I recently upgraded my home security system with a few new cameras and thought I’d share my setup journey and some tips I’ve picked up along the way. 
First, I wanted to ensure I had coverage both indoors and outdoors. After some research, I settled on a mix of Reolink cameras for their reliability and good night vision. Setting them up was straightforward, but I did run into a minor issue with one camera not connecting initially. Turns out, it was a simple firmware update away from working perfectly! 
One thing I wanted to do was view all my cameras at once without needing an extra hub. I found that using the Reolink app’s built-in multi-camera view feature worked well, and I even set up a tablet in the living room to keep an eye on everything. No extra hardware needed—just a bit of screen real estate! 
For monitoring, I integrated everything with Home Assistant. It took a bit of tweaking, especially with the Zigbee2MQTT integration, but once it was set up, the automation possibilities were endless. Now, I can get alerts if motion is detected while I’m away, and even have the lights turn on automatically if something’s amiss. 
A tip I’d share is to test your camera placement thoroughly. I initially thought I had great coverage, but after a week of monitoring, I realized a blind spot in the backyard. Relocating that camera made a world of difference. 
If you’re looking to upgrade your security setup, I’d highly recommend exploring different camera brands and seeing what integrates best with your existing smart home ecosystem. It’s all about finding the right balance between coverage, ease of use, and automation. Happy tweaking! 