IP camera I can monitor via iPhone?

[Kentuckienne]

I'm not sure which is the best forum in which to ask, but I just tried to set up a DLink wireless IP camera from Costco which is supposed to support viewing by iPhone. It does, but you can't set any other options such as motion-triggered events unless you use the desktop interface - which requires installing JRE (Java Runtime Environment). It's very wonky on the Mac side as well according to other reviews. I spent all morning poking around macrumors etc. Does anyone have a recommendation for an IP camera which I can view from an iPhone or iPad, and which doesn't require JRE or Windows? Something with IR, ability to record data to a local DVR or the cloud? Controllable by remote interface?

I looked at SimpliSafe, which on the surface seemed good as it includes cellular connection and monitoring for $14 a month. But they have yet to deliver cameras after two years of promising, and many users on their forum complain of triggering the alarm but NOT getting any call from the monitoring service. What's the point of having a monitored alarm if they don't call?

 

[DoFoT9]

I'm not sure which is the best forum in which to ask, but I just tried to set up a DLink wireless IP camera from Costco which is supposed to support viewing by iPhone. It does, but you can't set any other options such as motion-triggered events unless you use the desktop interface - which requires installing JRE (Java Runtime Environment). It's very wonky on the Mac side as well according to other reviews. I spent all morning poking around macrumors etc. Does anyone have a recommendation for an IP camera which I can view from an iPhone or iPad, and which doesn't require JRE or Windows? Something with IR, ability to record data to a local DVR or the cloud? Controllable by remote interface?

I looked at SimpliSafe, which on the surface seemed good as it includes cellular connection and monitoring for $14 a month. But they have yet to deliver cameras after two years of promising, and many users on their forum complain of triggering the alarm but NOT getting any call from the monitoring service. What's the point of having a monitored alarm if they don't call?

Are you purely looking for real time monitoring, or would you like to connect it to a recording system of sorts?

I have had some decent success with Panasonic security cameras - and when combined with the Synology iOS/Android remote app, it works very well and "simple".. Maybe elaborate a bit more on your requirements.

 

[Kentuckienne]

I have a wired monitored alarm, but I'd like to A) be able to use an iPhone or iPad to view the inside/outside of the house when away to check on the bird or just be assured that the place is still standing B) get notifications if motion or smoke etc. is detected when away - this would help identify false alarms C) record some amount of event-trigged video to identify evildoers.

Would be OK with recording to a hidden DVR - I can run wires to lots of inaccessible places - but would also like to be able to record to cloud. That way, if there is a fire or something that destroys a DVR there would still be a record. I don't need much online storage - a week would be plenty.

I thought of building something myself. The last MAKE magazine or so had great articles about various devices (raspberry pi etc) and as we have an electrical engineer in the house, it could be doable and fun. On the other hand, if there is an off the shelf IP camera that actually works, it would be a good interim solution.

 

[DoFoT9]

The Synology product is certainly worth a look then, in my opinion. I have used it for some business projects. Works rather well, however I am not sure about the "save to cloud" feature unfortunately.

Synology Surveillance Tech

Recommended Synology Storage Device

You can use 1 camera for free, otherwise licensing for 4 cameras starts about $75USD

 

[deaddog]

Dropcam

Would a dropcam or dropcam pro not work for some reason? Really easy to set up, cloud storage, viewable from your phone and alerts can be set for different locations. I have one as our nanny cam and am very pleased with its performance and the cloud storage options.

 

[yourtoys7]

Dropcam here as well, storage little pricey, but over all simple, easy and does the job.

 

[Kentuckienne]

Thanks for all the advice - Dropcam Pro and Synology both look good, and Synology has some additional functionality for creating a personal cloud, it looks like. I have a hosted ftp site that might could use for file storage as well. Really appreciate the comments.