Security Cam advice

[The Real BigGuy]

I shoot, I’d give it a shot acting like it is the same location. (Who’s to say you don’t have a big house with separate routers?) Worst case they say “no,no” and you have to pay for 2.


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[kauriel]

FYI Blink XT2 outdoor cameras are on sale today (12/13) on Amazon. $74.99 for 1, $134.99 for 2, $184.99 for 3, or $284.99 for 5. These are battery operated wifi cameras that send alerts directly to your phone through Blink App and you can see the motion videos.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by kauriel

FYI Blink XT2 outdoor cameras are on sale today (12/13) on Amazon. $74.99 for 1, $134.99 for 2, $184.99 for 3, or $284.99 for 5. These are battery operated wifi cameras that send alerts directly to your phone through Blink App and you can see the motion videos.

I just ordered another camera. Thanks for the tip!

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by Biggd

I just ordered another camera. Thanks for the tip!

Seems like a perfect system for us, too--I'm gonna order a few. Anyone know if the "included" cloud storage is per device or account?

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[garysanfran]

Recommend 1080 over 720...HIghly!

[CooperS7777]

For a bit more money up front, I prefer Axis cameras with the zip stream system. If your able to setup, or already have your home setup with multiple cat5/6 connections, install is simple as connecting the cameras to the network via Ethernet cable, and connecting those ports to a POE switch, or POE injector. I prefer wired network because it tends to be more robust than WiFi, and if powe loss is a concern, a UPS attached to the POE switch will power the network for quite some time. Additionally the zip stream cameras offer onboard recording as well as NAS (network attached storage) recording if you want. This means the camera can record internally (capacity based upon the memory card you install) and or to a hard drive based system, providing redundancy.

Best of all, so long as you are crafty enough to set the cameras and network storage (if you so choose) up yourself, there is no cost beyond initial equipment purchase.

Install is not nearly as straight forward as nest or other similar products, but if your crafty with a computer, or competent enough to follow along a you tube tutorial than it’s easy enough to get up and running on your own.

[kauriel]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

Seems like a perfect system for us, too--I'm gonna order a few. Anyone know if the "included" cloud storage is per device or account?

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For blink the free included storage is pretty large. I have six blink cameras between our two houses and can scroll back at least two weeks through my notifications and my storage is only 20% full. I should caveat that I don't get a ton of alerts as they are in less frequently traveled parts of our yards and a few are offline right now as I need to replace some batteries but I've had no issues with the included free storage.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by kauriel

For blink the free included storage is pretty large. I have six blink cameras between our two houses and can scroll back at least two weeks through my notifications and my storage is only 20% full. I should caveat that I don't get a ton of alerts as they are in less frequently traveled parts of our yards and a few are offline right now as I need to replace some batteries but I've had no issues with the included free storage.

Thanks, friend. What length of recording do you have your camera set to (I've read it can be from 5-60 seconds, and it will restart when it re-senses movement)?

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[kauriel]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

Thanks, friend. What length of recording do you have your camera set to (I've read it can be from 5-60 seconds, and it will restart when it re-senses movement)?

I have most of them set to 30-45 seconds and to retrigger quickly. I try to set them up in strategic areas where there isn't a ton of extraneous motion and I try to turn them off when it's time to mow lawn or other stuff that triggers lots of alerts. I probably only get around 9 months of battery life but I'd rather change batteries more frequently than miss something happening. Thankfully so far our cameras have only picked up wildlife, contractor's, etc.!

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by kauriel

I have most of them set to 30-45 seconds and to retrigger quickly. I try to set them up in strategic areas where there isn't a ton of extraneous motion and I try to turn them off when it's time to mow lawn or other stuff that triggers lots of alerts. I probably only get around 9 months of battery life but I'd rather change batteries more frequently than miss something happening. Thankfully so far our cameras have only picked up wildlife, contractor's, etc.!

So I'm assuming the storage is per camera rather than per account.

What types of batteries? AA lithium?

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[kauriel]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

So I'm assuming the storage is per camera rather than per account.

What types of batteries? AA lithium?

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Yes each camera takes AA Lithium batteries. I think the storage is per account unless they aggregate it. Their website says "Blink’s server provides each system storage for up to 7,200 total seconds of video (or 1,440 five-second events). If you reach your storage limit, your oldest alert clips will be overwritten by the newest."

I'm guessing they also only keep clips for something like 14 days though because my storage isn't full and clips only go back to 12/1. If there are particular clips you want to keep you can download them prior to deletion and then you can store them on your phone or computer to view later.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by kauriel

Yes each camera takes AA Lithium batteries. I think the storage is per account unless they aggregate it. Their website says "Blink’s server provides each system storage for up to 7,200 total seconds of video (or 1,440 five-second events). If you reach your storage limit, your oldest alert clips will be overwritten by the newest."

