Security Cameras (Ring vs Nest vs Arlo)

[dad 557]

I purchased two Ring cameras that were on sale recently but a co-worker told me that Arlo would allow me to save recorded videos up to a week whereas I don't think that feature is available on Ring. Before I go and install two cameras and later regret it and want to switch to Arlo, I'd like to hear about what your thoughts are on what you use at home. Thanks.

Ideally I'm looking to NOT pay anything per month and if I could have it save the video to a local NAS device instead so that I could save as much as I want while also being able to access it online even better. Ideally I could access recent stuff online for immediate review abilities but at home I could go back further. 

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

I use Nest Cams which are great, but since you want a week of history and don't want to pay for it, sounds like Arlo is going to be your best bet. I've had a couple of Ring cameras, and Nest blows them out of the water. 

[crash_davis 23113]

arlo saves to the arlo cloud.  you can access vids via the app or webpage.  i believe you can tag the vids to save indefinitely if there's an issue.  or you can also dload the vid.  you can adjust the recording time, 10 secs, 20 secs, 30 secs, etc.  i can't remember if it allows local storage.  arlo is not continuous recording but only when the cams sense motion.

it's wireless which was the main draw for me.  depending on how frequently the cameras record, battery last anywhere from 2-6 months on a charge.

i have the arlo 2nd gen (i believe they are on 3rd gen?) and i am happy with mine.  really no complaints.  there is a slight delay between to start recording after sensing motion.  not sure if the newer gen shortens that time.  the 2nd gen improved that over the 1st gen.  highly recommend.  you sacrifice some with the wireless setup and cloud storage, but for the convenience of not having to run cables, it really like arlo.

[crash_davis 23113]

hmmm, just viewed recorded vids.  arlo definitely started compressing the vids saved to the cloud.  a year ago, the vids were pretty sharp.  viewing the vids on the website and after dloading, they are grainier and more compressed.  actually, i'm disappointed now at the quality.

wonder if you get better quality if you do the monthly subscription.

[mapplewhite132 309]

Check out the Blink cameras from Amazon. Wireless, battery powered, and no subscription fee for cloud storage. I've had them for about a year and really like them. 

[Kennythetiger 9389]

On Shaggy there's a thread like this with someone's wife flashing the camera.

[UnivTex34 1763]

Reolink Argus. No subscription needed, saves to a card in the camera, that you can download from your phone anytime. I have 2 of them, love them. 

[EE2B 1565]

Was that TJHooker’s (ex)wife?

 

[Liteitup 138]

I recently installed the Arlo Pro 2 system. Four cameras for about $700, tax included. Stupid simple to install. 1080 video is excellent, the cloud saves everything for 7 days for no charge. I did have to replace one camera that quit working,  but that was about as painless as dealing with customer service could be. My only complaint is sensitivity, the lowest sensitivity still picks up the wind blowing trees. After getting 70 plus notifications per day for that and a bird on my porch I turned off email and push notifications. That's ok with me, I bought it more to be able to review what happened if and when the time comes. With more patience and better placement I could probably fix the sensitivity issue.

I'd give it a strong 8 out of 10.

[Dutchrudder 11141]

I Nested my whole house, thermostats, smoke detectors, electric locks, doorbell camera and a surveillance camera in front of the garage. Don't have any complaints about the platform, the app works well, and the picture quality on the cameras is 1080 which is essential. I pay $50 a year per camera/doorbell to save the previous 5 days worth of film. I have only needed to make clips of events a couple times, but it's really easy with the Nest website. You pretty much have to get the subscription though, otherwise it won't save any data. 

[Dbeasy 15068]

I use Nest Cams which are great, but since you want a week of history and don't want to pay for it, sounds like Arlo is going to be your best bet. I've had a couple of Ring cameras, and Nest blows them out of the water. 

I don’t like nest cams continuously recording to the cloud because it clogs the internet link. Can you have it just upload motion sensed recording to the cloud? That is what I do with Arlo.

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

I don’t like nest cams continuously recording to the cloud because it clogs the internet link. Can you have it just upload motion sensed recording to the cloud? That is what I do with Arlo.

I'm not sure, I am the opposite and value the continuous recording. Hasn't been an issue on my internet. 

Edited April 5, 2019 by Lobwedgephil

[Jack Handey 57]

Arlo is awesome. No monthly fee and records to cloud whenever there’s motion 

[markstanco 12577]

Arlo is awesome. No monthly fee and records to cloud whenever there’s motion 

For a few days.

I have the paid sub for arlo with 6 or 7 cameras at my lake house. I think I get 30 days with the ability to download. Pay around 100 a year I think.

