I want a WiFi connect camera to put in our living room where it will view most of the room and the back entrance door. All I want it to do is record video upon motion detection, (either to an SD card or my PC HD) send me a notice there has been motion detected and allow me to look at it remotely via my phone. I could forgo the push notices as long as I can simply go to a phone app and see what the camera is currently seeing at anytime, motion or not.

I'd like to be able to do this without monthly fees.

There are so many options out there... I'm lost.

See the thread I just created

When you make your selection just know that inexpensive & quality images don't always go together. If you are looking for good facial recognition you should look for camera's that has 1080p, 720p is 'okay' but depending on your need may or may not fill the bill.

All that said there are some good camera's or systems out there with 1080p but it takes some research to find them. A simple Google search will turn up a lot of choices.

The good cams tend to not be wifi. I went the PoE route and spent time wiring cat5e and im happy. I understand if that cant be done.

Will it be dark during viewing? Night performance is a big factor. Daytime or fully lit room is easier

I did buy one wifi cam, its a Foscam, and I cannot recommend it.

Maybe try Dahaul or Hikvision. Dunno. But expect to pay at least $90, or you are likely getting junk.

But if you just want to see if someone is there without seeing facial details, then maybe junk is ok.

We use the Nest system.
Indoor and out.

quote:

Originally posted by ryan81986:

quote:

Originally posted by ryan81986:
See the thread I just created

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...0601935/m/5910034824

Thanks for that ryan. A pretty good option.

I just got a cheap Amcrest to fool with different software before embarking on spending more money on cameras.
I am very surprised at how good it is for the money.
If you are just using 1 camera there is no monthly fee.
https://amcrest.com/amcrest-72...ty-ip-camera-pt.html

Email and push notifications are free and easy to setup. Got it all setup yesterday using the Amcrest app. I am now fooling with other programs so I don't have to use just amcrest cams.
Damn, spider crawled on the lens at 3am waking me up!

Samsung day image was good, never used night vision. Easy.

Arlo Q camera:

Arlo Q 1080p HD Security Camera with Audio (VMC3040) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017..._r_api_42aIzbA2VRMSF

It plugs in to wall power but data transfer is over your existing Wifi network, it does not need a special hub like some wireless cameras. It has a very good free app with lots of setup options for motion, email alerts, time of day, etc. You can connect up to 5 cameras on the same account for free. It stores all videos in the cloud which you can access from your smartphone app or any computer to download and save a local copy. It stores the last 7 days of video for free and then overwrites the oldest day. More storage comes with a monthly fee, I've never needed more than 7 days and have been very pleased with mine. I plan to add a couple more.

The more expensive Arlo Q Plus does have an SD slot for local storage:
Arlo Q Plus - 1080p HD Security Camera with two-way Audio - Free Cloud Storage - Ethernet and PoE (VMC3040S) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D..._r_api_a-aIzb5DXDVGS

Arlo pro is good and I think it has all the features you were looking for, it even has the speak and hear through the cam itself or smartphone. You can check online for more details. Only downside is the cloud storage. But it has a USB port for local storage option.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: JakiHere,

The Nest and Arlo get good reviews from a friend who owns both. The cloud storage fees are a drawback.
However...the Yi cameras get really good reviews at B&H Photo/Video.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c...i_home_camera_2.html
That is the newest version.
I spent time and read all the reviews at B&H and on Amazon. Probably going this route as an addition to wired external cameras.

I would look at the Reolink Argus 100% Wire-Free Battery-Powered Indoor/Outdoor 1080p HD Wireless Home Security IP Camera with Night Vision if you want completely wireless, or the Reolink C2 Pan/Tilt 3X Optical Zoom 2.4/5GHz Dual Band Wi-Fi Security IP Camera with Adaptor, 4MP, Black if wired power is ok and it's indoor only.

$100 each. Local SD card storage. (Not included.) No cloud storage. Downside is the only apps are for mobile devices, so you can't view them from a computer.

I am going to buy one of the two, myself, and give it a spin. Maybe one of each, as I'm thinking a pair of Argus' outdoors and one or two C2s indoors.

If you go with the Argus, you'll probably eventually want good 16340 batteries and a charger, I'm thinking.

Thanks gents. I've gone with an Amcrest 1080P wireless camera. So far, it's doing everything I need. I'm not using the Cloud storage, even the little bit of free space they give you. I just put in the largest SD card it would accept. 32gb as I recall which is giving me plenty of space for what I want. Nice wide angle, reasonable video quality and decent night vision. It was about $90.

quote:

Originally posted by NavyGuy:
Thanks gents. I've gone with an Amcrest 1080P wireless camera. So far, it's doing everything I need. I'm not using the Cloud storage, even the little bit of free space they give you. I just put in the largest SD card it would accept. 32gb as I recall which is giving me plenty of space for what I want. Nice wide angle, reasonable video quality and decent night vision. It was about $90.

I have had my Amcrest cam up and running for about 2 months now and am very pleased with the quality for the location. I wish they offered a verifocal model as I am going to place a couple high up on the 2nd floor so I will need some zoom.

Their software is a bit cumbersome as to get the full use of the thing with remote viewing, alerts, cloud storage, and PC recording you have to run 3 separate programs plus a monthly fee and are stuck with Amcrest and Foscam units. Plus the mobile app never seemed to work right. You always had to reset the app and could not leave it running or it would not find your live video feed. Alerts to view the clips remotely were always hours behind.
I could never figure out how to pull the video on the SD card remotely

I am now using Blue Iris to control my cams, view remotely send alerts, and record on the PC.
Very nice setup took a bit to learn and get everything running the way I wnted but $55 for the PC software and $10 for the mobile app I am very happy.

I'll be starting to add more cameras here as the money comes along.

The only issue I've had is sometimes with no motion detection schedule active, it will continue to detect and record motion, and send immediate push notices to my phone. This is a PITA if we're home and walking around. My phone will constantly sound the notices. After turning it on and off through the app several times this will stop.

I have 4 Amcrest cameras. The indoor one works to send me notices of movement and records for one hour for free on the sellers cloud. It is 1080 and has been in service 2 Years. I have been able to watch my house from Mexico on my iPad.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...ilpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1