Just did some searching here but didn’t find anything specific to what I’m looking for.
Does anyone use video cameras in another house (e.g. elderly relatives) that you can monitor from over the internet? I don’t know if you have to subscribe to a service or if you can hook up a camera with software and do it yourself.
I don’t believe I need sound.
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Almost any of the security cameras available from Amazon, B&H, NewEgg and others includes a web service. Internet access (wifi) is normally needed wherever the camera is located.
Do you relatives really want to be monitored? My 98-year-old mother in law would never speak to us again if we installed a camera in her house. Plus, you’d need to monitor every place in the house – including intrusive areas. An medical alert system might be more appropriate, and could summon emergency help when needed.
I have a system set up at a relative’s house that I can monitor from a distance. they are disabled and sometimes get stuck on the stairlift, and I can remotely reset the lift.
BUT: I will not connect over an internet service. That will always be either too insecure, or have to many privacy implications.
I’ve set up 2 simple cams linked to an older synology. I VPN in to the synology to monitor the situation through Synology Surveillance station.
Thanks for the answers. Having monitors in the house is not an issue. But I do want to have a secure option.
I suggest the Google Nest camera’s. Stay away from cheap Chinese camera’s and even better known brands like D-Link, Linksys etc. They all all treat the security and privacy of your data stream as an afterthought.
Some cheap camera brands don’t even respond to strong warnings and public outcries over big holes in their systems and leave them unpatched for the world to see.
We can argue about Google and Ring (Amazon) and their privacy policies but they have do a lot to loose if their cameras are easy to hack.
I use Amcrest and their cloud service at $6/mo/camera.
My main use is to be sure the pet sitter checks on the animals when applicable, and in case we have a break in, we will have a cloud recording.
I don’t know whether naming “Google” and “privacy” in the same sentence is actually warranted. I don’t think you can do much worse than Google from a privacy perspective. (apart from naming Facebook)
The Nest devices imo are in decline ever since they’ve been added to Alfabet’s hardware division. I would not be surprised if they discontinue the line & support for them very soon.
I would never ever trust another company with video footage or live feeds from my private home-cams unless I completely controlled all parts of the service. (cam, connection and encryption)
It is not difficult to achieve, and keeps your private life just that: private.
This is for their smart speaker
NOT the camera.
I would never let that thing inside our home.
You can do much, much, much worse than Google for this kind of thing. I’m not a fan of having Internet connected cameras in houses in general, but the utterly abysmal lack of security employed by the cheap players in this space is mind boggling and (should be) frighting.
I have a number of Wyze products. Their WyzeCam
https://www.wyze.com/wyze-cam/ would likely meet your needs. I have a fist full of them, and monitor a number of remote locations at home, and spy on my cat while I’m away on holiday.
This might be a useful page:
If you are not afraid of a little raspberry pi DIY, you can use motionEyeOS and one or more usb cameras. It is quite easy to set up a camera hub with motionEyeOS, get streaming video, pictures and motion detected recordings and push notifications to your phone. No services fees and no cost other then the Rpi and cameras.
I have had a multitude of commercial remote reachable cameras over the years and think the value and flexibility you get from a RPi + motionEyeOS is much better.
Thank you for sharing. I find this “article” mildly interesting, and more alarmist than useful since I don’t have a direct application, but an awareness is worth sharing. If one doesn’t trust their camera they can control it with a switch. If one doesn’t trust their switch put it on a VLAN. Our paranoia and fears (justified or otherwise) can take us pretty far down this rabbit hole rather quickly. While I’m not in disagreement, I find myself conflicted between privacy and convenience. I’m certain I’m not alone.
I have an elderly parent who is unable to stair step above or below their main floor without great difficulty. Over the years, individuals in the repair and service industry have been less trustworthy. Monitoring with streaming cameras has been helpful, both inside and out. It’s a short/long term trade off. Like the bumper stickers state in Pittsburgh…“If you’re hungry and out of work, eat an environmentalist.”