I started a wordy reply and realized you would be better served by an existing web site (if you can stand the owner, fenderman, who can be off-putting): https://ipcamtalk.com/. Best to start on the wikki page: https://ipcamtalk.com/wiki/
Up front, you need to decide if you want a cloud-based system or one where you control the data on a local PC or NVR. Some of the cloud stuff is very cheap because you only buy the cameras and some of those are very low cost but still have usable imagery. But locating recorded imagery on some cloud systems is almost unusable. NVRs start around $100 (without hard drive) and up, basically same ballpark as bargain PCs these days. Some NVRs have POE ports to power cameras (over ethernet) directly from the NVR. Alternatively, you can use a software system, like Blue Iris, on a PC with a switch to connect the cameras and router. I recommend hard-wired cameras (vs Wi-Fi) whenever practical. Nearly all cameras work pretty well in daylight but night (IR) imagery is another matter, especially if there is movement. Cheap cameras need long exposure times at night so movement becomes a blur. Equipment from Reolink is cheap but I find night performance poor and autofocus on my older zoom cam was unusable. Zoom is only useful for framing the image; if a fixed focal length can will do the job you don't need zoom. Get turret-style cameras if possible. Avoid dome cameras; the camera sees backscatter from the IR illuminator at night. When the dome gets dirty this is really bad. I have been generally pleased with hardware from Dahua and there are OEM brands that use Dahua hardware with OEM software (like Amcrest and others). Look for US or international versions of equipment; i.e., avoid hacked Chinese domestic models that have patched software. For your situation a cloud-based system may be best (low initial cost and low power usage) if the online search/replay works well. I can't advise there. Many cameras are relatively smart and use a SD card to save (limited) video. You can access that camera's video remotely but this becomes cumbersome if you have more than a very few cameras. I don't have personal experience with this. The NVR approach records video as long as you have power. NVRs typically use much less power than computers. NVRs with POE ports provide a self-contained setup: all cams plug into the NVR and the NVR plugs into the router. Some NVR software is more user-friendly that others. Personally, I have about 12 cameras (mostly) powered by a POE switch and a dedicated PC running Blue Iris. In most regards this is overkill; there are many features I never learned to use. I have an Amcrest NVR (not POE) running Dahua software and that works well but it is not my primary system. My original plan was to hide this box somewhere to ensure a secure copy of recent imagery. Also have a Reolink 8-channel POE NVR that is marginal, IMO. The local monitor/mouse interface works fine but remote access is buggy and the remote application must be restarted often. Like many things, the answer depends, mostly on what you expect and how you plan to use it. -----Original Message----- From: Mercedes On Behalf Of Kaleb Striplin via Mercedes Sent: Sunday, February 6, 2022 12:27 PM To: Mercedes Discussion List <mercedes@okiebenz.com>; davesl...@okiebenz.com Cc: Kaleb Striplin <ka...@striplin.net> Subject: [MBZ] Security cameras I know we have talked about this before but does anyone have any recommendations for a dvr security camera system? I have been needing to get something and want one that I can monitor remotely. We were out of town for 10 days and got back we had about 10” of snow. Came home and had a bunch of footprints out around the cars, barn etc. Looked like people footprints at first but might be some sort of animal. If human, wind blowing might have made them look less human. Pics attached. Anyway would like something that can be used to keep track of things while I’m gone. _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
