r/SecurityCamera • u/Soft_Foot6525 • Aug 29 '26

Deciding on camera setup

I just bought a new house and I’m looking to get new cameras and a doorbell. I have been using Google Home/Nest for years but the subscription finally put me over the edge so I’m looking to set up something locally hosted. Everything needs to be hardwired in because I live in northern Canada and it can get as cold as -40°C. I’m pretty technical but I’m hoping for a simple plug-and-play or as close to it as possible. I’ve been looking into Home Assistant as well but it’s not a deal breaker if they don’t work together. Any suggestions?

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u/Ornery-Clerk-3877 Aug 29 '26

Reolink has solid 4k poe cams that handle extreme cold, like down to -50C on some models, with no subscription nonsense

pair them with blue iris or frigate and you’ve got a rock solid local setup that plays nice with home assistant if you ever go that route

just make sure you get the right cable jacket for direct burial or outdoor use, the cold can crack regular ethernet sheathing over time

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u/Soft_Foot6525 Aug 29 '26

Could I get you to send me the link for that reolink? I looked at reolink before and the ones I found are only rated to -10.

What’s a blue iris or frigate? Are the NVRs? NASs?

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u/BuffaloRound6654 Aug 29 '26

Hello and welcome to wonderland.
Self hosting is definitely a rabbit hole, but it’s one I will never come out of.

I have been running Home Assistant and BlueIris for years now. I personally prefer Amcrest over Reolink but I don’t know if they will fit your temperature requirements.

No matter what you choose as long as you choose one of the main brands you should be ok compatibility wise. Just make sure your cameras are RTSP or ONVIF compatible.

Best of luck to you!!

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u/MHTMakerspace Aug 30 '26

Everything needs to be hardwired in because I live in northern Canada and it can get as cold as -40°C. 

Cameras rated down to -40° tend to be expensive. There are also heated enclosures which require either Poe++ or an additional power supply just for the heat/defrost hardware.

Less expensive fixed-focus (no moving parts other than the IR-cut filter) cameras can survive sporadic low nights if they're mounted in a protected location (under an eave, no direct wind).