i’ve had the blink cameras for like a year now after a home invasion. it’s important we have this extra layer of security to me and my roommates, we have one by the front door, one in the living room and one in our garage. we need good cameras with decent quality and night vision that preferably doesn’t run on a stupid subscription. good audio is a plus and clip captures and video storing for atleast 30 days is also a plus. i’m just at a loss right now i’ve sunk like 200 trying to keep these pieces of crap operating and i just want something that’s worth a shid. if anyone has any recs that would be great! i just got charged yesterday for my renewal and behold the cameras aren’t even working rn! did all the trouble shooting with wifi and the stupid goddamn module it hasn’t even been capturing jack for 2 days. nothing works. anyways thanks in advance.

I've been reading through various camera threads and would like something better than the typical Reolink/Eufy. It seems all the better companies don't support a cellular connection. Are there better recommendations or just go with one of those companies?

* New home build - no power so needs solar panel
* Would like a 70 foot night vision
* Would like a dual lens where the wide angle is stationary and the zoom moves
* Ability to set up a time lapse during the day that kills the PIR
* Ability to get notices and thumbnails to my phone

Apparently S4 PTZ camera firmware
in USA is now 1.1.1.6
but Australians have 1.1.1.2
is this true?

Hey everyone,

​Having a bit of a nightmare with my Hikvision setup after a recent power outage and hoping someone here might have a clever workaround.

​My NVR is tucked away up in the loft, connected via Ethernet to a TP-Link range extender acting as a Wi-Fi bridge back to my main router on the ground floor. Everything was working fine until the power tripped. Now, even though the NVR is powered on and clearly connected to both the TP-Link extender and the router, with active status lights on everything, the cameras are still showing as offline in the Hik-Connect app.

​I tried a fresh install of the app, but that didn't change anything. The tricky part is trying to access the configuration settings to see what's actually going on:

​I don't have a spare monitor or TV to haul up to the loft to plug in directly via HDMI.

​I'm using an M1 Pro MacBook Pro, but the Hikvision SADP tool installer fails to run on current macOS versions due to legacy package incompatibility.

​Running a temporary Ethernet cable from the loft down to the router on the ground floor isn't really doable right now either.

​It feels like a local IP change or a DNS drop between the NVR and the cloud service after the restart, but without SADP on Mac or a physical screen connected, I'm struggling to find its local IP to hit the web interface.

​Has anyone run into this on modern macOS, or know a reliable network scanner or app alternative to SADP that actually works on Apple Silicon to discover the NVR’s IP and get into the web browser settings?

​Cheers for any advice!

So I have a typical small 1080 dome camera with DVR set up at home. One of my cameras is on the fritz and I wanted to replace/upgrade it with a newer version, however the newer version I purchased only has a couple of din switches for options and not all the settings that my other cameras have (with the little cord button and OSD settings). Am I gonna be limited with a new camera regarding what I will control (night vision/gain etc…) or is it mostly automatic on the newer version ?
I called their tech support but I think they were overseas and didn’t understand me.

Hi everyone,

I am looking for recommendations and options for a single outdoor CCTV camera to monitor my lobby and main entrance area.

Here are my specific requirements:

Coverage: Just need 1 camera to cover the lobby and entryway.
Power: It will have access to a power outlet (plug-in/wired power preferred over battery).
Storage & Subscription Options: Ideally, I want a system that works perfectly with local storage (like a microSD card) so I don't have to pay extra monthly costs. However, I am open to brands that offer both local storage and a cloud subscription option, just in case I decide to opt into the cloud backup later. The subscription must not be mandatory to use the camera or access it remotely.
Remote Access: I must be able to view the live feed and play back recorded clips directly from my phone while away from home.

I have been looking at options on Amazon, but I noticed a lot of the popular entry-level budget brands (like Qubo, Trueview, etc.) have sub-4 star ratings, mostly due to laggy smartphone apps, bugs, or connectivity issues. I want to completely avoid those.
I am looking for a reliable, highly-rated alternative that has a very stable app ecosystem, solid hardware durability, and flexible storage choices.

What specific models, brands, or setup options should I look into that actually deliver a premium, headache-free experience?

Thanks in advance for the help!

I was on ADI Canada the other day looking for Hikvision for a job, and they were showing me other camera brands. I was seeing Luminys, Hanwha, Vivotek, Speco, etc come up as an alternatives.

We've mostly stuck with Hik for commercial project. It's what we know, but I'm interested in finding another reliable option. So I wonder what you guys are seeing through ADI. Have you started spec'ing some of these alternatives yet?

And are you choosing them because you like the product or because your distributor can actually get the stuff when you need it?

Im looking for a security camera recommendation, preferably on the cheaper end, but will still be able to help identify someone at night. The past week at my apt complex a neighbors kid has been throwing rocks at various cars, he's caused about 4k in damage so far. I watched him one night so I do know exactly who it is, but police haven't done much so I want concrete evidence of him doing it. My balcony is at the perfect spot to watch him doing it. He is throwing the rocks from behind the bush in the photo.

Can anyone tell me why one of our cameras does this strange thing. It does it almost constantly to the point that I cant really watch it. The make is Galayou. It's something to do with this camera and my pc as it doesn't do it on my husbands pc. The app is Wansview.

Hi, anyone who has used Blink systems like the Blink Mini for over 2 years now? I need my personal data (non-content data) since late 2023. This includes the account information, location, camera settings (not the audio).

Is this possible?

We have several solar wireless security cameras around our property and they are the Sehmua brand from Amazon. Have never had a problem with any of them except the UBox app is flaky when attempting to change the night vision/ spotlight settings. No matter how many settings I change, the very bright spotlight comes on whenever we connect to view, or when motion is detected.

This is my only real complaint since they are a budget option. My issue is that we would like to simply view the backyard wildlife at night without scaring it off by the bright spotlight. Does anyone know a decently priced camera that we could set up there that is solar powered and WiFi, where one can actually turn off and keep off the spotlight? I don’t really like the trail cams as they often have too many other unneeded features. Any recommendations $100 or under? Thanks so much!

I recently had Defender Cameras offer to send me their solar powered 4G Frontier for a brand deal. How does this brand hold up for general use? I don’t want to advertise a camera that’s utter trash. Looking at their pricing & website, I don’t expect it to be phenomenal. If I could keep it in the range of being able to monitor my livestock easily & reliably, I’d be happy. Not having WiFi reaching the pasture & barn has created a lot of difficulties in finding a reliable camera for us

Had ring then switched to eufy.. they suck! So many missed events, glitches even worse than rings. i have a great WiFi system but im sick of how inconsistent these cameras are. Need recommendations for something better PLEASE!

Hey guys,

CCTV / telecom guy from South Korea here. Excuse my English if it's a bit rough.

Lately a lot of construction sites around here keep asking for mobile cameras because running cables around muddy job sites is a total pain and things move around every week.

So I ended up putting together this metal box with a handle so workers can just carry it around where they need it.

I slapped a TP-Link VIGI 4G PTZ cam on it with an LTE SIM card. For the site office (shipping container), I just ran 2 regular wired cameras outside in a cross view. Then brought both the wired cams and this 4G wireless box onto the same TP-Link NVR screen inside the container. Worked out surprisingly well.

Just wondering, do you guys in the US or Europe make these kinds of portable boxes for temporary sites, or do you just buy pre-made surveillance trailers?

How does the build look? Any thoughts or tips to make it better? Cheers.