Surveillance System?

[Stuckinthe80s]

I didn't really know where to put this question and this seemed like the closest spot.

Any recommendations on home surveillance set-ups? I don't really want a system like ring, vivit, simplisafe, etc., nor do I want something that relies on the cloud/internet. However, I am looking at a self-contained setup that could connect to the internet if I wanted it to but stores data locally.

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Reolink-Security-Outdoor-Recording-RLK8-420D4-5MP/dp/B07H3QVZQ2/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=nvr+security+camera+system&qid=1673043522&sprefix=nvr,aps,134&sr=8-2-spons&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.c3015c4a-46bb-44b9-81a4-dc28e6d374b3&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzREI3VVkxVE9aNUpDJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDQ4ODQ3TzhRTE9YMDRMTVAmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDA2NzExMzNLOU1SNUE3RzBBME4md2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

Pre-packaged surveillance stuff freaks me out a little as I worry about embedded software that let's people connect to my system without me knowing about it. I say that but yet I have a house full of Amazon Echo's. I guess I've made my peace with people hearing what I say but people watching me gives me pause in a whole other way.

What do you guys have and/or recommend?

 

[ScaldedDog]

If you need the networking capabilities, too, the Ubiquiti stuff works well. It stores data locally, though you can choose to allow remote access if you want to. Kinda overkill if all you want is a few cameras, though.

Mark

 

[dan1554]

I run ubiquiti too. Definitely not budget friendly, but it's been a pleasure to work with. I'd call it pro-sumer level.

 

[nuclearlemon]

i ran a cheap wyze camera in the cheyenne house. we also ran one at the shop. you could get alerts and log in and check it out and there was a spot in the camera for a sd card. i was impressed with it and you can move it around when you're logged into it. cant' get my starlink to stay on 2.4ghtz so i'm not using it here. someday maybe.

 

[Rzeppa]

I have a wired 4 camera/dvr setup from Night Owl in my shop that was about $400 or so. Hooking it up to the internet is optional. You can set the DVR to record continuously or on a schedule. The cameras are IR so it doesn't need any ambient lighting.

 

[Stepmurr]

If you are into DIY you can get industrial strength video management software completely free for up to 8 cameras.

https://www.milestonesys.com/video-technology/platform/try-our-software/

I downloaded the Milestone software and tested it at home with a variety of cameras before I bought it for our mine security camera system. We have 150 cameras at the mine and are about to purchase 50 more. The Milestone XProtect software does everything we need for our mine security camera system and is easier and better supported than the Symphony software we used to use.

Milestone is overpowered for basic users, but it is free and works with almost any type of camera including our super cheap Swann cameras at the house.

Ultimately, I deleted the Milestone software off my computer and we continue to use our Swann DVR that we've used for the last 15 years at the house. Standalone DVRs make it very easy to review and save footage and is good enough for our house.

If I was more actively involved in looking at our camera footage I would probably set up a Milestone XProtect computer with scads of hard drive space and store several months of 24x7 Hi-def footage. In reality, the seven days of storage we get on our Swann DVR is good enough.

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XProtect Essential+ is our free VMS product. You get access to the basic video surveillance functions, like recording, playback and video file sharing. The free version supports up to 8 cameras, unlimited video retention and the option to integrate third-party applications, hardware or services. It is the most feature-rich free VMS available on the market.

 

[DouglasVB]

I'm using a bunch of Amcrest 4k cameras (I think I've got 16 now?) that I have networked to an old computer running the older free version of iSpy. At some point I'll upgrade to newer computer hardware so I can move to a different software package and use person detection, have better alerts, etc.

There was some minor annoyance in the initial setup between the Amcrest cameras and iSpy (and configuring the cameras) but once I got that sorted out, it's been easy. And that allowed me to get some cool images such as:

This is the current view from one of the cameras: