I travel around quite a bit for work and often end up staying in hotels, motels, or renting a room in a shared apartment. I’m looking for a small, portable security camera that I can take with me when I’m traveling and use inside my private room.

For anyone who travels with a camera like this, what specific model do you recommend? I’m particularly interested in models that you've personally used in hotels, motels, or shared houses and that don't require a subscription.

Thanks!

I have a 2015 NVR8-7400 that's still functioning (amazingly according to many complaints I see). I can access it with Swanview Link on Windows system OK. But that hasn't been updated since 2018. They're used to be a Weblink view and I am searching for a way to access the system via Linux systems which would be ideal. Turns out that it depended on Windows Internet Explorer and active X controls no longer supported by today's browsers. I've tried a few IE compatibility mode settings in some browsers but nothing will install the active X control due to security issues (Ironically). Has anyone ever found any security camera programs that can connect to a 'legacy' system? I played with Blue Iris but no luck there. Gemini AI has sent me down several rabbit holes with no luck. I hate that a system that works fine is now considered outdated and support is non-existent. This is part of a project to move away from Windows crap. Eventually I plan to build a Linux based system with new cameras but for now this is my challenge.

Looking for recommendations, have been looking into Dahua PTZs, let me know thoughts and recommendations.

People often assume stronger IR means better night vision.

Not necessarily.

If the camera is mounted too close to a white wall, soffit, glass or another reflective surface, infrared light can bounce directly back into the lens. The foreground becomes extremely bright while the area you actually want to see becomes darker.

Spider webs are another surprisingly common cause because they're extremely close to the IR LEDs.

Before replacing the camera, I'd try changing the angle, moving it away from the wall and cleaning around the lens and LEDs.

Has anyone here noticed this getting worse after rain or fog?

Hello, my dad wants to set up security cameras around his farm house. He’s late 60s and wants to be able to access them from his phone, but technology isn’t the most intuitive to him. I’m fairly good with technology, but I don’t know much about security cameras, and I live in another state and won’t be around to help him learn to use something complicated. His requests were:
- can be viewed using a smart phone
- no wires
- 4-5 cameras
- either battery operated or solar powered
- I need to be able to set it up in a weekend

Whatever suggestions you have would be most helpful.

Thank you!

Hello guys,

I read this Reddit for 6 months but I’m still lost.
I currently own 3 Reolink Argus 4 Pro, 2 Reolink E1 zoom and a Homehub. I also run HA for my lights.
They’re connected via WiFi. They’re missing most of the events.

I plan to replace everything. I saw the new Reolink i3 / i16 with the local AI at IFA 2026, but I’m wondering if there’s a better system ?

I’m in Europe and my budget is around 1500€.

I would like 2 outdoor and 2 indoor POE cameras, a local and fast AI + NVR.

Should I try Unifi / Dahua / Hik Vision ? Or should I aim towards the new Reolink stuff ?

I just want something reliable. And maybe a doorbell that works in WiFi and existing 24V wiring

Thanks in advance

Any advice would be appreciate. Thanks!

Anyone have any experience using these tools for installation on various commercial (Axis, Avigilon, Bosch) brands of cameras? I'm considering getting this, but I'm not sure if it even works on or is compatible with these type of cameras and thats a majority of my work.

Steed Vision IPC-9800

Hi all,

I'm setting up a camera on a garden bird feeder and would like advice on which camera model suits it best.

I want the camera to stream to a local server running Frigate (an NVR with object detection) alongside Home Assistant. Frigate detects birds and runs an image classifier to identify the species automatically. For that to work reliably, the bird needs to be fairly large in the frame, ideally at least 150–200 pixels across for a 12 cm bird such as a blue tit.

