Comment by kevinsync | Hacker News Reader

Comment by kevinsync | Hacker News Reader

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I'm having great success with half a dozen v3's in tandem -- for $30 a camera, the quality is really unbeatable -- setup / notes below.

1. all cameras (firmware v4.36.9.139) have 64gb+ micro SD cards and record to local storage -- many people seem to have issues with anything greater than 32gb in v3's but I've found that this Verbatim tool [0] formats FAT32 at high capacity with no problems

2. all cameras have wz_mini_hacks [1] on the SD card with RTSP enabled

3. all cameras are connected via ethernet instead of wifi using this adapter [2] and wz_mini_hacks config

4. network blocks all outgoing internet connections for all cameras to keep them LAN-only -- this means I have to connect to VPN to review video when outside the house, but I'm cool with that

5. all RTSP streams are also recorded over the network via Agent DVR [3] to a NAS

6. the Wyze app (free tier, not paid) works normally with all of the above in place -- I find it much more intuitive to review recent videos in-app (streamed off the SD card), and then review the very occasional older video from a computer off the NAS (scrubbing through in VLC on a computer)

For what it's worth, I don't use them like a Ring camera where you're responding to realtime video events / talking through the camera to a delivery person -- this is mostly just for 24/7 recording. I have all object/motion detection events turned off, just a straight uninterrupted feed recording local and on the network.

Links:

0. https://www.verbatim.com/index/search.php?words=fat32+tool

1. https://github.com/gtxaspec/wz_mini_hacks

2. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5X9795

3. https://www.ispyconnect.com/docs/agent/about

Something else I forgot to mention -- when you add the cameras to your network, give them a static DHCP lease by MAC address in your router (separate ones, for both wifi and ethernet if applicable)

If you don't and IP addresses cycle, your RTSP stream URLs will change and your recording software will just consider the camera disconnected. The Wyze app sometimes will get confused too (with ethernet in particular, if IP addresses change), and rebooting the cameras sometimes means physically cycling power if you don't know where it's at in your network. Better to just reserve a specific IP up front, write it down, and never think about it again.

I also use a lot of these types of crappy smart plugs [0] throughout the house (as well as starting to replace some with actual wifi outlets [1] for aesthetics) and it's actually really useful to be able to force a power cycle on certain things from my phone.

Links:

0. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LXGHR5X

1. https://www.amazon.com/KP200-Outlet-Required-Control-Certifi...

This is really awesome. Thanks for the links. I'm done with everything iot cloud, even though it takes a bit more work on the home server upkeep side.

This is highly helpful, thank you! Was wanting to build something like this.

Do you have any Wyze cams outdoors, but under cover of a porch? Or are they indoor only?

They’re all outdoors, although at least partially covered by something (roof overhang, gutter, etc). The cameras themselves aren’t truly waterproof and do have a “grill” cut into the back panel for the internal speaker, but since I don’t use them for 2-way audio, you can seal that off with rubber cement, flexseal, rubber tape, etc. Mine have been fine in all four seasons.

That said, all the modifications and tinkering is definitely less turn-key than some people prefer, but I’m a glutton for punishment haha

I have some V3s outside, somewhat covered by a rain gutter. They definitely get wet when the rain comes down sideways. Never had a problem.

I did this for a long time and then realized I was dealing with a lot of bugginess where I'd have to restart cameras, things were wired to wall warts, etc, all to save just a few bucks. I got some cheap poe cameras off Amazon with built in rtsp and its been great.

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