Cameras with alarms

SSMarc
SSMarc
edited December 2025 in Cameras

Happy Holidays,

We are entering our 10th year now since selecting SecuritySpy for our home and business security needs and we have been super impressed with the functionality, reliability and innovation of the folks at BenSoftware.com. We have used primarily Foscam FI9800Ps purchased before their manufacturing QA problems arose and only 3 of the 14 originally purchased have failed. I am now looking to expand our system and need a compatible camera that has an alarm that can be triggered in the "Actions" section of SS or by the camera itself. It needs to be WIFI compatible, bullet shaped and PTZ units are needed, powered at site of installation, with a loud alarm to keep birds away from protected areas. If the cameras also had flashing lights that would be a bonus but not absolutely required.

EDIT: Can be triggered by the camera itself or by "Actions".

NB: In the interim my AI has indeicated the following on Amazon might work and I will test it now: "REOLINK Home Security Camera System, 4MP HD Plug-in Indoor WiFi 6 Pan Tilt Pet Camera, Baby Monitor, Night Vision, 2 Way Talk, Smart Human/Pet Detection, Local microSD Card Storage, E1(2 Pack)". Other suggestions certainly welcomed.

Thanks in Advance for any assistance.

Comments

  • Ben
    Ben

    Great to hear that SecuritySpy has been working so well for you!

    Cameras generally don't have built-in sirens, so your options here are going to be:

    1. Find a camera with two-way audio; get SecuritySpy to play a siren sound to the camera's speaker. Downsides here are that most cameras with two-way audio are indoor models, not outdoor, and the speakers are generally not very loud.
    2. A separate dedicated siren that can be controlled by SecuritySpy. HomeKit is currently the only option, and there aren't any sirens that can be directly controlled from HomeKit. However, we are soon adding support for Home Assistant, which opens up access to a much wider range of accessories, such as the Zigbee range of sirens (some of which also have strobe lights).

    As for the camera itself, since this is an outdoor location, I would strongly recommend connecting it by wired Ethernet, not WiFi. External building walls attenuate WiFi signal significantly, leading to potentially poor performance and reliability.

    In addition, outdoor models with PTZ are much more expensive (and much larger) than models without PTZ, so you should really consider whether you want the PTZ functionality. It's often easier/cheaper to employ a couple of regular cameras to cover an area that's too big for just one, rather than going for a PTZ model.

    Finally, just a bit of a warning about Reolink: while modern Reolink models can work well, we've historically seem lots of problems with them. They aren't a manufacturer that we recommend - see our camera list for recommended manufacturers.

  • photonclock
    photonclock

    Yeah, integrating Security Spy with Home Assistant (or an external device like the Hubitat C8) is the way to go. Security Spy excels as handling the video, and action scripts can send messages to the home automation system, which then triggers your lights and sirens.

    I bought these for indoor use:

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDJ9PBFJ

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYCM45HR

    They're both pretty loud (the big siren is VERY loud). If you search for "24V siren" on Amazon you'll find other ideas. The caveat is power. AC or DC, and how? But once you figure that out and integrate with Zigbee or Matter power switches, you can get Security Spy to turn things on or off based on its AI detection, and you have a very powerful alarm system.

    As for ReoLink cameras, thus far I have 7 of them.

    Two are their cellular-only models for a remote location on a rural property. These do not integrate with Security Spy. They work very well in terms of PTZ, connectivity, battery and solar power, and notifications. My one big complain is the onboard "human detection" feature produces too many false positives (birds = human). They have remained functional for about 9 months in very harsh summer and winter-rain climates thus far.

    I also bought 3 of these:

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJQ9FT24

    I love these. The dual-lens 4K cameras are great. Very wide angle coverage, built well, good mount, good internal cabling, and they have been running outdoor in the same harsh desert environment for about 2 years now with no issues. Work great with Security Spy.

    I bought 1 of these:

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09873G7X3

    It died about 6 months later after one rainstorm. I wrote a harsh review on Amazon, and emailed support requesting a replacement. Reolink was responsive and offered to replace it if I returned the failed camera. I complained about the logistics of that, and requested an advance replacement. They were polite and responsive and agreed to send me an advance replacement and a return shipping label.

    When I installed the replacement, I noticed on the unit that failed that there were burn/scorch marks inside the female RJ45 connector that is hardwired to the camera, which suggested that moisture intruded somehow, despite the waterproof female/male connector they supplied. I took photos and sent to Reolink, and asked them if they would mind if I cut off the connector and re-wired it to see if that would fix it. They agreed. I replaced the connector with a male RJ45 (noting at the time that the wire strands in the CAT cable they are using was very fine-gauge which I didn't like, obviously a cost cutting measure). The repaired connector brought the camera back to life, and I'm using it with a standard R45 female-to-female waterproof coupler. I sent them pics describing my findings and the positive results of the repair, and they said, "Cool, keep both cameras".

    So thus far, I can't knock them..

    The dual lens 4K cams are really great in my opinion (I love the 180 FOV coverage) and I'd buy more of them. They install well, the waterproofing is good, the video quality is very good, and the built-in lights are powerful.

    The RLC-811A model that failed, I would not recommend, and if so, only use indoors. Video quality and onboard light quality is very good. Works well with Security Spy.

    The PTZ cellular cameras were a good price and I'd have nicer things to say about them if there were fewer false positives. I don't know if any on-camera "AI" detection is better. These are not part of my SecSpy network, and I bought them because I needed a fast solution on the remote property. I'm not sure if I'd buy them again. For the price (esp when on sale), they do function as advertised. I'm just spoiled by the quality of SecSpy's motion detection accuracy.

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