Home cameras/doorbell

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I’ve been looking at home camera/doorbell systems, such as Ring, Nest, Arlo… (outdoor cameras, maybe 1 indoor).
I don’t want a whole security system (sensors, monitoring, etc) because that just gets too expensive. I don’t want to interface with Alexa, etc.

I’d be interested in anyone’s experience with the different brands of home cameras. I’ve also heard some mention of Wyze, but I haven’t looked at that just yet.

Thanks in advance for your input!

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Things to watch for:
Does it require a monthly subscription (some do and some only if you want to retain video for a longer period)?
Does it require a hub (most now don’t)?
Do they run on battery or require power? I’m surprised how many cameras require AC power. Most places you want to put a camera do not have AC power nearby.
Are they indoor / outdoor or indoor only?
You will need a smart phone for the app in order to receive alerts and view video.

I’d look at Blink (owned by Amazon)

3

I’ve been doing lots of reading on doorbells/cameras.

I’ve actually decided against the doorbell – my current/old doorbell works fine, I don’t get tons of doorbell traffic, and what I really want is video security. Plus, my doorbell is located with a wall next to it at 90 degrees – so I only have 90 degrees of field from the doorbell location!

So I’ve decided that a camera in the porch located midway is probably a better option!
I’m glad I took the time to research and ask myself questions of what I really want/need, rather than just buying something and then maybe regretting it.

So now more camera research!!

4

ole1845
Thanks for your response.
Yes, I’m looking at all of those things. Plus some doorbells require you to buy a chime to hear them indoors! Lots to consider…

I’m going to pursue a camera, since it was really video I wanted, not a new doorbell!

5

If you want the camera to be a deterrent as well as providing information to you, consider mounting it conspicuously so they notice it.

If you want to check out visitors for your own information before opening your door, consider locating it away from the door to give you a full frontal body shot and maybe placing a motion-detecting light located away from the camera to draw attention away from the camera.

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I have a Eufy doorbell camera. However, no experience yet (not yet installed). My friend has one, and highly recommended it. No subscription; it stores video on a chip; they have both wired and non-wired version. It can be connected with additional security cameras.

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Well, I decided to dip my toe into home cameras by getting a Ring Stick up camera, which can be outdoor or indoor.
The battery took a long time to charge.
The set up for the camera was easy.
Mounting the camera in my porch should have been easy, but they say use a 3/16" drill bit and included 1/4" anchor bolts. So I had to get some smaller anchors, and the camera is installed.
The app is easy.
I did call customer service and they answered quickly and addressed my question.

So far, the only thing I don’t like is that the vertical field of view isn’t as much as I’d like. I have it mounted in my porch on a wall, just out of reach. The camera is limited how far down you can tilt it. So I may end up mounting it lower or in a different part of the porch. I can see my driveway, mailbox, but only the outer part of the porch!!

Right now, I’m just testing it out. If it doesn’t work out, I haven’t spent a lot, and it can be used indoors…

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You asked about Wyze cameras. I have 6 cameras that I bought a few years ago when monitoring was free. That was one reason I went with them plus the cameras were only $25 at the time. They now charge for monitoring and they keep bugging me to pay but they haven’t cut me off yet. I get too many false alarms like the bushes moving in the wind, car lights, shadows etc. to make the monitoring worth it. The cameras are OK and I know they have improved them since I bought them. The ones I bought were indoor only but I bought some covered mounts from Amazon that allowed me to mount them outside. They do need a power source nearby but I bought 26 foot extension cords for them on Amazon as well. Hope this helps.

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I have a Eufy wired doorbell. It’s not perfect but I would say that I’m ok with that. I like not paying a monthly fee for videos too. I used to have a Ring wired doorbell but watching live video would freeze intermittently. I ended up getting my money back on the Ring doorbell. There was a big stink twice about Eufy having security issues but I think they have that problem ironed out. I also have Eufy cameras indoors.

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I have a Ring and can share my experience.

Good

  1. Clear picture and sound.
  2. Works well when remote. I can talk to people just like I’m home through the doorbell.
  3. Fun ring and alert tones for holidays.
  4. Works well with Alexa Show.
  5. Can choose different faceplate covers for a personalized look (not many but a few choices).

Bad

  1. I’m in a cold weather climate and when temperatures are very low, the low voltage does not charge the battery enough and it no longer works until I either change the battery or it warms up.
  2. If it falls off your internet (or you change your router), it requires a reset that requires you to find the strange screwdriver they send, take apart the doorbell and press a button to reinstall it to the wifi.
  3. This is my second doorbell. The first had a screw strip where I could no longer take it apart to add to wifi. In calling customer service I was told I should have paid a subscription for extended warranty.
  4. If you want to keep your history, there is a subscription fee.
  5. I found that I don’t use it as much as I thought I would. I thought it would be a great screen for door to door sales but if I’m sitting in the house, I tend to just answer the door. I feel odd not answering my own door.
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I have a couple Eufy cameras on the front and back of my house.
It gives me like a 20 second video of what’s going on once it senses movement.
I do have to take the cameras down to recharge every 3 or 4 months depending upon how much I play with them.
No complaints yet about them.

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I installed one of these at a nearby church. They wanted a Zoom capability.There is an Andriod app; don’t know about Apple.

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About two months ago we started using a Blink Outdoor camera with SyncModule 2 which will support up to 10 cameras. We don’t have any experience with a Blink Doorbell camera.

You don’t need a subscription as files are saved on a usb drive that plugs into the SyncModule 2. USB drive is not included. However if you don’t have a subscription the unit does not record while using live view. It will also not save a photo snapshot to the usb, videos only. The subscription is for cloud storage.

The camera seems to work pretty well and is motion activated with IR that auto switches for night. Keep in mind motion detection is good for about 15-20 feet only. The recommended distance from any camera to the module is <100ft. Each camera also uses your home wifi so you will need good wifi signal wherever you choose to place a camera.

The camera uses 2 AA lithium batteries which cost more than alkaline or rechargeable. Blink strongly recommends only lithium and they supply two Energizer lithium batteries with each camera. Probably do to the temperature range that lithium can handle better than alkaline or rechargeable. Battery life is estimated at two years but many users are reporting about half that. I suppose it depends on the number of live views and activations you have. We are still good after about two months. The camera is on our driveway (see paragraph below) and has a lot of activations.

Keep something in mind with Blink and possibly “systems” such as Ring, Nest and others… Blink is not a closed system in that you will need internet access to access clips on the usb and do live views even without a subscription. Simply, it will not operate on wifi lan only. This seems to indicate that the sync module and/or camera(s) always operate through Amazon servers in some fashion. Therefore I will not place cameras anywhere inside my home. Only outside that are already in public view. But this is a personal choice.

There are configuration settings via the Blink App such as privacy zones and detection zones once you place a camera. Bit of a learning curve but not difficult.
Spend some time on Youtube and Amazon reviews, you can learn a lot there.

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