Vladimir200 Loc: Beaumont, Ca.

Since we were having our home built, the builder offered to add POE outlets (Power over Ethernet) so I had 4 installed outside and 3 inside and then installed the Ring POE cameras needing to only connect the camera with a CAT 6 cable which then carries the camera signal and the electricity to the router in the house. They work great and don't depend on WiFi or battery. So many choices out there for you. If you use Ring and don't have POE outlets, they sell WiFi and battery cameras as well. Again, I love mine but once more, so many choices, you are wise to do a deep dive to see what works best for you.

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

Your so funny!! This made me crack up...thanks.

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

Added them to my list to check out...thank you for the info.

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

Thanks for the info but no Sam's club or BJ's anywhere close and our little costco is not a good choice for this type of stuff.

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

Thanks and my house was built in the early 80's - so cat 6 for outside is not an option. And so many choices, that's why I wanted all your opinions on what you have and why you like or don't like...at least gives me a good starting point!

Thanks for the help.

mikenolan Loc: Lincoln Nebraska

In addition to subscription costs, pay attention to the security of the images. Some of the camera companies will supply video to the police without your consent or knowledge or can be accessed from the Internet.

We have several external cameras that record images on a server in our house. This server is not connected to the Internet but is available on servers on our internal private network.

I also have a critter camera on the back patio, to see who's visiting our bird feeders. Mostly birds and squirrels, but also possums, raccoons, cats, dogs and a fox. There's been a baby bunny on the back patio recently, but I don't think he's getting out on the balcony where the feeders are.

We had a river otter on the patio once, looking very lost. The nearest stream is over a mile away.

Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

We have BLINK and a 3 camera system, though you can get more cameras at a very reasonably low price. Someone already mentioned BLINK but I wanted to confirm how good this system is for a number of reasons. For one, you can do things like have it notice licence plates, so that when a car comes into the drive you can choose to have it not record, just for a car. If a person gets out of the car, it will begin recording that. You can also have it recognize animals and it will not record, if it senses an animal has tripped the motion sensor, it's your choice.

The cameras run on 2 AA batteries and depending on how long you have them running each day, these can last up to 2 years without needing to change the batteries. In fact, our 3 cameras have gone beyond 2 years and no sign yet, of the batteries needing to be replaced.

By not needing to be hard wired for power, it means you can mount one up in a tree if you like, where a possible intruder would never think to look, for a security camera. That also means there are no wires that can be cut to disarm the camera, it just keeps recording.

The camera also has audio which means you can hear what it being said, and it has a function for you to speak back at the intruder if you wish, through your phone and the sound comes out of the camera unit. This can scare someone away immediately or you can tell them you see them and the police are on their way. It also has adjustments for the length of time you wish to record, once the motion sensor has been tripped and started the camera recording. You can also choose to have a blue light display when the camera is recording or have no light showing, so as not to draw attention to a hidden camera.

Each camera has a micro SD card slot so that the camera can keep its own record of what was recorded, as well as you having an alert sent to your phone, showing you that the motion sensor was tripped, and it is recording. All recordings for each camera will be recorded to your phone via the BLINK App. I can be in Wales in the UK and send a signal via the internet to turn on or turn off my cameras in America.

As mentioned, it will alert me via my phone, when the motion sensor has detected movement and the camera begins recording and show me what it's recording, on my phone screen. That means I have instant live view of what is going on, thousands of miles away and I can choose to speak to the person that is being recorded, making them think I am in the house, though in reality, I am in a different country.

You have a choice of limited free cloud storage with the videos also stored to your phone. Or for a small fee, you can have as much video as you wish, going to the cloud for every time the cameras are tripped and begin recording. BLINK has a lot of features and functions, and they also do a doorbell camera now, as well.

With the power coming from battery power, it means it is a piece of cake to install cameras wherever I want. They are compact and easy to install. I bought all weather cases for each one for about $6 each on ebay. The entire 3 camera system with the home internet power unit cost me $235. They often have sales going on whereby you can get it even cheaper, or they might throw in some add-ons etc. at no charge. You really should look into the BLINK system, for affordability, features and function, ease of installation and in a second, reposition your cameras with no wiring to worry about.

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

Sweet....lots of critters at your place too! I will keep your suggestions in mind when looking.

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

Thank you so much for you comments of the Blink System. This one is at the top of my list, sounds like it has most of the features we are looking for!

blackhound Loc: East Stroudsburg, PA

Eufy offers an extensive line of indoor and outdoor security cameras. They are available on Amazon.com and from Eufy's website. I have a network of 6 indoor and outdoor cameras, some are a combination of a camera and flood light and some have two-way sound. The cameras are motion activated and sensitive to both IR and white light. The manufacturer provides a very nice application for networking the devices for real-time viewing and review of past events. Since all the cameras have internal encrypted storage, there is no need to pay for an expensive subscription The app allows full control of sensitivity, image quality, and other vital functions.

You will not have any problem staying within your stated budget.

Merlin1300 Loc: New England, But Now & Forever SoTX

Cindy:
I had all needed cables installed when we built our house - 6 POE locations on the outside of the home - all run to a wiring closet where I have the POE hub and recorder. Everything is made by Lorex and has night vision. I did not get cameras that can pan / move. You can set motion detect areas on each camera, and also set times for notification. There are No Charges as you monitor it yourself (I suppose you could pay a company to do that for you - but why?)
IF you are still in the market - I recommend checking out the Lorex website (I think it's made in Canada).
Comprehensive products

Horseart Loc: Alabama

Mine is Blue Iris. Son installed them (5) for me. Connects to wi-fi. Saves videos for up to 4 years. Turns infra red at night so everything looks light and bright. I can check it on my phone when I am out of town. Very sensitive. It tells me when there's a dog, cat, vehicle, person.....can send pictures or videos straight to the police dept immediately. If I hear anything outside after I go to bed, I can look at my phone to see what's going on. My son lives half a mile from me and he can look at his phone and see what's going on here. He watches to see if I go out in the morning to water flowers and knows I'm up and OK. Kinda handy! Can check them on either (2) computer monitor, tablet, lap top, my phone, son's phone and daughter-in-law's phone.

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

Thanks, I will look into Lorex.

CindyHouk Loc: Nw MT

Thanks...I will add this to my list to compare them!

Merlin1300 Loc: New England, But Now & Forever SoTX

I actually got my 6-camera hardware at Costco. They were having a Sale - and as we were off work back when the gubbiment ran out of money some years back, used the time to finally connect the cameras to the house infrastructure. Best of luck with whatever you decide on.