Keeping an eye on my Valkyrie

[JimmyG]

I need to keep an eye on my Valkyrie......therefor I need to ask, do any of you guys have camera security systems?    I want to install some cameras around my house.  I'd like to put up 4 cameras and a recording system that I can check out while we are away from home.  I want to do the install myself. Seems like buying a system all ready packaged together is the cheapest way to accomplish this, but since I am new to this, some of you may have answers for a good , reasonable cost way to DIY this.

It's Valkyrie related because I need to keep an eye on the old gal.

[da prez]

I do not have a security system , but in research, a wireless system is supposed to be better.

             da prez

[Gryphon Rider]

I would just head down to Costco and pick the system that matches my needs.

[Jess from VA]

For a period of years (now gone), I had a chronic problem with neighbors from hell whose house served as the neighborhood juvenile delinquent hang out and headquarters.  The cops, health, code, zoning, and animal control departments never solved the problem.  Short of murder, juveniles generally get away with everything.

I came very close to getting a multi-camera system.  I am pretty technologically ignorant.  So my plan was to contact a couple professional outfits, invite them over for a survey and proposal, ask a lot of questions, and then use that expert information to choose my own system and install it myself.  

It never came to that.  But that was my plan.

I would not feel bad about using expert estimators to educate me about various systems.  Estimators often get a huge percentage of each contract they sell, and they can always use the practice selling.

I could use the knowledge and information...... just not the contract price.      

 

[sandy]

A friend bought the Costco unit and returned it due to poor resolution. Look at resolution to get the picture you want.

[Jess Tolbirt]

i bought my system at wal mart, came with 6 cameras and a dvr,, it uses the night owl app and works great.. i recommend it. the cost was 350 dollars...

[JimC]

I am also looking into a home security system because we are going to be doing more traveling.
I found that Home Depot has all, or most, of their systems on a black Friday sale right now.
If nothing else, this link should show you what the various systems do and what they cost.

https://www.homedepot.com/s/surveilance%2520system%2520sale?NCNI-5

So far I am leaning toward this system, (or one like it) unless someone more knowledgeable can tell me otherwise.
It has a 4tb memory so no need to rent space on the cloud, it has remote capabilities and triggering on a cell phone.
The 6 cameras should cover my house and garage completely. I have no problem with the wired system when I remodeled our house I put conduit in the walls just for this reason.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/LaView-8-Channel-1080P-IP-Surveillance-4TB-NVR-Security-System-6-1080P-Wired-Indoor-Outdoor-Cameras-Free-Remote-View-LV-KN98SILEA4-T4/206675431

Jim

[thedon]

Just recently installed Arlo Pro II at my house. It's wireless and I get notifications on my cell phone. The cameras are 1080P which means they are very clear. Each camera has a battery with it. The battery needs to be charged. So far it's been a few weeks and battery's are down to 75% and it's been very cold. Sometimes cold air will shorten battery life. All in all, it is a good system.

[SCain]

What about a Ring Doorbell, it is motion activated and uses WiFi with an app on your phone.
Something like this might work for what you need, but here is the ? What are you going to do if someone gets into the garage (I assume the bike is stored in a garage), if you don't have something loud to attract attention from neighbors, response time from the local LEO's is usually not very good.
Alarm decals are a good deterrent, put disc locks on the bike so it can't roll.
Good Luck

[JimmyG]

  Jess, would have been disappointed if you had not done this, for advice purposes.  I have researched a lot. The more I research, the more I get discouraged.  Here is what I have learned. Wireless is great, plug and play, easy peasey.  They have good resolution, as long as they receive a good signal and you buy good cameras and they are within distance and not trying to penetrate solid block walls.

Wired gives the best available resolution, once again, good cameras are required. DVR vs NVR, probably not that important for a small application like mine.

About all can be checked over the internet, some have more bells and whistles to go wrong than others.

There is a lot of crap out there.  Just want to buy one, one time
Thanks for replies

[Jess from VA]

Jess, would have been disappointed if you had not done this, for advice purposes. 

