Quote:
Originally Posted by hancoveguy
Quick question for anyone that knows the answer-
B.J.'s sells several security cameras that are supposed to be stand alone, night vision capable etc etc. They are moderately priced and purport to do everything a seasonal homeowner would need during their in season absences.
Question-These seem to good to be true, are they?
HCG
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Yes, they are too good to be true. These cameras generally have lower resolutions that standard cameras (sometimes by a small amount, sometimes to a degree that is noticeable), and generally have poor low-light performance. Some cameras try to get around the low-light issue by adding IR LED's around the camera lens. This is almost always a sure-sign of a low-end camera. These IR LEDs aren't good for much distance, and they also attract insects, which attract spiders, which makes webs, which block the lens. Generally a bad approach.
If you want a simple indoor camera, check out Dropcam.com
If you want a good outdoor system, you're probably best off checking some place like supercircuits.com for one of their package deals with a few cameras and an NVR that you can access remotely.
The right system depends a lot on what you want to do with it, and if you want to use it to just do basic recording of people, or if you want to be able to see and record details from faces or license plates at some distance.