Security camera DVR I can access on a Mac?

September 5, 2016 5:28 PM

I'd like to put in a few security cameras and a recorder... and be able to access the whole thing from a Mac. Does anything on the market do that?

This is such a simple question that it must have been asked and answered a thousand times, right? But I've spent hours searching and only gotten more frustrated.

I'm a trustee of a small condo association. I'd like to put in some security cameras due to crime in the neighborhood. And, since I'm not going to be awake watching the cameras at 2am when someone steals my neighbors' rims again, I want all the video recorded on a DVR and accessible through a web browser.

Here is where the whole thing breaks down: I use a Mac, and so do some of the other condo residents here. Pretty much every DVR system that I've seen appears to require Internet Explorer and/or a proprietary software application that doesn't have a Mac version. I've seen a fair number of _cameras_ that use open standards and can be viewed from a Mac, but no DVRs that would allow me to play back footage. Surely, must be some?

posted by fogster to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

Best answer: I have Q-see camera system from amazon 8 cameras & dvr & cables was $400. accessible from your phone or computer Iphone,Imac,Droid, PC etc already locked up 4 crooks with it! worth every penny!
posted by patnok at 6:15 PM on September 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

let me add that you are wanting remote playback....possible but clumsy on phones/PC/Mac so IDK about that, playback & backups happen on the DVR with my setup with a designated monitor. sounds like you'll need more than 8 cameras
posted by patnok at 6:28 PM on September 5, 2016

Response by poster: I had assumed that web-based playback was a standard feature of these. I think there's a lot of benefit in people who live here being able to check on their property, and, should a crime occur when I'm not here (or sound asleep!), letting them view the footage with the police without me.

It's a small place; the plan is only 3 cameras.
posted by fogster at 7:19 PM on September 5, 2016

Best answer: I don't believe in cloud hosted solutions and went with Synology's Surveillance system (Amazon link) and TrendNet 3MP cameras. I've been very happy with it. It requires a browser plugin that has never given me trouble on MacOS or Windows. There are Android and iOS apps as well.
posted by fief at 9:12 PM on September 5, 2016 [1 favorite]

Seconding Synology Surveillance Station. It just sits there and works. When other things die off (even custom hardware), this doesn't seem to. You usually only go to the DVR when something has happened, and so often I found that other systems had decided not to work just at that critical time. The Surveillance Station hasn't done that to me.

You can use a range of cameras, of whatever spec you like.

Get a Synology NAS of whatever capacity and speed you like, install the software, plug in the cameras to a PoE switch, and then buy additional licences for the number of cameras you need from eBay or wherever.

Works beautifully on Mac/Safari
posted by tillsbury at 12:38 AM on September 6, 2016 [1 favorite]

Also, for the cameras and advice I used Wrightwood Security, who went way beyond the call and I would use them again without doubt.
posted by tillsbury at 12:42 AM on September 6, 2016

Have you looked at SecuritySpy? The licensing cost is per camera that you want to use with it.
posted by eatcake at 4:40 AM on September 6, 2016