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Cameras- inexpensive and easy for dummy to install and use!

I am growing more suspicious that my idiot neighbor has been creeping on to my place. He has been arrested more than once for any number of things from spousal abuse on up. He has been incarcerated. As long as his wife is around, I think he is probably both on his meds, and a leash. But, there are issues.

Is there a camera set up that I can see from my phone that is really, really easy to set up? Cheap would be nice, as well, and available on Amazon would be the trifecta.

I live in a converted bank barn, and I need to see the end of the driveway (like 75’) and the front yard primarily.

TIA!

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Do you have internet at the barn?

If yes, Arlo is pretty dummy proof. It’s not the best on capturing all the motion though… for instance, mine will always capture me leaving in the mornings, but never captures me coming home in the afternoon. It’s weird.

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Yes, I do. I will look at Arlo. How do I access it? Does it just pick up movement?

From your phone. It can pick up movement and/or sound.

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Wifi and power are major considerations for any self install systems.

Does your barn have good WiFi coverage? If not then nothing will work very well.

Then there is the issue of power. Do you have power nearby the locations you want to put a camera? If not then there are only a few systems that are battery powered.

Then there is the consideration of how well a multi camera setup is supported by the company. Is the app easy to use? Is the app well supported?

Then you will need to consider how you store your data. Locally or in the cloud.

Thanks for all that! WIFI and electric are great.

If I could answer all of the other questions, I would not have had to mention the dummy!

That looks promising!

I was just bringing up things that you should think about when looking at what people recommend.

I like my Blink cameras. They’re relatively inexpensive and aren’t the highest quality on the market, but they work for me to keep an eye on the property.

They do require good wifi but the videos are pretty good, the sensitivity/responsiveness is excellent (and adjustable), and they run on lithium batteries which seem to last forever. I use flexible mounts for them so they’re easy to install.

Here’s a still from one of my videos (oh, one note - they dont work as well when it gets really cold which is why this is a bit blurry):

Door_2020-02-01T21_23_13-0500_exported_1820_1583967114148

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I’m working on my camera project too and just came across this video if it helps anyone.

Thanks for the thread. Cameras up will be awesome!

Check out the Eufy cameras. We have 6. They are rechargeable so no wiring and the picture is great.

We bought a Wifi booster for ours, and we have access to the cameras all over our 5 acres

One other thing to consider is whether you want continuous recording. A lot of the stand-alone battery-powered wireless camera systems don’t support that because you need a DVR or other storage device on which to save the very large files.

We have an Arlo doorbell cam and it’s handy but also a little inconsistent as far as motion detection. We’re working on installing a more comprehensive system with continuous recording (probably Lorex) but hit some snags getting WiFi to the barn.

I am looking for inexpensive- and I do not need constant- I just want movement. If he comes across the road, I want to know. I’ve just found some oddities that only I would have noticed. Could be nothing, but I don’t think so. Several years ago, I put my trash out, and ran up the street to check on some fosters that I have. Came back, and one of my trash bags was in the street. And, it was heavy. I had a friend with me, and she instantly wanted me to call the police, but hey- no proof!

There is alot more, but I digress.

I have Arlos and just picked up a Eufy, and it honestly blows Arlo out of the water. The app is better, there’s no monthly fee, there’s no base station to deal with, it’s dead easy to set up, and the picture is great. I have their combo solar panel/2k camera. It’s so slick.

So I’d look at Eufy or Blink or Wyze. Do you have a spot to plug it in? Or are you looking for battery/solar? If you can plug it in, you can do Wyze for 35 bucks.

https://a.co/d/7FAI14u

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I also ran into this, and installed a mesh network. I use Orbi, which was the top pick to spread WiFi over a large area when I set it up a few years ago. Now I have signal over the bulk of my 15 acre property, which is just SO NICE. That Eufy camera I mentioned above sits about 600 feet from the router and 400 from the nearest base station. It’s amazing!

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Very cool! We started setting up a TP Link bridge last weekend but had technical issues that my husband thinks are related to the Netgear router we already have in the house. It is getting older and failed twice in the last month (unrelated to the bridge) so he’s thinking a new router might fix the issue. :woman_shrugging: I think what we got will only cover a narrow band from house to barn though.

If you’re in for a new router anyway, definitely consider a mesh network (I used the wrong term above–mesh network, not bridge network! I’ll go fix that…) It’ll replace your router plus add base stations to extend the network. I found it easy to setup, and easy to add on when I wanted more. It’s really been fab!!

Orbi is a Netgear product, or there are other options. Lots of articles out there about which are better for various situations, take a Google around and see what lines up for your issues!

Thanks! That sounds like a great option. However, he spent forever agonizing over getting it right and bought the bridge components that are apparently non-returnable once opened. Then it didn’t work and he’s been beating himself up for a week. I’m not sure I have the heart to ask for something different now…

I just looked into Orbi a little anyway and could only find ones that cover up to around 2,500 square feet. Clearly yours covers way more than that so I must not have found the right thing yet. Our place is 9 acres but if we could cover the middle 4-5 that would be amazing.