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Columbo

Columbo

Columbo

Soldato
Joined
26 Mar 2007
Posts
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Location
Nottinghamshire
So I'll be moving to a new house in a couple of weeks and would like some advice on the above.
Currently I've got 2 Blink Cameras and 1 Blink Doorbell + the sync module but I'm going to leave them here because frankly they have been nothing but disappointing.

- The battery life is awful on them all, I get around 25% of the advertised life max with 2x 2600mah eneloop batteries.
- The wifi coverage of the sync module is terrible, I have so many issues with dropped network I stopped counting
- The Blink app is next to useless and 'camera busy' message is the default state when trying to access live view, make changes or just answer the damn door.
- Doorbell notifications arrive minutes after its been pressed, yesterday's was 21 minutes actually
- The monthly sub is overpriced as hell vs what you get imo

So after a bit of research I'm in caught between either Ring or Eufy I think.
The appeal of Eufy is local storage, solar charging cameras and no sub but Ring seems to be pretty solid and has a lower upfront outlay and cheaper sub than Blink?

I've also looked at Tapo but the range seems pretty limited, any other I've not considered?
Thoughts would be great.
 
Reolink is often recommended here, so I'd say they were also worth a look.

Eufy also seems to get some good comments.

Ring people complain about the increase in subs pricing a lot.

In case you're not aware, there is also a big thread on CCTV here:

Spec me a CCTV System

It seems that I would need to create a business account with them first to see prices and to deal with me..? Do they only deal with trade..? No they’ve sold to some of my friends without issue but I’ve always told friends to not expect product guidance and configuration support from such...
forums.overclockers.co.uk forums.overclockers.co.uk
 
As I treat mine as a mild deterrent and something that can capture good images if the police can be bothered I have gone with Reolink video doorbell and Reolink 360 at the front and Tapo tracking cameras indoors on smart plugs that switch on when we leave.
The rear is a Tapo 360 tracking camera, with a standard Tapo camera above the rear door.
All have local storage and Wi-Fi

The doorbell quality outshines that of Ring imo, the Reolink 360 out front is half decent and the whole Tapo range for price and features are fantastic.
 
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+1 for Reolink cameras and POE; I put my system together in bits & pieces as budget allowed, but there are decent "All in one box" kits, depending on how many cameras you want.

I will recommend splurging on a decent staple gun and a big reel of solid copper core, outdoor rated Cat5E (at a minimum - Cat6 would be better). Avoid cheap, Copper Coated Aluminium (CCA). By the time I'd run cables from my study, to each top corner of my end of terrace house, I'd used over 200m.
The two cameras I upgraded and ran Cat6 to are definitely more responsive and PTZ controls are faster, compared to the two on Cat5.

Cameras are powered by my Yuanley 11 port Gigabit POE switch, which feeds into the Uniview NVR.

2x 10Tb drives gives me 24/7 continuous footage for just under 6 weeks (2 cameras record audio, the others dont.)

Each camera also has a Micro SD card inside, to quickly pull clips off the Reolink app, if I need to. Can view the cameras remotely either via the same app, or by logging in to the NVR if I need to search further than a couple of days.
 
aVdub said:
As I treat mine as a mild deterrent and something that can capture good images if the police can be bothered I have gone with Reolink video doorbell and Reolink 360 at the front and Tapo tracking cameras indoors on smart plugs that switch on when we leave.
The rear is a Tapo 360 tracking camera, with a standard Tapo camera above the rear door.
All have local storage and Wi-Fi

The doorbell quality outshines that of Ring imo, the Reolink 360 out front is half decent and the whole Tapo range for price and features are fantastic.
Click to expand...

I quite like that idea, have purchased mainly reolink PoE cameras for outside, but any indoor ones don't have a privacy lens. So being able to just switch them off automatically is a neat idea.
 
Semple said:
I quite like that idea, have purchased mainly reolink PoE cameras for outside, but any indoor ones don't have a privacy lens. So being able to just switch them off automatically is a neat idea.
Click to expand...
We have Wyze smartcams in the kids' bedrooms, aimed at their beds: allows me to check on them through the night without having to get out of my bed or disturb them. They have the same inherited bleeding disorder I have: spontaneous nosebleeds are common, so they can just sit up and call out quietly and the camera alert will wake me.
I'll have to rethink things as they get older and need more privacy - the tiny cameras are also great for monitoring when we have puppies/kittens.
 
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Reolink have now got a Home Hub, a bit like a basic DVR. It uses sd cards to record to and creates it's own wifi setup for the camera's, thus not using up IP addresses from the Internet hub within the house. Also will continue to record even if the Internet goes down.
reolink.com

Reolink Home Hub - Wireless Security Center With Encrypted Local Storage and Multi-Device Management | Reolink Official

Reolink Home Hub is a security center that supports adding up to 8 Reolink IP cameras, enables real-time live view and playback in high definition, up to 512GB×2 microSD card storage, Wi-Fi 6 & dual-band Wi-Fi network and exclusive data encryption.
reolink.com reolink.com
 
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