Cheap no fee security options?? Basically so I know my kids got home safe.

[roylt]

Looking to have some sort of free camera to show me my kids got home from school safe and no extra kids came along with them.

My schedule may change so my kids will need to be home alone after school for an hour or two and I worry about teenagers making bad choices.

Any suggestions? One of those light bulb looking camera deals maybe?

Open to all input.

Thanks,

 

[Fox Mike]

So you are saying that you want to spy on your kids and don't trust them to follow directions; like "no one here unless we are present". ? Another option is ... every kid today has a cell phone of access to one. A simple "Mom, we're home alone." text would also work, unless of course again you don't trust them to tell you the truth.

 

[Kevin]

Roylt, you've posted here enough, that I get the feeling your kid's wouldn't lie. But I get what you are saying about kid's making bad choices. There are wifi cameras you can buy. What about one of those game cameras? I bet there are some that have wifi options for live streaming.

Or some sort of baby camera... Amazon has a lot of them

 

[Hawk-in-Wi]

heck my Daughter has a pet camera that she uses when she has to leave their dog at home in his crate for a little while , she can see what he is doing at any time just by checking her phone

 

[Johnnu2]

Pay your neighbors to rat them out...........

J.

 

[contender]

As noted,, several game cameras do have WiFi. But you do have a monthly subscription plan. Usually about $10 a month,, or a bit less if paying for a full year. And it sends notifications when a picture or video is taken.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

I don't know a thing about these that a friend posted.

Check the view inside the hangar. This little $23 camera works great in total darkness!
Absolutely dazzled by these cheap little Wyze cameras. They're better than the Nest cameras I have at home, for 25% of the cost.

Daytime

 

[DannyG]

I use the "Blink" camera's, wifi to my phone and I get a motion alert. Peace of mind that my kid got home safe from school.
hth
DannyG

 

[sixmranch]

Wyze cameras work great. No cost on a basic setup. Plans are cheap if you want to upgrade.

 

[frustrated middle child]

I use the "Blink" camera's, wifi to my phone and I get a motion alert. Peace of mind that my kid got home safe from school.
hth
DannyG

I have this too. Cost to buy is low, if you don't want recordings, just the ability to view - there is no continuing cost. I use it when Bob is in Fla, and I am in OH to check on him periodically. He got bronchitis one time, did not tell me and coughed till he passed out... So when you love a hard headed man - you have to make provisions.

 

[contender]

"So when you love a hard headed man - you have to make provisions."

Gee,, that should be easy for you,, you were raised with a few,,!

 

[PaulSoCal]

I have a synology NAS. It will record all the feeds from cameras around the house. I can pop into the NAS remotely and see the current feeds and playback video from any recordings. No monthly fees and all recordings saved at home on my equipment.

When my kids were younger, a condition of having a cell phone was that they keep the “find my friends” option turned on. At times we got pushback. We kept ours on as well. When they turned 21 we dropped the requirement. To this day, we all have them on and I think they check on us more than we check on them.

Last summer I had a trip to the ER with a bout of AFIB. We got texts from both kids. Why are you at the hospital? Is it mom or dad? Both of us went and the kids knew before we had a chance to tell them.

If you go places you don’t want your family to know about it isn’t a good idea, otherwise I think it is all good.

 

[Johnny-Baseball]

If a camera makes you feel good, then you do you.

For me? A camera is akin to a rear view mirror. It only shows what happened in the past. Unless I'm only 2 minutes from my home, a camera would only record the perp's actions so I could show them to (a) my insurance carrier, and (b) police investigators (unless I lived in Kali, Oregano or Green State).

Recording my kids' behaviors would have been good only when the recording caught them in lies - and then only once. Thereafter, those cameras would quickly have been disabled or broken, or the illicit behaviors would have occurred out of the camera's view - exactly the same as I would have done when I was their age.

 

[KIR]

Soon there will be cameras on every block/street corner. Miniaturazation will make it so everyone will have a camera on their person, like cops are supposed to have turned on most times. If one is being watched 24/7, less likely for a person to commit a crime. They will spend their time trying to foil the cameras. Yes, yes, invades your personal rights, but haven't those been disappearing for a long time now?

 

[Randyzzz]

I use a Ring setup. I’ve been satisfied with it. It’s mostly for keeping an eye on the pets when we’re out, but there’s also exterior cameras to just make me feel better.

 

[wheelgun1958]

I use merkury cameras from Walmart. I think they are now Geeni. Cheap cameras with cloud storage at $60 a year for 3 cameras. Sound and video with 2 way voice. Motion and sound alerts. Free app. I'm happy with them.

 

[Fox Mike]

I just guess I grew up in a different era. Both my Mom and Dad worked 15 miles from home. This was fourth grade till I graduated from High School I got home from school, unlocked the house, and went in. If Bill, Bob, or Norma Jane wanted to tag along that was OK. I honestly don't remember ever having a list of "don't do this". I knew what to do and what not to do to abide by my parents unwritten wishes.

