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JMich3

Blink camera sale

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First off, sorry to the mods if this is in the wrong spot.

if anyone is looking for a wireless camera system for indoors or out Blink is having a great sale this weekend. I got a $130 system for $80. If your not familiar with the Blink cameras they are wireless and run on AA batteries for up to 2 years. I ordered one for my front door after a recent porch pirate incident. 

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For anyone considering this, do not put Blink cameras outdoors unless it's the model specifically made for outdoors, even if it's in a covered area.  Blink cameras work well in that they normally catch everything that happens.  Also, don't expect the batteries to last 2 years...maybe 2 months. on a reasonable clarity setting.

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How's the video storage on that system, because that's the most important part of any system. Does it save complete clips or just preset lengths, are events easy to find and retrieve, is it easy to copy and give clips to LEOs for investigations, does it do full coverage of all access areas, etc?

 

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2 hours ago, vjf915 said:

For anyone considering this, do not put Blink cameras outdoors unless it's the model specifically made for outdoors, even if it's in a covered area.  Blink cameras work well in that they normally catch everything that happens.  Also, don't expect the batteries to last 2 years...maybe 2 months. on a reasonable clarity setting.

So just get hard wired cameras?

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18 minutes ago, Maksim said:

So just get hard wired cameras?

Honestly that's up to you and your application, but I'll explain my experience with wifi cameras.  I'll try to be as detailed as possible while not being boring.  Please feel free to ask any amplifying questions though.

Wifi cameras are convenient only because they're not wired.  You don't need to run power and video wires from the camera to the receiver.  That's about it.  This is also the downfall with wifi cameras.  The camera interfaces with the receiver, and the receiver is connected to your wifi (or wired) internet, and then you typically use your phone to control settings or watch video clips (some cameras also allow you to use your computer).  The cameras must be a reasonable distance from the receiver, and the receiver a reasonable distance from your router (if using wifi) in order for it to even work remotely well.  For example.  There was only an exterior wall separating my camera from the receiver, and the receiver was right next to my router.  If I was sitting in the same room as the router, it would still take 10+ seconds for me to get a live feed from the camera, and even then the feed was 1 or 2 seconds delayed from what was actually happening.  Also consider that due to the storms Guam gets, that exterior wall was cement, which didn't help.

I had two indoor Blink cameras in covered areas outdoors.  They lasted maybe a year before finally crapping out.  The sensor worked well, and the camera often caught movement in the areas the cameras were pointing at.  The cameras I had used AA batteries, which often lasted +/- 2 months.  I used the Energizer rechargeable batteries which worked well (Side plug, I'd recommend these for household use with the universal charger).  Video storage wasn't bad, if I remember correctly Blink would just store the videos on your phone or in the receiver until the memory was full.  You could also set it to delete after a certain amount of time, or download the video to your phone if you needed it.  You could only access the camera from your phone.  After those cameras crapped out, I tried Arlo.  Arlo's camera is a little more aesthetically pleasing, and if I remember it provided a slightly better video quality (both were good enough quality in my opinion).  Arlo's non-rechargeable model uses 4xC123A batteries, which I was okay with because I "inherited" a crap ton from work.  Battery life for this camera was +/- 6 months, which was nice to not have to climb up and change all the time.  That being said, the Arlo camera didn't seem to pick up as much as Blink.  There were some times that it wouldn't pick up me driving my vehicle off, which was in the center of the shot and would drive directly under the camera.  Arlo only stores up to the past 7 days on the device, unless you pay a monthly subscription for extra storage (this does not count videos you download to keep).  Arlo could be access from either your phone or a computer, however when you access it from another device, it signs you out of the previous device, which then means you don't get alerts on your phone until you sign back in.

Now that I'm stateside, living in NH, I don't feel the need to set up a camera system yet.  When I get a house (hopefully in 6ish months), if I feel the need to set up a camera system, I will set up a hardwired camera system.

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I bought this system because a good friend uses them. He has had a much better experience with them. Putting indoor cameras outside and them not lasting is not the fault of the cameras. I don’t know what you had the cameras set up at but my buddy has his over a year and hasn’t changed the batteries. I’ve seen his clips, day and night and both are solid. Yes I’m sure a hard wired system that costs 10 times more would be preferable. For me , i rent so i don’t have the option of opening up walls and ceilings to run wiring. For the cost i think the Blink camera serves its purpose well. Again I’m sure there are better systems out there, but for 75 bucks I have a little more piece of mind.

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4 hours ago, Maksim said:

So just get hard wired cameras?

