Home security cameras/doorbells advice

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landlord

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My head is currently spinning from looking through the vast array of options in this field.

I would appreciate any advice…

I’m thinking along the lines of a wired rather than battery power device. (Although it is impressive that some of these devices now can hold a one year battery).

Also looking for continuous video recording and continuous monitoring (rather than just motion activated), so I can have the 24/7 feed from the doorbell/cameras directly displayed on a spare iPad in the house.

Thinking perhaps of a wired doorbell and one or two cameras, perhaps one with a Motion activated spotlight.

Also preference would be to record onto a hard drive rather than paying for a subscription, however quite happy to pay a subscription if it’s definitely worthwhile. Thanks for any suggestions.
 
I have a Ring wired doorbell for the last 2 years. I find it great. I have Alexa devices throughout the house so it works for me. It records throughout the day as its mains wired.

I also added a ring camera to the front and back of the house. Both battery operated and only record when they detect motion given the battery would otherwise get eaten up much quicker.

I'd rather not pay subscriptions where i can. But i think it was 3 euro a month for one device or 9 a month for upto 5. Or i could pay €100 for the year for the multiple device option. I don't think you will find a doorbell that records to a hard drive or even an SD card. And again most things that go to an SD card will be motion activated so as to save memory.

I'm not sure whether running a constant stream to an ipad will work though. IOS unlikely to keep it up for power management. Might be better off with an Echo Show 8 or a basic firestick connected to a spare TV.

Bear in mind these devices are all consumer household and not really intented to replace dedicated CCTV and a constant live feed. And obviously reflected in the price of them.
 
peteb…. Thanks for the reply. Just wondering where you said it’s records all day because it is mains wired…

I assume you mean it records 24/7 or do you mean it only records when it’s motion activated?
If it records permanently then how long do you have access to this footage?
Also what is the quality like at night? I was concerned it might not be bright enough and instead I should go for a floodlight camera system? Thanks
 
Just to let you know what I have, its a Swann cctv unit. 4 wired/powered cameras go back to a central unit, that has a 1TB hard drive. motion or continuous recording can be set, and it can be shown on a dedicated monitor and via an app on my phone. You can stream the recordings up to the cloud, but I don't bother, just have it stored on the harddisk.

I think that would fit your requirements rather than a ring doorbell, as the requirements you are describing are essentially a cctv setup.

I paid around €400 in Harvey Normans and installed it myself over a day, but I do live in a bungalow, so was able to feed all wires through the attic.

Also, the cameras have infrared sensors so the nighttime recording is very good, although it seems most of the recordings are spiders building webs over the cameras. :)

Happy to answer any questions you have as I researched it a bit before settling on the system I have .
 
Buddyboy thanks for your reply. Would I be able to have a constant 24/7 view of all the cameras on an iPad?

What concerns me a little bit about the camera that would replace the doorbell camera is that it would have to be a lot higher up to avoid being ripped off the wall or blocked, A doorbell camera may provide better face on footage?

Is there a system like yours you could get which integrates with a doorbell camera as well? Thanks
 
landlord said:
What concerns me a little bit about the camera that would replace the doorbell camera is that it would have to be a lot higher up to avoid being ripped off the wall or blocked, A doorbell camera may provide better face on footage?
Click to expand...
A doorbell camera can be obscured or removed just as easily.

If going the CCTV route, RF Concepts (based in the North, so no customs issues) do a decent range, including the Hikvision stuff which is good, and their app is easy to use and gives you full remote access with no ongoing subscription costs.
 
Unifi make very nice networking equipment and cctv, all hosted on your own hardware, remote access, etc etc, but you would want to be into that kind of thing.

I have a unifi dream machine pro as main internet router and CCTV management tool, unifi doorbell, unifi cctv cameras and several of their access points for wifi around the house and switches for powering things via POE.
 
