Video surveillance systems
Video surveillance systems
I need to move to a new location for 2-3 months and was considering purchasing cameras (2-3 units). Are there any reliable IP camera options or alternatives? I’d like to monitor activity via an app/web interface, receive alerts through email or app notifications, and have footage retained for about 30 seconds on platforms like Google Drive. The Tp-Link Tapo C200 seems to be what I found so far—do you have better recommendations?
Hey, I'm exploring options for a home IP camera setup. It really depends on what you need. Are you interested in just one camera or several? How much recording time do you require? Do you need it indoors or outside?
I considered setting up three cameras—two for the two bedrooms and one near the entrance. Since it's a flat, only indoor use is needed. A full 24-hour storage is sufficient, and it should capture any movement for later retrieval (cloud or local NAS) so that if anything happens, the footage remains accessible beyond the initial period.
Oh okay. So in that case, the best way would be to get a ONVIF compatible camera and setup a recording software like Blue Iris. You can also set the camera to record during motion. Additionally you can also sync those particular videos to cloud like Dropbox or mega(Free 50gb) as the videos are Stored onto your local NAS etc. I’ve been researching a bunch of reviews and found this company called Reolink makes really good IP cameras that also comes at a good affordable pricing. Hope that helped.
I’ve gathered some time to share the details. Thanks again for all your guidance. Because I’m based in Russia, the quickest option was ordering from Aliexpress, but delivery would take around two weeks. I left on July 10th, so I visited a local security camera store on July 8th. There, the seller sold me an Imou Ranger 2. I bought only two and planned to order Reolink later—they’re significantly cheaper. It’s known as a Dahua brand, which is widely used and reliable. The device supports ONVIF, but I opted for their own app (with a one-month free trial at 2 USD per month).
The tricky part came when I realized I’d need two Blue Iris licenses to enable remote access. Alternatively, I could use TeamViewer or similar tools with email alerts. This is similar to iSpy/Agent DVR, but there I’d have paid a subscription fee. The main issue is cost: Imou charges 20 USD for an annual plan with three days of cloud storage, and Blue Iris is around 83 USD (including taxes). So I’m weighing options—avoiding Chinese servers, considering the higher price of Blue Iris, and needing a PC since I currently use a laptop. I’ll keep researching and update you if I find something better.
Hey, that’s great news. Everything worked out nicely. I understand now. So renting from imou is fine, but once your video goes to their server we have no idea how they handle it. It feels like someone is constantly watching you. Lol. Sorry about that. On the flip side, blue iris keeps your data locally on your computer, so it stays safe. By the way, I’m a bit puzzled by some of what you said. You mentioned needing two Blue Iris licenses for remote support? Actually, you only need the full Blue Iris license which supports 64 cameras and is paid once. It remains valid indefinitely. Regarding priority support, those are just extra plans that let a Blue Iris employee assist with setup or issues. You probably don’t need them—just choose the basic support plan for a year. As for Remote Desktop support, it means they can connect directly to your computer to help you. For remote viewing, you could try: 1) Team viewer, 2) Forward the Blue Iris web port, or 3) Set up a VPN server at home and forward the VPN port. Then you can access your data from anywhere using your home VPN. Let me know if this clears things up!