Indoor camera recommendation for vacation home needed.

[ctbaker 0]

Family has a vacation home we want to put some cameras at. Due to the hostile outdoor conditions (salt air), the cameras will be placed indoors. One to cover the stairs going from the downstairs bedrooms to the upstairs living space meant to capture people coming up the stairs and a second to cover a set of french doors that lead into the upstairs kitchen from outside to capture people coming into the house from the outside.

 

I am thinking I need the following specs:

 

1. on camera NVR with built in storage with SD card so don't need to leave a computer on 24/7

2. WDR since the backdrop are windows in both locations

3. Day/night with IR

4. Vari-focal lens since I am not 100% sure of the mounting location of the cameras at this time

5. Will send text/email when motion is detected along with a picture and/or short video clip

6. Remotely viewable via web browser, iOS and Android device

7. Price not to exceed $600 per camera if it can be helped

8. Upload video footage to the cloud would be a big plus

 

Advice and recommendations are greatly appreciated!!

 

Through some looking around the web, I found the Vivotek FD8162 which looks interesting though I know some people don't like Vivotek. http://www.vivotek.com/products/model.php?network_camera=fd8162&tab=spe

 

The AVTech AVN812 looks interesting though it doesn't seem to be available yet. http://www.eagleeyescctv.com/avn80x/en/about_801.htm

 

Brickcom 5MP camera.

http://brickcom.com/products/DetailView.php?series=All%20Brickcom%20Camera&modelname=CB-500Ap

 

Thanks,

Chad

[voip-ninja 0]

I'm sure you will get more responses about specific models but just wanted to point out that there is no reason you can't put cams outdoors due to saltwater. Cams are extremely common at marinas and even on ships.

 

Mobotix cams are made of all plastic for example and are often used in maritime environments, just for a single example.

[buellwinkle 0]

Can't comment on the Vivotek as I would never buy one, but the AVN812 does not have an SD card slot (only on the AVN80X), but can notify you immediately of motion and show you the last video event from your iPhone or Android device within seconds (email notification with pictures can take several minutes to make it to your phone. The Brickcom camera is nice, but not sure why you need 5MP resolution indoors and that camera comes in other resolutions. It can notify you via email, not not instantaneously like the AVTech. Also, both the AVTech and Brickcom can ftp your recorder video to where you want, assuming you have the bandwidth. Also, consider the Axis M10 series. I use an M1031-W in a vacation home, sends me a few pictures via email on motion detect but no SD card slot, ftp only of images, no video.

 

Also, don' stress over varifocal indoors unless you live in a castle like Napoleons' vacation home in Versailles. A decent 3-4mm fixed lens will provide good coverage.

 

Outdoors, go with a real outdoor camera, like a dome. The housings are typically made of aluminum and the insides are plastic. A nice dome camera like an ACTi or Brickcom in that price range will hold up for many years. Putting an indoor camera facing out will not allow you to use in-camera illuminators or give you the field of view you probably want.

[ctbaker 0]

I am leaning towards the AVTech AVN80X because it is so cheap that if it doesn't quite pan out, the risk is low and I can probably stick it somewhere at home just for the heck of it. The 1W LED illuminator sounds pretty weak for lighting up the night but perhaps I can put in a motion light indoors that will fire off and help out as well. Are these kinds of cameras going to have issues shooting against a bright backdrop aka window unless they feature WDR?

 

Is the push notification an iOS only feature or does it work on Android as well?

 

We only have DSL there so I am sure that the upload speeds are pretty bad as well.

[buellwinkle 0]

Push notification works on Android (I use it with my Moto Razr), IOS (I use it with my iPhone) and Blackberry (don't have one of those).

 

The AVTech cameras have very good low light capability and that LED is insanely bright, brighter than the one on the Axis M1031/M1054 cameras. For what it's worth, you can get a CFL light that only uses 10-15W that will provide plenty of light and to save electricity you can run that only at night. May cost you 25-50 cents a month and provide better security for your vacation home as lights are a deterrent.

 

The problem with motion detect lights is that a) pre-event frames will not be lit, b) it takes just about any camera a second to re-adjust exposure, so your first few frames will be over-exposed and the lost info may be the most important.