Modern Internet Protocol (IP) cameras allow for:

High resolution video–see important details
Remote viewing with a smart phone [iphone/android] (slab) app.
Subscription recording offsite (cloud storage) (often cameras are sold at or below cost to sell a subscription to the service)
Infrared night vision
reduced wiring (reduced cost)
May allow an outside company to access to your cameras. (invite, error, design)
alerts based on what is detected
audio (sound) recording and two way communications with a speaker and microphone are common.

Desired Outcomes

Recording continuously or events to help prosecute a perpetrator or to avoid future accidents.
Lighting: provide motion activated light in work areas, (similar price to lights without camera)
Event notification, to be alerted if something is happening, if a guest is arriving or an intruder is breaking in. Please note, that someone knocking out the internet will take out this functionality (unless a cellular network and emergency power (UPS) is available as backup)
Tamper evidence: See if something has changed.
Entertainment: See the neighborhood animals and capture fun events.
Deter crime, recording

Cautions and costs:

Some basic cameras cost as little as $25 for the hardware and can simply be plugged in.
The most expensive camera I recommend is about $150
The MicroSD cards are wear items. They will have to be replaced in a few years, but the cost keeps going down. “High endurance” and “high capacity” cards are recommended so that these cards can last a long time.
The apps have a learning curve. Expect to play with the cameras to learn how they work so that you can use them if an emergency happens. I had a camera record a person come up to a car and stop recording right before they stole it, and the police declined to prosecute the person.
Testing the cameras and adjusting the settings is needed. Sometimes motion occurs in the wind setting off false- alerts. False alerts deaden our senses to events that we care about. Adjusting the field of view, or alert area can help, but storms can cause event alerts.
Many people waste time looking at their cameras. Periodic checking in on them to see if they work is important, however habitual reviewing can become a neuroticism.
These add complexity to daily routines. The developers of the cameras add features and change the apps. Expect to do maintenance such as: updating firmware, cleaning off spiderwebs (that reflect back infrared light from the camera). This may take a few minutes a month, but often occur right when one wants to use the cameras.
Fewer cameras are easier to manage, one can be ready to add more cameras if needed.
More cameras and ones of different types and brands provide redundancy.
Amazon, Google, government agencies, dedicated hackers, can probably gain access to your cameras if they really wanted to. These are best for people with nothing to hide. Don’t have them in areas where you expect privacy. Most listed here are protected by user agreements, policy and laws to restrict access to these, but if someone is really concerned about big brother watching, it may be best to consider a completely independent system that won’t have cloud storage, remote viewing, or other benefits. Managing one’s cameras with those features to be secure against these actors is cost prohibitive. Consider a non-networked trail camera if one just wants to record events.

Mitigating Things that can and will go wrong:

Forgetting to pay a bill — autopayment for cloud service will fail if a card changes and similar. Internet may go out, you may be out of money. — Have a camera with local storage or NVR. Consider consolidating services to reduce the number of bills, such as with Google, or Comcast. Pay with Google is often a possiblity, and then you will be updating your payment details there for many other services. Consider putting renewal dates on calendars.
Internet outage — consider having a device with onboard storage. Your local area network may still work, so an NVR may still help you. Blink and Ring cameras fail in this scenereo.
Wifi outage — badguys can jam your wifi before breaking in or doing nefarious acts. Having security cameras will deter a spur of the moment attack, but someone planning for this can jam your network. Consdier having on-device storage or wired cameras.
Wire breakage: If you have a wired camera directly on your trusted network, it is possible someone will be able to access all the devices in your home that are on the network. Using a switch with the NVR may be able to mitigate this. It may be a good idea to have your security system on it’s own network, with a firewall that limits what devices on that port can do. This may be prohibitively expensive, but is a part of a professional system.
Wifi Intrusion — Someone can get your wifi password and interact with devices on your home network. This should be difficult as it requires someone to remove the camera, disassemble it, and attach wires and spend a bit of time on it. It would be a good idea to have each device isolated in the firewall and have it’s own password and login to the network. This makes getting to the camera more difficult. This would be part of a high security system, it is not needed for regular people, but it should become more standard.
Stealing a device / NVR. A criminal may be able to steal a device and remove the evidence of their bad doings. Consider a cloud subscription to keep backups of events where bad people damage the system. Consider having overlapping field of view, and seeing other cameras in the camera view. Consider encryption on the devices so that the SD card cannot be easily viewed if privacy of the data is important. Do not place cameras in sensitive areas where private activity escaping has incentive (like a bathroom or dressing room). Physically secure the NVR in a closet.
Account hacking/cloud breach. It is possible that hackers can break in to see your cameras by violating the service you use. Consider the reputation of the company, ownership of the company, and where the data is stored. Nations can likely get into whoever they want, they may have backdoors or planted employees in companies.
Social Engineering — someone may convince you to post or share a video that may give you liability. Think before you post.