That's the only correct way to go.

If watching or recording video of a possible theft or intrusion into your home is the reason to get cameras, isn't it worth a few hundred dollars to do it the right way?

Why monkey around with some hit and miss wireless cameras, where you're not sure if it picked up the important action or if your WiFi might cut out, or the signal is blocked by a wall or the battery died? Saving a few bucks and being a cheapskate when it comes to home security is absolutely nuts.

Spend a few hours and run some cables, get a real DVR to record and save, and to easily access, copy and review the video. Get some decent cameras that will watch all important access points of your house.

Video footage is the BEST way to catch a thief and PROVE his guilt.

Guys here spend THOUSANDS on play toys that just go BANG, but aren't willing to spend a few hundred to protect their home, family and belongings??

Really??????

 

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2 hours ago, Sniper22 said:

That's the only correct way to go.

If watching or recording video of a possible theft or intrusion into your home is the reason to get cameras, isn't it worth a few hundred dollars to do it the right way?

Why monkey around with some hit and miss wireless cameras, where you're not sure if it picked up the important action or if your WiFi might cut out, or the signal is blocked by a wall or the battery died? Saving a few bucks and being a cheapskate when it comes to home security is absolutely nuts.

Spend a few hours and run some cables, get a real DVR to record and save, and to easily access, copy and review the video. Get some decent cameras that will watch all important access points of your house.

Video footage is the BEST way to catch a thief and PROVE his guilt.

Guys here spend THOUSANDS on play toys that just go BANG, but aren't willing to spend a few hundred to protect their home, family and belongings??

Really??????

 

So we just moved out of NJ and into PA.  Move a bit into the "country" and are on almost 2 acres.  The challenge is, with where our house is facing, only 2 rooms have good view of drive way, and no rooms, have a good view of our back portion of the back yard. (on a slope, back half of the back yard is about 20 feet higher elevation, so we can see it from the loft, but only the part which is not further obscured by the septic sand mound.  

Ideally would like to have a motion activated alert if say someone is pulling up the drive way, or walking around the back half of our property... i.e. neighbor's dog.

The challenge is, tons of wild life here (rabbits, deer, foxes, possum?).

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5 hours ago, JMich3 said:

I bought this system because a good friend uses them. He has had a much better experience with them. Putting indoor cameras outside and them not lasting is not the fault of the cameras. I don’t know what you had the cameras set up at but my buddy has his over a year and hasn’t changed the batteries. I’ve seen his clips, day and night and both are solid. Yes I’m sure a hard wired system that costs 10 times more would be preferable. For me , i rent so i don’t have the option of opening up walls and ceilings to run wiring. For the cost i think the Blink camera serves its purpose well. Again I’m sure there are better systems out there, but for 75 bucks I have a little more piece of mind.

I never stated that the indoor camera only lasting a year outdoors was the manufacturers fault.  I also didn't try to hide it.  I said that I was going to explain my experience, and I did.  Also, you paid $75, during a sale, for one camera.  Wired setups typically include four cameras.  If you purchase four wifi cameras plus the receiver, you're going to pay almost as much as you would for a quality wired system.  Your claim of 10 times the cost is simply false.  Stop getting upset just because not everyone supports your purchase.

34 minutes ago, Maksim said:

So we just moved out of NJ and into PA.  Move a bit into the "country" and are on almost 2 acres.  The challenge is, with where our house is facing, only 2 rooms have good view of drive way, and no rooms, have a good view of our back portion of the back yard. (on a slope, back half of the back yard is about 20 feet higher elevation, so we can see it from the loft, but only the part which is not further obscured by the septic sand mound.  

Ideally would like to have a motion activated alert if say someone is pulling up the drive way, or walking around the back half of our property... i.e. neighbor's dog.

The challenge is, tons of wild life here (rabbits, deer, foxes, possum?).

Wild life, even bugs, will trip the camera.  You'll get used to it.  Also, the motion sensors on cameras aren't going to cover the amount of property you have.  The motion sensors are good for about 30ft give or take.

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3 hours ago, Maksim said:

Ideally would like to have a motion activated alert if say someone is pulling up the drive way, or walking around the back half of our property... i.e. neighbor's dog.

The challenge is, tons of wild life here (rabbits, deer, foxes, possum?).

The toughest part about video surveillance is deciding what you want to "see". Sometime more is too much.

Traditionally, video surveillance is used to record just the possible entrance ways (windows and doors) into the structure and specific outdoor items (like parked cars in the driveway). So, for watching the structure, you would position the cameras so they can see along the outside walls, picking up a run of windows or doors, ideally mounted under the eaves for protection from the elements.

