We have
1 Honeywell Skybell Doorbell Camera
3 EZVIZ C3WN exterior 1080p wifi cameras.
1 EZVIZ C6CN interior camera that is only powered on while we are away.
plus a rock solid security system designed by me (it was my industry) covering 16 windows in our home, plus three motions and fire.
Total cost under $1000 and no monthly fees but again, this was my occupation, so took the best of my knowledge and did it for a fun project as we live in an area where break in is not a concern, yet, wow, great piece of mind and undefeatable
With that said, it all comes down to what you want to spend. The EZVIZ exterior C3WN is a super simple INEXPENSIVE, reliable, killer easy to hook up, great app to view camera. The catch is for night vision, the IR will somehow attract bugs even though you cant see the light creating lots of false recordings and of course when it rains but this would be common with an IR night vision cameras, I leave the IR off, as I have also motion triggered spot lights, so the spot lights turning on trigger the cameras.
The day vision is outstanding, the wifi reliability is outstanding. There is no recorder, it records video clips on motion, saves it to a micro sd card, you access through an app on your phone or home computer.
Ok the downside is EZVIZ is actually a division of world famous HikVision which is why I purchased them. HiVision is one the worlds leader in commercial video, problem is as you might know, also a company in China that now, government offices here will no longer allow their equipment in government buildings, spying concerns. I honestly cant say if I would still purchase these cameras for my home but I do like them very much.
You will need to run a power line, personally I would never install a battery operated camera. Long term for me means a power line. I have installed soooo many cameras (not this brand though) Honeywell and Alarm.com wi-fi cameras as well as Honeywell DVR cameras, running wires, more so a thin low voltage wire is always doable.
The Honeywell Slim Skybell Camera is a nice doorbell camera, good super clear video as good as the EZVIZ cameras. Honeywell did have some issues with motion recording on these cameras (as any manufacturer) things is they because less sensitive in hot weather as the camera can not "see' the body heat of a person as well. I knew enough about this camera to call Honeywell Tech Support, they actually uploaded to my camera remotely a beta of new firmware, it is MUCH improved, this was well over a year ago and very happy with this camera, personally I have installed hundreds of them on homes.
Ok, now here is an issue with many wifi cameras that only record clips on motion, but its not really a problem just be aware. Most of these cameras use "contrast: to detect motion, so you will have a lot of recorded clips lets say when even a cloud passes over, as the camera see the change in light as motion. Its doesnt matter, but some camera makers advertise these things are motion alarms, Ummm no way, the thing would be going off every second.
Being non wifi DVR cameras record all the time, motion or not, its not an issue but if you think about it, either way you will have video is someone comes in range of the camera.
The recording options on the EZVIZ are very robust. Again, all these cameras take some commitment to properly set up.
In an ideal world a combination of contrast motion recording and passive motion recording would be perfect, but there are not many out there.
I need to comment on Simply Safe, to me, its play stuff, though its not bad but its not going to stop a career junky from breaking into a home, heck almost no system will but the fault for me for the Simply Safe IS Simply This.
Anyone with any knowledge can enter a Simply Safe home, the countdown timer starts and if you are good and find the cone unit right away, just pick it up and throw it in the refrigerator. This will prevent the wireless cell unit from sending a signal to central station as the refrigerator is lined with metal, its stops cell signals! Try it with your own cell phone. So if you are using a Simply Safe System you should always set the system to "instant" and remember to turn it off before you enter your home.
Reading reviews online from national review sites such as CNET ect is a joke and reminds me how dumb reporters are now a days. People actually think these sites know what they are talking about. They are pushing products, its all fake news.
I wonder if any of them tell you that if you turn your alarm system on at night, anyone can enter your home through a window and rob you without the system going off, because most people are too cheap to purchase window contacts for EACH window, that is all ok IF you only care about a break-in while you are away and have at least 2 motion detectors in the home.
There is a MUCH MUCH better system on the market, their marketing just isnt as good as Simply Safes but the other company is much, much, much more professional equipment, costing about the same and same cost for monitoring . However it should be mounted on a wall, at least my feelings ..
https://www.covesmart.com/home-rsos...msclkid=b4154541526a1c1f30de1a465da73319
I have not tested this system ^^^ just my thoughts