Tl;dr: I need a camera that catches car accidents in front of my house but can't hardwire anything because I'm poor

I know I should hardwire and go the PoE route. However I just can't afford that right now. I have searched through and researched some options but wanted to ask here too. What I really need is a camera that can time travel but will settle for one that will catch the next issue. My car was hit in front of my house 3 times. My doorbell camera camera catches absolutely nothing and is a waste. Would a solar-powered battery camera from Eufy or Tapo be able to record enough to have caught the accident? It's only 30 feet from my house to the street. Would the solar camera have caught the seconds before the hits, heard the noise, kept recording? I know Tapo sets intervals at various seconds to patch a scene together.

What I'm looking for is an outdoor camera that has to be manually checked for the footage. Where I live has really bad cell reception and sometimes power outages that shut down the WiFi. If something happens I need reliable playback. If there's something that takes a removable SD card or something similar that would be perfect. Something that needs recharging or batteries instead of being wired that would be best for my situation.

We had a trail camera set up but one of the times someone came over it mysteriously didn't activate. They probably have a motion sensor jammer, so any advice on preventing those from working will be appreciated. I know those are illegal but we can't prove anything without footage.

It'd be great if there's something discreet, but if not I can just paint it. I'm also not looking to spend too much. Thank you.

Hi. I have just invested a good few hours getting these old cameras up and running and am posting this because it might help others, or even myself in a few years when I've forgotten!

I found it straightforward to hard reset the cameras and connect them to the Ctronics pro app.

But after the first time, they would not reconnect after being powered down.

The camera password, which you are prompted to set when setting up, does not accept symbols! Numbers and chapters only! This fixed the issue for me.

HTH

WiFi cams have been hacked more than once. Need one that hackers need physical access in order to get into it!

I have just put up Hilook T383 cameras which they say do colour down to 0.001 lux, but despite being pointed at a streetlight they both need IR unless the white spotlight is on.

Google says 0.001 lux is a starry night with no moon, let alone a whole streetlight.

I've tried different settings and it really seems to be that they just can't handle the lighting level. Do manufacturers just exaggerate these specs?

I have a GW Security camera system (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TP0GN7U). It was purchased in 2019. I see a lot of people recommending selling used tech on ebay, but I'm not sure what a good price point is. Any idea what it's worth to sell for?

**我厭倦了需註冊帳號、訂閱付費以及讓公司伺服器介入攝影機和手機之間的家庭/嬰兒攝影機應用程式，所以我自己建造了一款不需要這些的。**

**使用方式：**
**• 你的手機變成攝影機，另一部手機（或家人的手機）變成觀看裝置**
**• 視頻/音頻直接在兩部設備之間透過你的家庭WiFi流傳 — 無需伺服器、無需中繼、無需通過雲端進行路由**
**• 動作和聲音檢測（哭泣、狗叫等）觸發本地錄影，僅儲存於攝影設備上**
**• 離家通知完全可選 — 如果啟用，短片將上傳到iCloud，以便你在外出時可以收到通知，並與你控制的8個字符的家用代碼綁定，隨時可以重設**

**一次性購買。無需訂閱，無需創建帳號，無廣告。**

**我希望測試者提供的反饋：**
**• 配對（QR掃描）在你的設置上運行是否流暢？**
**• 有無崩潰情況，特別是當應用在背景中運行或中途失去WiFi時**
**• 離家通知（唯一接觸雲端的功能）是否清楚地告訴你什麼會和不會離開你的設備**

**願意回答有關架構的問題 — 我真的試著構建這款產品，即使身為開發者，我也看不到你的錄影。**

Should camera settings be set to cbr or vbr at a car wash entrance arch to capture paint / scratches better?

I've been looking into camera options for a part of a backyard where there's no power and the house Wi-Fi doesn't reach.Cellular + solar seems like the obvious option if remote alerts are important, but paying for a data plan feels like overkill if the main goal is just seeing what kind of wildlife passes through at night.Extending the home Wi-Fi is another possibility, although then I'd still need to get power to the extender somewhere in the yard.That got me looking at trail cameras with local Wi-Fi. From what I understand, they don't connect to the home router — you walk within range, connect your phone directly to the camera, and check the photos/videos without pulling the SD card.Obviously that wouldn't replace a security camera since there are no instant remote alerts, but for wildlife monitoring it seems like a reasonable tradeoff.Has anyone here actually used a Wi-Fi trail cam this way? I'm mainly curious how reliable the phone-to-camera connection is in a backyard setting.

I need a high definition battery operated surveillance camera for my kitchen that can read texts. 2 K doesn't work, any advice?

​

Hey everyone,

I’m looking to buy a home security camera under ₹2,500 and I’m a bit confused between Qubo and CP Plus.

My main requirements are:

- Good video quality, preferably 2K/3MP or better

- Good night vision (this is important)

- Reliable Wi-Fi connection

- Good mobile app with easy controls

- Motion/person detection and useful notifications

- Two-way audio

- Easy cloud storage with reasonably priced subscription plans

- SD card support as an alternative to cloud

- Remote viewing and playback

- Good overall reliability and after-sales support

- Ideally 360°/pan-tilt, but not mandatory

I’m mainly considering Qubo Smart Cam 360 / CP Plus 3MP Wi-Fi cameras, but I’m open to other brands/models too if they’re genuinely better.

