Basic security camera: due diligence/mollify neighbours edition
July 9, 2023 4:01 PM   Subscribe

Looking for recommendations for a security camera. I would like it to be motion-activated, record to an SD card and delete footage on a schedule (no apps, no subscriptions). It needs to be mains powered, or, if battery-powered, it should be fine to leave it plugged in constantly. It should be suitable for outdoor use and available in the UK. I'm just ticking a box, so I want to do this as cheaply as possible. Somewhat overwhelmed by options. Any advice?

I live in a small block of flats and share responsibility for the building with the other flat owners. There's an open-air garage area on the ground floor which is locked at night but open during the day since it's the only access route to the building entrance.

The neighbours installed cameras in the garage at some point and it's been my job to review footage if needed (neighbours pleaded technophobia). I would basically prefer not to have surveillance cameras but some of the neighbours have some curtain-twitcher tendencies and the cameras reassure them in some way that prevents them doing stuff like calling the cops inappropriately, bothering the local youths, etc. The footage has also been useful a couple of times for building maintenance issues (did the lights come on at the appointed time? etc).

Trouble is the cameras have gone missing. (Our garage door was broken, and hence not closed at night, for a bit, and unhoused people used the garage for shelter on a few occasions, during which it appears they removed the cameras. I can't really complain about any of that but I wish they'd just put a sock over the lens or something.)

I need to acquire and install replacement cameras in a garage where they are partly exposed to the elements. I need them to be motion-activated and store footage locally and delete it automatically after a few days. I plan to look at the footage only if there's some incident that warrants it and I would like to otherwise forget the cameras exist. I want to spend as little as possible on this but basic reliability is important (it's mine and my neighbours' money).

Bonus question: the neighbours are in a minor panic about the removal of the cameras. How does one make a camera mounted on a brick wall hard to remove/damage?
posted by busted_crayons to Home & Garden (4 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I've got Blink cameras from Amazon that sound pretty much like what you want. You can use them with a subscription, or buy a sync module that can record clips to a USB drive. The cameras have worked perfectly while being fully exposed to the elements for the past year in Eastern Canada. The batteries they run on haven't needed to be replaced in that time. The sync module needs to be plugged in indoors, but it's about the size of a deck of cards and you don't need to interact with it again once everything is set up. The clips are stored for about a month before being deleted though.
posted by peppermind at 5:18 PM on July 9, 2023 [1 favorite]


Wyze camera requires a power source, but they have recently created a module that screws into a regular light socket so you can plug a USB cord from there to power the camera, which should make deployment a bit easier. Not sure about UK availability though. And they have a built-in slot for microSD cards. I think you need to pay a minimal fee per month (a couple bucks) for simple object recognition and notification, and you can get mounts that affix them to walls and shelves and whatnot.
posted by kschang at 10:53 PM on July 9, 2023 [1 favorite]


I have a Wyze Camera. It has rechargeable batteries that are advertised to last a year, but which actually need to be recharged every 3 months or so. I got the camera plus the required base station for about $50. The manufacturing quality seems quite high.

Both the camera and the base station have microSD slots.

But....the software sucks, and intelligible instructions are nowhere to be found. I cant figure out how to save to the microSD card in either place. By default, video is saved to the cloud and deleted after 2 weeks.

Also, the software is designed for only an area quite close to the cam. If a person walks up to the cam from a distance, it will give an alert and take video beginnng when he is about 20 ft away.

It captures trucks on the street 75 ft away, but mostly ignores cars. This couple be considered a feature, not a bug if your street is busy.

It depends on WiFi.

All in all, a mixed bag.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:37 AM on July 10, 2023 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thanks, all! In a surprise twist, we ended up determining that for our use case, fake cameras are probably adequate and we should try that, given the price.
posted by busted_crayons at 2:17 PM on August 12, 2023


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