Hopefully this is the correct place for this post, because I'm not quite sure, as I am new to the forums.
I am looking for a home security system where the cameras are WiFi capable because I have a Unify AP Pro that covers the whole house. I would like optional motion detected recording with either cloud based or local storage for the cameras that can be viewed from a mobile phone or web browser. Finally, it is going up in Wisconsin, so I need outdoor cameras with a very low operating temperature in addition to a few indoor cameras. At least six supported cameras would be nice. I currently do not have a budget in mind because I have not decided what to get yet.
since you have a ubiquity product.. go to their page and look at their security cams and NVR system.. heres a link to their stuff for a proper setup. WiFI cams are often too unreliable. some are battery powered and their operating range of temperature is narrower. I am going to provide the suggestion that you go 10/100 ethernet and wire these up to a switch as it will be more robust
Its a decent system and it will integrate with your existing ubiquity networks products
The operating temperature is -30C to 70C so it covers Wisconsin lol
@PhaseLockedLoop prolly has given you the best solution that will integrate with your existing system, having said that if you own your home a better solution for the long run would be hard-wired IP cameras that use a POE switch, the installation is in a lot of cases easier since you do not have to have camera power (110v) at or close to the camera location.
WiFi cameras for the most part have limited range, the signal has problems travelling through some types of walls and maintaining a good enough signal strength to have quality imaging being recorded, WiFi cameras normally work fine indoors but once placed outside they are subject to a lot of RFI interference that makes them unreliable, couple that with the range issues and you will find yourself placing cameras in locations that are less than ideal for the simple reason that they will work there but not in the location you really want.
WiFi cameras are also defeated pretty easily it doesn't take a lot of RF energy in close proximity to the camera to render it useless, honestly the only upside to WiFi cameras is ease of installation if you have the ability to actually power the camera at the location you want to place it......
It comes down to just how much you want to spend, and how long you want your system to last, if you own your home (not renting) then a hard-wired system makes a lot more sense and really offers more flexibility that a WiFi system, some insurance companies even offer rebates or credits if you have a home security system, and depending on where you live some municipalities are offering money to home owners who install CCTV systems.
I am considering wiring some of my cameras to the network, as opposed to using wifi. What IP cameras would you recommend for outdoors and indoors, and what solution would you recommend for storing the video and being able to view it on a mobile device?
As was my original suggestion I would look into the ubiquity networks system and also purchase a cloud key (the software you will need to remote manage it from a phone etc) its pricey but worth it as its a solid security system.
For cameras I would go with the UBNT UniFi G3 in my above link. If its outdoors and you have a large yard a IR extender maybe worth purchasing. The recording system is the UBNT NVR recorder and Digital Camera system as above with the cloud key you can view it anywhere.. (Psst it only has a 500 gb hard drive but with some hard drive cloning and what not you can get up to 2tb 2.5 inch drive in there.) Ignore the hard drive cloning part for now. I would assume you have a switch in your networking setup because for this you will need it. To prevent high tech attacks to ethernet lines I would suggest shielded cabling I am just trying to cover all your bases. Uhmm,,,
Rule of thumb if you have mostly networking products of one particular brand such as ubiquity stick with it... They work the best together.. Ubiquity is not the cheapest but it is quite robust and its enterprise grade
As far IP cameras, my choice is Trendnet although I do have some Hikvision cameras also, all my cameras are POE, my storage solution is a stand alone LAMP server running Ubuntu server 14.x and this is because of the monitoring software I use is open source and that is it's requirements, mobile devices is a whole other issue, and requires either a forward facing server (connected to the internet) or a 3rd party solution.
Again @PhaseLockedLoop has the solution that will integrate with your existing system..... which looks like it would work for your needs, I have no experience with Ubiquity cameras or their system so I don't have a opinion, but what he is suggestion will fit all of your goals it looks like.
@Blanger I like the higher quality that you can get with IP cameras, but because I am setting this up for my grandparents, I don't really want to maintain a server. Are there any pre-built LAMP servers that I could purchase for them?
@PhaseLockedLoop Currently, I'm looking into D-Link and Ubiquity systems mainly for the WiFi cameras. But I'm thinking more D-Link right now because it will be easy to set up and maintain for my grandparents. I'll update you all once I make my decision.
Awesome. I mean its your choice. I only offer the seamless option that you get with ubiquity due to that ease of setup and compatibility. I am not sure if the ubiquity systems support other cameras it really is hit or miss. I tend to be a one manufacturer to rule all devices in a setup so do take that part as the bias. For example... this rich guys home I setup with fiber and everything... All aruba networks from HPE and my house is all ubiquity now.. I bought it and received it yesterday.. Love it.. parents wanted a security system so I did go with the UBNT cams... So speaking from first hand experience their quality is very robust. Good luck with your decision and I hope you have a seemless setup with minimal hick ups nobody likes messing with broken stuff right off the bat
Really any old computer you have laying around is prolly good enough to use as a server for Linux, the LAMP stand for Linux-Apache-MySQL-PGP which are the basic building blocks for a Linux web server, the only consideration is that drives used for this type of application need to be AV drives that are built for 24-7/365 service.
Since it's not for yourself (grandparents) a NVR would probably be a better choice in the long run, it will make things simpler, and easier for you and them to use, retrieve footage, and monitor the feeds.
Some of the stand alone system also offer most of what your asking for including being able to view the cameras from remote locations, but most of them use a web based solution that is free for only a certain amount of time or limit the number of feeds they will carry for free.
I am just trying to cover all your bases. Uhmm,,,