[Quagmire 2147]

I don’t like nest cams continuously recording to the cloud because it clogs the internet link. Can you have it just upload motion sensed recording to the cloud? That is what I do with Arlo.

Here’s my nest data for the last month, not too bad.

[Dbeasy 15068]

Very encouraging. How many cameras

[Dbeasy 15068]

Also do the outdoor Arlos burn thru batteries quickly due to motion detection? Internal arlo is fine of course.

[CooterBrown 18014]

Also do the outdoor Arlos burn thru batteries quickly due to motion detection? Internal arlo is fine of course.

I change mine about every 3-4 months. I’ve gone 6 months occasionally.

[Quagmire 2147]

Very encouraging. How many cameras

I have 2

[cabowabo 4487]

I recently moved from Arlo to Nest. I don't know why I didn't do it earlier. The continuous uploading to the cloud is awesome. I have not noticed any adverse effect on my internet. Redtube still fires up and streams on demand.

[Jkwellborn 6708]

For a few days.

I have the paid sub for arlo with 6 or 7 cameras at my lake house. I think I get 30 days with the ability to download. Pay around 100 a year I think.

Is it easy to add the cameras to the system? I’ve seen several that come with 4 cameras. But I think I’m gonna need at least 6.

[markstanco 12577]

Yes it takes about 5 minutes per camera. There is some threshold of paying more for additional cameras. I have 6 or 7 don't remember.

[luke duke 6413]

Get a real camera (Dahua, Hikvision, etc.) if you want to be able to identify a stranger from further than 5ft away.

[dad 557]

Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd. is a Chinese manufacturer and world's largest supplier of video surveillance products based in Hangzhou, China. Its controlling shares are owned by the Chinese government. Wikipedia

Things that make you go hmmmm....

Edited April 9, 2019 by dad

[Dbeasy 15068]

Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd. is a Chinese manufacturer and world's largest supplier of video surveillance products based in Hangzhou, China. Its controlling shares are owned by the Chinese government. Wikipedia

Things that make you go hmmmm....

And the federal government just passed a rule requiring federal agencies to not buy their cameras due to concerns over spying.

[luke duke 6413]

The Chinese government is welcome to see what happens on my front porch.

[Liquor and Poker 3659]

Hire a dude to stand there.  He can hold a video camera in his non-gun hand. 

[Jkwellborn 6708]

Hell he could wear one of those go pros for his dick.

[Capt 235]

Here’s my nest data for the last month, not too bad.

I just cannot fap to this

[dad 557]

On 4/6/2019 at 2:27 PM, cabowabo said:

I recently moved from Arlo to Nest. I don't know why I didn't do it earlier. The continuous uploading to the cloud is awesome. I have not noticed any adverse effect on my internet. Redtube still fires up and streams on demand.

What things do you prefer about the Nest over Arlo?

[cabowabo 4487]

Continuous recording, and no batteries to mess with. Downside if thst you have to plug them in, but that was not an issue where I put mine. With Arlo, I would get recordings when the person was almost out of the picture due to late recording after motion was detected. Nest blows Arlo away if power is an option.

[dad 557]

After a little research I think i'm honing in on this bad boy

4K Ultra HD 8 Channel Security System with 8 Ultra HD 4K (8MP) Outdoor Audio Metal Cameras, 150ft Color Night Vision

It's $680 shipped after an online coupon which doesn't seem bad for how fucking awesome these things are.

https://www.lorextechnology.com/hd-dvr-mpx-cameras/4k-8mp-hd-camera-home-security-system/4KMPX88-1-p?gclid=CjwKCAjwkcblBRB_EiwAFmfyy4irk2cQkDisNpy4dH4j3jKUrCtGIiWklZFpTIoFhAvtNALDOriYThoCs4UQAvD_BwE

 

[ZB'Tejas 593]

I have a setup similar to the above.... it's FLIR that has now been purchased by Lorex but it's pretty nice. I've had a few cameras go out so working on getting those fixed (hopefully just a fuze)

[HRSchenker 2271]

I use Blink by Amazon and it has done wonders.

[dad 557]

3 hours ago, ZB'Tejas said:

I have a setup similar to the above.... it's FLIR that has now been purchased by Lorex but it's pretty nice. I've had a few cameras go out so working on getting those fixed (hopefully just a fuze)

Did you have someone else install/wire it all? I don't know how hard it's going to be to crawl through my attic in tight spaces for these corner areas and drill holes to run the wires and how to properly run them etc. I also don't want to pay someone $200 plus just to do something seemingly simple. 

[Rimbo 25975]

How do these do re: night vision?

[woohorn 1131]

Is Power Over Coax (PoC) still a thing. I have a few and want to add, but I don't know whether it is still used.