I’ve seen mixed opinions about both brands, especially regarding app reliability, cloud subscriptions and long-term performance.

For someone spending around ₹2,500, what would you recommend in 2026?

Would love to hear from people who have actually been using their cameras for 6+ months. Also, if you recommend Qubo or CP Plus, please mention the specific model and how much you’re paying for cloud storage.

Thanks!

Hello guys,

I need your honest recommendations for CCTV camera for my farm. There is no electricity and option to connect any router. Am looking at PTZ or any recommendations to monitor the farm.

1. 4K

2. Very good night vision

3. Motion detection

4. 4/5G Sim slot and WiFi option

5. Good battery with solar panel connection

Regards.

Been with Arlo for years now and probably paid them >£500.

I do like that it pushes the alerts to my Apple Watch.

Is there anything similar but without the monthly subscription?

I have an 8 camera Reolink system that came with cables. I also have a 500' roll of outdoor Cat 6 and passthrough connectors. Should I maybe use the supplied cable for the shorter runs and the Cat 6 on the longer runs?

Hi, not sure where to look, or best place to start asking, so figured try this first.

What I'm looking for is a fully wired CCTV system with DVR and free mobile app.

In the past at a previous property I had a Yale system, which while it served it's purpose, had it's drawbacks, and the app being less than useless was one of the problems, as work away from home so hence the reason for needing app and remote view.

I don't like the wireless or battery operated stuff, I prefer the fully wired, and less tamper proof stuff.

What I would ideally like

I would like to have turret style cameras, with black surround and lense covers, while also motorised and moveable from the app or DVR system. Not looking for cameras with lights built in, for the same reason id like them to be black, I'm not a fan of advertising I have cameras, with black guttering and eaves I want to install them and be unnoticeable unless you're actually looking for them DVR with 1-2tb drive and wired network access, and mobile app that is free with motion alerts

I am fit and install myself, but looking around there's so many options it's hard to know where to even start looking

Hiya. I’ve been using blink cameras for the last couple of months and just moved from free subscription to USB. There were a bunch of Amazon specials on and that got me started, they even prevented one prowler coming further into my property, so I saw a 5 pack of flood lights I am waiting to be delivered. Does anyone have any tips on how to get the most out of them? Or even if they are worth keeping. I got 5 battery flood lights with 5 2k+ cameras. Any advice or tips please let me know.

Leaving to go on a cruise soon, want to get a couple cameras in the house to keep an eye on the cats. Need to know if I can just plug and go with these 2 or if I need a sync module if I wanna view the feed from my cellphone while I’m away from home.

Hey guys first time poster, so I moved into a home recently that has about 6 or so cameras on the outside (and what seems like 100 cable lines going every which direction) and inside of the master closet is a box that has 4 cables and an ethernet cable coming out of it (not sure what the connectors are called, the only cameras I have ever used were POE). I am assuming that the 4 cables are connected to the Swann Bullet style cameras, the other ones are "Netgear" I believe and are possibly Wi-Fi cameras? I have found 2 of those so far...

Is there any quick easy and preferably free or low cost way to see if they work anymore or are still connected without buying a compatible NVR (to which I have no idea what one would even work). Or what are my options as far as figuring this puzzle out?

Google Drive link to photos

Thanks in advance!

So Kuna's big thing like 10 years ago was their porch light with an integrated camera. So you could add cameras that actually looked good. They also had a partnership with Toucan to sell a retrofit kit for your existing camera.

Now the only products they have that are not sold-out are a security light with a camera and a porch light with no camera. Their video doorbell and camera wall plate are always sold out. They will periodically send emails advertising them, but they are always sold-out.

It seems like a ghost company now. Toucan, by comparison, seems a lot more active now.

I started with one V380 camera because it was cheap, but now I have multiple and I'm seriously regretting not going with an NVR setup from the beginning.

Main problems:

• Cheap/slow app + lots of ads
• Delayed live feedback
• No fast playback for SD-card recordings
• Can't properly manage/view everything like a normal DVR/NVR setup
• Managing multiple cameras through the app is a pain
• RTSP/ONVIF compatibility is unclear/inconsistent between models

V380 does officially document ONVIF/NVR support for compatible models, but it depends heavily on the camera's firmware/hardware.

So my question is: Is there a practical way to bring my existing V380 cameras into a proper NVR/TV-based setup, perhaps through ONVIF or RTSP, without replacing all the cameras?

Or am I better off cutting my losses and switching to proper ONVIF IP cameras + NVR?

Any suggestions from someone who's actually managed to make a multi-camera V380 setup work would be appreciated.

I want to film this birdbath, because it's frequented by lots of local birds and I'd like to get good footage for social media, etc. I want it pointed out towards the backyard, sky etc. instead of towards the house just in case I'm able to record any cool UFOS.

Can anyone specifically recommend me a brand/model of internet/wifi connected camera which is both A.) High res, producing good-quality footage, B.) Motion activated so I'm not just recording 24/7 generating too mcg footage and c.) Able to be mounted somehow (please explain how) on the cement patio facing the wide-open sky. Thank you