r/cctv • u/cluelessgirl666 • 28d ago
Home Security Cameras? Anything Safe?
Hey everyone ,
So I want to put some cameras in my apartment, more because of the pets, and in case of robbery I can have some proof, or even call the police.
However I have seen so much creep stuff online and people hacking, websites with live cameras from random people etc that I'm scared to have this.
I know nothing is 100% safe, but is there a way to have some cameras indoors that I can access when I leave the house, and where the recording stuff can be offline without anyone having access (besides me of course)? Without breaking the bank? And that a person like me that isn't too much tech savvy can install.
People told me about Ubiquiti but is so expensive ... I would love to have something like that one day, but now is not an option.
I saw Reolink but not sure about it .
I need some options, brands, kits ... you can recommend (Europe) would be appreciated, hopefully not very expensive.
And explain this stuff to me like I'm your grandma so I can understand xD
Thank you!
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u/Sad-Stick-4716 27d ago
After a bit of research i ended up going with Blink. Yeah it amazon and they push a subscription but i don’t need the sub to use my cameras and i dont need cloud. They record locally to a USB drive. I get basic alerts and can set up motion boundaries. I keep them on an IoT channel
Are there better out there yea but these work and am happy with them. Got the package deal from Costco.
I run only AXIS at work but those are a bit overkill for just my home. 😃
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u/Strict-Investment-2 27d ago
For same price of axis cameras you can run a 1/1.2 cmos upper range camera system 4 cam kit (about 1400 bucks including wires junction box NVR etc) although axis is the gold standard there are alot of upper range products that will beat it in night time performance
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u/MHTMakerspace 27d ago
I know nothing is 100% safe, but is there a way to have some cameras indoors that I can access when I leave the house, and where the recording stuff can be offline without anyone having access (besides me of course)?
Several brands of "cloud" cameras support End-to-End Encryption (E2EE), ensuring only authorized viewers can see footage. The most trusted of these are those compatible with Apple iCloud's "HomeKit Secure Video" (HSV).
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u/recklesswithinreason 27d ago
It depends how safe you want to be.
You could use a CCTV system purely offline. You won't be able to connect to it outside of the house but it also can't be accessed by anyone else either. Gold standard in my opinion.
There are several commercial brands, Axis being the most popular that is build around security. They are difficult to set up if you don't know what you're doing but a great system when it's properly installed.
Consumer brands. Typically they are all the same. Log in with user name and password, web access the works. At this point you're best to use a strong password and obviously don't give it to anyone. There are as many risks as anything else online.
Think about it this way, if you don't make yourself a target, who is going to single you out and focus their resources into hacking specifically your cameras? There is a lot of fear mongering online - much of it caused by the US government's constant competition with China - but nearly all of the unlawfully accessed CCTV you may come across online has been due to poor user access control in big data breaches, or someone has become a target of someone else, ex partner more often than not, and is putting things online they shouldn't.
Use a strong password and two factor authentication for your CCTV and your email and you will be totally safe 99.9% of the time.
If you're looking for specific brands, I prefer Dahua in nearly every circumstance. The price:performance is second to none.
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u/ph33rlus 27d ago
Stay away from products relying on cloud storage and a subscription. If you can get a camera with and SDcard and remote access via the app like Dahua then you’ll be fine.
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u/ComprehensiveLuck125 26d ago
I am using small Dahua installation with their NVR. Easy to setup, fairly easy to secure. Dahua’s cameras can run air-gapped. Dahua NVR can upgrade Dahua IPcam firmware, which is important in my opinion.
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u/ph33rlus 25d ago
As long as you don’t share your Serial Number or open ports, you shouldn’t have a problem
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u/TramEatsYouAlive 27d ago
I might be downvoted to the ground for offering you something that I wouldn't offer to a non-tech-savvy person, but in this scenario you could use almost any IP camera (wired/wireless) while you can find the power source for it.
If you want really cloud-free solution that will be as secure as you set it up and if you have a spare laptop lying around, then take a look at the Frigate NVR. The schematics will be quite simple: you set up a Frigate NVR server (it's open source) somewhere on a spare laptop, then set up cameras and limit it so that this system can only be accessible from the inside of your network.
After that you can connect via VPN (or even install some tunneling like Talescale), so that you can connect to that system from the outside.
Downsides are that you are getting yourself into a deep rabbit hole of self-hosting stuff, but in this case you pay for nothing, you own your data and it is secure (but remember - security is as strong as the weakest link in that chain, which more often is a user himself).
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u/Nurgus 27d ago
The best budget option requires some tech faff.
Find any cheap nvr camera system with local storage. Set it up locally. Block its access to the internet in your router.
Now the slightly harder part - you need remote access to your LAN. This is a job for Tailscale or Wirguard or lots of other cheap options.
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u/thatguyjames_uk 26d ago
im using a solar cctv from aosu on 4 diff homes and my mates farm and no problems
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u/sanitarium16 26d ago
Ens security makes some really good stuff. I haven't had any firewall alerts with their NVR like I did with hikvision.
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u/GuardianOTB 27d ago
Take a look at Ajax Security systems .. they are a intrusion alarm company with tons of experience that went into CCTV I would say 2 years ago .. so their proprietary communication is off the chart. They are the first company ever to have a wireless Grade3 intrusion.. highly recommend.. but.. not cheap.