Looking to get security cameras for the home - something I can just leave out front and in the garden long term.
Wondering if anyone has had any experience with particular products/any recommendations?
Have been looking at this: https://www.harveynorman.com.au/arlo-pro-2-vms4330-3-camera-…
Cheers!
Thanks mate, really appreciate it! Sounds promising. Quick dumb question re: internet connection - is that just for checking/streaming the camera feed? Or a continuous bandwidth eating?
Pleasure is all mine mate. No only when checking/streaming the camera feed, all other times Im sure it may pinch some bandwidth here and there but very negligible according to my router.
One thing I should've pointed out (OZB sacrilege!) is that you can live stream at anytime for free but it is a cloud based subscription service for older videos. $4 per month or $40 per year. Up to you whether you use it, Ive had the doorbell for over a year and still don't have it. Everytime I've added units i get another month so used that, all other times I've had the free service and its worked fine for us with the odd exception. Occasionally get tempted but across 6 devices my subscription would be $150 per year.
Not sure if Arlo have this but could be a deal breaker for some, something to consider
Do you use Google Home or Amazon Alexa? Ring integration with Google is lets say, very average….. I can't ask Google Home to show the doorbell (Ring-1 I think) but both Google and Alexa can show all my Arlo-2 cameras. I think the Ring 2 or Pro works better but for me that was the reason not to use Ring, it's owned by Amazon and I don't want to be locked in. Arlo works with both Google and Alexa and a free subscription for up to 5 cameras. Also, you can link the Arlo cams, lights and doorbell(s) to react on each other. Google "Arlo CES 2019" and you'll see a lot more good stuff from them is coming.
[edit] Question and reaction are for OP. Sorry, it ended up at the wrong place.
I have a 2-camera kit original Arlo and have been very happy with it for the past couple of years. These are ideal when you have an established home with no wiring in place. I picked up the same kit you linked @ $699 @ JB who price matched TGG at Boxing Day sales. I haven’t installed it yet as I’m waiting for a shipment of actual sturdy metal mounts (third party - I already have two mounts for the original) I’ve purchased for them. The Pro 2 will give you higher resolution as well as audio. The higher resolution as well as the slightly improved viewing angle are big pluses to me. Not to mention, the battery format is better over the Arlo as the originals required 4x CR123A and finding decent rechargeables were annoying, so that’s an improvement as far as convenience is concerned.
The other thing that I like is that Netgear supply a good free service for cloud storage which I prefer over local (good reliable internet helps) storage which suits me just fine. You can pay for other plans for more features if you prefer.
Overall, I am quite happy with the original and I know I’ll get improvements with the Arlo Pro 2. I’ll be reusing the older cameras in other areas of my house so my coverage will improve and intend to place these new cams at critical high traffic spots. The setup is super easy, even my parents who aren’t well versed with techy related things, were able to set it all up without my help.
I would recommend getting screw mounts for placements that may be susceptible to theft or disruption. So I have the screw mounts for these. In addition, placement is also important. I have two at front watching each other. And now that I’ve got more, the only way someone is going to tamper with these cams undetected is to parachute in on the roof. LOL.
Final edit: There are plenty of reviews online so I suggest you take your time reading them. There are also a lot of YouTube content of sample videos for night and day footage to also assist you with your decision making.
Thanks that's heaps helpful! Will use that as a rough price benchmark and check out the reviews.
My pleasure. I hope you find a suitable solution!
I'm using Reolink Argus Pro, for the price of Arlo 2 you'll have 6 Argus Pro with solar panels. It works well, picture at 1080P. Notifications are almost automatic (phone connected to same network) once it detects motion. I ordered another 2 but this time the newer Argus 2 (has better night mode than Argus Pro). Hope this helps.
Cheers this is promising. Can I ask - does every cam have to have a MicroSD? I see they don't do cloud storage yet for us.
Yes as a backup, it only saves the triggered events. This cameras have micro sd cards supported up to 64gb. For now Reolink have Beta Cloud storage. I'm using the cloud right now for free. They'll have it this year I think as Basic cloud storage for free.
I know this thieves are smart now but what I did most of the walkways e.g. going to main panel board for electricity have solar security lights.
