Ring vs alternatives

[Adsibob]

I was relatively happy with our Ring products. The app works really well, with several clever features and settings, and it integrates fairly well with Alexa, which for better or worse is now rather integrated into our house. 
 

However, after a break in I want to install some more cameras outside, and I really rather use PoE cameras as I don’t really have any other sensible way to power them and this saves having to sort out an external WiFi AP, although that could be done if absolutely necessary.

 

To my surprise, the ONLY outdoor PoE cam that Ring do (apart from the Elite doorbell, which I think might have been discontinued in any case) is the Ring Stick Up Cam Elite 2nd generation -(formerly known as Stick Up Cam Wired)–2018 release. Given its now 7 years old, I find that surprising and indicative of a company that is not focused on the prosumer market which is a shame. I know their subscription plans get a lot of stick on this forum, but I quite like the peace of mind that it’s all being stored on the cloud and backed up on the cloud. Gives me one less thing to worry about.

 

I asked ChatGpt what alternatives there are to Ring, which come with the option of a cloud based video hosting and have decent PoE options, and assuming ChatGPT is right, those alternatives are:

 

Reolink

Reolink provides a range of PoE outdoor cameras, such as the RLC-820A, featuring 4K resolution and smart detection capabilities. They offer cloud storage plans, allowing users to access and manage footage remotely.
 

Swann

Swann offers PoE security camera systems, such as the Master Series 4K PoE NVR, which includes multiple cameras and a network video recorder (NVR) with substantial local storage. While Swann primarily focuses on local storage solutions, they also provide cloud storage options for specific models, enabling remote access to video footage.

Aqara

Aqara’s Camera Hub G5 Pro is an outdoor camera compatible with Apple HomeKit Secure Video, offering PoE connectivity and integration with iCloud for secure cloud storage. This camera provides features like color night vision and AI-based motion detection, ensuring reliable performance and seamless access to footage through Apple’s ecosystem.

Eagle Eye Networks

Eagle Eye Networks specializes in cloud-based video surveillance solutions, supporting a wide range of PoE cameras. Their platform offers robust cloud storage and management features, catering to both commercial and residential needs. Users can integrate various camera models into Eagle Eye’s system for centralized cloud storage and remote access.

 

Does anyone have any experience of the cloud services offered by each of these companies?

[Mattg4321]

I installed a Reolink Poe doorbell a customer bought. It seemed ok to be fair. On a par with Ring for build quality and ease of setup 

[JohnMo]

Eufy do solar powered cameras not sure about Poe?

 

I have their door bell, and door sensors which all work as advertised. Door camera is easy to install, can be battery or normal door bell powered.

[MikeSharp01]

You are right to want to avoid WiFi cameras. Round here when the scallywags want to do mischief they first jam the  WiFi

[Alan Ambrose]

+1 for PoE - no batteries to replace, don’t have to grapple with unreliable wifi and only one cable. I have a bunch of Reolink cameras and they’ve been reliable. I saw some criticism of a non-standard onvif feed but I’ve not experienced any problems myself. I don’t use their cloud but do use sdcard storage - which if you’re recording events only rather than continuously, works fine.

[JohnMo]

9 minutes ago, MikeSharp01 said:

You are right to want to avoid WiFi cameras. Round here when the scallywags want to do mischief they first jam the  WiFi

Rapidly coming to the conclusion that WiFi and home should be disconnected. Use WiFi for the TV (although I use ethernet cable) and computer and that's about it. 

 

If you want decent security, you need a proper system and to dip in to a deep pocket and have it professionally installed. Have it linked to the police etc.

[MikeSharp01]

1 hour ago, JohnMo said:

Have it linked to the police etc.

You can't do this in England anymore, they got fed up will false alarms, you have to use an alarm monitoring company who text you when there is a problem, you can then decide what to do about it. The exception is the panic alarm when they will call to check you meant it and if you did they will call the police.

[SteamyTea]

28 minutes ago, MikeSharp01 said:

can't do this in England anymore

Cost us a lot for the fire and intruder system.

Fire alarm is compulsory as we allow the great unwashed in.

[saveasteading]

2 hours ago, MikeSharp01 said:

when the scallywags want to do mischief they first jam the  WiFi

That sounds like rather organised crime. Surely the chancer types are ignorant of such techniques and make up the majority of thieves?

 

However that's a very good point re thieving big stuff on remote sites. Eg construction sites and farms.

[LnP]

I've got a Eufy door bell, an inside camera and an outside camera, all battery powered and connected to a local hub by wifi. I don't have subscription cloud storage. I recognise that the bad guys could take the hub and I will have lost my evidence. But the main problem I have with it is that if I'm away from the house and get an alert, I rarely have good enough mobile phone network connectivity to view the stored event or even the live camera feed. Do the cloud based systems do any better than this? My broadband speed is typically 40 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload.

 

Btw, the battery life on the outside camera is very poor.