Watching a wide area like a backyard or driveway takes cameras and systems able to handle higher resolutions and different fields of vision, plus extended night vision. So, it comes down to deciding what's more important, security or general observation when designing/choosing components of the system.

I've changed out cameras a bunch of times on my primary system to do some tweaks on what I want to see, grid out what I don't want motion triggered by the cameras, and having better zoom capabilities on a few.

2 hours ago, vjf915 said:

Wild life, even bugs, will trip the camera.  You'll get used to it.  Also, the motion sensors on cameras aren't going to cover the amount of property you have.  The motion sensors are good for about 30ft give or take.

Ha... the spiders drive me nuts. When they spin their webs, it can trigger the motion on the camera. The IRs for the night vision attract flying bugs, then the spiders set up webs to catch the flying bugs. It's a regular process cleaning webs from the cameras.

I get about 60 - 80 feet on my motion sensors for the one camera I'm looking the farthest with. With many systems, the sensitivity of the motion trigger is adjustable, depending on where it's located.

2 hours ago, vjf915 said:

Also, you paid $75, during a sale, for one camera.  Wired setups typically include four cameras.  If you purchase four wifi cameras plus the receiver, you're going to pay almost as much as you would for a quality wired system.  Your claim of 10 times the cost is simply false.  Stop getting upset just because not everyone supports your purchase.

This is true. Comparing a wireless system to a wired system is comparing apples to horseshoes based on what's included and the capability of the systems. Average 4 camera wired systems with a DVR come in around $300, depending on resolution, although I feel a 4 camera system isn't usually enough to cover a standard house with complete coverage, a 8 channel system should be considered.

The other big issue I've seen with wireless systems is the fact that sending video over WiFi takes a lot of data/power. Video signals are data heavy, and if there is a weak WiFi signal, the video will lag and break up, just like Youtube videos do when you have a weak WiFi or weak 4G signal. Except, we're talking about the security of your house, not a clip from the football game. Not a time to take a chance with data loss.

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13 hours ago, Sniper22 said:

How's the video storage on that system, because that's the most important part of any system. Does it save complete clips or just preset lengths, are events easy to find and retrieve, is it easy to copy and give clips to LEOs for investigations, does it do full coverage of all access areas, etc?

 

and do these allow livetime viewing?

 

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3 hours ago, bennj said:

I've been looking at indoor/outdoor camera systems and would prefer hard-wired. Got any suggestions for any that are a few hundred or so? I'm not an electrician, but have spent some time fishing wire/cable in walls and ceilings.

Fishing the wires really isn't that hard, just like running speaker wire. If you have a attic or crawl space/basement, it isn't all that bad. Just takes a few hours to hang cameras and run cable. Plus, you'll want to hard wire back to your router too, so you can access the video from your phone. So, DVR location is important, as you run all the camera wires back to it plus the Cat. 5 cable to the router, plus you'll need a monitor/TV to view the video and be able to adjust settings.

Regarding which systems, it first depends on what you're looking to "watch". Cameras come in different resolutions, styles, colors and fields of view. So choosing a camera depends on the area you want to cover. Make sure the DVR has at least 1TB of storage, 2TB, or more, even better, if you run multiple cameras.

Some of the standard systems from Lorex, Swann or Q-See will be fine for the average home owner. One really important part is to really think about camera location and what you want to see/record. The camera systems come in multiples of 4, so you can get a 4, 8, 16, 32 channel system. Make sure you plan to have a few extra channels from your original idea. You'll always go, "I want another camera here" and if your system is maxed out, oops...

Another way to start, if your not sure, is to buy a 8 channel DVR system that comes with 4 cameras as a starter. This way you have 4 more channels to add different, expansion cameras if need be.

I have a bunch of different camera styles (bullet, dome, mini)  on my primary system, depending on what I want to see at each location.

 

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22 minutes ago, 1LtCAP said:

and do these allow livetime viewing?

 

I went out to read the specs on the Blink system, because I was curious. I really had to dig around to find information on their ability to record and save. Seems like that's not a primary feature they're promoting.

They will allow live time viewing, but for only a short period, 30 seconds. You have to constantly keep hitting "continue" to get the live feed. And I believe, you can only view one camera at a time if you have multiple cameras.

They only record in 5 second increments, with a max of 60 seconds, and their server is limited on how much you can save.

