I used AvertX from Costco. They cost a bit more than other system but I like the their app and customer service.

So I got a quote from a fairly reputable security company that does a lot of businesses around these parts. They claim that 2MP 36 LED/IR cameras are plenty.... Do you think that would be the case?

The system is for
5 2MP SONY Domes Autofocus Vandal Proof (I question the coverage, might need another camera for overlapping coverage)
1 8 Channel NVR
4TB Hard Drive
1 Backup Power Supply and Surge
5 years PARTS and LABOR warranty
$2800 installed - another camera would be $400
However he said they run all their cameras on motion only. Like instead of recording all the time, just during motion which I thought was silly... He said it was so you don't have to scroll through millions of uneventful footage...

Thoughts on system and price? The warranty is a real big seller here...
On Costco it seems difficult to get a system with just domes???

If you want domes, get what works for you. I have installed two systems at separate houses. One house had low eves. It has mostly domes. The second house has high eves. It has mostly regular cameras.

Motion when setup correctly works great. Where I live, all manner of things set off motion recording. Nothing wrong with it. Motion recording at that resolution camera would allow 4TB hard drive to be enough. I used motion recording on my old system. Didn't bother with the new system. I have 12TB of hard drive.

If you don't have the time or expertise, better to have it done correctly. Be sure the NVR mobile app works with your cellphone operating system. Also, be sure it's Ethernet wiring. I recall that resolution camera could work on the old style wiring and Ethernet. You definitely want Ethernet. Makes upgrading later possible.

It's all depends on what you are looking for. Do you have a completely stock 2wd 4Runner or a 4X4 with big tires and and a high end lift? It depends on your needs.

2mp = 720p | 3mp = 1080p | 8mp=3840p(4K) The bigger the mp the more detailed the picture will be.

For what you are quoted that seems like a decent price. Running the cables to the cameras can be a pain.

You can record either way but I believe continuous is best. You get a constant stream and you won't miss anything if the sensor doesn't pick it up right away.

Last night there were two individuals in my neighborhood trying car doors to find any open ones. I was asked to see if I had anything on my street. Even though it records everything it does put marks on a zoomable time bar when it sences motion. I went thru 3 hours in 10 minutes and the only thing that caused motions were passing cars.

I have no idea what camera systems the neighbors are using but this shows you what a difference lighting and the highest quality cameras can make.

Sample 1



Sample 2



They turned and went the other way on my street but if they did...




I have the Costco 18watt LED lights on either side of the garage door.

wcjeep and TK-422 - Sincere thanks. Also don't know if you have suggestions but an issue I had was the door being in a cove with a low eave. The estimator said I needed the camera to look into the face of the persons at door which is fine except there is literally no gap between the door and the eave so it would have to go outside the cove directed in but then in theory you could walk up to the door from behind the camera with it never recording until the last moment(if they just didn't destroy the camera...) I guess if i overlap that area they should be caught on some other camera before that point... Or do they make a slim camera that I can maybe slip between the front and screen glass door???? Hope that makes sense.

I have neither the time or expertise so.... Might bite the bullet...

4runner is mostly stock. But yes I want to protect my assets! So your pic is the new 4K camera? Also I'm having the electrical contractors come to put in wiring for lights. They should be above the level of the camera correct? I was going to put in flood lights in the center of the garage but if the glare is too much I might do lights on both sides...

Yes, the last pic is a photo I took of the monitor from my phone so it's close enough to show you the detail. the rest of the cameras are 1080p(3mp) which I haven't switched out yet.

Where the lights are isn't too important as long as they arn't directly in the camera view.

I swapped out three more cams with 8mp(4K) ones today and I will add more pics for you. All of these pictures were taken of my 24" monitor from my phone and resized to 1080P wide.

The 8mp pic of my work van at night forced color which is the hardest you can work the camera.



The same view during the day.



3mp camera at night.



8mp replacement same view during the day.




Another 8mp view




With 8mp you can zoom anywhere in the frame and get good results.




In playback mode you can see the time bar with 1 hour ticks.



You can zoom in and get 5 minute ticks. Notice the yellow marks where there is activity.

I use ADT for home alarm system. I have 2 motion sensors and 5 exterior door sensors(including garage). I have never had issues with them. About a year ago I decided I wanted cameras because I was getting UPS packages stolen. So I did the cameras myself because I didn’t want anyone else to have access to my stuff. I installed a 2 TB hard drive and 4 cameras. The DVR re-records over itself when it gets full and it takes roughly a month to fill 2 TB recording at 1080p. I highly recommend cameras to whoever doesn’t have them.

I have the arlo pro for home security. It sends msg as soon as it detects motion, which is good. We find its 2way communication efficient as well, since ours came in as a bundle, the extra cams were used as baby monitors. I found an in depth review of home security cameras. might be useful, you can see here. The only downside I noticed about arlo is that the batteries don't last very long. They can be replaced though. But still, it would've been nicer if it lasts long.

I would avoid Vivant..........I would find a local company that uses Honeywell equipment.

I don't know much ( or really anything) about them, they won some award in PC Mag which is how I discovered them. Why do you say that? I have the Honeywell guy scheduled, I like their stuff too.

Vivant gets ''Into'' programs for solar, security, etc. and they send out Teams to blanket an area and sell as much as possible. Then they seem to disappear.........that has been my experience as I rip out their systems from upset owners who had problems and couldn't get service. Honeywell has everything they have and more. Get a local company....avoid the mass marketers.

Makes sense. Honeywell has been around a lot longer I am sure of that. and you're right they do have all the same "smart home" features etc.

Looks like this thread is back to life. I have since installed stand alone IR light on a motion sensor. In the linked video you can see my security camera is fooled by the street light across the street. I added the IR light to spotlight the front door. The door to door people can not see the spotlight over their head. When the video goes to color is when I turned on the front porch visible light. I did buy a much larger IR light. It's not that useful. It has a large output. It also creates some heat and has a large draw making switching difficult. The small light is easily switched and tucks up very neatly in a small space. I did run an extra ethernet cable to the front door. Not really necessary to install a camera with the IR extra. One could also use the IR standalone light at the edge of a cameras night time capability to showcase movement.



IR light example


IR light at Amazon


IR motion switch

I ended up going local with a 2GIG system that links through alarm dot com. I am pretty happy with it. they have cameras (mine are outdoor only) I can adjust thermostats, turn lights off and on. fire monitoring, temperature monitoring. they have a water monitor, we have a second floor washer, so one up there and a water heater so one down there. they even notify me if we lose power. you can scale it as large or small as you like. I like that it's fully integrated and I get notifications of what's going on. My wife went home sick from work the other day and I got a notification that the alarm disarmed at like 2:00 p.m. I txted her.. .you home? she replied, "yes, creep" she had just pulled in the driveway. HAHAHA. if it wasn't her I would have called my neighbor, then the cops, in that order.