Hey MB. Have you come across anything yet? I'm having the same difficulty in finding answers myself.
Rob
Yes and no!
I have actually purchased a camera system that I REALLY like, but I have yet to find an alarm system to go with it.
The camera system I purchased is by Amcrest, it seemed to have excellent reviews and was in the price range I was looking for. I bought some of it direct from Amcrest I believe and the rest I purchased, mostly through Amazon Prime, through Amcrest's online presence and was able to save money doing it that way as well.
For anyone that cares, here is what I went with personally. They do make ready to go kits for 4, 8 and I believe 16 camera systems, but I opted to buy a stand alone 8 channel DVR 720P system. I can get model #'s if anyone cares. It will end up costing a bit more in the long run, but was cheaper up front and added a bit of flexibility, which I wanted. Basically, with the DVR I bought, I am able to add up to 2 WIFI cameras, maybe more can't honestly recall.
Building non-boxed system, I'm able to mix and match. I used a dome camera on my porch and bullets for the walls. Both have excellent night vision coverage as well. I can view them from my main TV, my laptop(any computer I want really) and they have a free app that works very well from cell phone. I can setup multiple users and give each user specific capabilities as to what they can and can not do with the system. I can view it at home or away as well, but viewing from 4G does eat a little bandwidth, so beware. I plan on adding at least 1 wifi camera, that way I can monitor the interior of my house while away and/or communicate with the kids/pets/intruder :surprise: when away. When I'm home I can put the wifi away and not feel as if we're being watched. I'll add the rest of the cameras as I figure out what works best and figure out which type to use.
Also with going with a non-boxed system, I was able to buy a bigger HD, I went with 4TB, which should allow all 8 cameras to record for 30days before rolling over. I think the standard boxed sets allow for 7 days with their HD's.
The system also has more features than I care to use at this time, such as multiple choices of remote connection, etc. I also am able to setup email alerts so that it will email if certain things happen, since my GMAIL hits my android phone ASAP, I get notices instantly. Once a day, it sends me a health alert saying all is well or not. I set up for camera masking, so if someone tries to cover a camera, it not only records that event, but it can snapshot that as well. My system is setup for continuous record, but you can choose to only record motion. In that instance it will record a period of time before the incident occurred. I do have certain cameras that also email me if they sense motion in certain areas. For instance if someone walks down the sidewalk, I don't care, but if someone steps on my porch, I want to know. Being as I generally get those ASAP, I know if it was us or not. You can also adjust the sensitivity of that feature so a cat doesn't set it off, but an adult moving an object around does.
In any case for the about $500 I'll have when all set and done, I think it's a pretty nice and versatile system.
FWIW, the driveway cam is great when backing up to a trailer, because I can see right where the hitch is!
My take is that the 720p is an excellent picture, especially when viewed from TV or PC, it's a little grainier through the app, but that is what it is. Still not bad and I can make known people out from the phone easily. Also, if I want more detail, I have ~30days to get to the TV/PC and grab the better image, so it's not a big deal. The recording is still very good! 1080p of course would be very nice, but I'm not sure if for the average person it's that big of a deal for what I believe is about double the cost. I'm also amazed at the angle the camera picks up on. I have the driveway camera pointed almost straight down yet it still picks up 50'+ forwards. When I set mine up I ran a cable out the door/windows to the camera to the DVR and then set up the camera in just the right spot. Marked everything, then drilled the holes to run the cables through the walls. This way I was certain where I wanted everything. I used the phone app to help with positioning while standing at the camera.
Probably more info than you want, but I've been looking for near a year for cameras and always had my doubts....I really am impressed by this system! It's been live for several months now. Good luck and if anyone figures out a good DIY alarm setup let me know. I like IRIS and one other, but reviews are sketchy as of now. I believe IRIS recently updated and people weren't thrilled with that.
