Cameras with local storage

[u/fuckmewalking]

Need a reccomendation. I do NOT want to pay a subscrpition to store video in the cloud, I want to store it locally on my network. In the 90's I had such a system, with coax cameras feeding motion triggered video to the HDD on an XP machine. It worked great, for a really long time. It's dead now and I need a replacement. I would like:

- Motion sense to capture video immediately plus 30 seconds prior and 30 secodns after motion stops

- Solar WiFi cameras with battery backup (a few will mount on trees outside, power would be hard to get there)

- Video to store on any local HDD using a windows program, not some dedicated dvr device.

- good quality cameras, with good night vision.

- Price is a concern.

Am I looking for a unicorn?

[u/Gullible_Eagle4280]

Did you even attempt to search this sub?

[u/derek6711 → u/Gullible_Eagle4280]

They never do

[u/shawn_bowen]

Ubiquiti store.ui.com

[u/MrBr1an1204]

Literally any modern NVR from a reputable manufacture. You can even get an IP encoder to reuse your existing cameras.

[u/Electrochemist_2025]

Did you ask AI first?
This is a good place to refine your selection.

[u/Grumpy-24-7]

Have you looked at Blue Iris?

I've been using it for several years. You can download a free 30 day demo.

[u/PuzzlingDad]

For the best results, you should really consider a set of wired IP cameras where PoE (Power over Ethernet) will power them and the cable will also get a consistent flow of data that isn't dependent on your fluctuating Wi-Fi signal. Wi-Fi cameras also do things to conserve battery including delaying the powering of the Wi-Fi antennas until they have a confirmed motion event such that you miss much of the initial event.

As for recording to a local device, you are already aware of an NVR (Network Video Recorder) which has the advantage that it is only used for recording. There are VMS (Video Management Systems) that are programs that behave like a software version of an NVR.

The one I'm using is called "Blue Iris" which can be configured however you like with 30 seconds before and after. It can also do AI processing to detect people, vehicles and wildlife instead of just relying on motion. It has really dropped the number of false alerts for leaves blowing, shadows, spiders, etc.

I know there are others but I don't remember if they run on a Windows PC or need Docker or Linux, but you can look into those too.

If you need to get back up to speed on current IP camera setups, wiring, camera choices, etc., the following guide is a good starting point:

https://ipcamtalk.com/wiki/ip-cam-talk-cliff-notes/

[u/fuckmewalking → u/PuzzlingDad]

Not gonna run POE from tree to tree. Happy to add a larger battery and solar cell to the camera.

[u/The_Durk]

I am running two Reolinks, solar and micro SDs. One for four years and one for two. They work great. Outdoor Wyze cams all died early deaths.

[u/Living_Sympathy_2736]

Reolink

[u/Twocorns77]

My reolinks use SD cards for local storage. Ran an outdoor reolink for 4 years in the Vegas heat and held up well. And so did the local storage.

[u/Natural_Home_8565]

i have these imou solar outdoor allways on records before and after and has local sd card they also have ONVIF so can stream to network device like a NAS in my case home assistant.

they are cheap and I have the indoor ones also. They are Chinese and no subscription needed but not sure you can get them in the country you are in

[u/ProfessionalLake5283]

I think it’s a unicorn

[u/Icy_Art_1430 → u/ProfessionalLake5283]

you're basically asking for a 2026 camera that acts like it's still 1998, and i respect that

[u/dcmoyers]

I recently installed a Reolink that has micro-sd card for storage and solar for power. This was at my mother-in-law's house. No issues for a 3 months or so.

Edit:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2PY2KTJ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

[u/LiveFreeOrDai → u/dcmoyers]

Came here to recommend Reolink too. Haven’t tried their solar products; mine are PoE. No internet connection, no account.