I'm guessing they also only keep clips for something like 14 days though because my storage isn't full and clips only go back to 12/1. If there are particular clips you want to keep you can download them prior to deletion and then you can store them on your phone or computer to view later.

Thanks for your info!

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[garysanfran]

During the last five days, my Arlos have recorded 5 events...All nicely packaged videos stored in the "library". These were videos of turkeys in the yard. The longest video lasted 1:45. All stored in my library, for I believe an unlimited time. I have an external hard drive hooked up for essentially unlimited storage. The cost per month for the Arlo?...Nada! Just need a wi-fi connection.

I had a neighbor test the system. HE stood about 100' away and spoke to me on his cell phone. My audio not only picked up his voice speaking on the phone, but I could hear my reply on his speaker phone.

I tried uploading a 45 sec. vid, but got an "invalid file" response from the Forum. They're MP4 files.

[bigdog]

WOW !!!!!

I had no idea when I opened this Thread what a hot topic it would be and the amount of responses !

Another question, based on everyone's responses...
Do any of these security cams have a audible alarm and strobe lights ?
These features would determine my purchase selection.

Thanks !

[kauriel]

Originally Posted by bigdog

WOW !!!!!

I had no idea when I opened this Thread what a hot topic it would be and the amount of responses !

Another question, based on everyone's responses...
Do any of these security cams have a audible alarm and strobe lights ?
These features would determine my purchase selection.

Thanks !

My hardwired ring spot light turns on motion light if motion is sensed and it has a siren option. I've never used siren feature and you might need to manually trigger it if you see an issue. I think the ring spotlight looks like just a regular spotlight so it isn't very obvious that it's also a camera. My blink cameras have a somewhat subtle but noticeable blue flashing light on them when recording so it's funny to see reactions when people turn around in our driveway and see the blue lights start blinking.

[The Real BigGuy]

Originally Posted by bigdog

WOW !!!!!

I had no idea when I opened this Thread what a hot topic it would be and the amount of responses !

Another question, based on everyone's responses...

Do any of these security cams have a audible alarm and strobe lights ?

These features would determine my purchase selection.

Thanks !

My son in law just put up Arlo Pro 2’s and they do have an audible alarm, which he tested by touching a icon on the Arlo app. Unfortunately, the sound comes from a speaker in the Arlo base/hub which is connected to the router which in this case is in the living room. The sound is loud & piercing to the point of it being painful at close range. (I know this because I was sitting 15 ft from the hub when it went off. Ouch!!!!)


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[stevemax001]

Look into the Arlo pro line, they are made for completely wireless indoor outdoor use, however if you don't come up but a few times a year to the property battery life could be an issue. Mine last roughly 3-4 months before needing a recharge. You can also buy and accessory that allows you to plug them in but if your going that route then just buy a wired set for cheaper. I have an outside came wireless a way from any electricity so I needed the wireless ability..

[loonguy]

We have used SimpliSafe for a couple of years with inside cameras, entry sensors, temperature sensors, water sensors, and 24/7 remote monitoring. SimpliSafe is now offering outdoor cameras and I plan on installing a couple in the near future.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by The Real BigGuy

I shoot, I’d give it a shot acting like it is the same location. (Who’s to say you don’t have a big house with separate routers?) Worst case they say “no,no” and you have to pay for 2.


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You must of been replying to someone else?... anyway, there is absolutely no charge from Nest for a second home on the same account. Standard “same house” camera fees apply to your second home...

Dan

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

You must of been replying to someone else?... anyway, there is absolutely no charge from Nest for a second home on the same account. Standard “same house” camera fees apply to your second home...

Dan

Verified -- I am running off same account for houses in both MA & Gilford.

[Slickcraft]

Originally Posted by Phantom

Verified -- I am running off same account for houses in both MA & Gilford.

My original question was about the future pricing which is "per home". I agree that with the current pricing you can have up to 3 locations on the same account. The current situation from the Nest support site :

You can have up to three homes in total in the Nest app at any given time. For instance, you can add a vacation home or your business as a second and third homes.
You can be the Owner of one or all homes in the app (such as your main residence and a vacation home).
You can be invited to access one or all homes in the app. When you accept an invitation from someone to access their Nest home, that home will automatically be added to the app.
Don’t assign Nest products to the same home in the app if they’re physically installed in different homes. This can cause problems with Home/Away Assist, which depends on your products being able to sense whether someone’s home.
If you need access to more than the total number of homes allowed in an account, you’ll need to sign into the Nest app with a different email address. You can sign in with as many different email addresses as you like. You can then create or accept invitations for up to three homes for each email address.

With the current pricing you pay by camera so Nest/Google does not really care where they are.

With the future pricing of $120 "per home" I suspect that Google may actually care where they are. It would be easy for Google to tell that a camera at a different IP address is not in the same "home". I'll have to wait and see.