Power sources for the cameras:

Hard Wired, light fixture:

Replace an existing light fixture — may impact the look of the house.
provides motion detector light functionality
sometimes must deal with a switch (can put a cover on it)
Wyze floodlight camera (v1) can provide a USB receptical for a second camera
Some older houses do not have the proper jbox to accept a camera, may require an electrician

Light-bulb socket

Wyze has a product that goes into a light socket and provides a USB port.it can turn on and off a light bulb

Power over Ethernet (PoE) requires a hub and a single ethernet wire to each camera.

more costly
does not have to deal with wifi signal issues

Power outlet to 12V

here are standard 12V power outlets that use barrel jacks.
These can also power auxiliary infrared lights.

Power outlet: USB (Battery optional)

A type I recommend for the most part.
Simple to plug in.
Battery cameras can often be charged from the grid and set to aggressive settings that aproach continuous recording.

Solar: USB + Battery

good for areas without a power outlet and low amounts of action
If there is a lot of action infront of the camera, the battery is likely to drain. especially in iwinter
These cameras will record only events
Battery powered cameras are also not suitable for continuous recording.

Power outlet: Proprietary

Some cameras have their own power addapter, often not battery.

Battery Only

Some Blink cameras take AA batteries and are good for areas that have little motion. Life of a few months is possible with high thresholds for events.
Wyze battery camera pro has a replaceable rechargable battery, aggressive settings can have it used up in a day, but it may last months between charges.

Doorbell:

The doorbell is often powered by a low(ish) voltage transformer. The existing doorbell is a simple switch that is replaced with a camera, and the chime is bypassed, and or another device is added.

Connecting to the camera

All of the IP cameras require internet service for remote viewing.

PoE

is likely to let you connect to it whenever you want without errors
requires wires to be ran everywhere. — good for barns and places where wires can be exposed
use high quality wiring
someone tampering with a camera may quickly gain access to internal network

Wifi

can have areas of low coverege, and may require a wifi repeater or mesh network. Cameras are often installed on the wall, and the signal degrades quickly as it goes thru the wall lengthwise.

Internal storage card,

Some “trail cameras” cannot be reviewed remotely and require people to go the camera, and remove the SD memory from the camera, and put it into a computer to review footage.
Some IP cameras will record even when the internet is not working and can be accessed once the network is back up, or have the option to take the card to a computer.

Placement of the Cameras:

Coverage:

Middle of wall:
A single camera in the middle of a wall will only be able to see one direction. It may be desirable to have two cameras facing each direction. Sometimes there are lighting fixtures that make this easy.
Corner of house, Under eaves:
Sometimes possible to access from the attic, attics are often dangerous, but this would be used for PoE installs, one camera can capture the whole side of the house.
Inside: Inside cameras should have a way to communicate that they are on and recording. Embarrassing access to the house may be allowed if cameras are shared. Some cameras such as the wyze pan and tilt can indicate their power status by the direction the camera is facing.

