Thanks @LosPollosHermanos. The guy who is installing my whole network (access points, etc.) is a certified Lorex Dealer, so he was pushing that on me. The hardware actually looked good (although a bit confusing). But I just had the impression that the whole app aspect seemed really outdated, and one of my main things is that I want to be able to control everything via apps. That's why I bought the Arlo stuff and now he has to install it. Bought the cameras (they are battery-powered) with little solar panels, so hopefully will never have to manually charge them. Also, Lorex is China-owned, so...
Exactly, the cams themselves won’t differ that much, the interface is what’s important. LTS is China owned too, they’ve never gotten back to me re any questions . that’s a solid route their website looks good. I’d switch to that if I could.
I have the first generation wireless Arlo with wired indoor ones. The wireless were good the first few years. I got rechargeable batteries. After a few years the batteries swell and you have to get new ones. They do have a delay but the advantage is you can install it anywhere by yourself. It’s so easy. Only downside is if internet is down then so is your camera. Also there is a delay. One of mine also had a pink hue after a few years. It’s a common problem. The app is one of the best. You get notifications each time there is movement. Downside is it picks up moving leaves or even bugs. The battery has to be change sooner. I’m not sure about the new ones. I think they allow you to charge the ones without buying batteries from online. I wish they made their outdoor cameras like their indoor cameras. The indoor cameras by Arlo is one of the best cameras I have own. Picks up on everything without delay and the picture quality and audio quality is really good.
Usually the garage is a weak point of home security, if the garage opens to the hallway or house, your home is pretty wide open. Just watch youtube on "burglary through the garage entry, you will see how easy it is to get into the home. On the security camera side, most Ring or Lorex will work to some degree; to really bolt up the home security, you need to secure BOTH wired & wireless channels.
Ironic that this thread popped up. I was working on my CCTV system yesterday. Here's a vid. Pretty scary: I have bolt locks on my garage doors that you can only open from the inside. Not useful if you use your garage for parking but nice and secure otherwise. This is pretty interesting too:
Nowadays, you see people walking around at breaking into cars and homes taking stuff right in front of cameras. I wonder what proportion of them are even caught? It's a deterrence for sure, but in many cases what ends up happening is you get a nice video of your home or car being robbed. I see it on Nextdoor all the time. Great videos, everybody is in an uproar, trigger-happy people on Nextdoor saying what they would do if the criminals came into their house, but did the crooks get caught? Who knows. I'd put money into making sure your gates are locked, doors are secured, etc. before wi-fi/Bluetooth gizmos and gadgets that oftentimes are just another failure-point themselves. Alarms are nice, but aren't going to deter smash-and-grab thieves. They know cops are most likely going to take several minutes to arrive. Nowadays, even lights being on and security cameras don't deter thieves walking around neighborhoods at night to steal stuff. But a combination of things that they notice may help. The more deterrence, the better. Of course, then you realize you may be spending thousands to stop a smash-and-grab thief from taking maybe $200 worth of crap and $500 of damage. This is one of the easiest hits criminals do other than just opening up your car door that you conveniently left unlocked or garage wide open. That drawstring on the garage door should be cut as soon as you buy a new house or have it installed (preferrably not have it installed). Another easy break-in point for smash-and-grab is to pop doors using just a crowbar. It's amazing how useless locks and deadbolts on many doors are to something as simple as that.
Just found out about this - https://www.vivint.com/ - an alarm sounds from the exterior camera when someone lingers + it alerts your phone. Maybe it's standard technology (new to me) but it seems like a solid combo. Outdoor Camera Pro uses Smart Deter technology to keep an eye on the area you define, paying special attention to lurkers. If someone is detected and lingers too long, the Outdoor Camera Pro deters them by playing a loud sound and illuminating its LED ring, letting the lurker know they’ve been spotted. With an outdoor camera that takes action automatically, your home is always protected.
I saw somebody post a Vivint camera spotting someone checking car doors on Nextdoor. People were like "was that you whistling?" lol. Not sure how well it would work since there's dudes out there checking car doors with lights on at night and in broad daylight. Especially when every other house is whistling at them. It's better than nothing, I guess. lol. Wonder if it can recognize a dog vs. a human. Otherwise, you may have a bunch of dogs in your driveway. Best thing is to keep your doors locked and valuables not in the car. Of course nowadays, you have to watch out for your catalytic converters and tires, too.
I use mostly Nest cams and a Nest doorbell and I have 1 Eufy cam that I started with. Nest cams are freaking expensive compared to competitors but they of course integrate well with Google Home app and Google hub devices. We bought our house and it already had a Nest doorbell and Nest thermostat so we decided to invest in a Google household to keep it simple. That being said, my Eufy cam is a fraction of the price of a Nest cam and does a similar job minus the facial recognition, which I don't think makes up for the price premium.
I have a couple of Arlos. Not sure they're really worth it outside of "neato" gadgets for me, tbh. For others, it may be different. On a sidenote, I dug up an old Dropcam from years ago I found in a box the other day. They were bought Google/Nest a few years ago. The dude that started the company used to post on here.
I bought the Arlos a few years ago. I don't have any Nest stuff, tbh. I'm trying to find ways for companies to track me less nowadays, so I'm trying to split their spying. Google/Samsung has me with the mobile phone. Arlo has me (sorta) with the cameras. Seriously, if I build a new house, I may get cameras installed, but don't really keep up-to-date on that stuff. I've heard of some security issues here and there with them like any of the gadgets, so if you're looking at them, make sure you Google for the latest info no that. And always keep them updated.
Fast, Cheap, Good. Pick two. Fast & Good are going to be the ones that spy on you for big tech. Fast & Cheap are the ones that gives China a back door. Slow & Good are the ones that you build yourself with a Linux box that acts as an NVR and a server. You'll probably appreciate it more, too. Aren't you retired? Get to work, you lazy bum.
I haven't seen the numbers but these are pretty good deterrents. At least, for crooks coming to the front door without a mask on. It probably cuts down on crimes of convenience like porch pirates or door checkers (if your Ring has a view of your driveway)
