Wireless security camera options

[Skrilla]

Just wondering what everyone uses for security cameras. Would like to put 2 out front and 2 out back, wireless. Been scouring Amazon, but reviews seem mixed on most I have looked at. Anyone have a good option to look into?

[Mitsu3000gt]

See this thread: https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/408...highlight=wyze

Coles notes is just buy Wyze Cams. They have an outdoor version coming this year too, and even the indoor ones have outdoor housings you can buy. They are absurdly cheap ($37), free cloud service, great quality, and an extremely polished app/eco system. They even come with mounting hardware.

[Chandler_Racing]

^ Price points matter.

I would spend a bit more personally on the Blink XT setup. I have 5 at my house and they had been rock solid.

Really long battery life (all 5 still going after 1 + year), good quality, stylish, good picture, operate decent in extreme cold (could still use them in -30C).

It's awesome to be able to say "Alexa show me the garage camera" and a live feed pops up on your device or screen of choice.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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^ Price points matter.

I would spend a bit more personally on the Blink XT setup. I have 5 at my house and they had been rock solid.

Really long battery life (all 5 still going after 1 + year), good quality, stylish, good picture, operate decent in extreme cold (could still use them in -30C).

It's awesome to be able to say "Alexa show me the garage camera" and a live feed pops up on your device or screen of choice.

I don't think I understand your price point comment, but Wyze cams also work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa and do everything you listed except for having batteries to replace. You can also link Wyze cams to door/window sensors which is cool.

The battery life on the Blink system depends on how many "incidents" it captures, so that will be different for everyone. In a low traffic area battery life will be better.

The biggest problem with Blink cameras is you can't record continuously, which makes them a non-starter for many people looking for security cameras - that is how they keep serviceable battery life (same as most other wireless systems). Lots of people on forums complained about range and battery life when I was doing research on the Blink system but it sounds like you've had better luck.

What's your experience with the Wyze cams?

[Kijho]

None of the wireless cams are good especially at $250+

Wyze remains the best bang for buck.

[G-ZUS]

Why not go wired? Lorex's systems are awesome. Super easy to install as well

[sabad66]

What's your budget? If up to the $1000 range, i would go Lorex PoE. Costco usually has deals every once in a while for a full kit.

For lower budget, I'm really happy with my 2x Wyze cameras (+ sensors kit) + Nest Hello doorbell cam. Like Mitsu mentioned, the outdoor versions are coming later in 2019 and i'll definitely be grabbing one of those for my back yard.

[Chandler_Racing]

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I don't think I understand your price point comment, but Wyze cams also work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa and do everything you listed except for having batteries to replace. You can also link Wyze cams to door/window sensors which is cool.

Wyze is a low cost solution if you want to spend as little as possible they are hard to beat. I purchased one and was not a fan as they're bulky and not very pleasing to the eye. I also heard they were not very good outdoors which is where all but one of my 2 of my cameras are.

Incidents on the blink cameras are a function of alarm schedules, retrigger time, sensitivity, clip length, quality etc. You're right that you can't continuously record but can set a retrigger time of 10 seconds which was good enough for me.

Really my only complaint is the mounting hardware is not great if you want to do so on non standard positions.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Wyze is a low cost solution if you want to spend as little as possible they are hard to beat. I purchased one and was not a fan as they're bulky and not very pleasing to the eye. I also heard they were not very good outdoors which is where all but one of my 2 of my cameras are.

Incidents on the blink cameras are a function of alarm schedules, retrigger time, sensitivity, clip length, quality etc. You're right that you can't continuously record but can set a retrigger time of 10 seconds which was good enough for me.

Really my only complaint is the mounting hardware is not great if you want to do so on non standard positions.

They are cheap no doubt, but they offer everything that the $100-200+ cameras offer and in some cases more. The quality and feature set are not reflected by the price, looking at the competition under $250 or so. Image quality is as good as anything else I have seen save for the Nest which gets Google's proprietary HDR algorithms which are really nice for the high contrast situations security cams often run into. I'd be surprised if any of these cameras we're talking about cost more than a few dollars to make anyway. Wyze also has a more polished app than a lot of the other cams out there which is one of the biggest draws to it IMO - I have owned those crappy dome-style IP cameras in the past and they were just awful. The major brands have decent apps though for the most part.

