Seeking suggestions from the hive mind on the best product for a slightly unique situation - please bear with the long-winded explanation:
My great-aunt lives in a multi-unit complex. She is a keen gardener, and is growing her favourite variety of flowers. The driveway side of her unit is the only location that suits these plant's requirements for sun, so she is growing them in pots outside her front door. The problem is - somebody keeps picking the flowers just as they start to bloom.
Her main living area is at the back of the unit so she never catches anyone red-handed. And she doesn't want to make wild accusations without knowing who the culprits are, given how closely they all live together. Which is all to say that she wants a security camera near her garage and front door to keep an eye on the flowers.
Now the technical parts:
- The geometry of her front door means that a doorbell camera (which would be the most discrete and useful option) isn't really an option. There's nowhere sensible to mount it that would look the correct direction. So I'm thinking a little camera on the soffit above the garage door, looking towards the front door (and flowerpots).
- The unit is a rental and drilling lots of holes to run cables or fix cameras in place is probably not an option. So I expect we'll need an adhesive or magnetic mount, a solar panel for power, and SD card for storage.
- She doesn't have a router - she uses her phone for emails, and runs a hotspot for her laptop on the rare occasion she needs it. However, I can easily supply a basic router for WiFi, even if it's not connected to the internet, just so she can review the footage.
So, what camera should I use? A lot of options are eliminated by the weird arrangement. And I don't want to spend $500 on flower security.
Currently my preferred option is a Reolink Argus 3 with solar panel, but I'm open to alternatives. Any thoughts?
Have you thought about placing a grenade in a pot plant and then tying a flower to the pin and covering the grenade with potting mix?