Best security camera for HA that’ll fit my requirements

Hardware
1

Hi all,

I’ve looked around the internet for a while now and over the years tried a few different brands of cameras but none seem to check all my boxes. Hoping I can get some advice here. Here are the things I need from the camera:

  1. Not too expensive. Blink camera price point is about as high as I’d like to go if possible, but this is honestly the least important requirement. If I have to go higher, I will.

  2. Easy Integration. I’d like to either have an already built solution as an official integration or a HACS solution with simple enough setup. I’m not extremely familiar with IoT or Networking just yet, so something I can set up without too much hassle would be great.

  3. Live video feeds. I would like to be able to put a live feed in one of the dash boards for each camera I have. Think “security room vibes” or similar essentially. I’d like to be able to see what’s going on at all times from each camera. This is probably the most important requirement for me.

Bonus: As little reliance on a proprietary app/cloud as possible. I’d rather not have my videos or data stored on a cloud server or the solution have heavy reliance on the company’s app. If I can store saved videos locally that would be great, but like it says, this is a bonus feature that would be great to have.

Thanks in advance!

3 Likes
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Ultimately you’re after IP cameras that support RTSP or ONVIF (which includes RTSP).

You will tend to get what you pay for. HikVision and Dahua are quality, but priced accordingly. HiWatch are HikVision’s budget range, and Amcrest are budget Dahua rebrands. You can also roll the dice on some cheap AliExpress cameras.

You can then connect them to an NVR of your choice, such as Frigate, or MotionEye, or BlueIris.

5 Likes
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@nsaul curious where you landed on this one. Your requirements are pretty aligned with mine.

1 Like
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Inside the home, or outside in areas protected from weather, I recommend this relatively inexpensive Amcrest 4MP camera. It provides high-quality images, provides ONVIF support, does not require cloud support, and doesn’t cost a bundle, either.

1 Like