Are there any doorbell cameras that work with no subscription? reddit / selfhosted ---------------------------------------------------------------------- notdoreen · 2023-12-22 19:51 I'm planning to set up a self-hosted home security system using a cheap IP camera system. It comes with 4 cameras, a hub with a HDD to record and fooage can via accessed via a webui. I want to add a doorbell camera to my security system. I don't expect it to work with this prebuilt system but would love something that still records and can be accessed from a phone/tablet without a paid subscription. Any advice? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- drachjc · 2023-12-22 20:04 I use a reolink doorbell with a Synology as NVR. Can put in an SD card and use the app directly standalone and/or stream video to your NVR. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- kinl99 · 2023-12-22 20:05 Aqara Doorbell G4 needs an account to setup but works completely without it and is e.g. HomeKit compatible. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thaery · 2023-12-22 20:06 I use a Skybell, Has apps for iOS and Android and has no monthly fee. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- thePZ · 2023-12-22 20:11 Reolink and Doorbird are the best options I’ve found ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nightmareFluffy · 2023-12-22 20:13 There are lots of them. I have one, forgot the model name, but I'm not going to recommend it anyway because it loses connection sometimes. But if you want to record it, you need to set up something to record the RSTP stream with something like Frigate, Blue Iris, or even the NVR you have with the existing system. Sometimes, it's just a matter of adding the IP address, username, and password, tweaking a few settings, and you're good to go. Even though you don't expect it to work with the prebuilt system, it might. If you just want an app to watch it, there are plenty of options available. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- andpassword · 2023-12-22 20:24 Blink doesn't require a subscription if you have a hub and USB drive. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Slight_Position_6852 · 2023-12-22 20:32 Tapo camera doorbell from to-link can work without subscription. I store the data on an SD card. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ChurchOfSatin · 2023-12-22 20:51 Some of the Eufy ones don’t have a subscription. And local storage. Check Amazon. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RoRoo1977 · 2023-12-22 20:53 Op said cheap 😂 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- AnApexBread · 2023-12-22 20:58 Wyze can save to SD cards ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nick_ian · 2023-12-22 21:17 Eufy products have worked pretty well for me. All locally stored data and no subscriptions. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- arriej · 2023-12-22 21:40 It might be a bit of an investment, but using ubiquity protect platform. They have doorbells, cameras and nvr's but you don't need any subscription after products are bought ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Murky-Sector · 2023-12-22 21:44 Ive got blink with no sub. Blink is very low end if thats a consideration for you. It suits my needs though cause I have a backup camera system. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- bshensky · 2023-12-22 22:02 Can vouch for Eufy. My brother got one, and then so did I. Have paid not one red cent for it post-install. Has been rock solid reliable too. I recently purchased a no-name brand for a family member off AliExpress. Cost around $40, and uses the reliable and popular "Tuya" app to get it configured. I did have to get a EU-to-US plug adapter tho. [https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805151940176.html](https://www.ali express.us/item/3256805151940176.html) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3DGKPOZ · 2023-12-22 22:11 Blink with the SYNC module and a USB stick works great. You can still use the mobile app to access the video on the USB stick too. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- JoeB- · 2023-12-22 22:11 If you have an existing wired doorbell, then this [EZVIZ WiFi Video Doorbell, Night Vision, Two-Way Talk, PIR Motion Detection, Weather Proof, 180° Vertical FOV, Free 3-hour Cloud Storage(DB1)](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JNWP5M2) may work for you. It uses the cloud, but does not require a subscription. With a bit of hacking, Sean Blanchfield, got it working with Home Assistant. He wrote up the process at [Deep Dive into the EZVIZ DB1 Doorbell with Home Assistant](https://seanblanchfield.com/2022/05/ezviz-db1-doorbell- deepdive-homeassistant). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Tailslide1 · 2023-12-22 22:13 I'm doing this too and it works pretty good. The big downside for me is the people detection built into the reolink is pretty bad.. I can either have false positives or miss packages at the door entirely. Thinking of maybe switching to frigate NVR with a google coral TPU if I have the time. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- M0kk44 · 2023-12-22 22:20 Netatmo :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- kearkan · 2023-12-22 22:31 After using tuya for a while for some other things... I wouldn't call it reliable. It's popular because they white label everything. