Recommendations for a church installation

[anderkh]

My church is having trouble with people dumping "donations" at some points around the property, and they want to start to monitor it and hopefully be able to talk to whomever is doing it (2 way audio). 2 cameras should cover those locations. We also think adding a doorbell at the side door makes sense since someone isn't always in the office these days.

The requirements are: no batteries to change (cameras will be high up, so risky to change), need to be wireless data, and they don't want to have any subscription fees.

I was thinking about a wired doorbell and 2 Arlo Pro 4's.

Can the Arlo Pro 4's be wired? Neither camera will be in a good location for direct sunlight. Since I bought Arlos previously there seems to be a lot of focus on battery.

I assume we can do 2 way communication on all 3 without a subscription, correct?

Lastly, I think a base station is not necessary, right?

Thanks for any input!

Ken

[StephenB · Accepted solution]

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@anderkh wrote:

Lastly, I think a base station is not necessary, right?

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Correct.  But if you want motion recordings, then you will either need a subscription or a smarthub (VMB4540 or VMB5000).  And if the cameras are far apart, you might need more than one smarthub.

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@anderkh wrote:

I assume we can do 2 way communication on all 3 without a subscription, correct?

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Yes.  Though lag can get in the way (I don't find the 2-way communication feature to be that useful myself). 

You can set up the system so that multiple people can access the cameras (using "friend" accounts.

• https://kb.arlo.com/000039122/How-do-I-add-friends-to-my-Arlo-account
• https://kb.arlo.com/1103229/What-privileges-do-my-friends-have-when-I-grant-them-access-rights-in-my...

But the doorbell makes a call when it is pressed, and that will need to be terminated in a particular Android or iOS mobile phone. That might get in your way if you have multiple staff members answering the door.

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@anderkh wrote:

 2 cameras should cover those locations.

The requirements are: no batteries to change (cameras will be high up, so risky to change), need to be wireless data, and they don't want to have any subscription fees.

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You can get an outdoor charger (which is a fully integrated adapter+25' cable).  The integration of the cable with the charger might make the installation a bit tricky.

The Pro 4 uses passive IR sensors (PIR), and have a detection range of about 20 feet.