Advice on IP CCTV with cloud storage feature.

[LinkdJay]

I only need 1 CCTV camera for my temporary office. I am using a 4g router and this camera would be connected using Wifi.

I have checked on amazon and several sellers are offering CCTV with local storage on microSD card. I have only seen TP-link TAPO but most up-to-date pricing info does not seem to be easily accessible. If I understand their website correctly, then their basic plan is only available in few countries but not in India, and pricing is also not shown there.

Anyways I would just require cloud video storage for maybe max. 3 days.

So are there any other providers of this kind of service in India with cheap cloud storage plan?
I would also consider any diy method where the live video recording is auto transferred to, say, Gdrive or Onedrive (I dont think this might be possible).

 

[kartikoli]

I am using https://www.amazon.in/Imou-Weatherproof-Bullet-Detection-Microphone/dp/B08HDL3TW8 with home wifi and 16gb SD card, Your data is accessible on there app OR on desktop without any premium plan though if you want to download any clip then you need to pay. 16gb card is enough for a weeks backup and there human detection notifications are most helpful.

P.S. I'll sell this and buy a 4k resolution camera as my needs have changed but that does not change my love for this camera specially there reception of Wifi signals

 

[rsaeon]

TPLink's TAPO cameras record to a microSD card by default and recordings are available over the internet without a subscription through their mobile app, there is no desktop access/app.

The subscription is for rich notifications (with video/image), regular text notifications work without the plan. You can tap on the text notification to open the app and stream the video from the camera's memory card to your mobile device.

The more expensive cameras can do object detection in camera without a subscription plan, the less expensive cameras can do basic motion detection, also without a subscription plan.

 

[LinkdJay]

I am using https://www.amazon.in/Imou-Weatherproof-Bullet-Detection-Microphone/dp/B08HDL3TW8 with home wifi and 16gb SD card, Your data is accessible on there app OR on desktop without any premium plan though if you want to download any clip then you need to pay. 16gb card is enough for a weeks backup and there human detection notifications are most helpful.

P.S. I'll sell this and buy a 4k resolution camera as my needs have changed but that does not change my love for this camera specially there reception of Wifi signals

So my purpose for demanding a cloud storage solution is, suppose in a situation like if the CCTV gets stolen, I would still be able to access the recorded footage of the previous few days until the very point of the CCTV getting swiped by some infernal miscreant.

TPLink's TAPO cameras record to a microSD card by default and recordings are available over the internet without a subscription through their mobile app, there is no desktop access/app.

The subscription is for rich notifications (with video/image), regular text notifications work without the plan. You can tap on the text notification to open the app and stream the video from the camera's memory card to your mobile device.

The more expensive cameras can do object detection in camera without a subscription plan, the less expensive cameras can do basic motion detection, also without a subscription plan.

Am I able to access the recorded footage of previous few days from the app in an event where, suppose, the camera gets stolen? If yes, then will I be able to export this recorded footage from the app to, say, a USB drive or to my phone's physical storage?
The text notification feature is not as crucial for my use case, but certainly appreciated.

 

[rsaeon]

Am I able to access the recorded footage of previous few days from the app in an event where, suppose, the camera gets stolen?

Only if the thief connects the camera to the internet somehow. Remember, the app streams video from the memory card inside the camera, so the camera needs both power and internet.

However, if you have a wireless (battery-powered) TAPO camera, then the recordings are stored on the TAPO Hub, which is a separate device. So you'll still have access to the recordings even if someone steals the camera. If they then steal the hub, then you don't have access to the recordings. At that point, they might as well steal your wifi router, fridge and mango tree.

The recordings are MP4s that can be directly downloaded to your mobile device, they're stored in bursts of a few seconds up to 3 mins each.

 

[nando]

I am using the Tapo C120 camera since past 6 months, which I got from the US, I don't think they have launched this model in India.
Cloud subscription is definitely available in India as I can see the prices in the app. Currently I am using it with a 64GB microsd card and is set to record only when Person/Pet or Line crossing is detected, and it takes around 3months to fill the sdcard.
Here are the prices for the subscription
Basic - 7-Day Unlimited cloud storage, Rich notifications 1 device 249/month, 2399/yr
Premium - 30-Day Unlimited cloud storage, Rich notifications 1 device 319/month, 3149/yr

 

[lockhrt999]

I have only seen TP-link TAPO but most up-to-date pricing info does not seem to be easily accessible. If I understand their website correctly, then their basic plan is only available in few countries but not in India, and pricing is also not shown there.

