Hello from the UK , would like some help choosing a camera

[doofus]

Hello everyone,

I live in the UK and want to buy a couple of cameras in order to monitor my summer house which we visit once a year. I bought some cheap cameras off of Amazon, but when I tried to setup one it asked me to "create an account" with someone (I have no idea who) and I did not like that, so I returned them.

Could anyone please suggest to me what camera might help me do this:

Install in the house with a power lead going to the camera so it is on all the time and does not need batteries.
Camera connects to the home WiFi, which is also on all the time, even when we are away for months.
I setup a local or remote server that the camera can connect to in order to upload photos and videos. Either a PC running in the house, or a PC running in some other house and the camera connects to either.
Camera can turn and has night vision.
I will have 3-4 cameras in the house.

If anyone could possibly make any suggestions I'd appreciate it.

 

[TonyR]

Welcome to IPCT !

Until you get some suggestions from forum members and if you haven't already done so, please read the Cliff Notes found in the Wiki at the top of the page.

More info needed:

• Are these to be strictly indoor cameras, outdoor or some of both?
• Is there any way to avoid using Wi-Fi? It is highly recommended to use wired (POE) instead.

 

[doofus]

Hi there,

By now I have read a whole "primer" to IP cameras, by Vivotek. I have also "researched" and bought two Reolink C2 Pro.

My idea so far is moulding like this:

-> 3-4 cameras in the summer house (but expensive at £100 each, so I bought only two so far).
-> wish to have extra cameras outside but wiring (eg POE) will be difficult as I will need to run wires on external walls etc
-> cameras all connect to home LAN, via WiFi most likely as there is only one router and no ethernet substructure
-> an old laptop running 24/7 and serving as a NVR / some type of server
-> a hole in the home firewall so I can access the "server" and the cameras remotely
-> the "server"/laptop will have some software running to inform me of the IP address when/if it changes (eg send an email), could also do DDNS or something
-> I download and use a superb client app, that can run on Windows and Android and iOS that will connect to the server and allow me to view/control the cameras

I have downloaded and am experimenting with a software called "iVideon" but am not sure what it does yet, will it work as my server/client ?
​

I am not expecting organised crime, it is a summer house, however I'd like to keep an eye on who goes in and out of the house, and the surrounds (eg cleaners, work men etc). I could have squatters for all I know.

What I did not like at all with the £30 cameras on ebay and Amazon, was that they provide their own servers (in some country) to which the cameras automatically upload videos, and then you connect remotely to those servers to retrieve your videos, your alerts etc. While this idea is fantastic for people that want to pay £30 and go, I wanted to have privacy and control over the feeds, and Reolink told me that their camera can connect to an FTP server of my choice.
This is where I am at the moment. Cameras should be here tomorrow. Got to have the system up and running before next week, then put everything in the suitcase and take it to the summer house.

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Seems you bought some junk again.

 

[looney2ns]

You are going down a path you WILL regret.

 

[RickHarley]

Nice to meet you friend!

 

[doofus]

Thank you

 

[SouthernYankee]

-----------------------------------------------
you have purchase junk.
-----------------------------------------------

My standard welcome to the forum message.

Please read the cliff notes and other items in the wiki. The wiki is in the blue bar at the top of the page.

Read How to Secure Your Network (Don't Get Hacked!) | IP Cam Talk in the wiki also.

Quick start
1) Use Dahua starlight cameras or Hikvision darkfighter cameras or ICPT Night eye cameras (Store | IP Cam Talk) if you need good low light cameras.
2) use a VPN to access home network (openVPN)
3) Do not use wifi cameras.
4) Do not use cloud storage
5) Do Not use uPNP, P2P, QR, do not open ports,
6) More megapixel is not necessarily better.
7) Avoid chinese hacked cameras (most ebay, amazon, aliexpress cameras(not all, but most))
8) Do not use reolink, ring, nest cameras (they are junk)
9) If possible use a turret camera , bullet collect spiders, dome collect dirt and reflect light (IR)
10) Use only solid copper, AWG 23 or 24 ethernet wire. , no CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum)
11) use a test mount to verify the camera mount location. My test rig: rev.2
12) (Looney2ns)If you want to be able to ID faces, don't mount cams higher than 8ft. You want to know who did it, not just what happened.
13) Use a router that has openVPN built in (Most ASUS, Some NetGear....)

Cameras to look at
IPC-HDW2231R-ZS
IPC-HDW5231-ZE
IPC-T5442TM-AS
IPCT-HDW5431RE-I
DS-2CD2325FWD-I

Read,study,plan before spending money ..... plan plan plan
Test do not guess

 

[RickHarley]

its a good advice thanks.