[ZB'Tejas 593]

1 minute ago, dad said:

Did you have someone else install/wire it all? I don't know how hard it's going to be to crawl through my attic in tight spaces for these corner areas and drill holes to run the wires and how to properly run them etc. I also don't want to pay someone $200 plus just to do something seemingly simple. 

Dyezz did all the install work. I've got a few cameras inside and some outside. The ones outside have all the wires run with conduit externally while inside is run through the attic and crawl spaces. I personally think it's worth getting professional help to install it correctly.

 

As far as night vision... mine do just fine in close range. It's not in color and they are only HD but good enough for what I need.

[dad 557]

I never considered running them with conduit externally that would certainly make it a lot easier on me to do. I wonder how often it’s done that way as opposed to running it through the attic and eaves. I plan to install 8 of them along the perimeter of the house at various angles so u would essentially have to have conduit for a big portion of the perimeter. Something to consider.

[ZB'Tejas 593]

True. I only have a stretch of conduit on one side of the house... originating from the attic and extending to both the front of the house and the back where both sets of cameras are mounted. The house is two story so for the cameras mounted inside the wires are run between the floors which seems incredibly difficult which is why I would definitely opt for professional installation.

[ChickenSandwich 9843]

On 4/15/2019 at 12:48 PM, HRSchenker said:

I use Blink by Amazon and it has done wonders.

was about to ask about Blink, neighbor just went with them, she loves it

got a review or comparison for us? (besides the price)

[HRSchenker 2271]

23 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

was about to ask about Blink, neighbor just went with them, she loves it

got a review or comparison for us? (besides the price)

I love my Blink cameras! Everything is cloud based and motion clips get sent to your phone. Audio and video quality is pretty good too. I have 4 total cameras installed March 2018 and I haven't changed the battery in any of them yet.

[ChickenSandwich 9843]

1 hour ago, HRSchenker said:

I love my Blink cameras! Everything is cloud based and motion clips get sent to your phone. Audio and video quality is pretty good too. I have 4 total cameras installed March 2018 and I haven't changed the battery in any of them yet.

How does their cloud storage work?  Is it free?

[HRSchenker 2271]

8 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

How does their cloud storage work?  Is it free?

Free. You plug in a mini router that connects to your home's WIFI. The device will send clips to your phone and you can store as much as your phone holds. I just save the important clips and delete the rest after 3 days.

[EE2B 1565]

Is Power Over Coax (PoC) still a thing. I have a few and want to add, but I don't know whether it is still used.

For CCTV’s, yes. We are moving ours to POE (power over Ethernet) and replacing them with IP cameras.

[ZB'Tejas 593]

For CCTV’s, yes. We are moving ours to POE (power over Ethernet) and replacing them with IP cameras.

My recent conversation with the company that installed mine said that many people still use PoC (Analog) versus the PoE (digital). Quality is still just as high but the digital cost is much more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[capnamerca 571]

Is Lorex a chinese company? I just bought the Reolink system, but I"ve since found a few reviews where people have said the system 'checks in' with IP addresses in China every now and then. I need to verify that behavior (mine isn't installed yet), but I"d prefer to not add to the Chinese mesh network, if possible.

 

My house wired with Cat5 and Cat6, so this system would work perfectly - https://www.lorextechnology.com/4k-security-camera/hd-nvr-with-super-hd-4mp-security-cameras-/4KHDIP44W-1-p.

 

[ZB'Tejas 593]

26 minutes ago, capnamerca said:

Is Lorex a chinese company? I just bought the Reolink system, but I"ve since found a few reviews where people have said the system 'checks in' with IP addresses in China every now and then. I need to verify that behavior (mine isn't installed yet), but I"d prefer to not add to the Chinese mesh network, if possible.

 

My house wired with Cat5 and Cat6, so this system would work perfectly - https://www.lorextechnology.com/4k-security-camera/hd-nvr-with-super-hd-4mp-security-cameras-/4KHDIP44W-1-p.

 

Quote

FLIR Sells Lorex Business to Dahua for $29M; Exits DIY, SMB Markets

The sale marks the end of FLIR’s flirtations in the DIY and small/medium-sized security products business. Dahua had been the primary OEM supplier to Lorex.

 

https://www.securitysales.com/business/mergers/flir-sells-lorex-dahua-exits-diy-smb-markets/

Edited April 19, 2019 by ZB'Tejas

[capnamerca 571]

thanks, zb

 

[capnamerca 571]

man. It seems that every single consumer-grade camera includes parts (if not the entire camera assembly) made in china, and every one of them has easily-googleable proof that they're punching holes through firewalls via hard-coded destination IPs and routing traffic to china. Everyone says "don't worry about it, security camera footage isn't all that interesting anyway" but its the principal of the thing. Ugh.