Never thought I'd ever have to worry but I need outdoor security cameras!

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I have this Night Owl system with 5 cameras connected covering every nook and cranny outside of our house. Mine is a wired system, but they do have wireless systems available. Everything is accessible through the phone using their app. I also have it wired to one of the TV's in our house and I love that, when I switch to that input on my TV I feel like I'm a detective working a surveillance mission in the back of a van!

I do not have a subscription and I am not sure whether they offer a subscription model but if they do I haven't found a reason to have it. The DVR stores "motion" events for a period of time, but I haven't taken the time to go back and see how long that period is. You can download the motion events directly to your phone to save them.

nightowlsp.com

8 Channel 4K Bluetooth DVR with 2TB Hard Drive and 6 Wired 4K Spotligh

Key Features Preset Voice Alerts with Siren Secure Wired Connection Secure App-Based Bluetooth® Setup
nightowlsp.com nightowlsp.com
 
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I like PTZ cams (pan, tilt, zoom). They're more expensive, of course, but much more useful to me. I can look around and zoom in, and that's their primary purpose, more so than a security deterrent. I can observe my pool and my pad. I can check that my stove is off, and that my doors are locked. I can see when kids or guests are up in the morning. And check my porch for packages. It really is a great convenience appliance. If it happens to also encourage ne'er-do-wells to choose some other house, that's a bonus.
 
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thetekgeek said:
I have this Night Owl system with 5 cameras connected covering every nook and cranny outside of our house. Mine is a wired system, but they do have wireless systems available. Everything is accessible through the phone using their app. I also have it wired to one of the TV's in our house and I love that, when I switch to that input on my TV I feel like I'm a detective working a surveillance mission in the back of a van!

I do not have a subscription and I am not sure whether they offer a subscription model but if they do I haven't found a reason to have it. The DVR stores "motion" events for a period of time, but I haven't taken the time to go back and see how long that period is. You can download the motion events directly to your phone to save them.

nightowlsp.com

8 Channel 4K Bluetooth DVR with 2TB Hard Drive and 6 Wired 4K Spotligh

Key Features Preset Voice Alerts with Siren Secure Wired Connection Secure App-Based Bluetooth® Setup
nightowlsp.com nightowlsp.com
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Other than 2 spots with electric all other devices have to be either battery power or I'm going to have to run cables and or electric to any area we want to put a camera. Since my wife is extremely upset about this I will follow her lead on how she wants to go forward. Telling her about the size of the Ring camera and light combo had her concerned about the looks of having 3 big devices hanging on our house. Reading up on NJ security camera laws and living in a rather dense neighborhood means I can't just stick cameras anywhere and have them pointing everywhere.
 
VinnyinNJ said:
Reading up on NJ security camera laws
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I don't even know if my city/state has any. Can there be any? You can video anything in public (as far as I know).

I've had conversations with my surrounding neighbors about bringing about my "security fantasy." Three of the eight of us are covered with cams. Another or two want their own systems. One has a fake cam in front of his house. I want all of us to "cam up," and then I want to put up some sort of sign at each end of our block, or one on each house, alerting others to the presence of all the cams, as in: if you step foot into our block, we're going to know about it.

We have had "incidents" in our neighborhood. The most recent was a catalytic converter theft. Another was a break-in foiled by indoor cams that alerted the neighbor (who was away at the time) that someone was in his house. He called the cops and they caught one of them "on the job." That got everyone riled up. So while paranoid, my fantasy is somewhat justified. Again, I'm not thinking we're going to be catching crooks (though that can work), I just want anyone casing local neighborhoods to pick some other one.
 
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Dirk said:
I don't even know if my city/state has any. Can there be any? You can video anything in public (as far as I know).
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www.cambasket.com

The Security Camera Laws in New Jersey: Everything You Need to Know

You need to know the security camera laws in New Jersey. Here are some important things to remember when installing a security system.
www.cambasket.com

The key issue to not trip over is the wiretapping laws in your state. Some states are one party consents and as long as one party in the conversation is aware audio is being recorded then it is legal. Other states are all party consents and everyone being recorded must consent.

Cameras that do not record audio prevent, even accidentally, violating the wiretapping laws of your state.
 
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@Dirk I read the website that @ajw22 listed and there's a mention that I couldn't have my camera facing toward a neighbor's back yard. I would want to cover as many angles as possible because it is possible that someone late at night could come from a neighbor's yard. It seem sweeping across a front yard is OK but back yards are considered private in NJ per that article. The other problem a least for the Ring and other devices similar is they do record audio so that is also a problem. I guess a sign that says video and audio surveillance being done may be permissible, if there is a sign like that.
 
ajw22 said:
Do you want deterrence or prosecution?

If you want deterrence then lights around the property and dummy cameras that are very visible should let the perps think they are being recorded. No power needed for dummy cameras to be visible.

