It’s been 12 months since our cars were broken into and 11 since installing Home Security Cameras. We’ve seen the same person looking in our cars not once, not twice but four times. On top of that, I have recorded another person looking in our cars on Christmas morning.
Here are only a few recordings as examples why home security cameras are a nice to have.
Trespasser 20160925
Trespasser 20161225
Trespasser 20170215
Neighborly Bear 20170601
Neighborly Bear 20170718
Neighborly Bears 20170724
Trespasser 20170826
Neighborly Bear 20170907
There are also some added benefits beyond who’s lurking in the cars at odd hours of the morning. Home security cameras also allow you to see who’s at the front door, who’s at the house while away, see what the pets are into next and not to mention, animals who find their way through our yard.
I can’t say the home security cameras have solved our cases of trespassing but certainly has made us more aware and informed of what is happening near and on our property.
Earlier this year I wrote about a Home Surveillance System Overview which has loads of information to help understand what types of cameras to choose from and some good things to think about when considering camera placement.
Home security cameras can be overwhelming and potentially complex when deciding manufacture, number of MegaPixels, do you use WiFi or wired and lastly where to store images and recordings.
First, before I go to much further I recommend and will only discuss digital cameras; not CCTV. Digital Security Cameras are not only more cost effective but certainly better value for image quality.
You should know I have paid for and actively use my surveillance systems. I have two of them, one at my office and the other at my home.
Lastly, I am not an affiliate for any surveillance manufacture nor receive any payment for mentioning the below items. This is all from my experience to you.
Amcrest vs. Foscam
I’ve used Foscam indoor FI9821 as standalone cameras and had always felt their software was a little antiquated, very much 2005 or even older. If you use these cameras do not plan to use the onboard SD Card as storage. I found, even with the latest firmware update, the storage is not managed and it is up to you to actively remove old recording files. Unfortunately I find this extremely unacceptable. This almost forces you to either use FTP, but who has an FTP server laying around, or to pay for cloud storage.
Over the last year I started using several Amcrest Technologies outdoor cameras with their NV4108 NVR video recorder. I have to say, so far I’ve been very happy with the quality. If I had to find a complaint it would be HDD size limitation. I noticed they have a newer version NV4108-HS NVR that now supports 6TB compared to the 4TB when I bought the NV4108. I’d really like to see 8TB considering 1TB will store roughly 3 weeks of storage for a 2 to 3 MegaPixel camera. Certainly this will vary with settings but is a good estimate; plus or minus a handful of days.
Although I don’t use the Amcrest as standalone cameras I still feel the lower cost and higher value is there for Amcrest. You can get into a very nice DIY four camera setup for roughly $700 that will out perform the $699 Foscam NVR Kit with higher quality cameras and far more storage.
Also, if you don’t buy a kit, you can build as go. I started with one outdoor camera and a NVR to eventually multiple indoor and outdoor cameras.
Before I dive into what cameras or recording devices I use you need to sort out the two most common questions:
- Wired vs. Wireless Security Cameras?
- NVR or Cloud Storage?
Wired vs. Wireless Security Cameras
When considering Wired vs. Wireless Security Cameras, don’t be fooled when thinking wireless because no camera is truly “wireless”. You will either have a network cable or a power cord at a minimum.
In terms of security the wireless cameras are more secure. You might think that’s craziness. But wireless Wifi technology is everywhere and a proven technology. On the other hand, if using wired whose to stop a person from pulling a wired camera down and connect directly to your network. Now will someone do that, I highly doubt it but don’t fear I believe wired is the better and most reliable option.
The other consideration with wired cameras, most support Power Over Ethernet (PoE). This means your power is sourced from a central location and can be better maintained during outages.
For me, my internet, Wifi and entire surveillance system is on a Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). This means when I lose power I still have internet, running cameras and a running NVR without disruption.
The take-away here is wired cameras, again, are the most reliable option for critical cameras. As for non-critical cameras, wireless cameras are perfect for ease of use.
NVR or Cloud Storage
It seems that almost everyone I talk to go straight for cloud storage. There’s this notion to have recordings offsite to prevent thief’s from stealing the very recording that would prevent them from stealing in the first place.
This sounds great in theory but if we break it down we lose reliability and scalability.
Scalability is pretty straight forward in that storage is priced by camera and number of retention days. At $6 per camera for a 7 day retention period cost can climb pretty rapidly as you add more cameras and retention.
Reliability on the other hand, for me, comes down to a single point and that is if the internet goes away I still want a fully functional system. Do you recall in Wired vs. Wireless Security Cameras the use of PoE and a UPS? Control what you can and if the internet or power goes down you still want camera recordings to continue.
So, personally, I’ve taken the position of recording locally to an NVR and backup on a regular interval. Backups can be rotated with friends or family, or even kept in a safety deposit box. But I will always have a NVR in my surveillance system.
Okay, let’s get to why you’re here and what I recommend.
Home Surveillance Hardware
Cameras
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Amcrest ProHD Outdoor 2MP WiFi Dome IP Security Camera – IP2M-851B Amcrest Product Page Ideal for entry ways and short outside distances with an impressive 128° field of view.
