Security Camera Question

[PenMan]

I am thinking about installing some cameras to keep an eye on the house while we are camping. I was looking at the Blink cameras. They use the home wi-fi system to upload video/pictures to the cloud and allow monitoring from a smart phone. Unfortunately they require an upload speed of 2 Mbps minimum. Our lousy CenturyLink only has an upload of from .4 to .75 Mbps. Are there any cameras that will work with this speed? Any help is appreciated.

[bcsdguy]

raceit17 wrote:
I have the "Canary" at my house. While out camping at the beginning of summer I had caught someone in the house stealing medication. Got an instant alert as soon as it detected motion and was able to watch what they where doing.

Were the police able to catch the burglar?

[raceit17]

I have the "Canary" at my house. While out camping at the beginning of summer I had caught someone in the house stealing medication. Got an instant alert as soon as it detected motion and was able to watch what they where doing.

[2oldman]

bcsdguy wrote:
That Nest is a pretty high dollar item.

Ok with me.

[bcsdguy]

That Nest is a pretty high dollar item.

[2oldman]

vtaero wrote:
Another one to look at is the Nest camera, it was dropcam. My dad has that one. It's also excellent..

Just got mine today.

No battery, needs house power, uses my wifi network. Well-built, heavy, easy to set up (on your computer).

[bwanshoom]

2012Coleman wrote:
Thanks for posting about the Blink system. I read up on it and see that it uses lithium batteries that supposedly last a year. What happens after a year? Can you replace the batteries, or do you recharge them?

From the FAQ: "Blink is powered by two AA Lithium batteries. All systems will ship with batteries, and they’re easy to replace when the time comes; simply slide open the battery compartment, take out the old batteries, and insert the new set."

[2012Coleman]

vtaero wrote:
It's a real shame you can't get the blink system. I bought it when it was on Kickstarter. It's awesome. I highly suggest it.

Another one to look at is the Nest camera, it was dropcam. My dad has that one. It's also excellent. I'm not sure of it's requirements though and of course it's not battery powered like blink.

Thanks for posting about the Blink system. I read up on it and see that it uses lithium batteries that supposedly last a year. What happens after a year? Can you replace the batteries, or do you recharge them?

Thanks.

[voyaginator]

I use the Amcrest IP2M-841
Friendly user interface on iPhone and Android to setup the
Wi-Fi, motion detection, email alert and also night vision.

[austinjenna]

I have 2 different models FI9831 and FI9821 that are both pan/tilt and the setup was straight forward. For viewing from my phone I use TinyCam Monitor Pro as it seems to be faster than the Foscam app. I believe that Tinycam also has a free version that you can test out first and it has some limitations but at least you can test it out first.

[fla-gypsy]

Could one of you be more specific as to which Foscam cameras you use and the ease of setting them up? Thank you in advance.

[austinjenna]

I also use Foscams. I can pan/tilt/zoom remotely from my phone with 2 way audio as well. It also detects motion, sound or both and can video record it, take a snapshot or both and send you an alert as well. You can have it go to their cloud service or not.

[guidry]

Look on Amazon for the Foscams. They are about $80 each and wifi using your home system. Wireless except for the electrical plug. I use my smartphone to monitor the house and 4 cameras anywhere in the US.

[wcjeep]

PenMan wrote:
I am thinking about installing some cameras to keep an eye on the house while we are camping. I was looking at the Blink cameras. They use the home wi-fi system to upload video/pictures to the cloud and allow monitoring from a smart phone. Unfortunately they require an upload speed of 2 Mbps minimum. Our lousy CenturyLink only has an upload of from .4 to .75 Mbps. Are there any cameras that will work with this speed? Any help is appreciated.

What speed does the Centurylink router say? What was the promised internet speed? That seems really low. It seems you have something running on an unknown device, the home dsl filter is in the wrong place or you have bridgetap killing the speed before it hits the house.

Check the primary router speed first. Then unplug everything but one reliable computer. Then check the primary router speed. Turn off the smart tv, smart blu ray player and everything else. Does or did your house have an alarm system? Even an alarm system no longer in use from previous owner? Is the primary router on a home run wiring?

For inside the home monitoring I use old smart devices tied to a single app. I turn on the motion detection. I get small snippets of motion. I have bought one tablet so far with a free cellular connection. My plan is to have the cellular tablet connected to wifi. When/if the power drops the free cell connection will kick in. The tablet will have a couple of hours before it dies. Mine uses Freedom Pop. It's a Sprint reseller. Coverage can be spotty depending on where you live.

[vtaero]

It's a real shame you can't get the blink system. I bought it when it was on Kickstarter. It's awesome. I highly suggest it.

Another one to look at is the Nest camera, it was dropcam. My dad has that one. It's also excellent. I'm not sure of it's requirements though and of course it's not battery powered like blink.