Outdoor Camera with Notification App

[Snowmom]

My home is laid out so that it's sometimes hard to hear if someone comes in the door at pick up and my home is locked if I'm not expecting someone and I can't hear knocking from the playroom.

So, I've been looking for an outdoor camera that links to my phone (app) to notify me if anyone pulls in the driveway.
I only want to use it for outdoor purposes- not indoor surveillance.

Does anyone else use one that has a recommendation?

Or if you have a super spiffy alternative to cameras, I'd love to hear that too.

[Blackcat31]

I have a Swann system here and a Night Owl system at home.

BOTH notify me via my smart phone and both have night and day recording.
The Night Owl system can be set up to watch only, record always or record only when there is movement. Notification can also be changed to when you want to be notified.

[AuntTami]

I have a motion alarm set up on my driveway. It chimes 3 times when someone pulls in and then it goes off again when they get to my front steps. Cameras would be great too but I would forget to check them lol

[MarinaVanessa]

I'm not sure if this will help you or not but I recently installed a Qolsys system. It's pretty much a wireless home security system without the security company assistance.

We have a panel in our living room and we have the door/window sensors installed on all doors leading to an exit in our downstairs (front door, back door, door leading into garage and one on the back gate leading to the street). Anytime that someone opens one of those doors my panel alerts me with a chime and I can have it alert me on my phone via SMS message.

There are also motion sensors that can be added to the system but realistically speaking motion sensors are typically a bad idea when used outside since they may pick up passing cars, large animals (like dogs), pedestrians etc. If you have a fenced in yard putting a door sensor on the gate may work.

These systems are a pretty penny though so it's something you may need to save up for. The panel itself comes with 2 door sensors and cost us $300 and we got 2 extra door sensors for another $50. For us so far it has been worth it because our front door sensor is installed on our outer screen door so I know before anyone even knocks on my front door that someone is there if tey open the screen door. The sensors don't damage walls either since they are stick ons.

There are a bunch of other add-ons too like cameras, doorbells that tell your camera to take a picture when they ring and turn the porch light on etc. Lots of cool gadgetry that a home security system has without having to subscribe monthly to a home security company.

[MarinaVanessa]

Originally Posted by AuntTami

I have a motion alarm set up on my driveway. It chimes 3 times when someone pulls in and then it goes off again when they get to my front steps. Cameras would be great too but I would forget to check them lol

Have you had any trouble with this system as far as animals and passing cars go? We tried one once but it would go off like crazy because it sensed all of the stray cats and passing cars. Drove me crazy .

[AuntTami]

Originally Posted by MarinaVanessa

Have you had any trouble with this system as far as animals and passing cars go? We tried one once but it would go off like crazy because it sensed all of the stray cats and passing cars. Drove me crazy .

It's positioned just right so it doesn't pick up passing cars but our neighbors cat likes to walk through our driveway so he sets it off every time. But other than him, I've had no issues. It doesn't even pick up people on the sidewalk. It only has about a 300 foot range which disappointed me at first but it's perfect because it DOESNT pick up all the random passer bys except Falcor when he goes to see his girlfriend at the house behind us lol

[MarinaVanessa]

Originally Posted by AuntTami

It's positioned just right so it doesn't pick up passing cars but our neighbors cat likes to walk through our driveway so he sets it off every time. But other than him, I've had no issues. It doesn't even pick up people on the sidewalk. It only has about a 300 foot range which disappointed me at first but it's perfect because it DOESNT pick up all the random passer bys except Falcor when he goes to see his girlfriend at the house behind us lol

Thanks, maybe this is what we need. I'll tell my hubby (he's the tech guy) and maybe we can put this on our wishlist

[Michael]

Don't know is anyone already mentioned MagicFly

Magicfly Wifi Digital Wireless Video Door Phone with an Indoor Doorbell for Iphone IOS Android System Mobile Phone Tablet PC Home Security

[Snowmom]

Thank you all for the great ideas!

[284878]

Originally Posted by AuntTami

I have a motion alarm set up on my driveway. It chimes 3 times when someone pulls in and then it goes off again when they get to my front steps. Cameras would be great too but I would forget to check them lol

I just made an off comment to my dh and he started researching driveway alarms for us. I jump and check the door every time I here a car. We live in the country, but I am ultra paranoid when ever I here a car.
Anyways could you tell me which one you have?
Can people tell that you have it?

I apologize for bump an old topic from the dead, just have a few interesting things from personal experience, maybe someone will need this information in the future
Last summer, I had a similar requirement; I wanted to monitor a vacant house remotely. Some places I wanted to monitor were inside, and some were outside.

So, the first distinction is whether you want inside or outside monitoring. I found that some 'outdoor' cameras had temperature specification to -10C. Not gonna cut it in most of Canada. If used outside, you also want to consider how far the IR lighting will go.

Most, if not all, surveillance cameras that I found had remote viewing capabilities, and some sort of smartphone notification capabilities; the differences were how the cameras were powered, how they were connected to the recording device, and where that recording device was located ( local or remote ). The 'best' choice is the one that will work best in your particular situation.

A system can be made up of multiple camera connected to a central hub that has its own internal recording storage, and is a single aggregation point for Internet connection, notifications, and viewing. A system could also be made from independent cameras, each with their own power supply and each connecting directly to the Internet router through wire or WiFi. Some of these independent cameras have internal storage for recording as well as cloud or FTP capabilities.

Wired cameras are probably the most reliable way to connect to a central recorder. Power over Ethernet (POE) would allow the whole system, cameras and recorder, as well as router and modem to be connected to a UPS in case of power failure. If the camera requires its own power supply, then you're limited to places that have an outlet somewhere nearby. The battery operated cameras might overcome this limitation, but if you're away for long periods of time ( as I was ), and the battery dies, the system is useless.

I started off with two Logitech Circle 2 wireless cameras, individually connected to WiFi, and powered by plug-in adapter. They worked fine when I set them up, but once I was at my own home, I found that most of the time I got "camera not available" when trying to remotely view. I returned them and bought a NightOwl four camera system with an internal recorder. The cameras connect to the central recorder (NVR) by WiFi, and the NVR has a wired Ethernet connection to your router.

The initial set-up was challenging to find locations that saw the areas I wanted to monitor, had power outlets nearby, and were not too far from the hub for good WiFi reception. I solved that last problem with WiFi repeaters. Of course, since the recordings were stored locally, I had to hide the NVR in a place that a burglar was not likely to find too easily.

The NightOwl software allows for directly connecting to the NVR to view recordings - it requires a HDMI monitor/TV and Mouse/Keyboard. You can also connect to it remotely with a web browser. I had set up a VPN at the remote house so that I could do that. There's also Smartphone viewing through their own app and push notifications when motion is detected.

The down-side of this system is that there's no "off" button; it's always monitoring and sending motion notifications. Whenever I went to the monitored house, I set off all the motion triggers until I got to the hidden NVR and un-plugged the power cord.

Having the recordings stored locally might seem less secure than a cloud system, but I preferred the sense of control.I like to watch YouTube videos of a similar theme when I'm looking for information about the right product. I hope this helps someone in the future. Good luck!

So, hope that helps.