any good deals on camera security systems?

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mnewxcv

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I have been reached out to by a colleague as the 'tech guy' for advice on a camera system for an automotive business. Basically we are talking about an 8 camera system that covers both indoors and outdoors and records to a central computer or DVR box. Are there any good deals on something like this right now? I see a lot on amazon but am looking for something quality with a brand name that either I recognize or is recognized in the security industry. A kit would be the best for this person (something with install instructions), but if it is better to go custom, could you point me in the right direction for something for not a lot of money? I was looking at this as something to compare to:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/night-...ce-system-black-white/6209703.p?skuId=6209703

or

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lorex-...eillance-system-white/6331638.p?skuId=6331638

https://slickdeals.net/f/13194178-l...rch:Control&src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

if this is not appropriate for the hot deals section, I apologize, I didn't know where else to put it.
 
I just went through this for my business. I ended up setting up a virtual machine with ZoneMinder. I bought some 4MP POE cameras and ran everything through a POE switch. You can install ZoneMinder on a regular PC it doesn't have to be a VM though. I have had bad experiences with the cheap DVR systems especially with more than 4 cameras.
 
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Been using UniFi cameras since 2013 or so.. I have 7 cameras, not one has died yet and 5 of them are PoE outdoors. (Michigan -- they've seen -30F windchill up to 110F heat index in the summer) I can go for over a year without rebooting the VM on ESXi. They're probably the cheapest best quality cameras I've found. The web app is good, and the Android app works well too. No service fees, no software fees, local storage with web access if you allow it, and the email motion alerts work extremely well.
 
Probably not the right section for this. But I would be interested to see what cameras people are using. I have just started my research and don't want to break the bank on cameras.

I was looking at some Reolink since they were on sale for Prime Day.

What all is everyone using?
 
w1retap said:
Been using UniFi cameras since 2013 or so.. I have 7 cameras, not one has died yet and 5 of them are PoE outdoors. (Michigan -- they've seen -30F windchill up to 110F heat index in the summer) I can go for over a year without rebooting the VM on ESXi. They're probably the cheapest best quality cameras I've found. The web app is good, and the Android app works well too. No service fees, no software fees, local storage with web access if you allow it, and the email motion alerts work extremely well.
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Their v3 has been great, but v4 is looking pretty bad. On v4 they are only allowing Ubnt hardware, no self installs, cloud only on the phone apps, still missing a large number of v3 features.
 
longblock454 said:
Their v3 has been great, but v4 is looking pretty bad. On v4 they are only allowing Ubnt hardware, no self installs, cloud only on the phone apps, still missing a large number of v3 features.
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That sucks, I didn't know that about the v4. I'm running v2 and v3 cameras.
 
It's a business, contact a vendor and have an authorized/certified installer drop it in.

Pay for monitoring if alarm is triggered.

Then they can write it off.
 
I have a night owl setup, and I'm not impressed with it. Wont buy that brand again. Remote Management is terrible, remote viewing is terrible, and accessing it from a web browser is terrible. Night Vision is meh at best and no more then 15fps. In April, I left my truck unlocked. I did have the footage of someone in it, but the quality was absolute garbage. Someones nest cam across the street got better video of it then the cameras pointed at my truck. I should have done better research. You get what you pay for. I did all BNC with powered cameras. I originally did not want to do any kind of IP based camera because I didn't want to do POE, and I didn't want to have another group of damn devices that I needed to update firmware on. I regret it. The quality of IP vs BNC cameras seems to be better and there are much better management options.

I have a buddy that has an Arlo set up, and another that has Nest. Both are great products, but the andriod interface for Nest is really really good. Once this Texas weather cools off.. I'm going to redo my entire setup with something different.
 
https://**************/2XUGhsq I was looking to buy a battery-powered system because outside my house someone keeps illegal dumping stuff at the corner of street where my camera won't be able to see, saw this one on sale for 2 cameras, and a hub for just $250. They were a kickstarter company and this is their second gen battery powered security camera. People said image quality is excellent.
 
If you want quality for fairly low price and don't mind fiddling a bit to get it all set up, you can't go wrong with a rack of Hikvision cameras....they're good equipment but they're straight off the boat and kind of a mix bag of configurations. Throw them onto a not too ancient computer Blue Iris and your storage method of choice and you'll have a high end super configurable system.
 
Chassepot said:
If you want quality for fairly low price and don't mind fiddling a bit to get it all set up, you can't go wrong with a rack of Hikvision cameras....they're good equipment but they're straight off the boat and kind of a mix bag of configurations. Throw them onto a not too ancient computer Blue Iris and your storage method of choice and you'll have a high end super configurable system.
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How does hikvision compare to sv3c?
 
