Wireless, Battery powered security camera

50Twuncle

that wrote: »

One workaround is to get a camera where in the firmware you can switch off the internal ir LEDs to stop internal reflections from the glass. Outside put one or two halogen type led lights with a proximity sensor (pir or microwave) on them to light up outside.

We already have some halogen LED lights - with infra red proximity sensors - but how to get the camera to sync to the lights coming on - that;s the problem

ballyblack

50Twuncle wrote: »

The Arlo - does it require a monthly subscription ?
How does it send mobile alerts ? via a SIM ?
Again - at what cost ?
There are so many potential pit falls in getting a security system set up and I want to make sure that I get it right - first time

I have arlo

it is reliable

no subscription

Alerts in the Arlo App on the mobile phone and email

1931modela

50Twuncle wrote: »

The Arlo - does it require a monthly subscription ?
How does it send mobile alerts ? via a SIM ? No sim required as it connects to your wireless network
Again - at what cost ? No Cost
There are so many potential pit falls in getting a security system set up and I want to make sure that I get it right - first time

I have 2 Arlo cameras set up, 1 front and 1 rear, they pick up movement and nosie if you wish to turn this feature on, you can set the area size for the camera to monitor, an alert is sent to your mobile phone and you can either play back the video or watch live, there is also a feature to allow you to have a conversation thru a speaker/mic in the camera.
I would say footage recorded is ok day and night but if your looking for a perfect image then maybe this is not for you.


I have just invested in a Ring doorbell, happy to tell you what that is like, but depends on what you are looking for.

arciere

Any battery-powered camera can't be 100% reliable, by definition.

Battery-powered cameras are fine (sort of) as long as you:

- Don't care if it runs out of battery and stops recording;
- Don't check it often (once a day for 5 seconds max?);
- Don't use a DVR/NVR that keeps communicating with it;
- Use it in a place/room that has no frequent movement;
- Can have absolutely no wires going to the camera (a simple network cable can provide both data and power)

1931modela

Arlo camera sends you a notification when battery gets down to 15% so ample time to recharge before it dies completely, mine last at least 3-4 months with motion set for when we are out, another feature you can activate is Geofencing which means cameras only work when you live the house. You can have them on all the time if you wish.

They do activate when cats/foxes come in the garden, but they also help when deliveries arrive as you can speak with the courier if you need package leaving somewhere safe etc

arciere

1931modela wrote: »

Arlo camera sends you a notification when battery gets down to 15% so ample time to recharge before it dies completely, mine last at least 3-4 months with motion set for when we are out, another feature you can activate is Geofencing which means cameras only work when you live the house. You can have them on all the time if you wish.

They do activate when cats/foxes come in the garden, but they also help when deliveries arrive as you can speak with the courier if you need package leaving somewhere safe etc

I am still convinced that with the same money, or even less, you can get a better quality camera without having to worry about replacing the battery or if you are watching the camera for longer than you should.
Some battery-powered cameras (not sure about Arlo) don't offer an ONVIF stream which is extremely useful, especially if you don't want your private footage to be uploaded to some cloud-based server.

A simple and cheap network cable can let you have a proper camera anywhere you like, even without power connections nearby.

Also, the quality isn't great either: try to zoom in on a 720p video.

that

50Twuncle wrote: »

We already have some halogen LED lights - with infra red proximity sensors - but how to get the camera to sync to the lights coming on - that;s the problem

Sync is not an issue. The cheap cameras do not detect movement per say, but often changes in light across say an invisible sheet of graph paper. The sensitivity is the number of squares on the paper that need to change in a set period before the software triggers.

So when the light comes on, the camera will say 'oh a change, so lets record', with movement and lights on the camera will still see changes and record, it will record the light going out too as the graph paper turns from light to dark

the cheapest, and one of the best cameras you can get - a mobile phone. Look at this, one of many phone camera motion apps, try the free ones first. I have not tried this software, and use google for more versions. https://mashtips.com/convert-android-motion-detector-camera/