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Amcrest ProHD Outdoor 4MP PoE Dome IP Security Camera – IP4M-1028E Amcrest Product Page Ideal for discrete mounting and longer daylight distances with a very wide 118° field of view.
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Amcrest ProHD Outdoor 4MP WiFi Dome IP Security Camera – IP4M-1028B Amcrest Product Page Ideal for discrete mounting and longer daylight distances with a very wide 118° field of view.
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Amcrest ProHD Outdoor 4MP PoE Bullet IP Security Camera – IP4M-1025E Amcrest Product Page Ideal for driveways and long distances outside.
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Amcrest ProHD Outdoor 4MP PoE Bullet IP Security Camera – IP4M-1026E Amcrest Product Page Ideal for long daylight distances, less discrete vertical mounting and wide field of view.
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Amcrest ProHD Outdoor 4MP WiFi Bullet IP Security Camera – IP4M-1026B Amcrest Product Page Ideal for long daylight distances, less discrete vertical mounting and wide field of view.
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Security Camera Accessories
Important: IEEE 802.3af (PoE) supplies 15.4 watts of power over Ethernet and is good for most PoE cameras. IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) supports 25.5 watts of power over Ethernet and is more than enough for any camera. Most Amcrest non-PTZ (Pan, Tilt and Zoom) cameras use about 5 watts or less and PTZ cameras use about 8 watts or less. When considering a PoE switch you’ll need at least the number of PoE ports per camera you want to install. Also, you’ll want to ensure the overall switch power in watts is greater than the sum of the watts used by each camera.
For example, if you want to use 2 PTZ cameras and 2 non-PTZ cameras, like the outdoor cameras listed here, you’ll need at least a 4 port PoE or PoE+ switch with a minimum power of 26 watts.
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TP-LINK TL-PoE150S PoE Injector Adapter PoE Option 1: Provides power to one camera.
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TP-Link TL-SG1008P 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet PoE Desktop Switch with 4-PoE Ports PoE Option 2: Provides power to four PoE cameras plus four other network devices.
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WT-GPOE-8-48v120w Gigabit Passive PoE 8 Port Power over Ethernet Injector for PoE Devices PoE Option 3: Provides power for up to eight PoE cameras and integrates into your existing network switch.
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Cat5e Riser (CMR) Ethernet Cable, 1000ft, Blue Cable Option 1: Ideal for cameras only but may encounter future speed limitations.
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Cat6e Riser (CMR) Ethernet Cable, 1000ft, Blue Cable Option 2: Ideal for various network devices or future proofing your camera cables for performance.
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Video and Snapshot Storage
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Amcrest NV4108-HS (8CH 1080p/3MP/4MP/5MP/6MP/8MP) Network Video Recorder Amcrest Product Page
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Sample Website and Mobile App 
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WD Purple 4TB Surveillance Hard Disk Drive – 5400 RPM Class SATA 6 Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch – WD40PURZ
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| Amcrest Cloud Storage To be honest I have not used cloud and after researching what’s out there they all seem to have relatively the same features and price structure. With that, I’d say keep it simple and stick with the same technology and give Amcrest Cloud a try. Comment below if you try this out.
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Home Security Cameras Configuration
Camera Only Surveillance System
Key points:
- Ideal for 1 to 2 cameras.
- Wireless camera connections will work.
- Configure and operate each camera individually.
- Configurable motion detection with recordings, snapshots and email notifications.
- Recording and snapshot storage is to SD Card or FTP server (very limiting).
- View cameras remotely – Foscam camera websites are less secure and requires open firewall port on router, Amcrest is very easy and secure to configure for mobile devices.
Camera + Cloud Surveillance System
Key points:
- Ideal for 1 to 4 cameras.
- Wireless camera connections will work.
- Initially configure each camera then manage from cloud website.
- Configurable motion detection with recordings, snapshots and email notifications.
- Recording and snapshot storage is in the cloud and requires an internet connection.
- View cameras remotely using website or mobile device.
Camera + NVR Surveillance System
Key points:
- Ideal for 1 to 16+ cameras.
- Critical cameras use PoE; none critical cameras can use Wireless.
- Initially configure each camera then manage from NVR.
- Configurable motion detection with recordings, snapshots and email notifications.
- Recording and snapshot storage is on the NVR and does not requires an internet connection.
- View cameras remotely using mobile device.
Final Thoughts
I hope this information will help get you started. There is so much to cover so please feel free to leave questions below and I’ll answer them the best and quickly as I can.
My last recommendation would be to dedicate a wireless access point to wireless home security cameras. If you change internet providers, move or get a new router you don’t need to reconfigure your cameras and network.
A long time ago I went with geovision. They are all wired cameras, and they sit in the commercial arena, but they are killer for features on the NVR. I’ve been getting the fisheye, and fixed domes with them. 8 to 12mp units, and not horrible on the poe requirements. Down side is cost.
For the Ethernet networking side, you can get a used poe switch off Craigs that supports Mac filtering on the port. That removes the issue of someone attaching a coupler to the cable and hooking on the network. Downside, a lot of them are noisy as they are for data closets or server rooms. Depends on your setup.
Either way, i agree that you should have cameras on your property. Protect your assets, cause no one else will.