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hungry_Apartment_964 · 2023-12-22 22:56 I uss frigate without a tpu with only the doorbell, works fine if that's your only device (as long as you have a mediocre cpu/gpu) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- eltigre_rawr · 2023-12-22 22:56 Ubiquiti G4 doorbell doesn't require a subscription ---------------------------------------------------------------------- rithotyn · 2023-12-22 23:09 I got some Blink products and went down the hub route. It's terrible. The quality is poor and it is so slow. My understanding is that it doesn't even save directly to the hub, it uploads to the cloud (which you don't have access to without the sub) then backs that up to the hub. Watching the clips that are on the usb always has a huge delay as well before they play. Get a notification of movement? By the time live view opens up, the thieves have already stolen all your shit, taken a dump in your toilet and made off. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Nextrati · 2023-12-22 23:10 The Kasa doorbell is great. No subscription and everything is written to the SD card. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hs82H · 2023-12-22 23:25 I use this doorbell with frigate and a coral TPU, but detection is very bad. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- hakube · 2023-12-23 00:29 you can get an rtsp stream from most cameras. many cameras have activity/motion detection. as well as line/boundry breach detection. combined with a few scripts and you can replicate it yourself. no third party solutions. happy to elaborate. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- speculatrix · 2023-12-23 00:43 I have the POE Reolink doorbell. I'm not using any people detection, and relying on the visitor to press the button. I have three other cameras covering the front. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mattzuba · 2023-12-23 01:09 Esp32 with Cam and ESPHome ---------------------------------------------------------------------- tacojuansdrivethru · 2023-12-23 01:25 Eufy and Arlo and blink and simplisafe. Tons of options out there. I'd be able to find more to list for you too if I googled it... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- IM_OK_AMA · 2023-12-23 01:59 It's terrible with the subscription too in case you were thinking of getting it ---------------------------------------------------------------------- guesswhochickenpoo · 2023-12-23 03:56 100% this. The Reolink doorbell is one of the best reviewed ones and integrates well with things like Home Assistant and just about anything else. It’s also on the cheaper side. The value proposition is basically unmatched. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- fuzz_64 · 2023-12-23 03:57 Blink camera with sync 2 module allows for recording to USB stick locally, playback easily through the app. My parents use it and love it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- tactical_flipflops · 2023-12-23 04:03 I got a Eufy and it has been awesome. No subscription. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dweebken · 2023-12-23 04:20 These want $$ for anything usable. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- newdaddy46052 · 2023-12-23 04:39 Please do elaborate… ---------------------------------------------------------------------- masilver · 2023-12-23 04:43 If you go with Eufy, make sure it's the new ones. I have an older model and it became unusable due to WIFi disconnects which required a hard power recycle. We are currently using a Kasa video doorbell. Cheap, yet decent product. No subscription fees. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- prairievoice · 2023-12-23 04:51 Reolink ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DevilsDesigns · 2023-12-23 05:01 Lorex home. I've been using it for years includes an SD card and an app for live transmission no subscription needed and reasonably priced. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ButterscotchFar1629 · 2023-12-23 05:38 Replying works with frigate. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- andvell · 2023-12-23 05:43 I have Tapo cameras they work without a subscription. The only detail is that I can not download the videos when I am not home, but I can watch them. With the subscription, it would upload to the cloud, and I would be able to download them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- AbleSugar · 2023-12-23 06:51 Amcrest ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Geminii27 · 2023-12-23 09:48 Any webcam? Unless you particularly want an external party involved in your home security, why buy from them? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- schol4stiker · 2023-12-23 10:03 Mine works like a charm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- aram535 · 2023-12-23 11:19 I use Eufy doorbell. It does use cloud to send you pictures and notifications (if you set it up and want it) but I can also just pull up the feed locally over my wifi - no internet connection required. No subscription. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Jammybe · 2023-12-23 11:56 Eufy Reolink. