Ok folks, Longtime and no postings. My apologies but a lot of drama with the NYC Dept. of Homeless Services, a commercial tenant signing and now an eviction. Also, my day job got hectic. However, I wanted to share two security cameras I use that are inexpensive but very effective. The first one is the Zmodo Mini Wifi Camera. I got it from Home Depot for about $35. It is a camera that requires being plugged in. It gives a decent picture and when I bought it, you had 24 hours of free cloud service. I use it in my basement. It serves its purpose. I can see what is going on in the basement at any time through its app on my IPhone. There is a website that you can view shots as well too. You do need Wi-Fi in the premises. Initial set up is a bit of a chore and customer service is slow. Don’t call in for help, you will be waiting for an hour and likely will be dropped. Use the chat and you will be ok. The camera does not move so make sure you put it in a good spot. But, I have had it for a year and no one notices it. For the price, it is a solid pickup for a limited function.
I also bought a Blink Camera system. I really wanted a good set of cameras for the common areas of the building but didn’t want to spend a lot. I was looking for a system that was wireless and battery operated. Blink checks all the boxes. In its basic package, you get three cameras and a base module for around $230. It records five second videos of any motion that comes in front of it. The videos are very high quality and are stored for free on the cloud. Like Zmodo, you need Wi-Fi and I would say you need a strong one for your entire building so you can use all three cameras. I found that one camera on the top floor(of a three story building) only works intermittently. Still, for the price, it is a great system. You can use the app from your phone or tablet. There is an outdoor camera but I have not used it yet. I will try it once I have a stronger Wi-Fi system.
I should say adding cameras make the tenants feel safer plus you can keep an eye on them. Tenants act differently when they know they are being watched. Of course, you can’t put the cameras in their apartments but the hallway is fine. Long story but a tenant caused a fire last year and I had no clue what was going on. I started looking into systems after that.