Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: IP cameras that don't require an app or internet?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–190 of 204 posts

Re: Ask HN: IP cameras that don't require an app or internet?

#181

Post by allenbrunson »

as long as we are talking about security cameras, i have a related question.

i have a bunch of power-over-ethernet cameras installed in my home. all the ethernet cables route back to a server box, which has a hard drive for saving the video for about a week. it also has a mobile app that lets me view the feeds in realtime. so far, so good.

now, what can i do to also route the video footage to, say, AWS or some other cloud storage option, and have it deleted after a week or so, the same as my camera hub server currently does?

i figure this will require me to buy a new server hub box, and that is fine with me. the one i have now is adequate, at best. i'd rather have a better one.

Re: Ask HN: IP cameras that don't require an app or internet?

#182

Post by EvanAnderson »

exhilaration wrote: post #176
atyppo wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Geovision has had a ton of security incidents. Perhaps they're easy to set up, but they definitely aren't secure.

You shouldn't expose any of these cameras, high end or low end, to the internet. You shouldn't even trust them on the same VLAN as the rest of you computers or phones. That mitigates security issues.

To echo: In small installs I don’t give the cameras a default gateway and put a NIC (physical or virtual) in-subnet with the cameras. Nothing else goes in the subnet.

In larger installs it’s a VRF dedicated to the camera subnets and a similar dedicated NIC arrangement on the server.

Nothing should talk to the cameras except the recording server they’re streaming to.

Re: Ask HN: IP cameras that don't require an app or internet?

#183

Post by akerl_ »

kova12 wrote: post #37
akerl_ wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can second this. I have several Axis M1065-LW cameras inside (running on wall plugs and wifi) and several Axis P1447-LE externally (running on PoE). Would recommend both of them. Notably, I had one exterior camera fail (wouldn’t run off PoE), and the Axis support/RMA process was smooth and fast.

P1447-LE is sold for over $500 used. What is it that's inside of that camera, which makes it so pricey?!

It's a workhorse. It operates at a decent resolution/FPS, as security cameras go, it can handle pretty much any weather conditions, and Axis will stand by it if it breaks.

It also, relevantly for this thread, will do standard video transmission w/o any cloud/app components.

Most camera you get that are cheaper are trading off in one or more of these areas to recoup cost.

Re: Ask HN: IP cameras that don't require an app or internet?

#184

Post by akerl_ »

nominallyn wrote: post #59
akerl_ wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can second this. I have several Axis M1065-LW cameras inside (running on wall plugs and wifi) and several Axis P1447-LE externally (running on PoE). Would recommend both of them. Notably, I had one exterior camera fail (wouldn’t run off PoE), and the Axis support/RMA process was smooth and fast.

I'm thinking of running outdoor Axis cameras. Do you have any advice or links on how to route these safely, including grounding and surge protection? Mine will be mounting on the roof soffit.

Maybe I'm just naive, but I've got 5 of them mounted externally. They're attached to in-wall rated CAT6 cable, but otherwise aren't grounded or surge protected. None of them are above 60% of the height of the walls they're mounted on, but even if I mounted them higher I'm not too worried.

Re: Ask HN: IP cameras that don't require an app or internet?

#185

Post by Graffur »

kayfox wrote: post #70
EvanAnderson wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fun story re: the term "explosion-proof": I was given a tour of an industrial facility where conditions required explosion-proof equipment. The tour guide made a point of calling out the explosion-proof motors in one of the rooms. One of the other tour group members asked the question "Why would it matter if these motors survived an explosion?" I visualized the facility exploding in a fiery blaze and a motor, fully i…

> "Explosion-proof means that it won't cause an explosion." Another industry term for this is Intrinsically Safe.

TIL thanks

Re: Ask HN: IP cameras that don't require an app or internet?

#186

Post by MegaDeKay »

deepspace wrote: post #170
MegaDeKay wrote: post #152

You don't mention your use case but the ESP32-CAM gets you an ESP32-based wifi streaming camera for about $10 USD. No app. No account. Surprisingly powerful. https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp32-cam-video-streaming-fa...

Have they fixed the stability issues yet? When I last looked at ESP32-CAM a couple of years ago, it was so unstable as to be unusable. Have newer versions of software and/or hardware made an improvement?

I don't know. Got one myself a short while ago but have not gotten to trying it out yet. I'd be quite surprised if it hasn't improved over that time though.

Re: Ask HN: IP cameras that don't require an app or internet?

#189

Post by angry_octet »

EvanAnderson wrote: post #182
exhilaration wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You shouldn't expose any of these cameras, high end or low end, to the internet. You shouldn't even trust them on the same VLAN as the rest of you computers or phones. That mitigates security issues.

To echo: In small installs I don’t give the cameras a default gateway and put a NIC (physical or virtual) in-subnet with the cameras. Nothing else goes in the subnet. In larger installs it’s a VRF dedicated to the camera subnets and a similar dedicated NIC arrangement on the server. Nothing should talk to the cameras except the recording server they’re streaming to.

And you should consider that the ethernet endpoint of each camera may be accessible, perhaps with only limited physical breakage, and provide an entry point onto the network. Having each device on its own /30 is one way to do that, with routing restricted to talking to the server, or you might have a private VLAN feature on your switch. You can have multicast from the cameras go to other devices though.

Annoyingly, few TVs have multicast receivers, it's all Chromecast etc, so you need your own computers to decode and display.

Re: Ask HN: IP cameras that don't require an app or internet?

#190

Post by hedgehog »

somerandomqaguy wrote: post #102
idbehold wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Explosion-proof means that it won't cause an explosion Wait, what? The implication is that their other cameras regularly cause explosions?

The term is Intrinsically Safe. It's for equipment that is guaranteed won't be an ignition source, specifically intended for things intended to be operating in confined areas where there's a danger that combustible gases can build up.

To reinforce, this is harder to achieve than it might seem. Sparking in switches and buttons and electrostatic discharge both are kind of invisible in normal environments but can be disaster on an oil rig or in an area of a hospital where pure oxygen is flowing. All the paperwork and monitoring to make sure that the design is correct and that the manufacturing stays within spec costs money too.
Post reply on HN