
Ask HN: Home security cameras that don't have terrible data policies - dopamean
I just bought a house and everyone keeps telling me to get a Ring camera but I have some major issues with it that I probably don&#x27;t need to get into here.<p>I&#x27;ve been looking into the Unifi cameras from ubiquiti but I&#x27;ve heard mixed things. I&#x27;m looking to set up a couple cameras outside my home (front door and back door). One feature of the Ring camera that is really nice is that it can recognize people and alert you when a person is at your door. Are there any other camera options that have features like this?<p>I&#x27;m open to hacking something together if need be. It doesn&#x27;t need to be a completely out of the box solution.<p>Thanks.
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davismwfl
I have a number of cameras on my property (12 and counting), I use cheap
cameras from China and put them on a separate lan that is blocked from sending
data outside of the network and can't be accessed from outside the lan either.
Then I have a blueiris server running on my main lan (I use a ubiquity edge
router) where I have the rest of the machines. The BlueIris server has access
to the camera lan to get the data off it, and lets me see the cameras wherever
I am. I have a mix of cameras but mostly the S3VC cameras you can get off
Amazon, they are inexpensive and are decent quality. This lets me feel
relatively safe, but still use the inexpensive cameras without spending a ton.

As for doorbell camera specifically. I had setup a Pi with facial recognition
which you can find as packages online. It is fairly easy to setup and works
pretty well, but I dropped it in the end and just put up good quality door
camera attached to the blueiris server. You can set alerts on the BI server to
tell you when someone is at the door, pretty easy to setup and minimize false
triggers.

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dylz
This post reminds me heavily of "Show HN: Dropbox"'s comment section. Not in a
bad way, I just find it really amusing.

How powerful does the BlueIris server have to be / what kind of drives do you
use for persisting video temporarily/permanently?

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davismwfl
My BI machine (I assembled) is based on an Intel I5-8600k 3.6g with 16Gb of
Ram, 6 cores with a decent graphics card. I have spinning disks for long term
storage (4 TB) but ssd (1 TB) for OS and temp storage.

The CPU sits around 50-60% all day with 8Gb or ram used with the camera grid
display on. If I stop the local display it drops the CPU usage pretty
dramatically. The key is the record direct to disk setting which reduces the
CPU cycles and makes it nice. I also record with pretty high frame rates &
resolutions, my lowest frame rate is around 16 fps with most set at 24 fps or
so (depends on the camera generally, door & pool cameras are highest).

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giantg2
How many cameras are you running?

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davismwfl
12 and I still have a few to add. At some point I will have to either upgrade
my BI server CPU or split the camera's likely.

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giantg2
Thanks! I've been thinking about doing something like this with maybe 4 or 5
cameras. But I was hoping I could do it on a low energy consumption platform,
like a Pi. Your info at least tells me I need something a bit more powerful
(and of course Windows based).

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runjake
I just bought a few Annke 4k cameras, which afaict are rebranded Hikvision,
and set up a Blue Iris box.

The cameras are on an isolated VLAN with no access out. Last I checked, they
weren't trying to phone home.

The cameras are cheap, durable, and have excellent day and night vision.

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skinner927
I know you said you didn’t like ring, but sometimes it’s worth paying for the
convenience of not having to maintain. Most of us spend all day working, the
last thing I want to do is start debugging my security system. It’s similar to
how mechanics always have broken cars or housekeepers have a dirty home.

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giantg2
Is anyone not using Blue Iris? I was hoping to find a freeware solution. Also,
is the $70 for Blue Iris a one time payment or annual?

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frou_dh
Cameras certified under Apple's "HomeKit Secure Video" are probably good in
terms of data policies. Don't know how they compete in terms of features.

