Where did you get a house Casa Blanca???

I live in a pretty modest home in suburban Madison and we have dumb people all around messing around outside. I've thought about getting a camera system for our little home to protect ourselves. Have you checked Amazon? They seem to have several options that won't break the bank and will probably meet all your criteria.

I've had this in my wishlist for a long while. I haven't checked lately to see if there have been many major improvements.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01H5CNGAG/_encoding=UTF8

Guys, the old technology still works pretty well and is affordable!

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Wireless is a joke, even if it can send data over wifi it still needs power. Which means cords or batteries, Do PoE.

The best system is the one you build yourself.

Dahua on Amazon.

Outdoor with zoom: https://www.amazon.com/Dahua-IPC-HDBW4431R-ZS-Motorized-Surveillance-International/dp/B076MRJD2L/
indoor fixed: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XG15BJQ/

Recorder: https://www.amazon.com/NVR2108HS-8P-S2-8Channel-Network-Recorder-Firmware/dp/B074P62G8K/

HD for recorder: https://www.amazon.com/Purple-Surveillance-Hard-Disk-Drive/dp/B071RM2HS7/

Pick a Switch with 4 or 8 poe ports depending on # of cams: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_5

Cat5e and connectors

The nice neighborhoods are the scariest when you can see what happens when you sleep. Above was just a Riverside inside joke.

Por Vida! Si Mon.

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Get a system from Costco.

Still is no picnic, have to run network cable from each cam back to the switch, then a line from the switch to the NVR unless they are in the same location .

Check out the mounts for each camera may have or order some depending on how you do it.

Cosmo,we have a 4 camera system we found on the internet!Its a SWANN and it does everything you mentioned! Its a wired system in HD! we chose 4 cams,but it goes to 8! One other thing; get a large monitor! When you cut up a tv screen 4,or more times,the pic gets small and hard to see! we have a 32 inch Insigna screen for 4 cams! No audio! Good luck,how's that Fish Tales doing???Happy New Year.all!!!

Cameras are still passive/reactive security. I worked in the biz but don't use them myself only found them to be useful for the who dunnit after the fact The best would be to catch someone casing the place and beef up other means of security

Congratulations on your new house. Tuff to find a house and a shop on the same lot.

Take a look at the ARLO Pro wireless cameras. You can have 5 cameras on a system and the batteries last for a few months before a recharge is necessary. We have been very happy with it. Even caputered video of a porch pirate, and turned the video over to the police dept.

Harbor Freight $259.00

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Exactly. Cameras don't provide "protection". They just make it easier for the police to write up a report after whatever happened happened. If you want personal security or protection, get something that shoots and learn how to use it safely and effectively.

And some trip wires

I installed a Ring doorbell Pro after they had a Cyber Monday sale and so far am very impressed. I'm planning to buy some of their other products/cameras early next year.

The most you can hope for with cameras is that they may deter someone from breaking in, so make sure they are conspicuous. After that , it's all about ease of use for you.

Invest your time & money in sturdy doors windows and locks, and an alarm system.

On the other hand, if you have teenagers like me, I hide the cameras to watch the crazy stuff they try to get away with.

Ive found Dog Barking to do very well as a deterrent to casual criminal activity.

ebay.com link: Guard Dogs Random Barking and Growling Dog Sounds for Added Home Security

Ive been through Trip Wires in the 60's to UL systems at work.
Even been burglarized successfully, with top notch systems.

Its for Peace of mind, and have installed Costco systems, mostly, when on sale.

So the question becomes under $1000 with all you need, home done.
A professional service to monitor or not.

In the end, yard signs, window decals, beware of dog, and if needed, "barking and growling" has served me well.

Add some GPS trackers, if it helps you, to expensive items, video and paper document before a crime, and insure as best as possible.

Seen too many friends leave their home and watch the video links excessively when out, so Paranoia can be a minor issue too.

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Just beat me by a minute but here it is anyway....

KILL TINY KILL!!!

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NO, worst piece of shit ever, after six months or so the Lorax cameras start to fail and I get calls all the time for repairs and when I arrive I inform them they need a new system because of the total incompatibility.

