Wireless security cameras

rodney eppes

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Location
Mt.Holly NC 28120
Seems it's time I install 2 or 3 security cameras. Something with color feed, & able to capture a license plate. Motion activated, & some way to record the video, if needed. Not looking for a Monitored system, like ADT, or CPI. School me! Or do any of you install such? Prices?
 
I have a 4 camera Arlo system and it works well. I largely prefer a wired system. The batteries never last as long as you think they are going to and the recorded loops aren't always as long as you need.
 
I have a few Arlo cams and a couple Wyze cams. The Arlo is a much better built unit with a better interface, and they are wireless. The Wyze cams are stupid cheap and have better video quality and motion highlighting, but are not outdoor rated and require a power source. There's about a 5% chance I would be able to read a license plate on the Wyze cam. There's about a 0.01% chance I could read it on the Arlo cams.
 
I just installed The Ring front door camera about a month ago, I have been very happy with it, and will probably add their regular cameras around my house. They can be battery or solar powered but have to be connected to a wifi network.
 
I have some Arlo Pro cams because our house is mostly cathedral ceilings and running wires is...invasive. I don't have the highest res available at the moment though, mine are just 720p units and the Pro2 are 1080p.

The one thing I don't like about them is the same drawback to most of the wireless units; they use a discrete motion sensor (like flood lights use) instead of using image processing on the camera image. This is to save power, because real-time image processing would kill the battery charge pretty fast. So the motion sensor detects motion, and then turns the camera on, so there is a delay that is not captured by video. It would be nice to have wired units that are able to do the image-based motion sensing zones, etc., and I'm planning on having those when we build the garage and can effectively run wires.

There is also a LTE cellular-based Arlo Go, which I haven't used but is very intriguing for down by the street where the Arlo basestation signal doesn't reach.
 
Last edited:
I have a 4 camera Arlo system and it works well. I largely prefer a wired system. The batteries never last as long as you think they are going to and the recorded loops aren't always as long as you need.

I second this. I have blink cameras. They work well but wired would be better. I am too lazy to run the wires however. I have had mine for a year next month and I'm still on the same batteries.
 
The one thing I don't like about them is the same drawback to most of the wireless units; they use a discrete motion sensor (like flood lights use) instead of using image processing on the camera image. This is to save power, because real-time image processing would kill the battery charge pretty fast. So the motion sensor detects motion, and then turns the camera on, so there is a delay that is not captured by video. It would be nice to have wired units that are able to do the image-based motion sensing zones, etc., and I'm planning on having those when we build the garage and can effectively run wires.
The Arlo Pro2 does not have the same delay, even though I run them on battery. Supposedly, that was only a function with 120v power supply, but I usually get about 0-1 seconds before the motion starts. Original Arlos had a much longer delay that made them almost pointless in some situations. Video length is still often too short even though I have it set to Max length or record until motion stops (maybe that's the wyze cams). The biggest disappointment with the Pro2 is that the video quality isn't much better than the original Arlo, even with it set to highest quality.
 
The Arlo Pro2 does not have the same delay, even though I run them on battery. Supposedly, that was only a function with 120v power supply, but I usually get about 0-1 seconds before the motion starts. Original Arlos had a much longer delay that made them almost pointless in some situations. Video length is still often too short even though I have it set to Max length or record until motion stops (maybe that's the wyze cams). The biggest disappointment with the Pro2 is that the video quality isn't much better than the original Arlo, even with it set to highest quality.

Sounds like they probably have a better/faster processor inside to support the higher res video, which would have a lot to do with a reduced delay.

The night vision probably decreases battery life as well, with the IR LEDs. Arlo pushed some update a few months back, and my battery life improved significantly for the same ambient conditions it seems. I haven't had the cameras long enough to get a good history on ambient temperature vs battery life, but it should be affected by ambient temp.
 
There's about a 5% chance I would be able to read a license plate on the Wyze cam. There's about a 0.01% chance I could read it on the Arlo cams.