I always recommend wired PoE cameras and Blue Iris software installed on a PC with a 4TB or bigger WD Purple HDD. I prefer doing it this way because future upgrades will be so much easier. When one camera dies on you , you simply replace with whatever is best out there since Blue Iris supports almost any brand/type PoE camera. Right now I'm using all Amcrest cameras and they've held up pretty well for 2 years already. They've made it through several hail storms and crazy triple digit heat here in North Texas. I think I've only had to reset a camera once or twice and that meant simply unplugging it from PoE then plugging back in. I can access the cameras from any browser or an app on android/IOS.
 
I just installed the Eufycam system (Kickstarter one, not the "E version -- which is like a "lite" version) a week and a half ago.... a few days after my Nissan Murano was broken into in my driveway. I figured it was too hot to put up the cameras or break into the car -- wrong on both counts. To be fair, it's really hot in Phoenix.

That being said, the image is quite good and it is wireless with a rechargeable battery which they claim can last up to a year. I figure if I have to pull the set down every 3-4 months to recharge overnight, that's a small price to pay.

I'd also be interested to hear more about the Unifi v3 stuff. I haven't gotten around to doing the inside where POE is less of an issue and I'm already running a bunch of Unifi stuff in the house, so why not?
 
i piece mealed a blueiris system, those DVR based units are usually kind of sucky. Also a lot can be said in general about the cameras them selves depending on your use case.
 
My neighbor gave me his old system when he upgraded so I have been using it since. Its a Zmodo 720P PoE system. Works nice to watch the front of the house but I'm already looking into getting a 1080P setup. The ass hat next store pissed himself when he saw me setting it up. Wish I was recording when that Kodak moment happened.
 
hikvision is pretty good, just take proper network security precautions



Note: this was transcoded from 20fps cbr h264 to h265, then spliced and reencoded at ~1200fps input with 60fps output, then uploaded to fb, so quality may be a bit worse than straight off the camera.

Edit: Ah, not public... I'll reupload later somewhere public.
 
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Thanks everyone! Some great info so far. Will look into blue iris setups.
 
Made my own the Raspberry Pi Zero, the 5MP V1 (1080p/60) camera with IR-CUT and IR lights, dome enclosure, PoE for around $35/ea - survived all midwest seasons so far.

Plus I control all the software on the Pi Zero so don't have to worry about the camera spyware.
 
Blue iris with the hikvision / dahua cameras are the best / cheapest way to go. You can get even cheaper if you order 4+ on aliexpress but takes a 7-10 days for delivery. Get 4mp cameras or better. Dahua is good too.
 
Dam so wireless systems like arlo are def a no go? I really wanted something easy to setup as running wites all over the place sucks...ugh might just get a wired doorbell camera lol
 
Pivo504 said:
Dam so wireless systems like arlo are def a no go? I really wanted something easy to setup as running wites all over the place sucks...ugh might just get a wired doorbell camera lol
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After seeing how cheap these things are (the cheapest ones are even handheld and portable), I wouldn't risk it. There are many ways now to get a 'wired' set up in place, even using older coaxial cables--powerline, moca, vdsl, hpna--all sorts of wired solutions exist if you look for them.

And even with a camera it's really dependent on law enforcement to do something, so if you don't have a good image, they'll probably say 'couldn't find them' and you're sol. :mad: Your insurance company might do more if they have to pay out to recover their loss, but I've found law enforcement to be really useless in some areas. :mad:
 
Pivo504 said:
Dam so wireless systems like arlo are def a no go? I really wanted something easy to setup as running wites all over the place sucks...ugh might just get a wired doorbell camera lol
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Arlo and Nest are actually really great products. Compared to my night owl setup, they walk all over it. It just depends on what you are looking for. With Arlo and Nest, its all web enabled, remote management is easy accept its all in a cloud provider. If you use a boxed set up, or build your own setup, both come with an entirely different set of problems. How much effort do you want to put into it, and what features do you want?
 
kdh said:
Arlo and Nest are actually really great products. Compared to my night owl setup, they walk all over it. It just depends on what you are looking for. With Arlo and Nest, its all web enabled, remote management is easy accept its all in a cloud provider. If you use a boxed set up, or build your own setup, both come with an entirely different set of problems. How much effort do you want to put into it, and what features do you want?
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I disagree since I can walk up to them with my wifi jammer and they become nothing. Wireless security is very easily defeated. If it's important, it's wired.
 
Glad I came here before and didn't buy the wireless arlo setup lol just wanted something I could setup myself and put the camera anywhere hence the reason I wanted wireless...another thing I didn't like is having to charge the batteries all the time. If u think about it wired is not really theft proof either. Couldn't the robber just cut thru your coaxial or whatever power you have running to your camera lol just as easy as jamming the WiFi camera...
 