Go on ebay and piece buy, buy your self a DVR 4, 8 or 16 channel, make sure it's a a 1080p or better system. Choose cameras that use the sony sensor and use 2.8mm for your widest area of coverage and 3.6mm for a slight more zoomed in area such as doors. HIKvision is one name to look for that's pretty dam good and affordable, formats vary to my liking I like CVI over TVI, HDST, and IP. If you need 6 cameras get a 8 channel, or get a 16 channel and always have the room for expansion and the 16 channel has a better processor for frame rates. The larger you go in cameras the larger of HD storage you want, so at 4 and 8 channel 2TB HD is fine and will retain for about 6 weeks, if you choose 16 channel go with a minimum 4TB HD.

Not talking about the cameras specifically, but I was a big fan of using Synology as the "DVR" portion of it. I wrote a review here you might be interested in reading:
https://www.neowin.net/news/review-of-synologys-surveillance-station-a-free-ip-camera-tool-for-synology-nas-devices

I have a coworker who loves these cameras:
https://www.arlo.com/en-us/products/default.aspx

He's shown me the system and it looks to work very well.

That and a real mean tortoise.

This is mostly a joke... but in reality, dogs or even the appearance of activity/people around does help. I had a neighbor once that would leave the front door open with only storm door closed and the TV up at a decent volume when he would leave for a while.

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Ring doorbell & Wifi cams are worthless.

It’s pretty much SOP to cut the co-ax & CAT5 outside before entry.

That takes all cloud based cams offline. BTW those have a high traffic shutdown too. So most of those will only “record” a 30-sec clip once per 5 minutes. Also motion detection on cameras is not reliable. So you get 1 minute of a 10 minute event? That’s a 90% fail IMO

IP based communication on alarms, or landline, again is terrible. Lines will be cut & a power loss renders them useless even if the alarm has backup battery since your WiFi or voip modem does not.

Glass breaks on the wall are almost always worthless. They need to be line of sight with the window & no curtains or blinds can be used. It often takes several of those in 1 room. Shock sensors on the window are the way to go.

Protect every door, every accessible window via shocks, toss in a few motions for redundancy when away, use cell based communication only, use real NVR cams & avoid smart home automation like the plague.

A real alarm + legit CCTV system will be apx $5K+ There are folks who want a “deal” and then folks who want security. Reps & techs can quickly identify who is who & if you’re perceived to be the first you will get sold a deal & not security.

Guns are good but you need an audible warning it’s time to flee or defend. Otherwise you will get smoked as the intruder has the upper hand. I’m not ready for a home invasion with taking a shit, making fried rice or playing pinball.

Plus collateral damage is real. Will you miss. Will it hit your kid or the neighbors house?

The best bet is to not come home & interupt your intruders or deal with one who snuck in when you were home. What if someone opened the window to your kids room & had no interest in the guns, money, jewelry & pills in your master suite?

A gun won’t do shit there.

Monitored CO and Smoke is a reeeeally good idea too.

Go to a professional IMO

People were more afraid of our goose than our German Shepherd when I was a kid.

Aaaand dogs ain’t shit anyway

Animals “run home” to a corner to die when they get smoked

If lucky the dog get a few legs broken

There are some bad motherfuckers out there & no homeowners gun/dog is ready for em unless the bad guys are slow & sloppy.

I work in information security. Something to keep in mind. As noted here in an earlier post, anthing with wires can be cut. Anything wireless can be hacked. Anything with remote monitoring can be hacked. I have no smart anything in my house. Don't trust it, nor the people that can access it.

Best security are strong doors, stronger locks, a good big dog, and a 12 ga.

Great point

On side note tho RF jam detection is real... Those receivers know when getting spammed

That is seriously unlikely to occur though unless you’re a Rockefeller or organized crime boss

But if you are, get all the cool shit to survive

Here’s some advice to all. Remove the pull cord from your garage doors. No tech savvy intruder with some fancy RF emulator needed. They just press on the top door panel outside, create a gap, fish out the orange rip cord & BOOM they’re in your garage.

I don't disagree, but think cameras can be vital and fairly inexpensive all things considered. Not on pinball, but on photography gear, I had an insurance policy that required proof of theft should the gear go missing ... either signs of forced entry or photo or video evidence. The situation was different as I was mobile and the gear easier to steal, but even so it is nice to have. Just like a dash cam, I'd prefer to have the evidence even though it can't prevent crashes.

A good system should let you monitor remotely, which can be helpful for peace of mind, alerts to potential threats like someone casing your house, etc. I use blue iris and many cams hooked up to it ... agree that POE is nice to have.

