Outside camera

[Marauder2003]

[DaveInOroValley]

Usually not. The card has to be inserted directly into the PC or inserted into an adapter that is inserted. Unless the camera is easily removed and has the ability to connect to a PC like a game camera.

The other alternative is that if the camera saves images to the cloud then you just view off your device that you use to connect to the web.

[Marauder2003]

Which explains the anger my old neighbor has. What sense does it make to put in removable storage if you have to climb a ladder and unscrew a cover to get to it?

Usually not. The card has to be inserted directly into the PC or inserted into an adapter that is inserted. Unless the camera is easily removed and has the ability to connect to a PC like a game camera.

The other alternative is that if the camera saves images to the cloud then you just view off your device that you use to connect to the web.

[WoodTurner]

SD card for video backup sounds like a decent feature. There might be a way to setup the camera to record to a network device. Hard to know without more info.

[mrkubota]

The wifi cameras I set up record to an SD chip and overwrite the oldest files if space runs out. I can download any particular file to my phone or pc as needed.

[ibanezfoo]

I had Amcrest cams in CA. Ran Blue Iris on a small Intel NUC PC.

Old neighbor wants a camera using Wi-Fi. I can’t answer his question. If a camera had an SD card can the SD contents be viewed on a PC while the card is still in the camera?

I had to help some old people with something similar. They didn't have internet where the camera was so there was no way to use a Blink or Eufy or whatever and they didn't want to spend money on one of the cell equipped cameras.

What we ended up doing was using a game camera that has wifi connectivity. Obviously they didn't want to have to climb up and down ladders messing around with memory cards. With wifi there is an app they use to connect directly to the camera with their phone or tablet and then could view the pics or video and delete, download, email, whatever. Worked fine for their needs. There are tons of trail cams that do this now.

[JDHCA]

Check out Wyze. I use their cameras. I have cards in them, but you can pay a little extra, and they back up stuff online, too. You can playback from the phone app. They don't have it set up for PC yet. I have their new ones in the front windows. At night you can't use the infrared because it reflects back but they're good enough you don't need the infrared anyway and you can shut it off. Having them inside protects them and there's usually a plug nearby. They're WiFi so no hard wiring is needed.

I also have 2 Ring cameras outside on the roof. I got the solar kit, so they don't have to be hard wired. (Also WiFi).

[OlderThanDirt]

Check out Wyze. I use their cameras. I have cards in them, but you can pay a little extra, and they back up stuff online, too. You can playback from the phone app. They don't have it set up for PC yet. I have their new ones in the front windows. At night you can't use the infrared because it reflects back but they're good enough you don't need the infrared anyway and you can shut it off. Having them inside protects them and there's usually a plug nearby. They're WiFi so no hard wiring is needed.

I also have 2 Ring cameras outside on the roof. I got the solar kit, so they don't have to be hard wired. (Also WiFi).

Wyze also has a firmware upgrade that allows RTSP streaming to an NVR. This avoids storing video at the camera, or surrendering control of your video to an online service.

[mshill]

I have two Amcrest wireless cameras outside. With 128GB uSD cards recording continually I can record a little more than 2 days before it gets overwritten. Most wireless cameras will allow you to download clips recorded on the media.

That being said, there are two caveats, SD card technology has limited write lifetime so they can be worn with continuous recording AND (at least in the Amcrest case) the software is kind of sucky.

[Marauder2003]

Friend went with one of these. He seems happy so far. Says it was surprisingly easy to set up.

https://smile.amazon.com/WOOLINK-Wireless-Security-Surveillance-Detection/dp/B09WDF65MR

[DaveInOroValley]

Friend went with one of these. He seems happy so far. Says it was surprisingly easy to set up.

https://smile.amazon.com/WOOLINK-Wir.../dp/B09WDF65MR

We have one as well in our backyard. It works fine and if needed the SD card is pretty accessible. Their major thing is they want a paid cloud account for easy image access.

The phone and or iPad app works without any major headaches and you can live scan through the app and format the SD card as well.

It is you get what you pay for item but it's inexpensive. The other caveat is that you usually have to add a gooseneck adapter so that it isn't shrouded in your outdoor fixture unless the fixture is fairly open.

The included SD card failed pretty quick but I had a nice one sitting around and it's been fine now.The included one is definitely not something to rely on.

[OlderThanDirt]

We have one as well in our backyard. It works fine and if needed the SD card is pretty accessible. Their major thing is they want a paid cloud account for easy image access.

The phone and or iPad app works without any major headaches and you can live scan through the app and format the SD card as well.

It is you get what you pay for item but it's inexpensive. The other caveat is that you usually have to add a gooseneck adapter so that it isn't shrouded in your outdoor fixture unless the fixture is fairly open.

The included SD card failed pretty quick but I had a nice one sitting around and it's been fine now.The included one is definitely not something to rely on.

Have you checked your router to see where this camera is sending data? At a minimum I suspect AWS, but it could be China as well. Aside from providing more data to Big Bro, opening a portal into your network is not an ideal situation.

[SharedShots]

Yes it can. It depends on the firmware of the camera and if it's storage (SD Card) is discoverable via the network (WiFi or otherwise). Often, this is not possible because the files on the storage (SD Card) is being written to and is locked from access during that time. The procedure is then to stop the recording and then the files become accessible.

It is no different than reading the contents of a SD Card in a tablet, smartphone or other device like a computer when that SD Card is inserted and being used. SD cards are just storage like hard disks or anything else holding data for the device. It comes down to the firmware and if that firmware allows the access.

Many Amcrest cameras allow access to the files on the SD Card while it's still in the camera.

For your neighbor, one of the easiest ways to get them setup is Simplisafe. They have a very good outdoor camera that runs on the wifi network but also communicated via the mobile data network if the wifi is down. They an view the camera as well as the stored data if they choose and pay for that option. Its super simple to use (really) and is very reliable. They are both battery and USB powered, and the battery power lasts quite a long time, at least a month in my experience.

I don't use them for security but place them in relatives (seniors) homes and use them as video conferencing since they have two-way audio. They are some of the most trouble free cameras I've used. While they are designed for use outdoors, they can be used anywhere and the big plus is that you can have just one account and put the cameras in remote locations, even in another city and they work.

Amcrest cameras are decent and work best with their VDR systems and once setup properly are trouble-free in my experience but its the setup that can be a real PITA. The CS is good but their UI is arcane and has a haphazard design style to it.

If you neighbor can use their smartphone to send an email they can use Simplisafe outdoor cameras and if they have trouble, a phone call gets them all setup.






.

[DaveInOroValley]

Have you checked your router to see where this camera is sending data? At a minimum I suspect AWS, but it could be China as well. Aside from providing more data to Big Bro, opening a portal into your network is not an ideal situation.

Isolated to a guest network only can't transmit out.