The Wyze cams are a tiny 2" square which is significantly smaller than the Blink XT's so I disagree they are bulky. The Blinks are slightly thinner front to back, but have a greater overall volume/bulk in addition to being taller and wider. Aesthetics are subjective, I like the matte white but I can appreciate that they don't fit everyone's decor. Wyze has sold black cameras in the past but to my knowledge they were a limited run - you can also buy wraps/skins for Wyze Cams which allow virtually any color combination you want for a few dollars.

Wyze cams work outdoors just fine if you keep them dry, even all February long where it was -25 almost every day, and that is without an outdoor housing with just the overhang of the house to protect it. If it's going to be fully exposed to the elements though you would need a housing which runs you about $12 a piece, raising the cost to around $50/camera. Their outdoor model is coming out before year end which will presumably cost $10-20 more and obviously not require a housing.

I was willing to spend $200+ per camera (I was going to buy a bunch of Nests until I saw I'd be paying ~25/mo for cloud service) and ended up with multiple Wyze cams. I wasn't really getting anything more with the $200 cameras except having to pay for cloud service and dealing with a bulkier unit that was more difficult to mount. Also for me, since I use them for security purposes, continuous recording was a must. Those $1000+ systems from Costco are better than both the Wyze and the Blinks, but they are a whole different ball game in terms of installation, price and size.

If your only complaints with the Wyze were aesthetics, I'd suggest just spending a few dollars on a skin for them and you will have far more options than white/black to help them blend in.

[The_Penguin]

Wyze are definitely good for the money. If you want to DIY a better system with 3rd party software (Blue Iris, Zoneminder, etc.), Hikvision and Dahua have some really good quality cameras, if you do your homework you can get them in the $80-120 range.
I have a bunch of 6-year-old Hikvision 2CD2032 bullet cams and they're still doing very well. These get re-branded as Trendnet, Swan etc. and sold for up to $160.00 I think I paid $80 for most of mine. I have 2 new Dahua Starlight destined to mount in the driveway once I find someone to crawl through my garage attic. T low light capabilities of these are amazing. All wired POE, 'cept for the Hikvision cube at my Mom's place and it's surprisingly reliable on Wifi.

[Skrilla]

Ordered the Wyze units, thanks for the help!

[nzwasp]

Are there any outdoor wireless cameras that are affordable and have their own power source either solar with a battery or battery powered, I want to install some but the rear of my house only has the two deck power outlets and I dont really want to run a permanent extension cord off one of them.

[98type_r]

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wireless, affordable, their own power source

you can only pick 2/3

We have a mix of Arlo (Pro) and Wyze cams on the exterior. Arlo on battery power from a higher angle (harder to steal, in theory), Wyze cams plugged in at lower angles to record faces.

[nzwasp]

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you can only pick 2/3

We have a mix of Arlo (Pro) and Wyze cams on the exterior. Arlo on battery power from a higher angle (harder to steal, in theory), Wyze cams plugged in at lower angles to record faces.

Well I have a wyze in my garage so I'll move it to my exterior and see how that goes, I just bought a solar powered with battery camera online from some chinese website to see what thats like and I will attach it to my greenhouse to look down the street (am on the corner).

Those arlo's seem to have mixed reviews on costco...

[98type_r]

Arlo isn't great, but it checked most of the boxes for us.
The big thing is anything colder than -20 they stop working altogether, even if plugged in to permanent power.

[3drian]

Some great info on this thread, im currently looking to install cameras or a security system. Lethbridge is currently kinda crazy.
Anyone have any info or experience with Telus Smarthome Security?

[dj_rice]

Bumping this up. I have Vivint but they wont hook me up with outdoor cameras free so I'll install my own.

Currently using a Eufy 2K Pan/Tilt for indoor camera and love the quality and ease of use. But def not as cheap as Wyze, And we still cant get Wyze 3 in Canada yet. Thinking of getting the Eufy Cam2Pro for outside as I'd like to stick with just 1 brand so I dont have too many apps controlling multiple cameras. Or is Wyze still the go to

[Darell_n]

Vivint will want to charge you extra each month for the cameras. Yes, you can install them yourself but they are cloud based so Vivint needs to add them to your account.

[dj_rice]

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Vivint will want to charge you extra each month for the cameras. Yes, you can install them yourself but they are cloud based so Vivint needs to add them to your account.

I'll be bypassing Vivint and installing my own 3rd party stuff?

[Darell_n]

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I'll be bypassing Vivint and installing my own 3rd party stuff?

Oh, I read too quickly. I thought you were installing cameras yourself to work with Vivint.