Outside Security Cameras

[James & Zelma Litzmann]

I am trying to decide which outside camera system to go with, does anyone have any recommendations. We have looked at Arlo Pro, Arlo Pro2, Night Owl, Swann, etc., help please.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Amcrest makes a system that you can view remotely. I just yesterday caught the guy who took the mirror off my jeep thanks to this system. Their free app lets you view remotely on Apple and Android devices. I can be anywhere in the world and see my cameras. It gives me peace of mind.

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Edit: yes, that is how we park downtown. They were working on the road and he got diverted so I will cut him some slack. Locals know not to come up my hill in anything too big.

[Mark Carlson]

I'm using Arlos. I have an original Arlo, and Arlo Pro and a couple of the newer Arlo Pro 2's. Oh and an Arlo Q for inside. My 1st camera's were Foscam IP camera's. The Foscams were really hard to get working on my network. Not to mention I was limited in where I could place them given the need for power and wifi signal. The Arlo works better for me. Battery operated so I can place them anywhere on my property, within range of the Arlo base station. My house is pretty big and I can place camera's all around the property without an issue. Some pros, wireless, batteries last 4 months before recharging on average, free 7 day cloud storage for video clips (up to 5 cameras), a lot of additional features if I want to pay for them, like continuous recording or AI recognition. Some downsides, expensive, motion detection on earlier models wasnt great if person was walking directly at camera.

[Jim Koepke]

I just yesterday caught the guy who took the mirror off my jeep thanks to this system.

Were you able to get your mirror back or file with the police to prosecute?

jtk

[Derek Meyer]

At work we use Vivotek cameras that tie into a server running the Exacqvision software. It's expensive but works really well, especially for 60 cameras.

For home, I plan on using Trendnet cameras and the BlueIris software. I've set up systems from Amcrest and Lorex but didn't care for either one. I've also used the free software from Trendnet, which isn't terrible but BlueIris is much better.

[John Goodin]

I have two neighbors with Arlo products and they both love them. One has the cameras in his front yard just to catch the wildlife that wanders out of the canyon in the middle of the night. Costco sells them.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Were you able to get your mirror back or file with the police to prosecute?

jtk

The police here don't care about this kind of thing. They will take notes and never follow through. The guy had no tags. I tracked him down myself and am requesting the cost of the mirror plus shipping, which was $64 through Rock Auto.

[John K Jordan]

Edit: yes, that is how we park downtown. They were working on the road and he got diverted so I will cut him some slack. Locals know not to come up my hill in anything too big.

I just got back from roaming around through the Italian countryside and villages. Wow, your streets look like freeways compared to a bunch I drove through!

I've had a Night Owl 4-camera system inside and outside my shop for years, worked well and I could view the cameras from anywhere in the world that had WiFi. (Note: the cameras are all wired, NOT WiFi.) However, a recent lightning-induced power surge caused a problem it out so I'm looking for another. The outdoor cameras on these cheap systems are OK but I get better images by substituting these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008VLMI6O

These cameras did pull more current than the small, cheaper cameras so I did have to run better cabling for power than came with the Night Owl.

JKJ

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I just got back from roaming around through the Italian countryside and villages. Wow, your streets look like freeways compared to a bunch I drove through!

I've had a Night Owl 4-camera system inside and outside my shop for years, worked well and I could view the cameras from anywhere in the world that had WiFi. (Note: the cameras are all wired, NOT WiFi.) However, a recent lightning-induced power surge caused a problem it out so I'm looking for another. The outdoor cameras on these cheap systems are OK but I get better images by substituting these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008VLMI6O

These cameras did pull more current than the small, cheaper cameras so I did have to run better cabling for power than came with the Night Owl.

JKJ

I hiked throughout Italy- beautiful country. I would not want to drive in most of the cities- large or small. My wife will be hiking the Via Francegina in January.

[Jerome Stanek]

I just got an email from Harbor Freight that had a 4 camera unit that has a 1 terabyte dvd and you can access it from your cell or tablet for $220. You can add 4 more cameras to it also

[James & Zelma Litzmann]

There are so many different choices, with so many different variences, it is hard to compare apples to oranges unless you are sure what you are looking to buy. Right now, I don't know enough about them to make an educated decision, more research or just dive in and see where we land. I like the Arlo, but we live in a metal building right now and I am not sure they will work in here, or should I say out of here. Thank you guys for all your help, I think I am going to keep doing a little research for now but I will let you know what we decide.

Zelma : )

[glenn bradley]

The Arlo product has been working well for my for some time. Their geo-fencing does not work with multiple phones. From the knowledge base and tech support it is obvious they know this and are never going to fix it. Other than that they have been fine. Good battery life, easy to mount with a 1/4 x 20 threaded port in the rear. Images are clear, motion detection is very adjustable, requires good wireless coverage and like many consumer wireless products, they are only as secure as you make them.