[mavrc]

> Anyone who can connect a device to their wireless network, run a program, and forward a port can get equivalent functionality

I am very capable of all of those things and I don't agree.

To install a camera on my porch somewhere, I'd need first to run power to it, which is a difficult proposition that would probably mean I need to hire an electrician to do it right, as I'm not confident at all in my ability to properly do electrical wiring in places where it needs to be properly weatherproofed. And adding electrical to a near-as-makes-no-difference 80 year old house would look pretty hideous. Then, need to set up a server with redundant spinny storage and offsite backup, which, while not being terribly expensive these days, isn't particularly cheap either. And I don't even know how to begin approaching the mobile app notification issue. Doable, I'm sure, but does Blue Iris have notifications and remote access for viewing built in?

Or, alternatively, I paid $160 for a Ring doorbell and installed it in place of my existing doorbell in an hour or so.

I wish I had more control over it, and I _really_ wish they had an open public API. But at the same time, from a time/money investment point of view, getting the Ring was an obvious move.

[chaostheory]

Yes, wiring is the most complicated part of any outdoor video security setup. Since you can't avoid wires, even with wireless cams (unless you opt for battery operated cams like Arlo), it's just easier to use PoE so you won't need an electrician.

[dhimes]

For anybody else like me out there, PoE means Power over Ethernet.

http://www.veracityglobal.com/resources/articles-and-white-p...

[Mister_Snuggles]

I kind of cheated for my cameras. I simply put them in the window next to the front door and hid the power cable in the adjacent closet.

Because they're behind glass, using the built-in IR illumination is out of the question. Instead I use an LED bulb outside to provide light for the camera to see even in day mode.

It's not ideal by any measure, but it works OK enough.

If it were an option, I'd run PoE to proper outdoor cameras.