If you want prosecution then you need cameras with enough pixels and properly positioned to get useful face pics of the perps. You also want cameras monitoring the street that can identify any vehicles they use.
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Bingo, if they are throwing eggs from a fair distance the ring cameras (which are very good) might not pick up the people at night time even with flood lights. I have both Ring and IP cameras that cover my entire perimeter If you go just ring you will need plenty of light to get distinguishable faces at a distance.
 

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VinnyinNJ said:
@Dirk I read the website that @ajw22 listed and there's a mention that I couldn't have my camera facing toward a neighbor's back yard. I would want to cover as many angles as possible because it is possible that someone late at night could come from a neighbor's yard. It seem sweeping across a front yard is OK but back yards are considered private in NJ per that article. The other problem a least for the Ring and other devices similar is they do record audio so that is also a problem. I guess a sign that says video and audio surveillance being done may be permissible, if there is a sign like that.
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I'm not giving legal advice but I dont think that article is correct. I don't believe NJ has a statute prohibiting your camera on your house also capturing someone elses backyard in plain site. The issue that could come up is if that camera records their conversation and since NJ is a sing person consent and you are not part of those conversations in their backyard as an example that could be a statute violation. However the video itself I'm pretty confident is not. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer nor am I giving legal advice. You can call your local police department to verify that.
 
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Mdragger88 said:
I have wyze cams with sd cards in them as I am not really into paying a monthly subscription fee.
Not sure how the ring deal works with the fees - if its more for more cameras.
Personally I would not get a camera that is integrated with a flood light. They are quite pricey as well.
I say go separate so if one dies you don’t have to replace the whole thing.
I also don’t like all in one led flood light fixtures or other all in one led fixtures.
Let me explain…
When the led dies the fixture is trash & you must go through the trouble & expense of installing a new fixture.
Instead, You can simply buy dimmable led bulbs & put them in a basic flood light fixture. I like dusk to dawn with motion sensors personally.
Then mount your cameras wherever you want. They will need power but most have decently long cables. I simply added a weatherproof outlet to my eave for my cameras that is fed from the flood light box.
Note* many floods are on a switch so you can accidentally turn off your cameras if they are wired to the switchleg power.
There are workarounds for the ring flood cam when things start dying but they require some basic electrical knowledge.
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I use outdoor wyze rchargable cams for backyard and driveway. I charge them every 2-3 months, I have wired inside and in garage.
 
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newbie919 said:
I use outdoor wyze rchargable cams for backyard and driveway. I charge them every 2-3 months, I have wired inside and in garage.
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I have one battery one- its the original version from when they first came out and it requires a base station to be plugged in indoors (not sure if they still do).
I use it for my pool equipment area now. It doesn’t last 3 months on a charge like it used to but still gets the job done.
They just keep making them better & better every year (all brands really).
Its pretty neat when I compare my 1st old dlink cams to the newer ones - major difference! What a time to be alive!
 
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Mdragger88 said:
I have one battery one- its the original version from when they first came out and it requires a base station to be plugged in indoors (not sure if they still do).
I use it for my pool equipment area now. It doesn’t last 3 months on a charge like it used to but still gets the job done.
They just keep making them better & better every year (all brands really).
Its pretty neat when I compare my 1st old dlink cams to the newer ones - major difference! What a time to be alive!
Click to expand...
Yep, its like my son's Hybrid I got him. My wife and I drive it all the time, awesome tech and during the cold winter we were getting 54mpg driving around. Now its warmed up and we have been averaging 61mpg. It's rated for way lower but we are not complaining.
 
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Mdragger88 said:
I have one battery one- its the original version from when they first came out and it requires a base station to be plugged in indoors (not sure if they still do).
I use it for my pool equipment area now. It doesn’t last 3 months on a charge like it used to but still gets the job done.
They just keep making them better & better every year (all brands really).
Its pretty neat when I compare my 1st old dlink cams to the newer ones - major difference! What a time to be alive!
Click to expand...
Yes I got mine as a package. You can connect up to 3 on the base. I have side, pool and Driveway. I did not want to run wires 😂😂
 
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newbie919 said:
Yes I got mine as a package. You can connect up to 3 on the base. I have side, pool and Driveway. I did not want to run wires 😂😂
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We have several ring cameras that supplement our IP cameras and they work great. I have all but one with solar and they keep it recharged and working and its been like 4 years. We use the ring chime inside that gives us a train whistle if someone comes on our driveway and another gives us a standard wind chime if someone comes up towards the front door. The IP cameras resolution is about the same but they are recording 24/7 to a server in our basement so we can always look back to see more detail if the ring camera didn't capture everything. I'm actually upgrading one of our IP cameras to a license plate ID camera that locks in and records every license plate. Any attempted break in at least will record the license plate. If they stole the car then all we have is the recording of them and perhaps the cameras will be enough of a deterrent. Criminals are becoming much bolder in our state, we are blue so the disincentives are not as strong as they once were. Gotta be prepared.
 
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It is addictive. I'm looking into this as my next upgrade. It's motion sensitive, and includes laser triggers. They're still working out the bugs for big ugly white gorillas, but should be adequate for deer and porch pirates.

 
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