Reddit reviews Foscam FI9821W V2 Megapixel HD 1280 x 720p H.264 Wireless/Wired Pan/Tilt IP Camera with IR-Cut Filter - 26ft Night Vision and 2.8mm Lens (70° Viewing Angle) - Black

We use a Foscam 9821 as our camera, and the Baby Monitor app from Tiny Solutions to watch via our iOS devices. It's particularly great because you can set a squelch level, where it will silence the audio until the baby starts crying, at which point it alarms and wakes us from the minutes of sweet, sweet sleep we've been hoarding. WE WILL CONQUER THE BABY WITH TECHNOLOGY.

Can't recommend these little guys enough: http://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI9821W-Megapixel-Wireless-Camera/dp/B00F3KWZW8

I've got two, myself. Extremely pleased.

Home surveillance equipment has gotten very affordable recently. I installed a Belkin netcam wireless camera in my backyard for less than $100. It lets me monitor everything from my laptop tablet or phone. Just a tool to help you protect your stuff. Hope that helps.

edit: My buddy bought this one and he is happy with it.

Foscam FI9821W V2 Megapixel HD 1280 x 720p H.264 Wireless/Wired Pan/Tilt IP Camera with IR-Cut Filter - 26ft Night Vision and 2.8mm Lens (70° Viewing Angle) - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F3KWZW8/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_jDJFwbAB2VH8Q

This is the camera I bought. I mounted it upside down in the corner of the room and flipped the image. It has night vision, pan and tilt and two way audio. The full price listed is ridiculous though.

I bought it Used from Amazon Warehouse Deals for about 60 bucks. My wife and I both use Tiny Cam PRO on Android to monitor it. If you want to view it on your computer I recommend using Opera Browser. I'm not sure of a good iOS app. You can also set it up pretty easily to view externally which is nice. I like when I go into work early I can watch the kids sleep while I'm at my desk. One of the things that's really nice about Tiny Cam is you can make a floating window to watch the camera while you do other stuff on your phone or tablet like this: http://imgur.com/dLIVDPG.

Is it a law that security cameras have to be terrible? I bought my 5-year-old son a toy camera for $25 last Christmas and it takes better video than that. If they had one of these up, we'd be able to count his whiskers.

+1 for Foscam

I have one of these and it works great. Motion sensing, will record and/or send you a snapshot via email.

FWIW, there are standalone security cameras that don't cost too much. You hook it up to the WiFi and monitor it from anywhere.

I have a Foscam FI9821W V2 that I monitor with TinyCamMonitor Pro on my phone and Blue Iris on my desktop.

The camera is mounted with Command strips above my son's crib and only accessible from the LAN, no outside connections. The app supports background audio and has widgets for quick viewing and access. Blue Iris also has an audio option that I use when I'm at my computer in the evenings after my son has gone to sleep.

Feel free to ask any questions about it that I may not have covered.

Honestly, it would just be easier not to invite people into your home that you don't trust. To me the safety of my family and personal belongings are more important than dealing with people who have a history of violence, stealing, and sexual assault. I just don't invite them over. Hell, there are a few family members I've told that they are never welcome.

But, that's just me. To answer the actual question:

If you are good with computers you can put a solution together yourself.

For example you could pick up a bunch of Foscam wireless cameras (e.g.
480p,
720p,
960p
) and Blue Iris and use a computer to do the video recording.

If you go down this route do your homework first:

1. Make sure the cameras you buy are supported by Blue Iris
   
2. Use a computer that has a fast enough processor, has plenty of free disk space, and can be on all of the time
   
3. If you need indoor and outdoor surveillance make sure you verify the cameras support it. The examples I provided are indoor only.

We don't currently have a recommendation for IP cams that record locally. It's a pretty niche and complicated market compared to set-and-forget stuff like Dropcam, and far fewer people are interested in it. And most network cameras have much worse image quality than the Dropcam.

That said, I'd like to cover it eventually. This Foscam has good reviews and works with Synology NAS, though the viewing angle and image quality aren't as good as the Dropcam's.

one of these?

http://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI9821W-Megapixel-Wireless-Camera/dp/B00F3KWZW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406780233&sr=8-1&keywords=foscam

skip all the bullshit at the baby stores and pick one of these up. They are a little more difficult to get set up, but the video is actually usuable, you can see it from anywhere you can connect to the web, and they are cheaper.

http://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI9821W-Megapixel-Wireless-Camera/dp/B00F3KWZW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408127714&sr=8-1&keywords=foscam+fi9821w

I have 4 foscam wireless IP cameras in my place. 2 outdoor, 2 indoor. You hook them up to your home network, forward the ports, change the authentication, and you can view them from anywhere in the world. Set them up to take photos when they detect motion, and even create a schedule for when you're normally around, so they don't just snap dozens of pics of you wandering around aimlessly. You can upload those photos to the local machine, dropbox, FTP, or have them emailed. I set up all mine, mounted and everything, in a weekend. Now I get an email and a pic gets saved on dropbox anytime anything moves when I'm not around. Bonus points for knowing when my packages arrive. Love them.

I use these cameras: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3KWZW8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and blue iris software to set up the recordings and the remote viewing on my phone, it wasn't exactly a cheap set up but I can monitor my snakes from my phone, tablet or any PC as well as look back at the recordings when motion was detected

Some of the newer Foscam wireless IP cameras are good for this. I have several around the house, and there's also software called Blue Iris that lets you view multiple cameras simultaneously, take control of a specific one, etc. Read the reviews (and check out Foscam's support forum carefully, though; they've had quality control issues with some of their newly-released models in the past (one example, this problem I and others had with their FI9821 model.

$60 pan-tilt wireless: http://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI8918W-Wireless-Network-Viewing/dp/B0046710G6

$85 pan-tilt wireless HD: http://www.amazon.com/Foscam-FI9821W-Megapixel-Wireless-Camera/dp/B00F3KWZW8/

Having a camera can be helpful in a lot of different situations. Foscam makes some good ones that feature HD recording, night vision, and ability to stream online when you're away. I have this one and am pretty happy with it. Just make sure you set it up somewhere that is slightly hidden but gets a good viewing angle. If you're pointing it outside, it should be easy.

Do you have a covered porch where you could mount a camera?

Foscam FI8910W $65

Foscam FI9821W 720p $98

Get a Foscam. it records to the sd card, so you don't need a stand alone computer or dvr.

Also, get a driveway motion detector so you know when they are coming.. now you can close the garage on them and also get video evidence.

But the real problem is the father that needs to have some respect and change his ways. But perhaps they are not stealing it when you think they are,.. you're kid could have left the bike out front. That's why it's good to have a record of motion activated events.