All of the above is correct.

The "best" home systems, with knowledge are worthless.
As is the best Dogs or doors and windows, other than a fortress.

So its about Peace of mind, and odds.....lowering those odds against the casual thief, new inexperienced thief, or the neighborhood kids, in theory.
Once you know what you and your family want, than the "home kit" is the first, and least expensive, than the "professional", and then the "fortress".
A professional thief, will beat them all with ease.

Ive personally had way too many experiences in burglaries, enough that it made an episode of "Masterminds!"
Books were in the works, as I pulled favors in to get the FBI involved.

The Points made above, are all True.

So, it really is a matter of what is needed for Peace of mind......and Insurance, if needed.

If its cyber security, Ill plug my brothers new book:

https://www.amazon.com/Privileged-Attack-Vectors-Cyber-Defense-Organizations/dp/1484230477

His Brain and work are beyond me.

Has anyone here had a home system compromised and been burglarized?

My moat with Alligators does a good job. Disposal of um...remains, all self contained.
Plus, im kinda fond of my ADT service. 6 wireless cameras, smoke detector, lights. It works great and the phone app i can manage all.

I have two QSee systems from Costco for the house and detached garage and they are great. I recommend the POE (power over ethernet) models that connect with a single network cable. The older style systems require a coax cable for the video and a power cable as well.

I bought the Arlo multi camera at Best Buy. Works awesome. I also noticed they are selling Simpli-Safe now. I’ve heard that’s a nice and easy to install system.

If you're being specifically targeted, most of this is true. However when it comes to security (both physical and information), the old adage of "You don't need to be the most secure, you only need to be more secure than your neighbor," is definitely true. If you have a bunch of cameras outside your house, and your neighbor doesn't, a would-be thief is probably going to go to their house instead of yours. (or they'll take your cameras.... ).

The part where the thief breaks his ankle is precious.

I use https://amcrest.com , 3 POE and 1 Wifi with NVR

The real thing is to make your property less of a target.

Don't post on FB you are leaving on such and such a date.
Don't put your name on your mailbox.
Don't post images from inside your home of your exit doors.
Don't leave shovels, rakes, hoes, brooms, around your door, outside.
Don't put the garbage cardboard from your new TV at the curb.
Don't leave your garage remote in your vehicle, if that vehicle is never parked in the garage.
If you have an attached garage, secure your tools. why give them access to anything that can get them past your inside door.
Re-inforce your door jams, buy a decent lock with a long throw, or have a locksmith come by and up date your lock sets and hardware. Replace door glass with Lexan, or add a layer of Lexan to the window opening.

Window bars on basement windows are great. But they must be able to open, from the inside, in case of a emergency. Some times even metal slat window blinds will stop some one as metal blinds are noisy.

The punks looking for quick money do not really care if your home has an alarm or not. When the alarm goes off, he now knows he has 7 minutes to smash and grab.

If someone breaks in and only takes your pinball machines or targeted that floor safe in your walk in closet. Those people were prepared, and knew of those items before hand.

Cameras serve 2 puposes > deter them and catch them with evidence.

We have a decent camera system but I plan to upgrade to better quality in the future. I personally like it to be able to check on the dog sitter when we are away.

Most of the items worth stealing from me are 250lb pinball machines so if they come for that then they are prepared and the cameras will figure out whom they are.

Yes, don't be a moron who posts their life on Facebook.

The best security I’ve had is insurance with riders for my “Collectibles.” Document everything, take photos with your drivers license in them and even a newspaper for the date. Keep receipts for all of your purchases. As has been mentioned, cameras and locks only provide a false sense of security. If someone wants your stuff, they will get it. However, havingcameras will be a benefit if something ever happens and will move the insurance claim along.

I have a Swann 8 camera hd system, full infrared vision, 2 tb hard drive that records 24/7 for thirty days before it will begin to writeover. I installed it myself and I love it. I record 24/7 for thirty days before it begins to over write. Night vision is pretty good for about 65 to 75 ft.. The system is hard wired but is not that much of a challenge. The unit goes for 599.00 at Sam's but they regularly have 100.00 instant savings on it. I've cut video to give to police and they say it's great.

Needs to be louder....I didn’t see any shit stains on their pants

My security advice is make your home less attractive from a burglary standpoint than your neighbors.

That means a lot of stuff.