I'm looking to install 3 outdoor cameras at the front of my house, and could use some advice in choosing the best camera to meet my needs. I’ve been reading other forums (reddit & cocoontech), but there’s such a strong favoritism towards Dropcam & Nest, that I came here hoping for some solid professional advice.
I started my research back in 2011 when the house was built so that I'd know how to prewire it. At the time, I was leaning towards Vivotek cameras & they advised me to run one cat5 & two 18 AWG to each drop. I was originally drawn to Vivotek for their supreme night visibility (not sure how much of that was marketing vs reputation), but I was impressed with their tech support. I’m now ready to purchase some cameras & I’m trying to study up on the technological developments in the past few years, but there are so many variables that I’m getting lost in the detail.
My setup & wishlist:
- The front of the house faces west & is 35’ deep & 900’ wide, the camera drops are equally space.
- No street lights so I was planning on purchasing IR flood lights to compliment whatever system I end up going with.
- The wires are coming out of the wall near the roofline
- I’d also like a NVR, motion detection/alarm, etc.
Thank you in advance for your help & guidance.