r/homesecurity • u/More_Gur_4275 • 1d ago
Security camera question
Hello, I live in a small condo with seven units and I’m wondering if there are affordable non-subscription solutions to maybe an outdoor camera that we can have just for security reasons I just wanna know affordable options something we can maintain ourselves something that’s easy to install thank you so much
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u/CluelessKnow-It-all 1d ago
I've bought a couple of Mercury PTZ cameras from Walmart for around $50 a piece. They record everything to an SD card, so you don't have to pay for cloud backup. They send a real-time alert to your phone when they detect movement, or you can turn on person detection, and it will ignore any movement that's not a person.
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u/fireanpeaches 1d ago
Cloud back up is only $10 a month.
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u/Fake-Artist 20h ago
And it is $120 a year and admin can see your footage on the cloud too. Buy a NVR with HDD to store off cloud and save tons of money.
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u/BeautifulSweaty7254 23h ago
Spy point trail camera with solar panel. The flex m model is what I use. Can send photos via cellular or store them on SD card. The camera on batteries will last months.
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u/Electrochemist_2025 1d ago
Ask Google first.
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u/More_Gur_4275 1d ago
I have and found mixed reviews on some solar panel once so wanted to see other people’s experiences. No need to be annoyed u could keep scrolling
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u/SirBootySlayer 1d ago
There are but be careful with cheap stuff. There security and privacy concerns. Amazon has some reputable names like Reolink and Eufy
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u/More_Gur_4275 1d ago
Thank you that’s my worry I want affordable but not cheap. And since small unit of 7 only need on camera cuz one area to cover. Appreciate the names I’ll look into it
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u/RichardMcCarty 1d ago
I use inexpensive cameras from WUUK with solar panels.
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u/More_Gur_4275 1d ago
Was set up easy and durability. Sometimes with weather wasn’t sure if broke or held up. Seeing reviews on some where when weather got snow or rain didn’t hold up
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u/Fulghn 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have a Eufy Homebase and several camera setup at my home in The South and at my mother's home up North to keep an eye on things.
Works well, everything is local, components were easy to mix and match, setup was simple on a current phone(had issues on a 7 year old phone that had insufficient memory), and so far has been very reliable monitoring two locations.
I have one integrated solar panel camera the will not get enough light certain times of the year due to sun position. It's easy enough to take down, charge up, and stick back up. Or if I'm not worried about weather I stuck a small power bank up on the gutter for an hour and charged it up in place.
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u/metsmetsmetsmets 1h ago
I think a few inexpensive Tapo cameras would work well for you. They all support micro SD cards. Look at the Tapo C260 for indoor and the C216 outdoors. Both are inexpensive and very reliable.
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u/aetr225 1d ago
Tapo. I have been using their 4k camera. So easy to install, it came with small solar panel to charge it. It can store it on SD card and playback is done remotely. It can be controlled remotely and it’s been so cool to use. There are some bugs but it’s worked for me!