent.  

[DDW_OR]

Reolink 16CH 4K PoE Cameras Security System Person/Vehicle Detection 3TB...
Item 265089341955
Total: $807.49
from Ebay


POE cables are regular Ethernet cables.
the max length is 100 meters (328 feet).
it is best if each camera has its own cable.
you can add a POE repeater to extend an additional 328 feet
      the camera will need power at its location
wired connections are more secure than wireless

for really, really, long runs you could go from RJ-45 to fiber optic then back to RJ-45
FYI - RJ-45 is the connector on the Ethernet cable

Fiber-optic can have lengths of 900 feet to over 16,000 feet
but you cannot send power over Fiber-optic

[DDW_OR]

.........but they only come at night, ..........My wife figures they will steal my lawn mower before long.

have you thought of installing driveway sensors, they are battery powered.
they send an alert of when something is coming up the driveway.

so install 3 to 5 on likely entry areas.

cats, dogs, deer, thieves will all trigger the alarms

[YellowHammer]

Maybe trigger the cameras off some police style spike strips.  Deploy at night, and pull them during the day.