I have researched a lot. The more I research, the more I get discouraged.  Here is what I have learned. Wireless is great, plug and play, easy peasey.  They have good resolution, as long as they receive a good signal and you buy good cameras and they are within distance and not trying to penetrate solid block walls.

Wired gives the best available resolution, once again, good cameras are required. DVR vs NVR, probably not that important for a small application like mine.

About all can be checked over the internet, some have more bells and whistles to go wrong than others.

There is a lot of crap out there.  Just want to buy one, one time
Thanks for replies

Huh?  I don't get it.

I don't get discouraged, I get confused (by technology).  I try to do research, and reviews, and I'm still confused (often followed by anger). 

[Mr Whiskey]

Nothing wrong with cameras (& I know zilch 'bout home security) but if you're actually worried about the Valk goin' somewhere you need to Lojack it (or something similar) in addition to the recorded security. What good is it havin' a nice crisp clear recording of who took it if you never get it back?
Learned this with our camping trailer. Already on wheels & a good thief can circumvent pretty much any kinda lock, so need to know where they take it. Best chance of getting it back and catching the thieves. Heck, you can send the cops to it's location while you're on vacation  
2¢ worth, ymmv.

[cookiedough]

I am also looking into a home security system because we are going to be doing more traveling.
I found that Home Depot has all, or most, of their systems on a black Friday sale right now.
If nothing else, this link should show you what the various systems do and what they cost.

https://www.homedepot.com/s/surveilance%2520system%2520sale?NCNI-5

So far I am leaning toward this system, (or one like it) unless someone more knowledgeable can tell me otherwise.
It has a 4tb memory so no need to rent space on the cloud, it has remote capabilities and triggering on a cell phone.
The 6 cameras should cover my house and garage completely. I have no problem with the wired system when I remodeled our house I put conduit in the walls just for this reason.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/LaView-8-Channel-1080P-IP-Surveillance-4TB-NVR-Security-System-6-1080P-Wired-Indoor-Outdoor-Cameras-Free-Remote-View-LV-KN98SILEA4-T4/206675431

Jim

YES,  black friday has some VERY good deals on multiple security cameras and easy setup at 1/2 the cost of buying new.  I would get it black friday deals just google black friday ads and get one system wherever is the cheapest.   A lot of black friday ads you can go ONLINE the night of the sale and order it and pick up free ship to store.  That is what I did at Best buy and Target last year or even Walmart as well to avoid the LONG lines in store. 

[Gavin_Sons]

I keep hearing about these blink home security cameras. Havee looked them up several times and seems they would fit your needs. They also have an app that will alert your phone and you can watch them libe from wherever you are. We bought a cheapo amazon special awhile back when we got the new puppy because my wife thought she needed to check in on him and talk to him while we are at work. It works great for inside the house. We can watch it live and even pan and tilt it to the position we want straight from our phones. We are leaving for florida in the morning and I have it set up in our bay window facing the front door. We will see how it works from 1000 miles away.

[DGS65]

This happens to be what I do for a living so I have a good deal of knowledge about this.  I would stay away from Costco!  As for DYI systems there are wireless and wired some of the wireless setups work well however you still need some sort of power.  Arlo is made by netgear and while I haven't used them my former partner uses them and is very happy The pro model is the way to go and they now offer a solar charging panel which means you don't have to replace or recharge batteries.
Ring Door bells now offers additional cameras also have solar panel for power and the make a model built into a flood light and it gets its power from the light power.

As a professional I don't install DYI systems I use hardwired systems which frankly are not all that difficult to install if you know how to run wires and terminate a data jack.  You can buy an inexpensive Flir kit online for maybe $600 which comes with 6 cameras and an 8 channel NVR very easy to setup.

If you have any questions send me a PM I would be happy to help.

