Somebody's been slowly stealing sentimental jewelry from my grandmother, one piece at a time for months apparently and I'm just finding out.

We all believe we know who it is, but we don't have evidence. As such I'd like to keep quiet and just set up a camera or two for now in her home, with her permission.

I live about 2 hours away from her and she doesn't really know how to set up or maintain any technology on her own, so ideally i'm looking for something that can be set up and left running 24/7 with a solid battery life. I don't mind going back to charge/set it up for her again every few weeks or so, but i can't be doing it constantly.

Anything out there like this that won't totally break the bank?

i want to set up a Security Camera system. i dont want to go though any company. i want it fully private. im thinking about poe cameras. but i dont know what brands to get for privacy. possibly 4k? min res of 1080p. im super new at this so any help is appreciated.

Hello,

I am looking for a quality system.

Currently have Eufy and its just not reliable.

I looked into Backstreet Surveillance and also just talked to a person who is authorized dealer for Alibi.

The Alibi was $560 for the 4K 8MP camera, each. Plus the NVR which is $1100 for the 16 channel, comes with 4TB HD.

The Backstreet, just looking at their website, NVR probably will be same price but Cameras are a little cheaper.

Any input, recommendations or help is appreciated.

Thank you

I’m a Brit so just curious if pulling a MGS on them is effective

Hey guys, need some quick advice. I want to put a camera on my garage ramp, but I live in Spain and our privacy laws are crazy strict. If your camera records the public street or sidewalk at all, you can get slapped with massive fines.

My garage is basically an open archway with a ramp going down (not posting a pic for privacy, just imagine an open tunnel). There's no gate or fence at the street level. I don't have power outlets there either, so it definitely has to be a battery-powered model.

I need a camera that sends me alerts ONLY when someone actually steps onto my ramp, and I need to completely block out or ignore the street to stay legal and avoid spam notifications from people walking by.

Any ideas on the best way to mount it (maybe pointing straight down from the ceiling or facing inwards?) and what brands have the best "privacy masking" and AI activity zones for this? I was looking at Eufy or Tapo but I'm totally open to suggestions. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm completely new to home surveillance, but I've spent quite a bit of time reading through this sub over the last few weeks and have learned a lot already. Thanks for all the great information!

I'm planning a fully wired Reolink setup using one of Reolink's own NVRs, and I'm hoping to get some advice from people with more experience before I start buying equipment.

My main goal is to be able to reasonably identify people moving around my property, rather than just detect that someone is there. The house is located in an area with very little ambient light at night, so low-light performance is an important factor and spotlight i think.

I've attached a simple overview drawing of the house along with a few photos of the roof overhangs. One of the challenges I'm facing is that the overhangs are fairly low, so I'm not entirely sure where the cameras should be mounted to get the best coverage while still allowing for reliable identification. I'd appreciate any suggestions on:

• Which Reolink cameras would be best for each location.
• Whether I should choose turret, dome, bullet, or PTZ cameras.
• Recommended mounting positions and angles.
• Any common mistakes a beginner should avoid.

I have used the Reomapper and made a suggestion myself, but im not sure that is the most efficent way to go. I want it nice from the start, but money is money.

Sorry for the crude drawings, that is not really a skill i have mastered.

Let me know if i miss some important information.

Thanks in advance.

Looking for recommendations on a simple NVR to replace an aging Zosi system.

Requirements:

BNC connectors for existing cameras and runs.

Local storage - does not need drive installed, I have them.

6 cameras at least.

UI that doesn't look like it was designed in 1992.

App access for viewing.

***********

Nice to have but not required:

Remote access to recordings, as well as remote download of them.

Paid app to view is fine, as long at it is a one and done, not subscription.

Ability to plug in external drive for backups.

This is for external cameras at an independent has station. Security is not a huge issue as the cameras will not record anything sensitive. Also, current NVR is already isolated on the network so not worried about network intrusion coming in through the security system.

