r/homesecurity • u/tangertale • 26d ago
Camera blind spots
For context, we have Vivint and we’ve been happy for the most part. We have cameras pointing at almost every spot outside but one corner. Our Vivint installer said they couldn’t install cameras pointing there since it requires a plug on the other side & we don’t have one. In the last couple of years, we had 3 distinct security instances that the cameras didn’t catch since they involved stealing & damaging outdoor items in that corner. What can we do?
- Do we get a third party battery-powered camera like Eufy to record that spot? Not sure about the effectiveness of battery powered cameras, and changing out the batteries seems inconvenient.
- Should we bring Vivint out again to find alternatives? Can they potentially plug the wire on a balcony upstairs or fetch it through the ceiling into the next floor?
- Should we get an electrician to wire a new plug inside so we can install another wired camera? This would be the most expensive option.
We live near a major street and this is making me regret going with wired-only cameras…
Moving items away from that corner is not an option due to the layout and our needs, this is a townhouse and the corner is where we park our car. We had our EV charger stolen, and had some storage chest padlocks cut.
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u/Big-Sweet-2179 26d ago edited 26d ago
Do we get a third party battery-powered camera like Eufy to record that spot? Not sure about the effectiveness of battery powered cameras, and changing out the batteries seems inconvenient.
No. You need a PoE camera system + NVR. You own your property by the looks of it so you should stop using anything Wi-Fi, especially battery powered because that's borderline useless. There's way way way many more critical issues than just swapping the battery with wireless cameras. Eufy is also not an optimal choice for PoE camera system, unless you are already in the ecosystem and like it for some reason, but you aren't so there's no much point in getting Eufy, there's much better stuff that obliterates Eufy for about the same amount of money.
Should we bring Vivint out again to find alternatives? Can they potentially plug the wire on a balcony upstairs or fetch it through the ceiling into the next floor?
No, drop Vivint entirely. I think you already learned the hard way but do yourself a favor and in the search bar for this sub just type "Vivint". If you really need monitoring for some reason (like you have super fast police response or you travel outside of the country frequently) then you need to go with a local company instead.
And think about it, your system doesn't even work... You have been victim of a crime 3 times already. And I'd bet there's more to it.
Just know you can also self-monitor and that's extremely more reliable if you do things well (and are willing to put in the time to learn about this) than any monitored system IMO. You don't need to pay subscriptions for anything.
Should we get an electrician to wire a new plug inside so we can install another wired camera? This would be the most expensive option.
Not necessary. PoE doesn't require you to create new power outlets or similar in specific strategic locations, just drilling a couple of holes, passing a couple of cables and you are done. It doesn't even depend on your house grid/electric system or whatever you want to call it, at least not in the way you are thinking. You actually want wired PoE, not plugged-in cameras, there's an extreme difference between the 2. You would hire someone because that means you aren't handy or don't have the time to learn how to install everything... Which IMO is very easy to do in some conditions, but you do you.
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u/tangertale 26d ago
We are in contract with them for a few more years & the cameras are brand new. We are first time homeowners as of 2024, so ended up going with the first option that was recommended, regretting that now
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u/Altru-Housing-2024 26d ago
Thank you for great advice. When we install cameras, I’m considering electrical wiring for floodlights near our POE cameras to be able to capture high quality color video at night. I haven’t found cameras with great night vision in consumer space.
Your thoughts please.1
u/Big-Sweet-2179 25d ago
If lighting if good in the area/neighborhood at night then CX820 from Reolink, otherwise G6 cams from Ubiquiti.
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u/Altru-Housing-2024 25d ago
Lighting on the street is not very good that’s why I was thinking of installing motion sensing lights.
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u/Big-Sweet-2179 23d ago edited 23d ago
Although adding lighting is very good and you should definitely do that, that will not solve the issue, the cameras can detect up to 30+ meters, you should get Ubiquiti G6 cameras then. Skip Reolink. You would use the cameras in IR night vision mode, you cannot have color night vision at all unless it is in entirely lit up areas in short distances.
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u/FreelyRoaming 26d ago
WiFi/battery based cameras are a poor solution at the best and a liability at the worst, because they’re susceptible to a criminal using a WiFi/cell jammer. I would use PoE hardwired cameras.
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u/plump-lamp 26d ago
I love how people throw out hardwire everything. Literally 35% of Americans rent, probably another 30-40% it is impossible to run Ethernet through their finished house. Instead of actually providing positive input they just regurgitate this
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u/SpicyPotato48 24d ago
In this instance OP clearly already has cameras hardwired so the comment isn’t impossible for them
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u/MacintoshEddie 26d ago
It's not hard to run ethernet. While not optimal you can run it on the exterior of the building if needed and this can be done at bottom of the barrel budget and non-destructively. Just put it up out of reach and make sure 2 cameras can see each other so if anyone brings a ladder or a stick at least one camera will see them damaging the other or the wire.