[Kidd]

Wireless is not good , if you have a choice , wired is better .
Last year  I spend lots of time on the net deciding what to get, I  purchased  the Swann system .
I have 7 of the eight cameras hooked up  .
I did have to get up in the attic  over the garage  a few times .
No problem , works fine

[JimmyG]

   Thanks for the ideas

[DGS65]

Keep in mind it is all about the resolution of the cameras these days 1080p is the minimum res.
Flir is getting out of the business and the OEM will be continuing the line.  The Flir are very good and being sold very cheap as a result that they are going away at least the name.
https://www.lorextechnology.com/hd-ip-security-camera-system/4-channel-hd-security-camera-system-with-ip-cameras/HDIP44D-1-p?gclid=CjwKCAiAz7TfBRAKEiwAz8fKOFaHwq7J1uH_GZzz48nBZJJuLxsuHQ5CfCT-D69j5Np89ZAPVGfJGxoCAHUQAvD_BwE

There are many models and I'm not recommending you to buy it from the site I posted I don't even know them I just googled the system and this was the first one that came up.  Dahua is the OEM they have been making them for years and just installed my first system under their own name this week frankly I like it maybe even a little more but it is hard to beat the pricing on the Flir models being cleared out.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

I bought this system on Amazon over a year ago. I bought it without a hard-drive and installed one I bought seperately. It uses it's own wireless network that plugs into my router so it doesn't depend on or slowdown my wireless network.

Night vision is very good, fog will sometimes foul the lenses and blot out the view. The cameras don't seem to be affected by temperature at all. I have them mounted under my eves so they are out of most rain but do get wet occasionally. I haven't been able to get the app to work on my tablet but I can see what the cams see from my phone anytime I have signal, not quite real time, seems to be a 3-5 second delay.

I also have the system tied into my shop computer screen with a monitor switch which will take the view back and forth from the PC to the cameras at the push of a button. It always has 36 hours or so recorded and automatically records over the oldest video. I installed it myself and pay no monthly fees except for my internet connection.

I can look on my phone from work or from anywhere and see what's going on at home. Downside is it isn't the easiest thing to setup and it can only handle four cameras. https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Security-SMONET-Cameras-Detection/dp/B01EFHZFT4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542341926&sr=8-1&keywords=Wireless+Security+Camera+System%2CSMONET+4CH+HD+Video+Security+System%2C4pcs+HD+Bullet+IP+Cameras%2CSupport+Motion+Detection+Alarm+%26+Remote+View+by+iOS+or+Android+App%2CNo+Hard+Drive&dpID=51Y720xoVgL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

[Psychotic Bovine]

My 2 cents.  I have used the Blink system for 8 months or so. 
It is an "on demand" system in that is only activates when it detects motion.  You do get false alerts now and again.  I have captured cats and dogs walking through the camera frame.  I have had birds attack the camera, had a praying mantis stare into the lens (and my soul), and have seen more wasp and fly asses than should ever be seen.
But, I also caught a bicycle thief that had burglarized a neighbor's house (this was within 10 hours of installing the cameras).
The Blink system is 100% wireless, the cameras run on two AA disposable lithium batteries (they can be hard wired with a 5v usb power supply, though).  The system consists of a sync module that handles the cameras, and sends the signal to your WIFI router.  The system can handle up to 10 cameras per sync module.  It records in 1080p (several resolutions are selectable).  And the cameras have IR emitters so can see in the dark. 
I have yet to change batteries in any of my cameras.
The system, after it's installed, does require some tweaking for the motion detection sensitivity, and the range of the motion detection for a human size object is about 20 feet at medium sensitivity.
Cameras are fully waterproof.  They also have a live view function (which does not record), but does use up more battery power (live view last 30 seconds, unless you click to continue).
The cameras, once triggered, record from 10 to 60 seconds (selectable), but can be set to shut off early if motion stops. 
Blink (owned by amazon) stores 4000 seconds of footage for free.  Unfortunately, there is no option for local storage at this time.   The stored video clips can be downloaded to your smartphone.
Unfortunately, this system only works with smartphones or tablets.  No option for pc.
Also, it doesn't send you the alert until after the motion has been detected and uploaded to their servers.  Basically, you will get an alert about 30 seconds after the event that triggered that camera happens (longer if you have a longer record setting).  The alert comes over your phone and you can view the saved footage at that time.
It's not a perfect system by any means, and it has a few drawbacks, but it has worked out for my uses so far.  My brother and a neighbor have purchased the same system, and they are happy with it, despite the drawbacks.