It's a surprisingly difficult problem to solve. There's resolution and lens fidelity, then glare, reflections, sun angle, exposure, relative brightness, etc, etc to take into account. It's not uncommon to not be able to read a plate, even with multiple camera angles.
 
It's a surprisingly difficult problem to solve. There's resolution and lens fidelity, then glare, reflections, sun angle, exposure, relative brightness, etc, etc to take into account. It's not uncommon to not be able to read a plate, even with multiple camera angles.
I'm pretty sure in my case, based on the clear sections and unclear sections, that it's just a video quality or processing issue. And the $20 camera does it better than the $200 camera. Go figure. Here's an example, maybe it's something else, or maybe it's a Blazer.
Screenshot_20190319-103241.png
Screenshot_20190319-103313.png
 
I'm pretty sure in my case, based on the clear sections and unclear sections, that it's just a video quality or processing issue. And the $20 camera does it better than the $200 camera. Go figure. Here's an example, maybe it's something else, or maybe it's a Blazer.
View attachment 288876 View attachment 288877

In the movies they have a de-pixelate button...just get one of those. #Immaproblemsolver
 
I have the Zmodo ones off amazon and I’m pretty happy with them but I don’t think I could read a plate I have them indoor and outdoors I really just use them to know who’s around my house and when


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
In the movies they have a de-pixelate button...just get one of those. #Immaproblemsolver
I figure it's good enough that with the right software a few frames could be stitched together to form a complete image. Maybe not quite as simple as the movies though, haha.
 
I will have to say The Cobra 4 channel wireless system from Harbor Freight is well worth the $250. You have to have a 120v plug for the cameras, but the the rest is wireless. Very clear color pictures, Zoom, motion detection, Motion alarms, talk and hear through cameras, videos and pics stored on SD card, auto re-write and you can view through your smart phone with the My Cam View app. I bought one of these on the cheap to catch someone in parking lot being bad. Worked so good I added two more cameras and another system on the inside of the building. Over a year and a half and not one issue. I have the cameras mounted outside on the top of the building. I think depending on where they would be mounted, you would be able to read tag numbers if need be on zoom.
Couple of pics, I have the pic quality on the lowest setting, not high definition.
cam1.jpg

cam2.jpg
 
I will have to say The Cobra 4 channel wireless system from Harbor Freight is well worth the $250. You have to have a 120v plug for the cameras, but the the rest is wireless. Very clear color pictures, Zoom, motion detection, Motion alarms, talk and hear through cameras, videos and pics stored on SD card, auto re-write and you can view through your smart phone with the My Cam View app. I bought one of these on the cheap to catch someone in parking lot being bad. Worked so good I added two more cameras and another system on the inside of the building. Over a year and a half and not one issue. I have the cameras mounted outside on the top of the building. I think depending on where they would be mounted, you would be able to read tag numbers if need be on zoom.
Couple of pics, I have the pic quality on the lowest setting, not high definition.
View attachment 288885
View attachment 288886
One thing I wondered was Quality of Harbor Freight cams. Just figured it'd Have to be poor & cheap. Get what you pay for! But their working great for you!
 
One option I was counting on, was mounting cameras at 2 locations on trees. Seems like what Matt has done. That would give me coverage of the side & back of my house & driveway. But wiring seems out of the question.
 
One option I was counting on, was mounting cameras at 2 locations on trees. Seems like what Matt has done. That would give me coverage of the side & back of my house & driveway. But wiring seems out of the question.
If wiring is out of the question, the Arlo cams are hard to beat. And they will work anywhere in your yard. 2 of mine are about 200-250ft from the base station and have no issues with signal.
 
Movies are what keep me from having cameras on a network. Too many cameras easily hacked. All coax and no network connection.
I'll probably never have interior cameras. If someone hacks my cameras, they will have a nice view of my driveway. And they might even see my good friend Yagin Wimmadikowt.
 
Back
Top