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Doudelidou25 · 2023-12-23 12:35 The protect bit doesn't require a subscription but as of right now, it requires a connection to the cloud services for remote access. ... [and last week they had a pretty gruesome security incident.](https://arstechnica.com/security/2023/12/unifi-devices- broadcasted-private-video-to-other-users-accounts/) I love my unifi stuff, but considering the sub we're in, it's worth pointing out. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- backwardsman0 · 2023-12-23 12:48 Hikvision doorbell ---------------------------------------------------------------------- arriej · 2023-12-23 12:56 Yeah that's fair to point out. But I also think most of these providers have been in the news because of some incident. Take the suggested Eufy camara's for example. [https://www.theverge.com/23573362/anker-eufy-security-camera-answers- encryption](https://www.theverge.com/23573362/anker-eufy-security- camera-answers-encryption) And If you’re not sure what you’re doing with UPnP and firewalls then Reolink might get you hacked. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Doudelidou25 · 2023-12-23 13:04 > But I also think most of these providers have been in the news because of some incident. For sure. My main gripe with protect is that while it's advertised as a local only solution, which it is for the most part, it has dependencies to the cloud that aren't upfront. There is no way to enable remote access without the cloud: access through a VPN won't work, and there's no easy way to just forward some ports either. Remote access in an important component for a security system, obviously so it relying on the cloud is a bit of a bummer for a local only solution. And the nature of the incident it self, which was granting total access to your *entire network* to a stranger is pretty bad. I understand some sort of security incident with a cloud service is to be expected, but mismatching users with entire accounts shouldn't even be possible. On my end, I made sure *remote access* was disable on my console so I'm not overly worried about it, but I am not a protect user. Protect users would lose their entire remote access functionalities by taking this precautionary measure. :| ---------------------------------------------------------------------- jantari · 2023-12-23 13:18 Why don't you just mount one of the cameras near your door? Whenever someone rings, check it. No need for a new doorbell. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ipullstuffapart · 2023-12-23 13:52 Dahua makes a great PoE video intercom that uses normal protocols like VoIP and rtsp. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- athorio · 2023-12-23 15:08 i think ubiquiti has some "free" solutions, but not sure where they store their videos.. Also i used QNAP NAS, but its limited which cameras and how many of them are free. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- hostetcl · 2023-12-23 15:08 I run Frigate with two reolinks and eight other cameras. The detection is excellent but you’ll need to spend some time tweaking the configuration parameters. When I started off I was getting a ton of false positives - not now though, it works great. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- middle_grounder · 2023-12-23 17:31 😂 Agonizingly accurate ---------------------------------------------------------------------- hakube · 2023-12-23 18:18 Sure. I used HikVision cameras (yeah yeah I know, but network security), that have several built-in features, such event triggers, like object removal and line-crossing. When an event is triggered, the camera would take a video of a few seconds before the event triggered and then ongoing. In my application, I used the built in ftp client to push the clip to a linux server with a simple node.js ftp server that received the file and metadata. It was then sent as an attachment to our private slack channels. That's the overview. The details are going to depend on your risk, setup and needs. System worked well. no hassle. simple and accessible. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TheDarthSnarf · 2023-12-23 19:40 Both Eufy, and Ubiquity come to mind. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CovertSolutions · 2023-12-23 19:46 Came here to say this. My Amcrest has worked great. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- andpassword · 2023-12-23 21:56 There is a delay. But no, it does not upload to the cloud without a subscription. It will just notify you, if you have no local storage, but it's true you can't see the clips. But put a flash drive (which I have many of) in the hub and it's stored there and you can access that with no subscription fees. I've never had more than 8-10 seconds delay. I'll admit they're not the fastest on the market. But dead easy to use, and reasonably priced. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- rithotyn · 2023-12-23 22:28 Yea I have a flash drive in the hub. My point is the cameras don't save directly to it. They go up to the cloud then sync down to the hub. If you don't have the sub, you can't access the cloud files but that's how it works and that's why it take so bloody long. I'm guessing accessing them on the hub also goes out via the cloud then back in because if it was genuine local access it wouldn't take over 10 seconds just to open the file. The price is low, but so is the quality. Definatley a false economy. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ifyouhaveghost1 · 2023-12-24 04:50 my amcrest DB works without a sub.. has a sd card that you can access via the app