Need Camera Recommendations

[HankArnold]

I've been asked by a local condo board to recommend cameras to monitor their pool in the summer. They are concerned about security (and liability) especially after hours. Also, there have been situations where people used the pool after hours and some instances of damages (mostly minor). This would help identify and contact violators.

I'm looking for an external camera that has the following characteristics:

1. 24 hour recording
2. local storage preferred. Cloud storage optional, but has to be accessible by multiple users.
3. motion detection outside of scheduled pool hours with alerts to more than one email/text.
4. Battery or solar power (preferred). Hard wiring not an option.
5. Floodlight (optional)

I found this
https://reolink.com/product/reolink-solar-floodlight-cam/

Recommendations?

 

[mmerry]

Not a bad option. I still prefer wired but if wire is no option, solar is fine. Good starting system setup. May want to also consider Tapo if you are willing to look at TP LInk.

Smart Security Cameras | Indoor and Outdoor Home Protection

Protect your home with Tapo security cameras. Get HD video, smart detection, and easy smart home integration–no monthly fees. Solar powered options available.

us.store.tapo.com

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Big fan of Ubiquiti's Protect system....so easy to use, just view securely through a browser or the app on your phone. No clunky browser plugins needed. No port forwarding required on the firewall which would increase risk to the network.

 

[mmerry]

Big fan of Ubiquiti's Protect system....so easy to use, just view securely through a browser or the app on your phone. No clunky browser plugins needed. No port forwarding required on the firewall which would increase risk to the network.

Agreed. If they can go wired, Protect is the first choice.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Ah I skim read and missed "wireless only"....
UI does have a couple of wireless cams...we've had an old wireless cam in our office...still running fine.

 

[phaZed]

You can use a Unifi Device Bridge (UDB) to both power and make a camera "wireless". https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/wifi-bridging/products/udb

 

[DRPCNZ]

If its not hardwired its not going to work, to all best intentions batterys go flat and people dont change them

 

[timeshifter]

Another vote for Ubiquiti

 

[HankArnold]

Not a bad option. I still prefer wired but if wire is no option, solar is fine. Good starting system setup. May want to also consider Tapo if you are willing to look at TP LInk.

Smart Security Cameras | Indoor and Outdoor Home Protection

Protect your home with Tapo security cameras. Get HD video, smart detection, and easy smart home integration–no monthly fees. Solar powered options available.

us.store.tapo.com

What are the motion detection abilities? This is viewing a pool that is open 8 AM to 8 PM. They only need alerts when motion occurs outside of that time range. I couldn't find anything in the descriptions...

 

[britechguy]

@HankArnold

The Tapo Support Pages are your best option here. I did a search on "alert" and this is in the item entitled, "Notifications: How to Set Up and Manage Tapo & Kasa Alerts in the Tapo App":

The Do Not Disturb feature lets you schedule quiet hours, with the option to add device exceptions for critical alerts, such as water-leak or doorbell-theft notifications.

 

[HankArnold]

Thanks so much, folks! I'll pass it on the the condo board.

 

[mmerry]

How to Set up Push Schedule for Reolink Cameras

Setting up a push schedule allows you to customize alerts for specific motion events, ensuring that you stay informed without...

support.reolink.com

 

[timeshifter]

Just this weekend, I was researching putting in Ubiquiti hardware for cameras for a self-storage facility. They have existing cameras made by FLIR that they'd like to reuse if they can. What I learned is that the FLIR cameras will work with Ubiquiti, but their ability to detect smartly is much weaker versus what Ubiquiti native cameras can do.

Specifically, the Generation 6 cameras, they're a little more pricey, but I think they do a much better job of highlighting things that happen. Another thing I've noticed with another client is that scrubbing through and finding events is quite tedious, so it might be worthwhile to find something that's better at that. That's not something people value until they've lived with a system for a while and they need to review something.