Pivo504 said:
Glad I came here before and didn't buy the wireless arlo setup lol just wanted something I could setup myself and put the camera anywhere hence the reason I wanted wireless...another thing I didn't like is having to charge the batteries all the time. If u think about it wired is not really theft proof either. Couldn't the robber just cut thru your coaxial or whatever power you have running to your camera lol just as easy as jamming the WiFi camera...
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Yes, but they'd have to get close enough to cut it first, and if you have a camera pointed in that direction you have them. Wireless can be jammed from outside the camera's fov, then the camera can be destroyed or taken so any local storage is useless (although a thief might not go through the effort).
 
We bought the Arlo Pro 2 setup late last Fall. For right @ $300 for the 3-Camera setup and Base Station. Great for Home Use! Not sure I would want it for business usage - because of the monitoring software. You can easily adjust the sensitivity of what sets the recording going. You can add sound as a trigger also. You can use any camera (or all of them) as a 2-way communication to someone who is close enuf. It also has an audible alarm that can be set off - manually. You can monitor on your home PC or phone, so - with the phone, you can monitor while you're out of town. We mounted the cameras where everyone can see them; because by doing that, it's a deterrent in itself. We bought (separate purchase) pedestal mounts for them because they are a bit more difficult to remove the camera than the magnetic mounts that come with the set - thereby reducing theft. The batteries last anywhere from 4 to 6 months with a charge, so the frequency of recharging isn't as bad as one might think. Battery usage is greater if you set the sensitivity up to catch any tiny movement. Flying insects and even rain were setting ours off, so - I adjusted the sensitivity down to only pick up larger movement - like a human - or large dog.
 
bjamm said:
Blue iris with the hikvision / dahua cameras are the best / cheapest way to go. You can get even cheaper if you order 4+ on aliexpress but takes a 7-10 days for delivery. Get 4mp cameras or better. Dahua is good too.
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Good choices I would like to add needed things h265/6mp/poe/ I use a hikvision setup with dvr/ email photos to cloud or email.
 
for $25 the Wyze cameras with a POE USB breakout and a cheap outdoor housing has been great for my setup. local and cloud storage, recently added person detection/recording....

Live View for multiple cameras

I have 5 of them and they are great
 
Exercate said:
We bought the Arlo Pro 2 setup late last Fall. For right @ $300 for the 3-Camera setup and Base Station. Great for Home Use! Not sure I would want it for business usage - because of the monitoring software. You can easily adjust the sensitivity of what sets the recording going. You can add sound as a trigger also. You can use any camera (or all of them) as a 2-way communication to someone who is close enuf. It also has an audible alarm that can be set off - manually. You can monitor on your home PC or phone, so - with the phone, you can monitor while you're out of town. We mounted the cameras where everyone can see them; because by doing that, it's a deterrent in itself. We bought (separate purchase) pedestal mounts for them because they are a bit more difficult to remove the camera than the magnetic mounts that come with the set - thereby reducing theft. The batteries last anywhere from 4 to 6 months with a charge, so the frequency of recharging isn't as bad as one might think. Battery usage is greater if you set the sensitivity up to catch any tiny movement. Flying insects and even rain were setting ours off, so - I adjusted the sensitivity down to only pick up larger movement - like a human - or large dog.
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yeah but, what's the monthly or yearly cost? i know ring $30 a year per device
 
FWIW, any camera not made in the US is illegal to install in a government unit. I realize that likely doesn't apply here, but just saying...

Because I WFH sometimes, I plan on making my system follow the same rules. That means no Hikvision, Dahua, SV3C, etc...

Unfortunately, it also drives the cost up. Some recommended ones by my employer's vendor: Axis, Digital Watchdog.
 
While I get the no-Chinese effort, I can't see someone doing a DIY here without the ability to properly isolate and control the network the cameras are on. Is there some tech I'm unaware of that could worm it's way out from that sort of controlled environment?

If the cameras can only ever talk to your DVR what's the concern?
 
alaricljs said:
While I get the no-Chinese effort, I can't see someone doing a DIY here without the ability to properly isolate and control the network the cameras are on. Is there some tech I'm unaware of that could worm it's way out from that sort of controlled environment?

If the cameras can only ever talk to your DVR what's the concern?
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If it has firmware and has a connection to the network, anything is possible.
 
kdh said:
If it has firmware and has a connection to the network, anything is possible.
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I guess it could hijack your router/nvr and use it's wireless capabilities to connect to another wireless network with internet access, but if your nvr/router does not have any wireless capabilities, that is impossible.

If they're hardwired into your main network with no separation, you're taking a big chance anyway.
 
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