this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2024
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submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 

My girlfriend is be very interested in putting Blink (Amazon) cameras up around our property. I am not interested in paying Amazon to keep our security footage.

What I'd like to do is have motion activated internet connected cameras around the property that somehow send footage to a server (I don't know if that's the correct term, I'm kind of an idiot) that I keep on the property.

So I have three questions:

  1. is this the right forum to be asking about self hosting security footage?
  2. does anyone here have experience doing this and would they be willing to send some pointers my way?
  3. is this a feasible DIY project or am I better served paying for a service?

I've done a little digging into self hosting and it's not cheap, but I think it will be cheaper than paying a subscription. And safer too, which is rad.

Thank you all!

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 8 months ago (5 children)

Reolink cameras look like they check all of your boxes. They can be self contained systems with a "recorder box" (actual term is NVR) that you keep on your property out of harms way or it can be a DIY PC with a program called Blue Iris. There is a variety of cameras to choose from with different features like Wifi, POE, PTZ, solar powered, etc. Spend as little or as much as you want. As you mentioned in your post, this will be pricey up front but will be cheaper in the long run.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Reolink is a Chinese company. Not known for their privacy. My experience with their cameras is the quality is meh and their software is even more meh. It amazes me how often they get recommended. I guess it's due to their cheapness.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 months ago

It's more because they provide an ONVIF interface or an RTSP stream that makes them self-hosting darlings. Them being Chinese white-labels and cheap is mainly a side-bonus.

What are your recommendations if not them?

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