 

[Kevin]

I just guess I grew up in a different era. Both my Mom and Dad worked 15 miles from home. This was fourth grade till I graduated from High School I got home from school, unlocked the house, and went in. If Bill, Bob, or Norma Jane wanted to tag along that was OK. I honestly don't remember ever having a list of "don't do this". I knew what to do and what not to do to abide by my parents unwritten wishes.

And I bet back then the apps for the wireless cameras didn’t charge fees to store video in the cloud either.

Heck, I remember being a latch key kid too, only my parents didn’t lock the door so no key. I don’t think anyone locked their doors.

It’s a much different world today.

 

[Fox Mike]

Actually the key was actually a skeleton key that anyone could buy at any store. My key would probably open half the doors in Mayo back then.

 

[s4s4u]

Wouldn't one of those doorbell camera work?

 

[LGC42]

Since your kids are teens I assume they have cell phones. My wife and I have an app on our phones called Life 360. With that app we can track each others phone and know where they are. This may sound like an invasion of privacy to some, but we have been married 54 years and don't keep secrets from eachother.

 

[buzzm]

I looked at various options for camera's for inside and outside the home. I did not want to pay any monthly or annual fees for any video storage services, etc.
-I purchased Blink cameras and have had them for almost 2 years now and that is my recommendation to anyone who has asked me.
- I'm still on the original batteries that have lasted over the 1 year expectancy
- You can save the video files to your own USB jump drive on the Blink Sync Module that comes with the Blink camera's (the Sync Module can be purchased separately, but if you buy a pre-packaged set of cameras the Sync Module is included)
- A free Blink App for your phone / tablet, etc. gives you access to all cameras and notifications. You can see and talk in real time with any of the camera's if you wish on the App - it works well.
- Also, as others stated in the forum, there our Apps on your phone that allow you to know where someone's phone is - Apple products use the "Find My" app.

Take care and God bless......

 

[roylt]

So an update of sorts. I have read through this and probably won't get anything.
My worry stems from teens make bad choices. And even good kids make mistakes when peer pressure seeps in.
Kids are forced to grow up with all they are exposed to online and in schools now a days way to fast.
I do trust my kids but my daughters boyfriend is another thing I have not gotten used to yet.

Then there is my ex wife who I will never trust to tell the truth. She is special if you know what I mean.

So for now I will reiterate the rules to both kids and trust but verify.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Fox Mike]

And I bet back then the apps for the wireless cameras didn't charge fees to store video in the cloud either.

Just noticed this. The camera was a Brownie box. Back then we didn't even have a television. Party line phone and radio was it. If I,or my brother, screwed up Mom/Dad seemed to know about it before we did.

 

[Paladin]

I highly recommend the video doorbell that I currently have, the Kasa Smart KD110. I provided a link below to the Kasa website which also includes a link, "Buy Now" button, to Amazon where it can purchased for $45.

The video doorbell can record 24/7 if you want it to and stores the video on an internal micro SD memory card, sold separately, so you don't have to pay for monthly cloud storage service that stores only short individual clips. It will record video 24/7 for 7 days on a 64GB Micro SD card before it starts writing over the older footage. You do have the option for cloud storage if you care for that. Even though it's recording 24/7, it sets aside individual video clips when it detects motion. The individual video clips include the previous 3-5 seconds of video before activation of that clip so as not to miss the beginning.

If you don't opt for the cloud storage but want to retain certain video clips, you can easily remove the SD card from the unit and connect it to your computer to save the individual video clips.

This video doorbell is hardwired, meaning it connects to your existing transformer-powered doorbell button. That is why it can record 24/7. No batteries. You simply replace your existing doorbell button with this video camera doorbell. It comes with a wireless indoor chime.

https://www.kasasmart.com/us/products/security-cameras/kasa-smart-doorbell-kd110

 

[PinnedAndRecessed]

.

 

[el caminero]

Soon there will be cameras on every block/street corner. Miniaturazation will make it so everyone will have a camera on their person, like cops are supposed to have turned on most times. If one is being watched 24/7, less likely for a person to commit a crime. They will spend their time trying to foil the cameras. Yes, yes, invades your personal rights, but haven't those been disappearing for a long time now?

Havent heard of google glass in a bit...

 

[Pál_K]

Having the neighbors keep watch as mentioned above isn't a bad idea if you're on good terms with them and your kids don't bribe them.

If your kids are really creative, maybe they could fake your security cameras by putting static-scene photos in front of the cameras.

In a Columbo episode, the villan made a video recording inside his house, showing his innocent presence, and forward dated it. Then, after the crime, substituted the fake video for the one which was present during the crime. I think what tripped him up were the sounds from a distant foghorn or other source which indicated the discrepancy in time.