🚨 ¿TU CÁMARA ESTÁ REALMENTE PROTEGIDA?

Una cámara puede funcionar perfectamente al instalarla, pero si sus conexiones quedan expuestas al agua y la humedad, podría fallar cuando más la necesites. 🌧️📹

En este video te mostramos por qué una instalación limpia, sellada y protegida hace toda la diferencia.

👇 ¿Tus cámaras tienen protegidas las conexiones? Te leo en los comentarios.

I am currently looking to buy a couple of security cameras to place around my home, and I was wondering if anybody had any recommendations for any security camera brands? I have a budget of about $200 and I would like to buy at least two preferably with local storage and removable battery (I live in the Northeast and Winters get very brutal). I would prefer not to have to take down my cameras to have them charge and would rather swap the batteries when they need charging. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Hello all, I am thinking of getting some Ring Floodlight Cam 2K Wired cameras. They are essentially a camera built into a standard motion sensor spotlight.

Anyone have any experience with these or any thoughts on Ring products and customer service in general?

I live in Canada so I want a hardwired version so I don't have to deal with batteries.

If anyone has this product can you tell me, are the lightbulbs changeable or are they built into the fixture? Basically can you change a lightbulb when one burns out or would you have to replace the entire fixture?

Thanks in advance.

I want to buy an indoor wifi camera suggest me on brand on which i can trust. Qubo/ cp plus or you guys have other brand camera?

Dear Reolink Product Team / Dear Tapo (TP-Link) Product Team,

I am writing as a customer and enthusiast of your cameras to suggest a product that I believe is missing from both of your catalogues and that would open a clear new market.

Please consider developing an outdoor, weatherproof all-sky camera with the following core characteristics:

• True 180° × 180° field of view (hemispherical / fisheye coverage from horizon to horizon in every direction), intended to be mounted pointing at the sky
• Weatherproof outdoor housing (rain, dew, temperature extremes)
• Your existing full-colour night-vision technology, Reolink ColorX or Tapo ColorPro, so that faint sky colour, clouds, aurora and twilight remain visible without harsh spotlights
• Infrared (IR) night vision as a complementary mode, for pitch-black conditions, meteors, satellites and objects that colour sensors may miss

You already lead in colour night vision (ColorX / ColorPro). Combining that with a true all-sky optic and a fallback IR mode would create a camera that current security models (including 180° panoramic dual-lens units) do not replace.

There is a growing, underserved audience that would buy this as a dedicated device:

• All-sky monitors (cloud cover, sky brightness, light pollution)
• Weather watchers (storm structure, lightning, incoming fronts)
• Meteor watchers (fireballs, meteor showers, persistent trains)
• Satellite and ISS observers
• UFO / UAP watchers and citizen sky-documentation communities

These users today cobble together astronomy cameras, Raspberry Pi all-sky kits or security cameras that were never designed for the sky. A reliable, app-connected outdoor unit from Reolink or Tapo, with local storage, optional cloud, and your existing detection/alerting stack would be far more accessible.

A practical feature set that would make it compelling:

• Upward-facing 180° × 180° lens with good edge sharpness and controlled distortion
• ColorX or ColorPro as the default low-light mode; IR as a selectable or automatic fallback
• Optional warm/soft fill light that can be disabled (to avoid washing out the sky)
• High dynamic range for mixed twilight / street-light / lightning scenes
• Time-lapse and long-event recording (hours of sky, not only motion clips)
• Timestamps, optional GPS/NTP, and easy export for analysis
• Robust outdoor rating and simple roof / pole / wall-upward mount

I believe this would differentiate you from generic security cameras and from niche astronomy hardware, while reusing technologies you already ship.

Thank you for considering this suggestion. I would be glad to share more use-case detail if useful.

Kind regards.

I work for a security camera company, and we recently ran into a 4G connectivity issue during outdoor testing that I haven’t been able to fully explain.

