I am finally in the market for some Outdoor cameras. After some research, I was all set to get some Nest cameras after looking at the threads here on getting a live stream available on a tile. However, I just looked at a Verge review of Nest Cameras and they specifically mention how they are no longer compatible with SmartThings. Am I missing something? Does the camera not get picked up my ST but the web interface still lets us stream to SharpTools?
While I am at it, any other camera recommendations? Thank you all in advance!!
Following, I’m interested in FosCam camera’s, because of their SD cards and they’re pretty cheap.
But will need to use some kind of work around.
Problem is I don’t want to be using a server of some kind, as I understand it, to use Blue Iris or TinyCam, you need to have a device running it all the time. Which kinda deters from it.
I’m thinking if I would upgrade my old laptop and see if I can make that run well enough to do something like this.
Most definitely right and best solution is to use server even thought you do not like it.
You can go for example with Ispy but will get a lot more with BlueIris. Ispy (free) and BlueIris (not free) doesn’t usually care about the camera vendor. Any camera can be added if it has an ip address (97% possibility I would say…). That gives you opportunity to buy for example cheap tp-link tapo c110 3MP 20-30$/€.
I did run ispy and blueiris with old dell d630 laptop and I was able to add 8 cameras (recording continuously) and at the same time stream 3 of those cameras to 2 sharptools dashboards with BlueIris. CPU was 70%.
With Ispy I was able to record 6 cameras and stream 2 cameras to two sharptools dashboards. CPU was 80%.
Later I bought better laptop for BlueIris server and I just love it. Now I have 11 cameras and I’m streaming two cameras continuously to two sharptools dashboards. BlueIris also supports sub stream which means that if camera like Tapo c110 supports it, sub stream will be used on SharpTools dashboards and it lowers cpu need of the blueiris server. Whenever you click camera window bigger on SharpTools dashboards it gives you main stream with full resolution. When you close it it goes to sub stream and from smaller camera tile view you won’t see any difference.
Hey @JiiPee, do you have issues with reaching you internet provider’s data cap? I have 5 Nest cameras that I have to dial back to medium quality or I’ll exceed my 1TB data cap.
Hi @Wet.Blanket. I do not have any issues with data cap and that it is mainly because my cameras are not uploading (to) and sharptools is not downloading stream from Internet. With local video server all my camera streams are just local and they work when you are using your dashboard inside of your home network. When I’m away from home and I want to view my cameras from Blue Iris server or from SharpTools dashboard I just turn vpn on and tadaa I’m in my local network.
I’m also using few other camera brands than Tplink and well…they all comes from China. That is the number one reason why I have blocked all traffic from internet to cameras and from cameras to internet on my Unifi firewall. Vpn is the only bulletproof way to be sure that no one except you is watching
Also I’m wondering if internet providers data cap is something that depends where you live. Here in Finland with my current internet provider there is no data cap.
This was the latest topic I could find about cameras, so I’ll update here. I bought 2 Reolink cameras, a second hand PC so I can run it as a server with Blue Iris.
Then I found a bunch of Edge drivers from TAustin, with his bridge running on the same PC together with his LAN motion device, you can use BI motion detection in Smartthings. I’m also running his virtual devices creator and now looking into his presence detector.
