DIY Security: What did you do today?

Anybody ever heard of these or have any experience with them? What are some things to consider before buying?

Netgear "Arlo" security camera system:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/netgear-...&skuId=1668003

I'd be curious how long the cameras take to eat rechargeables.

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Originally Posted by Graves

I'd be curious how long the cameras take to eat rechargeables.

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Not sure about rechargables, but one of my neighbors has had his up for a month without changing the batteries. He seems to like them, but I wanted to see if anyone here had any firsthand experience. I don't know my neighbor that well and I think it might be a bit weird if I knock on his door at night and ask to see how good his cameras are at night... [Dunno]

My opinion is; depends on what you're trying to see and how accessible the cameras are going to be? I wouldn't want them low enough to be taken or messed with, but yet getting on a ladder every 30 days to change the batteries would be a pain. IR LED's will use up some battery, depending on how bright they will be and if they can be configured to run low/med/high or during a specific time frame. Auto-switching at dusk might not be the best option for what you're trying to view.

Also do they require lithium batteries? That can be costly. $$ Alkaline batteries don't work well during severe cold either.

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Originally Posted by gnihcraes

My opinion is; depends on what you're trying to see and how accessible the cameras are going to be? I wouldn't want them low enough to be taken or messed with, but yet getting on a ladder every 30 days to change the batteries would be a pain. IR LED's will use up some battery, depending on how bright they will be and if they can be configured to run low/med/high or during a specific time frame. Auto-switching at dusk might not be the best option for what you're trying to view.

Also do they require lithium batteries? That can be costly. $$ Alkaline batteries don't work well during severe cold either.

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No cold weather where I am.. :) Any camera could be hit with a bat or golf club, and these aren't any different in that regard.

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Originally Posted by HoneyBadger

No cold weather where I am.. :) Any camera could be hit with a bat or golf club, and these aren't any different in that regard.

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BS. it hits 70 and folks are wearing sweaters and turning the heat on. Been there when it's happened. OH NO it's going to drop down to the 70's tonight, better close the windows and turn the heat on [panic]

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Originally Posted by HoneyBadger

Not sure about rechargables, but one of my neighbors has had his up for a month without changing the batteries. He seems to like them, but I wanted to see if anyone here had any firsthand experience. I don't know my neighbor that well and I think it might be a bit weird if I knock on his door at night and ask to see how good his cameras are at night... [Dunno]

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Just wait til he's gone and ask his wife.

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Originally Posted by HoneyBadger

No cold weather where I am.. :) Any camera could be hit with a bat or golf club, and these aren't any different in that regard.

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Can't hit my cameras with a club. Only one is accessible enough to do that. :)

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Originally Posted by Irving

Just wait til he's gone and ask his wife.

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Solid plan. [Awesom]

The site "the family handyman" has some good ideas. I didn't know about half of these items.

It's not an article; it's a slide show with narrative at the bottom. Ordinarily I hate those, but this show has very good information:

http://www.familyhandyman.com/home-s...ZFB0726SLIDE#1

Just purchased this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00..._detailpages00 based on some recommendations and reading in this and a few other threads.

I'll post again once I get it up and running (might be a few weeks).

ETA: I also bought one of these, which should keep it running for about an hour and 20 minutes if the power gets interrupted: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Got it all up and running. Only using 6 cameras right now, but I might add a 7th later. Quality is pretty good, however even at 720p, it's not what someone typically thinks of when they hear "HD video". Night vision is good. Software suite is impressive - motion recording and programming options are just about limitless. I'll post some screengrabs later.

http://i.imgur.com/Bi5bBnPm.png

http://i.imgur.com/ezZ8FsCl.png