Indigo Domotics

The address I am using for all of my Amcrest cameras: [ip]/cgi-bin/snapshot.cgi?chn=0

Also, if you have the most recent firmware make sure to check the box for Digest Authentication.


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Another question, wired or wireless or mix of both? I'm guessing it depends on your infrastructure, etc.. For wireless cameras, what are some solutions for powering the camera? I don't want to have power cords strung up the wall down to an outlet to plug in if I can avoid it.

Fxguy wrote:

Another question, wired or wireless or mix of both?

I use a mix of both because WiFi is a much slower response time so there is generally some lag, where a wired one using PoE is instant. Wired tend to be higher quality and better video as well.

Fxguy wrote:

I don't want to have power cords strung up the wall down to an outlet to plug in if I can avoid it.

PoE = Power over ethernet is one option. Otherwise for WiFi you'll need to run power.

Sounds like I’ll need to run some Cat-6 to some wall plates....


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Does anyone have any experience with the Reolink, Amcrest, or Hikvision systems? I'm thinking I may be best just to purchase one of these systems with DVR. It will save me HD space, provide the network cables and switch that I would need.

Use Hikvision at work since Summer.

Seems ok but it’s under maintenance contract so I’m not allowed to fiddle with it.


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So one last question. I'm installing the system to monitor the nanny, do I install dome cameras that are visible, or are there hidden camera solutions that work?

Personally, I've always been a fan of doing both; put some discreet but noticeable ones out to cover the main areas, and have some very well hidden ones to cover the blind spots and the visible ones. That way most semi honest people will not be tempted as soon as they see that there are cameras, while the "clever but dishonest" ones who look for ways to blind the cameras or find areas where they don't cover will discover that they aren't as smart as they thought they were...

Personally I feel that hidden cameras don't have a lot of value in a home security setup because if they can see them then they know they are being watched. One can argue that "well if they can see them then they can avoid them", but if you set up your security properly then there are no blind spots. For me when a camera patrols (roams around to look at other spots) then two other cameras are watching what is now unwatched and if they actually make IN the house then there are less discreet but still visible cameras. Hidden cameras, for me, are just if I don't want them to take away from the aesthetic of the home, I'm not trying to catch someone sneakily, just deter them as much as possible. That's also why I have signs and stickers outside saying "Under 24/7 video surveillance".

All IMHO

I guess it's related to aesthetics, but at my sister's house the cameras aren't exactly hidden but placed and painted to blend in because otherwise she says "they make her crazy"... kind of like the wife approval factor that some folks on the board have mentioned.

I get that! Last week the cops came by and asked if they could get my footage from one night where something happened, they had seen my cameras and figured it was worth a shot. Apparently it was, they caught the guy because I had crystal clear super high def video of him in the area. If for nothing else I'm happy that my big ugly PTZ cameras up front were obvious .

I have 4 cheap D-Link and I am using Evocam (via AppleScript) but unfortunately is not supported anymore.
I wanted to switch to SecuritySpy but it would cost 90 Euro for 4 cameras. Tried to switch to Security Camera Plugin but it seems a pain to configure, am I wrong?

MarcoGT wrote:

Tried to switch to Security Camera Plugin but it seems a pain to configure, am I wrong?

I didn't have any problems with the basic camera setup on an ancient DLINK and 8 current Ubiquiti G3s; just told it the URL to pull the snapshots from and resize to 1024X768, and since I never tried to use the motion sensing to do auto recording I don't know anything about that; I've got my cameras mostly covering the doors and windows with a control p-age that shows a live 3x3 collage of all 9 cameras in 320X240 with a link to a full page image of each if a click on it. I trigger recordings on door or window open or motion sensor trips and have other control pages (folders are your friend) to show "last recording" from each camera. I figure if I ever need to look at the historical recordings they are out there, and I'll worry about how to convert all those shapshots to a video only if the need ever arises.

What about a "kit" or system vs purchasing things individually? Anyone have experience with using a manufacturer provided NVR solution vs recording to one of your own HD's?

MarcoGT wrote:

Tried to switch to Security Camera Plugin but it seems a pain to configure, am I wrong?

It takes a little work to get your head around how it works. Once you do that, you have an "OOOOOH!" moment, and it's easy to work with.