Hgmobile Posted January 9 Posted January 9 Doing a new build and of course the dealer wants to use all C4/Clare/Luma products. For the most part I am ok with this as I know this dealer will stand behind the work and service it. My concern is with having discreeet cameras within the home. I don’t want to have the house look like a bank. Over the past 40 years I have had many more issues from the inside rather than folks trying to get into the house. Service people, housekeeping services, you get the idea. Whose cameras should I be looking at for an interior system that can be hidden away. TIA. Quote
eggzlot Posted January 9 Posted January 9 2 minutes ago, Hgmobile said: Doing a new build and of course the dealer wants to use all C4/Clare/Luma products. For the most part I am ok with this as I know this dealer will stand behind the work and service it. My concern is with having discreeet cameras within the home. I don’t want to have the house look like a bank. Over the past 40 years I have had many more issues from the inside rather than folks trying to get into the house. Service people, housekeeping services, you get the idea. Whose cameras should I be looking at for an interior system that can be hidden away. TIA. https://www.voipsupply.com/vivotek-5mp-h-265-indoor-recessed-dome-camera-fd9182-h?srsltid=AfmBOoqui4fQq1-lCdoozFHm11NfIDAuSZ6oQuKPx2L5k3wiIeihFqth Got two of these in my house. they are recessed so just a small dome pops out. most people think its like a smoke sensor or some other sensor, not a camera. POE/ONVIF only "drawback" is low lighting isnt its friend since there is no IR (at least not on my model). Marketing Jargon says it has some filter but...that said since my house is automated, if an alarm goes off, i have these cameras in 2 places, and lights will go in those areas. you could also trigger lighting by motion sensors in these areas too so they are mostly well lit. Quote
Popolou Posted January 9 Posted January 9 Don't know if those firms make covert or discreet cameras but they do exist. Domes are perhaps the most discreet since most of it is within the ceiling void. Then you get "separated" cameras which split the lens and processing part so that one could be installed within the wall easier. Hikvision do these so do Ubiquiti with their Theta of late - they're becoming more accessible and commonplace. I sympathise with the notion that you're making your home also look like fort knox but perhaps you are looking for a deterrent rather than a full covert/discreet install. Quote
Shoe Posted January 9 Posted January 9 As mentioned the Ubiquiti Theta is probably something you wan to look at. The Unifi camera systems and the new AI support for non ubiquiti cameras is pretty compelling. Face recognition etc along with features that significantly reduce time when actually reviewing the footage make it a pretty strong platform. The Theta cameras have a few mounting options and lens options in addition to mic. Mounting discrete in drywall takes a little planning. Quote
fleon Posted January 10 Posted January 10 On 1/9/2025 at 3:30 PM, Shoe said: As mentioned the Ubiquiti Theta is probably something you wan to look at. The Unifi camera systems and the new AI support for non ubiquiti cameras is pretty compelling. Face recognition etc along with features that significantly reduce time when actually reviewing the footage make it a pretty strong platform. The Theta cameras have a few mounting options and lens options in addition to mic. Mounting discrete in drywall takes a little planning. The Theta is cool, but very problematic. It has a proprietary box that has to sit about 2-3 ft from the camera. Which means a mostly unserviceable box inside a wall. They used a usb-c looking connector between the box and camera, but it's not actually a usb-c cord. The camera itself is very nice, and I actually do like the Unifi Protect line of cameras, but the Theta is incredibly hard to figure out how one would reasonably install it. Quote
Shoe Posted January 10 Posted January 10 10 minutes ago, fleon said: The Theta is cool, but very problematic. It has a proprietary box that has to sit about 2-3 ft from the camera. Which means a mostly unserviceable box inside a wall. They used a usb-c looking connector between the box and camera, but it's not actually a usb-c cord. The camera itself is very nice, and I actually do like the Unifi Protect line of cameras, but the Theta is incredibly hard to figure out how one would reasonably install it. Yea, I can't disagree with you. I think it's more designed for commercial spaces with drop ceilings. That's why I said it takes some planning in drywall. If you want that kind of small camera and features I guess you figure it out. Like if you have puck recessed lights within a few feet you could access through the puck hole. If really wanted to make them work I'd maybe just cut the cable to extend it and see if it can live with a longer run. Probably some reason the cable isn't longer than 3 feet, but it might not be technical. Quote
Andrew luecke Posted January 10 Posted January 10 If you get interior cameras, you might also want to consider getting ones with no microphone or a hard switch to turn it off In a lot of places, using a mic on a camera is highly illegal, especially in more private places. Quote
Shoe Posted January 10 Posted January 10 In the US it only takes a sign in a commercial settings indicating audio surveillance to get consent. Theta cameras require the add on audio module if you want audio (it's two way capable) Quote
ejn1 Posted January 11 Posted January 11 Theta cameras do not have IR which may be a consideration for the OP. Quote
Shoe Posted January 11 Posted January 11 That's a good point to raise. The Ai theta pro has pretty good low light performance. I think it would perform very well in all places that were not total and complete darkness. Quote
ILoveC4 Posted Sunday at 12:07 PM Posted Sunday at 12:07 PM I too am interested in this. I’ve always been against interior cameras, but a couple of things as of late have me interested. I would love something that I could discretely mount above/below a TV - really attached to the TV, in hopes that it would look like part of the TV. I also have CAT cable ran to all the TV’s. I’ve got another area where I’d love to put one high up on a shelf…mask it with some decor. It wouldn’t be too difficult to get CAT cable there either. Quote
Rob21 Posted Monday at 07:51 PM Posted Monday at 07:51 PM I did extensive research into this a year ago. These work great, look great, and they are NDAA compliant. And they have a c4 driver (that I haven't messed with yet)! Vitek https://vitekcctv.com/product/vtc-pir4cn-4-4-0-megapixel-passive-infrared-pir-h-265-network-camera-with-discreet-illumination/ Quote
Shoe Posted Monday at 09:07 PM Posted Monday at 09:07 PM 1 hour ago, Rob21 said: I did extensive research into this a year ago. These work great, look great, and they are NDAA compliant. And they have a c4 driver (that I haven't messed with yet)! Vitek https://vitekcctv.com/product/vtc-pir4cn-4-4-0-megapixel-passive-infrared-pir-h-265-network-camera-with-discreet-illumination/ Cheap at $85. Do they look better in person? Quote
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