[JimmyG]

I like the FLIR system that DGS65 listed. Seems to be all I need where I live. 
A little side note, I live in the country. There is one way into my property, unless you want to scale some rather steep hills and hollers. As we all know, most thieves are to lazy to exert a lot of energy to supply their drug habit, so since I don't have anything of real high value, I feel rather safe from thieves. We do have a thief living down the road a piece, and he would steal anything to support his junky self.  I want a camera showing the front entrance to our property, a back camera to watch my bee hives, one up on the hill to watch my deer hunting stand area and one more somewhere else, I'm not sure where yet.
So, I have simple needs

[Mr Whiskey]

A little side note, I live in the country.

That being the case then the most effective "theft deterrent" system you can get
would be a good watchdog, IMHO
Best of on your search
PS. When you get a good camera system be sure and post signs that you have cameras (and don't put the signs right where the cameras are). The signs will do more to deter theft than the cameras will. You could actually put up fake cameras with signs & accomplish about the same thing  

[carolinarider09]

I have two video systems installed.  One wired and the older Arlo Pro system.

The wired system records video on a built in hard drive and monitors certain areas for the purpose of "recording" events.  It is not easily accessible from the web.  Newer version may be better but it does require you to run wires for power and video.  Since I put it in when I built the house, thats not an issue.  The system has limited backup power capabilities (i.e. I have a small inverter to be used in the event of power loss but its life is only about 60 minutes).

The Arlo Pro (the one I have) has one limitation and that is it must be hardwired to the internet connection.  Other than that, it works as described and does well with detecting motion and making recordings and sending notifications.  The units are battery powered but can be powered by external sources.

You will have to provide an auxiliary power source (UPS) to allow the system to function during a power loss.  Both for the main control unit and the internet interface modem.

There is one more option and that is the use of "trail" cameras.  Good units can be had for less than $100 run off AA batteries (with option for external power) and provide relatively good video.  I have two installed just to monitor the wildlife in the area and one that is turned on when I leave as a backup for the other two systems.  

While the Arlo system will send notifications to your devices, it requires internet access to do that.  

When I built the house I also installed a home security system (my install).  It consists of wired and wireless units.  It has battery backup and is the most reliable system for detecting home intrusions.  It has a "wired" monitoring system using standard phone lines.  The phone lines are protected at entry but you could still cut them if you knew what you were looking for and therefore disable the system.  

What I like about the security system is that I almost always have access to my cell phone and the monitoring service responses have been very timely (usually when I screw up by not turning it off quickly enough upon entry).  Monitoring services cost about $120 a year.  They will also contact local authorities if you do not respond in a timely manner.  I considered using cell service for the monitoring functions but the cost of the unit and other access charges sort of made that a non-starter.  Besides the easy to which the average guy can buy a cell phone signal jammer just made the choice that much easier.

And yes I use to work in the nuclear power industry where a backup to a backup is the standard not the exception.

If you have any questions about the above, just asked.

[JimmyG]

Whiskey: I got a dog, she's good for alerting us to anything that passes within her scent range, squirrels to bobcats, to foxes, to UPS trucks,etc.  But, I just want some system for when we are gone.

caorlinerrider: back ups are great, especially when it comes to radiation protection.    I still glow a little in the dark after working in radiology for 42 years

[carolinarider09]

caorlinerrider: back ups are great, especially when it comes to radiation protection.    I still glow a little in the dark after working in radiology for 42 years

I always looked forward to the "whole body count"  Each time I still had a whole body.  

One more item, early warning systems are nice.  Dakota Alert makes one that i use on two drive ways.  One is motion detection and one is vehicle detection.  Their signal transmission range is somewhat limited but can easily be extended with a J-Pole antenna (easy to build from 1/4" cooper tubing and mounted to a 4x4 treated post).  The system uses MURS frequencies and offers a selection of "encoding" in case your neighbor has one as well.

https://www.dakotaalert.com/store/murs-alert-products/