looney2ns
IPCT Contributor
suspicious vehicle - looks like they wanted to steal my package
- Thread starter Philip Gonzales
- Start date
looney2ns
IPCT Contributor
J Sigmo
Known around here
- Feb 5, 2018
- 996
- 1,336
Yeah, @looney2ns, that's true. But I do understand the idea of a "gateway drug" in this sense. If people can hook something up really easy, at least they've got something. And as they have problems, maybe they'll ask around a bit and decide to go with something better because they've gotten used to how handy a cam system can be, and want to have something that really works. For most people, setting up a good system is technically beyond what they want to do or can do, and will cost more than what they're willing to spend. I'll bet a lot of folks start off with an Arlo or the like, and move on to the "harder stuff".
looney2ns
IPCT Contributor
I have saved several of my neighbors from falling into the $600 Arlo trap. 
- Nov 25, 2016
- 850
- 2,326
I completely agree. My own experience has been that a significant percentage of homeowners I know - probably the overwhelming majority - are absolutely incapable of installing and configuring a device like a PoE security camera. Even the relatively simple installation of a Ring or Nest camera over WiFi is a major struggle for them. And a custom system like the ones most of us are running? Forget it!
Many of my neighbors are (for the most part) trained professionals in their respective fields of expertise, but computers, networking, and security cameras are not those fields. On the other hand, most of them have the money to afford a Ring or Nest or Arlo, so the higher price is worth the tradeoff of buying something that they can manage on their own.
Having just one camera - even a mediocre camera - beats no camera at all. So while I fully understand the limitations of a Ring or Nest, or even a Wyze Cam, I will still wholeheartedly recommend them to people who ask about them. A few of my neighbors will eventually graduate to better systems, but for the others, having just that one camera is still preferable.
fenderman
Staff member
- Mar 9, 2014
- 36,892
- 21,408
Consider that for the amount of money they are paying for the ring, arlo, nest, (including monthly fees in perpetuity) that are subpar barely useless products for the most part, they can hire a professional to install a complete turnkey system. Only a complete sucker would buy ring nest wyze.
looney2ns
IPCT Contributor
Until something serious occurs, and they find their footage is useless....like so many Ring and such have had.
I see it all the time on facebook and Nextdoor.
My extremely hard headed daughter, bought a Nest setup, she had a couple them mounted outside watching the apartments parking lot which had a trailer with their motorcycle inside.....Parking lot is fairly well lit.... trailer was approx 90 ft from the cameras....their was no chance in hell they were able to ID the truck that stole the trailer, let alone the perps. Even tho it took the perps 15 minutes to get the lock off the trailer tongue and drive off. You could just barely tell that something happened. I got to play my fathers "I told you so card" yet again.
Your mileage may vary, simply pay separate shipping and handling fees.
- Nov 25, 2016
- 850
- 2,326
I see the same thing. But that doesn't mean the footage is useless. You know the exact time the crime occurred, and you have at least a rough description of the perps and any vehicles involved. It's enough information for your neighbors to check their own cameras, or to provide a warning to others about what / who to watch out for. "Some" footage is far better than "no" footage at all.
And let's face it - even if you've got a Dahua Starlight camera zoomed in right on the scene, it doesn't guarantee you'll get useful video. More and more prowlers use masks and hoodies. They know the cameras are watching them. Even a license plate will prove useless if it's a stolen car. (It's very common for criminals to go on a burglary / robbery spree before abandoning a stolen vehicle.)
When someone asks me, "How much did your camera system cost?", and I tell them, the sticker shock is often obvious. Not many people are willing to spend $1K to $2K (or more) for a really good system that may require professional installation (at least without some prior experience with security cameras), but they will consider paying $100 or $200 for a starter camera they can install themselves.
Some of those starter camera buyers will eventually upgrade to better systems, for the same reason I did: an incident occurs that makes you realize that improved video quality is worth paying for. But very few will go from nothing to a top-of-the-line custom installation at the outset. And others will never consider paying for a high-quality system, no matter what. For them, having just one camera is better than no camera at all.
I had nest and arlo. Luckily I was able to send back the arlo. Not a bad system but i think 24/7 recording is important (glad the wiki confirmed it). Nest being wireless was just inconsistent. I was forced to upgrade. I am in the process of playing perp around my property and I go back to the footage to see if I can ID myself or just to undersant the liminations of my setup. I think that this is a very important and very enlightening. Soon you realize where you need more cameras or make adjustments.
In the end we can only hope that our cameras will deter or discourage a perp. from doing anything, while capturing an image we can share with authorities.
Thoughts?
In the end we can only hope that our cameras will deter or discourage a perp. from doing anything, while capturing an image we can share with authorities.
Thoughts?