Height:

High up prevents tampering, provides an overview.
Down low can provide a good view, may be tampered with, easy to maintain.

Window:

Placing a camera in a window is often the quickest and cheapest way to go.
This may be required for apartments where one is now allowed to modify the building.

Be sure to turn off infrared illumination and status lights.
Wyze cameras have a sticker mount that blocks glare when the lights are on inside.

Solar Sun Access:

Solar powered cameras should have their panel within about 5ft, and should have direct sun for as much as possible.

Light fixture Replacement:

Provides reliable power provided the switch is not turned off.
provides motion detector light features, and often dusk to dawn light capability.

Hole to internal receptical.

If a camera is desired on a wall with no outlets, it is possible to locate a receptical inside the house, and poke a hole thru the siding to allow a power cable to go inside. The power adapter will need to remain plugged in.

Viewing the cameras:

Event viewing:

Wyze and now reolink offer a timeline that shows snapshots of events that happen thru the day.

Short term Live viewing with an app:

Most camera systems have their own app in iOS (Apple) and Android. Some have PC viewers. Some support ONVIF which is a nice standard that allows people to monitor their cameras with a computer. Many cameras get disconnected or having multiple people view the camera at once may jam the camera or the network. Retrying the connection often makes it work.

Continuous viewing:

Battery cameras disconnect from live view after a short time, even when they are powered by the grid.
Reolink offers a box that can record the cameras, and provide a display to a TV. (box is noisy, often put in a closet to hide wires, and another wire is ran to a TV in a common area)
Wyze offers a view of the cameras from a website if a subscription is purchased. This is convinient, but not good for continuous viewing. I have rigged up a way to have a Chromebook show 4 cameras at a time, rotate thru them, but the cameras often disconnect. This is a bit kludgy and costs a few hours of setup in addition to supplying a newer Chromebook.

Preserving Recordings

Cloud storage uses the internet to send video to a service. Wyze Cam Plus can be $3 per camera per month, or about $120 a year for a large number of cameras. (when on sale $100) This only stores events, and is governed by their policy. a storage cap, and a length of time are often specified. If a hostile actor cuts the internet service, this is won’t store your event. If the government subpoenas the hosting provider, they may turn over your footage without letting you know.
SD cards on device, Many IP cameras now allow for microSD card storage. Most support 256gb high endurance cards. The oldest videos get written over, and these can store a month or more of video. If someone steals the device, they may be able to see what happened before. If someone is hostile and comes to the location, they can knock down a camera, and this storage goes away with them. Having overlapping or hidden cameras can help capture people doing this.
NVR / DVR — A network video recorder or digital video recorder allows recording of multiple devices in one secured location. This can work without internet to backup videos in a central location. Reolink sells one that provides the hub for the PoE wires. Wyze offers a devices for their outdoor cameras that saves video in a safe location. NVR only can be swiped with one quick action by a hostile actor.
Recommendation: Pick 2 or 3 of the above.

Misc Features:

Pan and tilt, some cameras can be aimed in different directions. This is often helpful for knocking off spider webs that go across the lens on cameras that are hard to reach.
Water resistance, most cameras must be placed on a wall or under an overhang to be in normal operation.
field of view some cameras can only see a small area, some can see almost the entire side of the house.
zoom, some cameras can be positioned far away and have a narrow field of view, allowing details to be seen far away.
lighting, floodlight, even some battery cameras have lights that will turn on. Often these lights take an extra second to turn on when a person walks into view.
alarm and scripting, many cameras can be set to emit a siren or flash the light. Wyze offers home monitoring and door and window sensors.
Audio Recording: Legality of recording a conversation varies by area. It may be important to turn off audio recording, or to post a sign that says sound is being recorded. If evidence needs to be brought to court, the audio may not be admissible if the other party did not consent to the audio recording.