Hi Landlord, the answer to your first question is yes, you could have a dedicated ipad showing the feed from the cameras.
I don't think you can add a doorbell camera, but if you have a cctv camera, at least you would see, and record them ripping it off :) and as Leo said, a doorbell camera can be blocked or obscured as well. To be honest, I don't think it's a major issue, and maybe seeing cctv cameras would be a bigger deterrent in the first place.
I'd suggest you have a look at the swann website, there are some explanatory videos on it. https://www.swann.com/uk/

I only went with Swann as I had a voucher for Harvey Norman, and that was the range they carried. Leo and Blackrock1 suggest other ranges/manufacturers which would be as good. Depending on your skill level/DIY you might want to talk to someone regarding choice/installation etc. as it is a very big area with a lot of choice.
I you are going the cctv route, I'd suggest wired over wireless, mains powered over battery, and make sure you can route back to your router as that will be needed to send the feed to your ipad.
 
If you are wanting a 24/7 feed then this almost rules out battery cameras straight away. If they're recording constantly you will be looking at charging batteries on a monthly basis I would say.

One thing to consider is that I'm not sure whether many of the 24/7 feeds are setup so that they cane give you notifications whenvever motion is detected, where a lot of the motion detection cameras are able to record 24/7 if required.

The motion detection alerts are excellent, even to review on an infrequent basis as you might never notice anything amiss -, burgulary attempt, distubed trespasser etc where the notifications allow you to potentially respond immediately as well as drawing your attention to the event a lot easier than watching hours and hours of footage.

Also any infared camera will offer excellent night vision. You need to decide yourself whether you prefer this option or sensor lights which will draw attention to tresspasers etc.
 
Anybody else know if the basic CCTV systems like swans continuous recording devices have motion detection? Otherwise when looking for a particular event you could be looking for hours and hours. Thanks
 
landlord said:
Anybody else know if the basic CCTV systems like swans continuous recording devices have motion detection?
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That will vary from system to system, you'll need to review the specs of the recorder of any system you're considering. Generally though, for systems with motion detection and continuous recording options, you get to chose to record continuously, or to record only when motion is detected. When recoding continuously, you will not have a way to determine when it might have detected motion.

Motion detection can be pretty sensitive, and in any decent system will be good enough so you don't have to record 24/7.
 
The way I have my system set up is to record when motion is detected, and of course you can view the cameras at all times. I just had a look at the Swann manual. You can set the system up to record continuously, and it will also take "snapshots" when motion is detected. So you can view the whole playback, or go to the snapshots and see when motion occurred, and then go that area of the video to watch it.
 
Buddyboy and Leo thanks again…..
Buddyboy I like the idea of recording continuously with snapshots as motion is detected. Do the snapshots give a timestamp so you can look through the footage to find the correct time?
 
Buddyboy is this system you’re talking about a DVR or NVR system? What is the resolution of your camera?
 
So I think I have decided to go for a NVR rather than DVR system as they seem to have higher resolution cameras and less complex installation.
I have looked at loads of reviews and think I will go for this (5mp option)…
reolink.com

Reolink RLK8-410B4 - Smart 8-CH PoE NVR System with 4 Cams | Reolink Official

5MP/4MP HD PoE security camera system that includes an 8-channel NVR with 2TB HDD, and 4 smart cameras for 24/7 recording. The system features person/vehicle detection, simple operation, and easy playback.
reolink.com reolink.com
Any thoughts ?
I can upgrade to person and car identification for an extra €40, but the reviews for this particular bit of software are awful.
I can also upgrade from 5mp cameras to 8 mp cameras for another €60……might consider this?
 
I settled on this in the end and went for the extra person and vehicle detection. Hopefully the issues regarding this specific feature are just software related and can be sorted.

m.reolink.com

RLK8-820D4-A | 4K NVR Camera System for Small Business | Reolink Official

A great 4K 8MP PoE security camera system for business or home. It comes with 4 dome cameras and a 2TB 8 channel NVR for 24/7 recording, featuring person/vehicle detection, audio recording, etc.
m.reolink.com m.reolink.com

Just over €600. I hope it’s worthwhile
 
Hi Landlord,
looks like a good system, and reasonably priced. I have a DVR system, but it is a few years old. Were I to buy one today, I'd go for a NVR.
Have fun installing it.
 
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