I have a number of cameras on my property (12 and counting), I use cheap cameras from China and put them on a separate lan that is blocked from sending data outside of the network and can't be accessed from outside the lan either. Then I have a blueiris server running on my main lan (I use a ubiquity edge router) where I have the rest of the machines. The BlueIris server has access to the camera lan to get the data off it, and lets me see the cameras wherever I am. I have a mix of cameras but mostly the S3VC cameras you can get off Amazon, they are inexpensive and are decent quality. This lets me feel relatively safe, but still use the inexpensive cameras without spending a ton.

As for doorbell camera specifically. I had setup a Pi with facial recognition which you can find as packages online. It is fairly easy to setup and works pretty well, but I dropped it in the end and just put up good quality door camera attached to the blueiris server. You can set alerts on the BI server to tell you when someone is at the door, pretty easy to setup and minimize false triggers.

This post reminds me heavily of "Show HN: Dropbox"'s comment section. Not in a bad way, I just find it really amusing.

How powerful does the BlueIris server have to be / what kind of drives do you use for persisting video temporarily/permanently?

My BI machine (I assembled) is based on an Intel I5-8600k 3.6g with 16Gb of Ram, 6 cores with a decent graphics card. I have spinning disks for long term storage (4 TB) but ssd (1 TB) for OS and temp storage.

The CPU sits around 50-60% all day with 8Gb or ram used with the camera grid display on. If I stop the local display it drops the CPU usage pretty dramatically. The key is the record direct to disk setting which reduces the CPU cycles and makes it nice. I also record with pretty high frame rates & resolutions, my lowest frame rate is around 16 fps with most set at 24 fps or so (depends on the camera generally, door & pool cameras are highest).

How many cameras are you running?

12 and I still have a few to add. At some point I will have to either upgrade my BI server CPU or split the camera's likely.

Thanks! I've been thinking about doing something like this with maybe 4 or 5 cameras. But I was hoping I could do it on a low energy consumption platform, like a Pi. Your info at least tells me I need something a bit more powerful (and of course Windows based).

I've been looking at doing this. Thanks for the details!

I just bought a few Annke 4k cameras, which afaict are rebranded Hikvision, and set up a Blue Iris box.

The cameras are on an isolated VLAN with no access out. Last I checked, they weren't trying to phone home.

The cameras are cheap, durable, and have excellent day and night vision.

I know you said you didn’t like ring, but sometimes it’s worth paying for the convenience of not having to maintain. Most of us spend all day working, the last thing I want to do is start debugging my security system. It’s similar to how mechanics always have broken cars or housekeepers have a dirty home.

Is anyone not using Blue Iris? I was hoping to find a freeware solution. Also, is the $70 for Blue Iris a one time payment or annual?

Cameras certified under Apple's "HomeKit Secure Video" are probably good in terms of data policies. Don't know how they compete in terms of features.