Brands:

Practically all of the cameras are made in China. There are a few companies that use components that are sanctioned, and I do not cover them here. These are reputable companies that I have known about for years.

Reolink: a great value for the money, but similar value for less money can be had.

Power over ethernet, solar, Wifi 12v, Wifi battery USB, Cellular
Cloud recording is available
many inovative products with more than one camera in a housing. pan and tilt
DVR provides a way to watch many cameras at once and have local storage in a central location.
Chinese company
Can be done without internet.
low cost
I have installed about 20 of these cameras.
Username,Password,DeviceID login, able to have multiple guest passwords on some
The nicest physical quality of a doorbell camera — but only if you already have reolink
works without subscription

Wyze: The brand I recommend for most people most of the time. Based in Washington

Lower cost
USB, Battery, hardwired, solar, light bulb adapter available
floodlight camera v1 offers a power outlet for an auxiliary camera
Guests are required to have a wyze account, and cameras are shared with limited features to those cameras
newer cameras make it harder to review recordings saved to SD card.
Wyze CAM Plus cloud subscription is inexpensive and shows alerts.
Doorbell camera V2 allows the regular chime from the house doorbell, and SD card storage, so this is highly recommended.
outdoor camera v2 does have an internal unit that is resistant to tampering, but difficult to set up recording.
works without subscription
has had some minor outages.

Blink: I have these because they were given to me, but not good, an Amazon company

Lowest cost
Some battery only cameras
Does not store on the camera, always uploads to amazon and then redownloads them to a little box inside.
works without subscription, but relies on their servers.

Ring: an amazon company

High cost
Did not work for me when I tried their floodlight cameras, could not view the live picture
requires subscription
very popular brand
wifi, solar, battery

Arlo / Eero

I am not familiar with these, but have a medium cost

Ubiquity

Nearly enterprise level, I like their hardware, moderate cost.

Nest: A google company

High cost
a friend of mine has these and enjoys these
wifi

Zmodo

least well known brand here, I installed their doorbell camera when doorbell cameras were new and it worked when the ring doorbell did not. battery backup and internet of things integration.

Trail Cameras:

Cabella’s has a few trail cameras that save to an SD card high resolution snapshots or recordings of events when motion is detected. Consider if remote viewing is not needed. Can be hidden.

Installation

Self Install

Most of these products are designed so that a homeowner can install them simply. The owners phone will be needed to initialize the cameras. These require a screwdriver and maybe some basic pliers and a ladder.

Service.

A professional service may be a good choice when electricians are needed and a service package with guarantee of availability are required. This is probably the most expensive. Many services only work with certain brands of equipment, which may be costly.

Handyman:

Flexible with products, limited scope of work I can do. No call center to help answer questions, but generally available, especially after hours. I have a lot of experience training users. I have installed many IP cameras, and helped family save recordings.

My install process:

Questions:

What are your goals with the camera?
Are you comfortable with android or iOS?
- if you are using wyze, you will need to create an account and remember a password.
- I will need to borrow your device to initialize the camera. Some fancier cameras have an installer mode, but I will get a QR code from your phone, and show it to the camera so that it can connect to your network.
Is your house and exterior well covered by wifi? If there are any dead spots, we may wish to install a mesh network (about $300) or a wifi repeater (maybe $30 but an old router can work, running wire back to the home internet may be a good choice, and I have ran telephone and coax wires for Comcast.)
Entryways covered?
Sides of house covered?
Do you want any areas double covered?
Do you need lighting?
What is your address?
- I can use street view to help make a proposal.
Send me photos
- Areas that you want covered.
- light fixtures you are considering having replaced with a floodlight camera.
- My cell phone number is: 206 334 5925
I will give you an estimate for how much something will cost, and the likelihood of it working. Some light fixtures are not something I can replace, but many are.
I hope to provide exceptional value by getting the job done efficiently and correctly. I intend to leave wires looking organized, and take no risks to life or limb.

Security Camera Overview