Outdoor security camera with good range

July 28, 2017 8:31 AM

Can anyone recommend an outdoor security camera/game camera with a good range and high resolution? It's for a fixed position, doesn't have (or need) Internet access, and can have wired power.

A local place where I volunteer had some things taken from the property this week. The cost wasn't enormous, but we'd like to prevent it from happening again -- or help identify the person if it does happen.

We were thinking that an automated camera would be good for this -- like a game camera or trail cam. But none of us are familiar with security cameras or game cameras.

Motion-activation is the key feature, with good resolution. Low-light (IR?) isn't vital but I guess would be nice for evening? We can mount it on a house facing the site, between fifty to seventy-five feet away (diagonally across a driveway), so there should be power. It can come down during the winter if necessary, but it'll get rained on. There's no Internet access on this structure, nor will we add it -- so pulling the SC card periodically will have to do.

Thanks for any ideas of what features to look for, what the price range should be, and who the reliable manufacturers are!

posted by wenestvedt to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

I've been really pleased with Arlo cameras. They aren't cheap (when I purchased them a year ago, they were ~$200/camera). They are motion activated, I found them very easy to set-up, and --the best part-- you get motion alerts on your smart phone without having to sign up for a monthly subscription service. My cameras actually did successfully capture recordings of an intruder, along with a few pretty cool close-ups of the local wildlife. The cameras are bactery-powered, so no need to install wires, etc. I have to use a ladder to change the batteries in them about three times a year.

Edit: Sorry, I just noticed that the location doesn't have internet access. Afaik, Arlo cameras require internet + purchase of a special Netgear box to transmit videos over the web.
posted by houseofleaves at 10:24 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]

You might look at the Reconyx covert security cameras. They have a broad range of cameras and capabilities and this one probably covers your stated requirements although they have smaller cams that transmit images via WiFi w/100-ft range. They are not inexpensive but not outlandish, either.
posted by bz at 6:34 PM on July 28, 2017

Response by poster: To clarify: the camera is 50 to 75 from what we want to monitor.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:10 AM on July 29, 2017

Q-see is the brand I use. Amazon
posted by patnok at 7:51 AM on July 30, 2017