Amazon Prime Day 2019

[Gman]

It's that time of year again. I've setup a Ring alarm, doorbell, and security cam light over the past couple of months. I'm glad that I waited for Prime Day before adding to the security cams. Since Ring is owned by Amazon, the prices are significantly lower today. Also picked up a couple of Fire TV 4K Sticks since we're watching more Amazon Prime Video.

[Bailey Guns]

I looked around for about an hour this morning. Lots of good prices on absolutely nothing I need or want. I don't think I've ever bought anything on Prime Day.

[Justin]

Sometimes there are some good deals, but most of the best deals seem to be on Amazon devices like tablets, streaming sticks, and their in home spyware devices.

[DFBrews]

It's that time of year again. I've setup a Ring alarm, doorbell, and security cam light over the past couple of months. I'm glad that I waited for Prime Day before adding to the security cams. Since Ring is owned by Amazon, the prices are significantly lower today. Also picked up a couple of Fire TV 4K Sticks since we're watching more Amazon Prime Video.

I just bought the spotlight cam last Thursday and they won’t change the price

[FoxtArt]

I read a detailed article some time ago about how much LEO liked Ring cameras because (something to the effect of) some municipalities partnered with Amazon and essentially they were provided a detailed map of where every camera was, and people were unknowingly opted into providing video to LEO. It made "free" city surveillance systems, some departments even were handing them out for free at places they just happened to want surveillance video.

No. Fucking. Thanks. Out of everything you could contribute to big data, that may be one of the worst.

Blue Iris FTW. I own my video and it doesn't leave my house. I can still get notifications and do far more advanced tasks than "ring"

[hollohas]

Blue Iris FTW. I own my video and it doesn't leave my house. I can still get notifications and do far more advanced tasks than "ring"

What sort of cameras do you use and what sort of storage device?

[SouthPaw]

This. Make them eat the shipping cost and then lower the price. I might be a dick but returning stuff to amazon is my new hobby

The camera you just bought probably is 'defective' so that's why you are returning it. I use amazon because of how easy it is to return stuff.

What sort of cameras do you use and what sort of storage device?

I have the WYZE cameras and so far I am pleased. They aren't standalone though and require power. I wish I could find a better one for the front door as the current sits inside the house and faces outside through the window.

[FoxtArt]

What sort of cameras do you use and what sort of storage device?

I use an older blade server as my storage/BI (dedicated only to cameras) with 2TB raid. Even running quite a few, it doesn't consume more than 30% of system resources at any time.

For cameras, it's a mix. Mostly chinese P.O.E. largely from Amazon (Jidetech - $39 possible, Sunba - $250ish, etc.) some PTZ, but they are not internet connected - all segregated into their own POE lan. (Don't internet connect any cameras, period, they are the #1 hacking entry point). The server - which has multiple NIC's of course, is internet connected through a separate interface, and can present video/pictures etc. from these non-internet cameras through the Blue Iris app / web interface.

For laypeople,
POE = Power Over Ethernet, it means you don't run power to any camera, you just have to make sure your network cable makes it there. Special routers "inject" power into spare wires of the network cable - and it can power well over 100' away on most cameras. It makes installation much easier and makes them more weatherproof.
NIC = Network Interface, e.g. servers have multiple network cards/network ports, so one network port plugs into your camera router (which has no internet) and the computer treats that as network #1, your other network port plugs into your regular router/gateway, your computer treats that as network #2 (which has internet), and they are segregated from each other. You can also get this by buying network cards and putting them into the PC expansion slots on the motherboard of a regular desktop.
....so even if the server is hacked, they can't access the cameras, because they are not, in any way, internet connected - worst case, archived recorded files would be exposed in severe "nation state" style hacks.
...yet, Blue Iris (server) can still send out notifications to your phone including screenshots, you can access BI through your phone, etc.... and B.I. is going to be inordinately harder to hack than the physical cameras, by many, many orders of magnitude.

[hollohas]

I use an older blade server as my storage/BI (dedicated only to cameras) with 2TB raid. Even running quite a few, it doesn't consume more than 30% of system resources at any time.

For cameras, it's a mix. Mostly chinese P.O.E. largely from Amazon (Jidetech - $39 possible, Sunba - $250ish, etc.) some PTZ, but they are not internet connected - all segregated into their own POE lan. (Don't internet connect any cameras, period, they are the #1 hacking entry point). The server - which has multiple NIC's of course, is internet connected through a separate interface, and can present video/pictures etc. from these non-internet cameras through the Blue Iris app / web interface.

For laypeople,
POE = Power Over Ethernet, it means you don't run power to any camera, you just have to make sure your network cable makes it there. Special routers "inject" power into spare wires of the network cable - and it can power well over 100' away on most cameras. It makes installation much easier and makes them more weatherproof.
NIC = Network Interface, e.g. servers have multiple network cards/network ports, so one network port plugs into your camera router (which has no internet) and the computer treats that as network #1, your other network port plugs into your regular router/gateway, your computer treats that as network #2 (which has internet), and they are segregated from each other. You can also get this by buying network cards and putting them into the PC expansion slots on the motherboard of a regular desktop.
....so even if the server is hacked, they can't access the cameras, because they are not, in any way, internet connected - worst case, archived recorded files would be exposed in severe "nation state" style hacks.
...yet, Blue Iris (server) can still send out notifications to your phone including screenshots, you can access BI through your phone, etc.... and B.I. is going to be inordinately harder to hack than the physical cameras, by many, many orders of magnitude.

Thank you. I've been wanting home security cameras that I can monitor remotely but have been very reluctant to buy ANY of the mainstream internet connected versions. Your information has lead me directly in the direction I have been looking to go. It's exactly what I wanted to do but couldn't find any resource to help me get started.

[SouthPaw]

I just bought the spotlight cam last Thursday and they won’t change the price

Return it and repurchase it at the lower price.