 

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9 hours ago, vjf915 said:

I never stated that the indoor camera only lasting a year outdoors was the manufacturers fault.  I also didn't try to hide it.  I said that I was going to explain my experience, and I did.  Also, you paid $75, during a sale, for one camera.  Wired setups typically include four cameras.  If you purchase four wifi cameras plus the receiver, you're going to pay almost as much as you would for a quality wired system.  Your claim of 10 times the cost is simply false.  Stop getting upset just because not everyone supports your purchase.

Wild life, even bugs, will trip the camera.  You'll get used to it.  Also, the motion sensors on cameras aren't going to cover the amount of property you have.  The motion sensors are good for about 30ft give or take.

I’m not upset, just stating there’s people out there that have different experience than you. For the record, i rent a small condo with one point of entry. The one camera set up is all i needed. I already have cameras inside the house ( keep an eye on my dogs) so i didn’t need a four camera set up. Here’s my point, you are correct if your looking to set up a legit security system with all the best options, these aren’t for you. If your in a situation like mine where hard wire is not an option and all I’m doing is basically keeping an eye on my front door this camera is more than fine. Blink also records video to the cloud for free, Ring has a monthly fee. You can download the clips and email them, if you needed to pass them on to an LEO. 

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31 minutes ago, JMich3 said:

I’m not upset, just stating there’s people out there that have different experience than you. For the record, i rent a small condo with one point of entry. The one camera set up is all i needed. I already have cameras inside the house ( keep an eye on my dogs) so i didn’t need a four camera set up. Here’s my point, you are correct if your looking to set up a legit security system with all the best options, these aren’t for you. If your in a situation like mine where hard wire is not an option and all I’m doing is basically keeping an eye on my front door this camera is more than fine. Blink also records video to the cloud for free, Ring has a monthly fee. You can download the clips and email them, if you needed to pass them on to an LEO. 

 

17 hours ago, vjf915 said:

Honestly that's up to you and your application, but I'll explain my experience with wifi cameras.

I guess reading is hard for you?

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14 hours ago, Maksim said:

Ideally would like to have a motion activated alert if say someone is pulling up the drive way, or walking around the back half of our property... i.e. neighbor's dog.

The challenge is, tons of wild life here (rabbits, deer, foxes, possum?).

https://smile.amazon.com/Guardline-Wireless-Driveway-Weatherproof-Detector/dp/B00HFZUKGM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1543240801&sr=8-3&keywords=driveway+alarm

Other than that, I have a 4 Camera PoE system that I use to observe the front door, driveway, and back yard.  Wired all the way.

REOLink wired system is on sale today from Amazon.  

https://smile.amazon.com/apb/page/ref=gbph_img_m-3_808b_c352e16b?handlerName=OctopusDealLandingStream&deals=c352e16b&marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&showVariations=false&smid=A15NUCR7ITLOD6&pf_rd_p=2446d40c-ae28-43de-a179-a9ffc6b7808b&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=5550342011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=X0BDGEPFXN2H1FQVD0CS

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Amazon has the Blink XT (outdoor units) on sale today for Cyber Monday.  One is $79, two pack is $150, three pack is $230 and five pack is $350.  You can have up to 10 cameras and extra cameras are $96.  I ordered some after reading some reviews.  They are not the best, but are quite good and for the price with free cloud storage worth a try.  They give you 7,200 seconds, and then it loops over stuff.  But since you only record motion that is 2 hours of clips and should be more than enough.  I watched some side by side comparisons with Arlo cameras and the quality was very similar.  Sure it does not have all the bells and whistles but they are a fraction of the price, run for two years on a set of batteries and no monthly charge.  The biggest down side is you can't have the cameras more than 100' from the hub and can only use one hub.  For me, living in a gated community, I think these are more than adequate.  Oh, and Amazon owns the company now so I expect them to stand behind the products.

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1 hour ago, Krdshrk said:

There's a 4 camera system in that link that's not bad for $322. It comes with 4 cameras but has a  8 channel DVR, which is good in case you want to add any additional cameras.

One of the biggest advantages to these is being able to bring up live view of multiple cameras at the same time, and not be restricted on how long you can watch the live video.

View-Security-Cameras-iPhone-App.jpg

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3 hours ago, Sniper22 said:

One of the biggest advantages to these is being able to bring up live view of multiple cameras at the same time, and not be restricted on how long you can watch the live video.

Yes - that's one of the big reasons I go wired over the subscription based wireless ones as well.  