Try installing a couple of solar security lights as a backup if thieves plan to cut the power and internet.
It won't be a 24 hour recording of the property but at least it will help slow down these thieves once they see these cameras/solar security lights.
Perfect. Thanks again for your help
Mate, their website shows that the cloud storage is only available in US currently,how could you use it in Australia?
Just register, I managed to get the cloud storage (Beta version). Once you register ypur product for two year warranty you can setup cloud storage.
Get a 8, 16 or 32 channel CCTV for real-time surveillance.
All the recommended cameras here are useless.
Thieves and home invaders are not dumb.
They plan ahead.
In the middle of the night they turned off mains power from meter box.
They also cut the coax cable internet line,
thus rendering all my cameras useless.
This is sad. I have the cameras and the old style PIRs with BTB monitoring. But no security system is going to be enough if someone has made up their mind. It is just a deterrent and to just give us a false sense of security.
This is why my router, modem and Arlo base station are all on a UPS (they use so little power the battery would easily surpass 4+ hours of operation) and there's an approved padlock on my meter box plus an Arlo camera pointing right at it.
Or they could wear a mask, even if they didn't. Cops would look at the pic and say, thats nice, talk to your insurance company :)
They could do a lot of things. They could show up with a an oxy torch, wearing masks, latex gloves and sunglasses on a moonless night. There is no foolproof solution but at least it goes a fair towards dissuading some of the opportunistic vultures in our society. Not all of them though ;)
@chartparker: Just get a fake camera dome and home and content insurance lol
But always good to have the cam to check if postie doing a good job delivering the parcels.
It's still not good enough if you don't have 4G backup, because thief can and will cut off ADSL cable, cable internet cable, or NBN cable.
I'm on wireless internet. They'd either have to shoot off my dish discreetly or climb onto the second story roof without alerting next door's highly aggressive German Shepard and avoid external cameras or take out the ISP or their backhaul. If they can do any of those things quite frankly they deserve to steal my stuff.
Also you must be fun at parties.
the best ones are hikvision, used on commercial sites and affordable - many have them at homes
high quality night vision and excellent day
POE to a nvr eg 8 channel - then NVR to modem for app and remote access
those from bunnings and harvey - poor quality and cheapies
only thing is hikvision is partly owned by chinese govt, so some theories there
i have them at my business and home and twice provided street footage to police and they impressed with night quality
Hikvision also have a consumer line called HiLook that is similiar in quality but for a consumer market.
How about getting something like this
https://shop.ring.com/products/spotlight-cam-solar
No wiring, about $3/month cloud recording.
If you're just looking for a basic setup for general safety / security (and no so much to deter wanton / experienced burglars), you will be hard pressed to find better value than this:
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Wireless-HD-1080P-Outdoor-Solar-…
I have one of these along with an internal camera, to keep a general eye on things / neighbours / etc. They don't have Alexa/Google integration and the cloud storage isn't free, but just add 32GB SD card for $15-20, and you can store plenty of motion-detected video / images.
At under $100, it's a fraction of the price of the branded units. The Ring doorbell is pretty nice, but the subscription cost and the high rate of units being reported stolen put me off buying it.
Hi, on the same topic, which outdoor (IP66 / Waterproof) IP camera would work with the Mi App (Xiaomi Eco System)? I see many Xiaomi/Aqara models, but all for indoor use…Thanks!
My recommendation would be for the Ring stable of products suitable for your particular requirements (Security Cam or Spotlight Cam - Wired or Wireless options available). I went Doorbell and floodlights around my entire property which work brilliantly
Lots of features and easy to use and most importantly 1080p, interface is like the IOS version of security cams - well built and easy to use.
https://au-en.ring.com/
They sell them at Bunnings/Officeworks etc and if you are patient, you can pick them up cheap during random sales as I did. At your price point you could pick up about 4 units and cover off your entire house, could even throw the doorbell in there as well. This is my personal experience, just decked out the house and even the Mrs loves using it.
One disclaimer is that this is dependant on your internet connection though, will definitely need 1MB down for it to be effective
Arlo also gets good reviews though so would be a safe bet. Good luck!