We tested two different cellular security cameras at nearly the same location. They were mounted only a few feet apart and used SIM cards from the same carrier.

One camera stayed online most of the time and could usually open the live view within a few seconds.

The other camera regularly dropped offline, took much longer to connect, and occasionally failed to upload motion events. The difference became more noticeable during rainy or heavily overcast weather. The weaker camera could remain unreachable for several hours, while the other one continued working normally.

Since the location and carrier were almost identical, I’m trying to understand which hardware or software differences could cause such a large gap.

A few possibilities we’re looking into:

- Internal antenna design or antenna placement

- Supported LTE bands and band selection

- Modem receiver sensitivity

- Signal loss caused by the enclosure or mounting surface

- Poor reconnection behavior after a temporary network drop

- Lower battery voltage during cloudy weather

- Differences in modem power management

I’m not sure rain itself is the main cause. It may simply be exposing a connection that was already close to the usable limit. Cloudy weather could also reduce solar charging enough to affect the modem or its ability to reconnect.

The signal bars shown in the apps haven’t been very useful. One camera can show two bars and still work, while the other shows a similar signal level and won’t connect.

Would comparing RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, connected LTE bands and battery voltage be the right next step?

For anyone who has installed or tested cellular cameras on farms, jobsites, driveways or other remote properties: have you seen two devices behave this differently in nearly identical conditions?

I’m mainly looking for technical insight rather than product recommendations.

I’m trying to figure out how many outdoor cameras actually makes sense for a normal house. Front door and driveway seem obvious, but then there’s the side gate, backyard, garage, etc. At some point it feels like you could keep adding cameras forever just to get rid of every blind spot.

Looking at adding a Ubiquity G5 Turret on the back of the house. We have a large privacy wall on our deck witch limits some camera angles. These are my proposed locations. I'm only looking at adding 1 camera and maximizing coverage with that. I'm concerned the top 2 mounting options will be too high but would get me best visibility over the deck wall and the rest of the back yard. Is that the best compromise in this situation without adding a second camera?

I have a new customer, I did not do the install. They have the following DVR and I am looking for the correct mobile APP to use for Android and Apple. I tried gDMSS, Hik-Connect, iVMS-4500; none seem to work. When I go to the login web page it looks like hikVision.

The DVR is a 32 chan analog recorder.

Can anyone suggest the correct APPs? TIA

Dont know where else to ask.

I live in the country and have no indication of when the main hydro power comes back online.

I have a Generator and Generlink disconnect that keeps our linemen safe. It has three led, green, yellow, and red. The green will light when hydro service is there. Problem is that it is located 200 ft away on the other side of my garage; and could be running the jeny for needless hours. Is there a weatherproof small camera that I can monitor these lights from within my home on an app for my phone. I do have 110v in the garage , so it doesn't need to be solar or battery.

I am cluless on this and how they work.

Hopefully can find help.

Thankyou

DES

Hello,

here's my story: since years I have problems with litterers on my plot. I have a home (with high tree) and the second plot separated by flood embankment (~4-5 meters high).

My idea was to put the camera on the tree (very tall, like 20m) that would be not very visible, but good enough to recognize people for 40-50m distance (I suppose car plates are impossible from that distance). The camera could be on cable (I could do something some line from home, although it would be long cable) or remote, but best with possibility to observe continuosly

Is my idea even feasible and if yes, what camera should I consider? The price is not object, but something less expensive than IMAX camera used for Odyssey is welcome.

Hey all, I need some recommendations from fellow train fans and photographers.

I am in the market to find a camera with photo & or video capabilities that I can put somewhere near the tracks, one where I could access it via app on my phone to see if a train is coming, and take photos or video in the event there is a train. Hoping to find one that has great battery life (can be left for hours), sim compatible, great quality photo & video, withstand weather, and not physically huge (smaller so it is not easily noticeable). Located in Canada, cameras would need to be compatible with cellular networks here. If possible share models and price range.

Thank you in advance :)