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Sniper22,

Thanks for the info, would want at least 8  channels so I could bring some cameras inside too. The multiple views at once is a nice option I hadn't considered. I don't have a huge house or property, and have a few locations that would make set up easier.

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53 minutes ago, bennj said:

Thanks for the info, would want at least 8  channels so I could bring some cameras inside too.

What's nice with the DVR systems is 1) The recordings are saved locally on your DVR, not on the Cloud somewhere. You also have a lot more storage space before the system overwrites old video. Plus, you get a lot of adjustability from the system regarding contrast, brightness, sensitivity, gridding out sections so motion doesn't trigger (like with a flag waving or trees moving), play back multiple cameras at the same time, etc. You can even tie the DVR into your home alarm system, so if the alarm goes off, it triggers all cameras to start recording.

57 minutes ago, bennj said:

The multiple views at once is a nice option I hadn't considered.

These systems have the ability to watch single cam, 4 cam, 9 cam, 16 cam and move the camera positions to where you want on the screen, and a whole ton more. You can also wire the video output to multiple TV's in the house, so besides accessing from your phone, tablet, DVR or computer, you can change the input on your TV, and see the live video while sitting in bed.

1 hour ago, bennj said:

I don't have a huge house or property, and have a few locations that would make set up easier.

I believe if someone is serious about home security and protection, they should spend a few more bucks and get a complete, wired and flexible system, not skimp with a novelty system, like what the wireless systems are. I know MY family and personal belongings are worth a few extra dollars of investment.

 

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I guess it all depends on where you live and what you are trying to accomplish.  If I lived in da Hood, I would have a very expensive hard wired system with remote storage - perhaps tie a machine gun into it :)  Where I am in a virtually crime free area behind a security gate that is much less of a concern.  I am more interested in seeing when UPS dropped off a package or if anyone came looking for me while I was not home.  Just having these wireless things visible is a deterrent.

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2 hours ago, Howard said:

I guess it all depends on where you live and what you are trying to accomplish.

Absolutely true, and one of the biggest points in deciding what type of system to get.

What I believe is the major point is on the rare occasion someone gets their house broken in or robbed, video evidence will be the biggest help in catching the crooks, and the easier it is to save, retrieve and give the evidence to the LEOs, the better chance the dudes get caught and you get your stuff back. Most cops, when they see the video, will already know who the bad actors are in town, which will help them make a quick recover.

2 hours ago, Howard said:

Where I am in a virtually crime free area behind a security gate that is much less of a concern. 

While that maybe be true, the systems can be use for more than just catching bad guys.

If I'm in the house, I can watch what the rugrats are doing in the backyard and see what's going on around my pool. I use the live video to watch my pool robot. Occasionally it gets hung up and stops vacumming. I can see the pool on video when sitting at my desk and know if I have to go out there and free it.

Other times I can check to see what trouble the dog is getting into in the back yard without having to go out there.

2 hours ago, Howard said:

I am more interested in seeing when UPS dropped off a package or if anyone came looking for me while I was not home. 

That's another good use, to see if the Amazon package was dropped off on the porch or the next case of ammo came via UPS. :)

2 hours ago, Howard said:

perhaps tie a machine gun into it

Wait, you just gave me a great idea.... let me get to my workshop.... STAT  !!

 

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So my camera showed up last night, and so far I’m pleased. The system was very easy to set up once you download the app. The video quality day and night is pretty good. You can set up clip length, motion sensitivity and motion field. The field of view is pretty big but you can choose which areas of the field will trigger recordings. This is great because there’s a sidewalk 15 feet from my door. If someone stays on the sidewalk and doesn’t move towards my door, they are in view, but don’t trigger the camera. It’s easy to view and also share video clips so if you did need to get then to an LEO it’s no sweat. You can also choose how long the clips are stored , up to one year! For the money and what I’m using this for i am very pleased.

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KIND OF A hijack here.....

 

 you guys have mentioned monitoring the cameras from another puter or phone. so.....i've got an older zmodo set of wired cams hooked up at home. only 3 right now. they can be connected to my router. so.....how would i monitor them? do i need a special app?

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The Zmodo system has an app but it's not great from what I recall.  With my old system, I would run the ZModo software on the computer and connect to the computer itself remotely.

The cameras should be connecting directly to the Security/DVR Unit itself - then from there you can plug it into your router and if you set it up properly you can setup port forwarding and access the unit from an external website or using the PC app... From phones you can use the ZModo app and connect to that IP as well.

Newer systems it's all "cloud based" so that it's easier for non tech-savvy people to access... but then they charge fees for that and have limitations on the viewing/etc.

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