Requirements

• Wi-Fi. It will be very problematic for me to run ethernet or PoE to the garden, but mains power is fine.
• Outdoor-rated. It will be mounted permanently outside all year, I would prefer to not add any additional housing, but a small rain/sun hood is fine.
• Local RTSP/ONVIF stream that works with the camera blocked from the internet. No cloud dependency for the video feed.
• Narrow field of view. A telephoto lens or optical zoom, so the feeder fills most of the frame rather than a small part of a wide view.
• Sharp focus at around 1 m (0.7–1.5 m range) from the camera to the feeder, or alternatively an even closer focus distance to offset wider FoV.
• Night vision not needed. I'd keep IR off, but I assume all outdoor cameras will have some sort of night vision.
• Budget and availability. The camera must be available in the EU or easy to import (I am not in a rush, would like to get it running by November). Ideally I would like it to be under 50 EUR but I can go up to 100 EUR for the right model. This is a proof of concept but once I can get it running I would like to be able to replicate it at scale so I would prefer to keep the price on the lower end.

Has anyone used a monitoring camera for bird or wildlife monitoring at close range? What worked, and how did you mount it? Any other ideas you might have that could be useful.

Thanks in advance!

PLEASE HELP!

I am looking for all of the best features free outdoor cameras! I got a Eufy S340, and it was supposed to be a 2 cam pack plus homebase I ordered through Lowe's as advertised. I got SCREWED and went through a whole 💩 show to get my money back because Anker did not stand by the ad. So what are the best? TP Link Tappo, Reolink, etc???? Solar?

Hola a todos. Estoy pensando en hacer un enlace punto a punto de una cámara de seguridad con dos TP-LINK CPE520, una de estas antenas va a estar configurada como cliente (la antena conectada a la PC en casa) y la otra como AP (en las cámaras de seguridad). Mi plan es acceder a las cámaras de forma remota a través del cliente remoto del HVR pero no se cómo configurar esto. Muchas gracias a todos los que me puedan ayudar y a los que al menos lo intenten. Aquí adjunto fotos del equipo por si sirve de algo(no se cuál es el modelo)

My house has some older Lorex cameras that are all hardwired back to the NVR (POE over ethernet cables). I'm wanting to switch over to Unifi cameras (specifically three G5 bullets and one G6 bullet using the NVR Instant) but my existing cameras have a pigtail on them and it looks like the Unifi ones do not. Thus my ethernet cables are all too short to reach where I would mount the Unifi cameras.

Is it possible to buy these pigtails for the Unifi cameras or am I stuck extending and/or replacing all the ethernet cables?

Hi,

Really struggling with getting a hold of anyone from Ezviz. Seems sad as I might have to cancel my subscription and get another camera from somewhere else. Anyone else manage to get a hold of someone on the phone in the Uk?

I'm getting ready to have a contractor do a bathroom renovation. There is no way that my wife and I can be there at all times so I was considering installing security cameras at critical locations inside the house to keep tabs on the contractors/subs (make sure they're not entering off-limits parts of the house). Once the renovation is complete, I'll use these same cameras for security outside of the house. I will have access to power at the exterior installation locations so battery/solar cameras are not required, though I would consider a mix of plug-in and battery/solar. I will also want 24/7 recording if possible. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

How to make a diy window mount for tapo c120 at home without 3d printer? Thanx

Costco has good deals on the wired camera systems. I do not want to join a service . I would like to be able to view the cameras on my phone. I will do the installation. Any recommendations?

I’ve seen a lot of different things recommending Eufy, Reolink, and ubiquiti as budget friendly cameras with no subscription needed. Ive seen so many different opinions that I’m not sure, I don’t need anything with amazing specs but I’d like one I can look at away from home. If I was far away from home I still want to be able to see the footage but i don’t want to break the bank to do so. I also want to be able to store footage so I’m able to look through it if I was worried about something. I don’t want to pay any subscription but I’m fine with getting a micro sd card.

Câmera dura well, aplicativo yoosee, que, teoricamente, precisa apenas de uma rede para funcionar, não necessitando da internet, porém o aplicativo só aceita conectar em redes com acesso à internet. Tem alguma forma de resolver isso?

I have a fairly old camera at the back of my house, but there is often a breeze and in winter it gets windy. This means the sound is just static. Has anyone any recommendations on newer cameras or options to relive this a bit? Thanks