I’m new to all this, and I need to quickly get our house up and running, while allowing for future expansion as needed. Forgive me if I use incorrect terminology or assumptions.
Here’s what I (think) I want:
* A smart video doorbell
* 3+ other outdoor cameras
* 1+ indoor cameras
* All cameras w/hardwired power
* All cameras 24/7 or motion activated recording
* Locally or remotely view cameras in realtime
* Locally or remotely easily view/search recorded footage
* Other sensors to be added as needed
* Do all viewing/admin from a single app if possible
So…
Which video doorbell?
Which cameras?
Should I get a standalone hub or use a camera hub?
Do I need a standalone NVR or NAS?
How do I distribute POE to the various cameras?
Should I stick with all Aqara hardware, or mix/match?
Am I thinking about all this correctly, or am I way off base?
Thanks!
Yes, you can do what you want. Let’s hit the quesions mostly backward.
Pro level security cameras use “POE” or Power over Ethernet the cable provides both power and data. You need a POE switch and to run all the wires back to the switch. With 4+ good camera you need a bunch of local storage and some way to send it off site.
“Frigate” is open source and a lot of people use it.
But if you buy a Synology NAS it will have pretty good software and Storage too.
Yes you can buy cheap WiFi camera but have you ever seen the footage? You can’t ever read the license plates or see the person’s face clerly. But you said “hardwaire” so you have the bandwidth and power for good quality.
As for exactly what hardware to buy. Choose the software FIRST, then look to see what it suports and what it’s isers recommend.
smart doorbells are another thing, different from security cameras although sometimes people use their doorbell for secuirity. that works poorly.
You are on an Aqara forum so everyone here will say “Buy the G410 doorbell”. It looks to be good. Par it with the U400 door lock.
Finally step back. Is there more automation like lights and HVAC? You might want something that does it all.
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Thanks Chris! Good info.
I would like to stay on Apple platforms. I would like to automate and control lights in a few months.
For software, I was looking at SecuritySpy. Is that a good solution for what I need?
If I get a Synology NAS, can you recommend one?
What is out there that “does it all”?
as fr Synology, any of the"plus" series. These have a big enough CPU and RAM to run virtual machines or other apps and they do come with a realy nice video security app. the last two digits of ther model number is the year of release. So a 921+ is from 2021 and can hold up to 9 disk drives, with an expansion cabinet. NASes are not fast but they allow you to consolidat your data. I use Home Assistent to “glue” together Apple eco system with others. Just do one thing at a time and expect to replace things you don’t like. No need to make all the decisions up front. Even Synology. Lots of folks movimng to TrueNAS and many people runing everything on Proxmox
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