TAPO subscription is available for India and I have used it. The INR subscription plans are visible through its app.

Let me know if you have any questions with TP link or CP-Plus cameras.

 

[LinkdJay]

Only if the thief connects the camera to the internet somehow. Remember, the app streams video from the memory card inside the camera, so the camera needs both power and internet.

So if I understand correctly, then this would mean that video footage is not stored on the cloud in realtime? Rather the recordings on the SD card are periodically sent to the cloud so that I can view them later.

So suppose, if the camera gets disconnected from internet at 3:00AM for whatever reason, I would not get to view the recordings upto 3:00AM on the app but rather only upto whenever the device decided to send its recordings to the cloud earlier.
Please correct me if I am understanding the whole process improperly.

I am using the Tapo C120 camera since past 6 months, which I got from the US, I don't think they have launched this model in India.
Cloud subscription is definitely available in India as I can see the prices in the app. Currently I am using it with a 64GB microsd card and is set to record only when Person/Pet or Line crossing is detected, and it takes around 3months to fill the sdcard.
Here are the prices for the subscription
Basic - 7-Day Unlimited cloud storage, Rich notifications 1 device 249/month, 2399/yr
Premium - 30-Day Unlimited cloud storage, Rich notifications 1 device 319/month, 3149/yr

TAPO subscription is available for India and I have used it. The INR subscription plans are visible through its app.

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Let me know if you have any questions with TP link or CP-Plus cameras.

Thanks a lot for the insight. I am predisposed towards the Basic monthly plan for 1 device. Any ideas why there is a difference between the pricing of lockhrt999 & nando

 

[rsaeon]

I probably should've made this clear earlier but I don't have a subscription so I have no idea how the cloud service works. Everything I've mentioned is about how the TAPO system works without a subscription.

 

[kartikoli]

Since you mentioned possibility of camera being stolen memory card option is useless as it will be gone along with the camera so in that case explore the option of uploading the feeds to NAS drive. if you are worried that someone might sole your NAS drive as well then cloud is the only option (I don't have a subscription so can't comment how it works as @rsaeon mentioned above)

 

[LinkdJay]

Since you mentioned possibility of camera being stolen memory card option is useless as it will be gone along with the camera so in that case explore the option of uploading the feeds to NAS drive. if you are worried that someone might sole your NAS drive as well then cloud is the only option (I don't have a subscription so can't comment how it works as @rsaeon mentioned above)

Yes. A Nas solution would be too expensive for my case. Cloud storage is the only option, since I cannot rely upon SD card in the event of theft. The deciding factor would be A. the pricing of the service and B. whether the service provides real-time cloud storage or not (this is more crucial and relevant feature for me).

I probably should've made this clear earlier but I don't have a subscription so I have no idea how the cloud service works. Everything I've mentioned is about how the TAPO system works without a subscription.

If you have the TAPO app, could you check whether the subscription price matches the one provided by @lockhrt999 or by @nando ?

 

[nando]

So if I understand correctly, then this would mean that video footage is not stored on the cloud in realtime? Rather the recordings on the SD card are periodically sent to the cloud so that I can view them later.

So suppose, if the camera gets disconnected from internet at 3:00AM for whatever reason, I would not get to view the recordings upto 3:00AM on the app but rather only upto whenever the device decided to send its recordings to the cloud earlier.
Please correct me if I am understanding the whole process improperly.




Thanks a lot for the insight. I am predisposed towards the Basic monthly plan for 1 device. Any ideas why there is a difference between the pricing of lockhrt999 & nando

iOS vs android pricing I guess

 

[LinkdJay]

iOS vs android pricing I guess

Makes sense. I assume you are on a iphone then since your pricing is tad higher.

 

[nando]

Makes sense. I assume you are on a iphone then since your pricing is tad higher.

Yeah Apple charges 30% for in-app subscriptions