stanw

Hi dexterash, Thanks for the reply. Thanks for the tip about the potential for hackers to get in also. Can you recommend some WiFi cams that do record to NVR so I can compare some of the features with wired ones? Thanks.

To be more specific, I'd like the video to be transferred wirelessly from the cam to a Mac or PC, though preferably a Mac connected in a completely different area of the house. Do these types of cams exist? Thanks.

I am currently using a DropCam as a pet cam and want to get a second cam as a nanny cam but before I do I want to look into cams that can record to DVR. I do not want to run ethernet or bnc cables to the cameras. I like that footage is being recorded to the cloud with the Dropcam, though a DVR or computer would be good also. 1. Are there any good visual quality, day/night, WiFi only cameras that record to a DVR or computer and not a SD card? Thanks.

Hi buellwinkle, 1.) I just couldn’t imagine running ethernet cable throughout my house to the spots where I would want to mount the cameras. I would need to punch a lot of holes in my walls and do a lot of drywall in order to get the ethernet everywhere I need it. Unless there is some easier way of doing this that I’m unaware of? 2.) You mentioned “Milestone client, it's reporting 3.2Mbps. At night that increases because of noise.” I’m on a Mac, though is the idea that if you have 4 cameras that are using 3.2MBps and you get a total of 20MBps with your cable/DSL then you just have to make sure that the 4 cameras do not reach too high of an amount of bandwidth to slow your connection down? Is this what you meant? 3.) When you said you use Photoshop to measure resolution, do you mean you just take a screenshot and bring that into Photoshop? Do you just do this to confirm the resolution of a camera, or is there another reason for doing this? 4.) So my Dropcam has the ability to lower the resolution of my live stream though it also lowers my recorded resolution, so that will not work. Though, my bandwidth will quickly increase as I add more cams and will slow down quickly if I view live at full resolution and also record full res? Thanks again.

spork947, I just checked the Dropcam website and the higher end Dropcam Pro (the one I have) records H.264 720p HD
1280 x 720 at 30 frames/sec. 1.) What did you mean by “its uploaded once and amazon serves it after that. “ What does Amazon have to do with it? 2.) Its working well for me but eventually I want to get rid of a nvr box all together if they ever release a outdoor dropcam. Its cheaper with a yearly plan and extra cams are 50% off. Are you saying that you would rather have cloud based recording and pay the monthly fee for it rather than having the recording done on some hard drive at your house? How does it end up being cheaper with having to pay a monthly fee vs. buying a recording drive? Everything I read with regards to complaints of the Dropcam revolve around the monthly required fee for cloud recording. Thanks

I am interested in recording, I’m just not doing it for security reasons and I’m also not concerned about someone stealing the DVR or SD card, so I do not need cloud recording. I view the recordings of my pet for fun and will do the same thing with my baby. 1.) When you say “It's always best to hardwire cameras” you mean running ethernet directly to the cameras and also running ethernet from the cameras to the DVR? 2.) How do I determine how many IP cameras I can setup before it becomes a problem with the speed/performance of my network? 3.) You mentioned that the AVTech has “3MP (3x what your Dropcam is in resolution). I’m not sure what the resolution of my Dropcam is. I think it shoots 720P, how are you determining it is 3X the resolution of the Dropcam? What does 3MP actually mean, I know for digital photography it is low, though I am not clear on what it means for IP cams. Thanks!

Do the cams in these packages need to be wired to ethernet to record to the DVR or are they also wireless IP cams? Thanks.

I currently use a Dropcam as a pet monitor and am very happy with the quality of it when watching it over my network and when viewing it over the internet from remote locations. However, the cost of the monthly plan (which I am not currently paying for) will add up when adding more cameras, though I really liked being able to view archived footage from any location by logging into the cloud. I am not using the cam for security, so I am not worried about someone taking a camera that may have built in SD recording. I want to add more cams to be used as baby monitors. I just purchased a new Samsung SmartCam HD Cam with the ability to record directly to the internal SD card. I have not yet tried it out http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SmartCam-1080p-Full-HD-Camera/dp/B00J38NVHE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1398906000&sr=1-1&keywords=samsung+smartcam+hd This has had me thinking, I want to have multiple cameras in my home, going with Dropcam will get expensive with multiple cams. Perhaps the Samsung cam will work for me, though what about some of the packages that come with 4-5 cams connected to a DVR? I've seen some of these packages at Costco for 4 cameras and a DVR for $800-900, so far both the Dropcam and Samsung cam were $200 each. 1. Is there a reason to go with individual cams like the Samsung or Dropcam vs. one of these packages like the Lorex, etc. with 4-5 cams and a DVR? 2. Can someone recommend a package with a DVR, HD recording (as good or better then the Dropcam), apps for iOS, Android, etc. ability to view in a browser, nightvision, wide angle, motion alerts. Thanks in advance!

I'm still looking for a hd cam that will work remotely over 4gLTE with iOS and Android and allow me to do some recordings. I found this new cam by Belkin, though it just came out so I have not found any reviews: http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F7D7602 1. Any thoughts on this cam? 2. It indicates that it allows you to record straight to your mobile device as you are watching, though it does not explain how. Anyone have any idea how that might work? Thanks.

I was originally looking at getting a Foscam that would record directly to an SD card, though after my other post here, I received a lot of info that now has me thinking of buying into a set of connected cameras and a DVR. Curious to hear your thoughts on recording to SD cards vs. DVR vs. cloud storage? Is it always a good idea to have your own DVR vs. recording directly to an SD card or a computer? Obviously if someone takes the camera you lose the SD card or if the camera is located in a unaccessible spot it will be difficult to remove the SD card, though I'm curious to hear other thoughts on this. What about a separate DVR vs. recording to a computer? Thanks for and advice/suggestions.

Thanks everyone, I will look into some of the other models suggested.

Can you recommend any "higher quality" ones based on my original stated criteria? Thanks.

Thanks for your response. 1. Are the quality/reliability of the Foscams really that bad? 2. I was considering the 720p Foscam. Do you know if this one has poor image quality? 3. Are the ACTi domes meant to be installed on the ceiling or can they be placed anywhere? Do they have to be connected to ethernet? Thanks.

I would like to get a camera in about the $150 price range with the following specs: - 720p or higher resolution - allows me to view on my home network or on my laptop remotely, or on my Android, iPhone or ipad using 4gLTE remotely - has the ability to record to either my computer or directly onto an SD card - has the ability to talk through my Android, iPhone, iPad or computer remotely and have the audio come out of the camera - has a motion detector - has night vision - can sends alerts - can be tilted/rotated remotely (ideally) - can later be added to more cameras as parts of a larger camera network I have been looking at the Foscam FI9821W (though I am reading lots of complaints, though I think a firmware update may have fixed some of the problems), Dropcam (though it doesn't record to an SD card and does not rotate) Anyone have any thoughts on the Foscam or Dropcam? Any suggestions for other devices to look at? Thanks.