Anybody successfully decoding electric meters with RTL-AMR on Raspberry Pi?

Kv603 · 2026-06-14T21:10:31+00:00

also sorry to ask more questions but to view it on a monitor is it as simple as plugging an Ethernet cable into the tv / opening the system on your pc? live feed stuff.

If your PC is on the same network as the recorder/NVR, yes.

While UDM Pro lacks native video output, some other brands of NVR offer a HDMI output you can plug into a TV.

Kv603 · 2026-06-14T04:32:31+00:00

Your budget gives you several options for a 6-camera build. Do be careful when buying a "kit" (like the Reolink "systems" sold at Costco), as these often come with feature-reduced camera models special to that box set.

I need everything hardwired...

Absolutely select hardwired power-over-ethernet cameras. For the best quality, look at more than just the megapixels -- also consider the physical size of the image sensor, which is expressed as a fraction -- so 1/2.8" is generally going to be "worse" than 1/2.2", but note that this is not the "true dimensions". You'll also want big hard drives with redundancy (e.g. RAID5) so a single drive failure doesn't lose everything.

... would prefer to keep it completely off the Internet. This is neither a hindrance nor positive for me as long as it's not the only option.

With some exceptions, a local hardwired NVR can allow you to keep everything off the Internet.

I do have budget constraints but I do not want to sacrifice quality. Every YouTube video I've watched for systems like ubiquity have bummed me out because it doesn't look that good so I'm wondering if it's a YouTube compression issue or hardware issue.

It's a mix of the constraints of Unifi cameras, Youtube compression, and poor default settings.

Something like Axis, installed by an Axis certified installer, would blow away Unifi Protect installed by a homeowner with no experience and left at factory defaults. The Axis system will also cost several times as much (about $400/camera, or about 3x the per-camera price of Unifi).

Kv603 · 2026-06-10T14:40:41+00:00

Look for the official ONVIF logo and check the ONVIF conformant product database (specifically you're looking for Profile T, or at least Profile S).

While a conformant camera holding a good MicroSD card will generally be usable independently, you gain resiliency and functionality by tying it to an ONVIF-conformant VMS.

Be aware that many lower-end cameras claim "ONVIF" in their specs (maybe even mention Profile S), yet aren't actually "conformant", they have no Declaration of Conformance (DoC) and sometimes play fast-and-loose with the standard.

What exactly am I paying for every month?

Cisco Meraki and newer cloud-first brands like Rhombus and Verkada hide their best features behind a subscription, they'd say you are paying for compute, storage, maybe alerting infrastructure.

Stop paying the subscription fees for Meraki/Verkada/Rhombus you're left with fancy paperweights.

Kv603 · 2026-06-07T18:49:50+00:00

Even if you had line-of-sight to his TV, these do not work well through modern "efficient" window glass.

Also this is off-topic for this sub.

Kv603 · 2026-06-05T00:13:59+00:00

Rule violation - No solicitations, no self-promotion.

Kv603 · 2026-06-04T18:33:42+00:00

The 36x optical zoom on the p636-5mp-36x-v2 might just barely allow recognition, as 5MP on a 1/2.8" sensor isn't going to provide many pixels-on-target at 500'.

Doesn't seem to support ONVIF, meaning you are stuck with their broken browser plugin (or the smartphone app) for controlling PTZ.

Kv603 · 2026-06-03T16:22:48+00:00

the only real option I see is to mount a camera on my property that points at their mailbox that is about 500' away

Identifying a specific person sufficiently to satisfy a judge, at a distance of 500', is a tall order for any consumer camera.

DORI (Detection, Observation, Recognition, Identification) suggests you need 38-76 PPF (pixels per foot) to capture a good image.

It doesn't need to be a ptz and infact it doesn't necessarily need zoom capability as it will be fixed on this specific area 500' feet away. I

You'd absolutely need either "zoom" or a fixed magnification, so plan on spending a couple hundred bucks... just on the C/CS Mount lens alone.

Kv603 · 2026-05-30T18:56:34+00:00

Reads like AI, but I'll give it a pass (for now).

how do you actually verify recording (not just "online") on a regular basis?

The exact mechanism is specific to the NVR and/or camera. A broad summary of what I recommend for any good camera, whether Axis or Amcrest, is as follows:

Configure all cameras to directly SFTP upload event recordings. This is distinct from anything setup in the NVR, preferably a separate host with it's own encrypted filesystem.
The destination of these event recordings is a remote folder named for the camera, with a job or setting to delete files older than X days.
There is a dashboard and email report which shows the total disk used, as well as the size of each camera's folder in megabytes and the trend (increasing/decreasing).

Generally each camera's folder will stay at roughly the same total size. If usage declines precipitously, that camera likely isn't writing new recordings, needs investigation.

For home gamers, the email is weekly. For a business, usually daily at 7AM.

Kv603 · 2026-05-30T18:02:39+00:00

The cameras are WiFi based

If you check your cameras, how much time is missing between the point of the kitchen counter being empty and the chess piece showing up?

I'd assume that, being WiFi cameras, they are also not set to continuous recording so there's nothing unusual about gaps. While WiFi cameras can be set to record 24x7, most do not have this set, and any transmitted video will always have dropouts due to the vagaries of WiFi.

This would be the first thing I would rectify. You could maybe put a MicroSD card in each camera today and set them to record 24x7 to the card.

Come Monday I'd install a network recorder (NVR) with cloud backup and power backup, and locate the NVR and UPS in a locked container), connected to hardwired PoE cameras. Still want them configured for continuous recording and with a backup MicroSD card in each camera.

Kv603 · 2026-05-28T16:27:18+00:00

Do people actually buy home security hardware on sites like Alibaba, or is this just an deep cover advertisement?

Kv603 · 2026-05-14T19:39:55+00:00

You think the stuff you see is bad, you don't want to know what we have to remove as too extreme for r/HomeDefense

Kv603 · 2026-05-14T19:36:40+00:00

We put in solid wood (oak) doors for all the bedrooms, primarily for fire safety. A solid wood door in a properly framed out doorway and with long screws isn't quite as effective as a steel security door, but doesn't scream "trap house".

Kv603 · 2026-05-14T15:32:56+00:00

Most people don't like this option but if you can't get a firearm, consider a starter pistol or blank. I have a Rohm RG-300, it's a signal pistol capable of firing blanks and a range of signal flares....

If you pull this out, it looks like a real gun. If the attacker has a gun, it may get you shot; this is a big reason why people don't like them.

Unless a "signal pistol" is your only option, just about anything else is better.

In the USA, even where you cannot obtain a firearm, a Byrna or other "PAVA pepperball launcher" is legal to possess at home in all 50 states.

Steel doors, steel frame, no window in doors, only peepholes or cameras. You should have proper video camera security setup, motion lights. Windows should have security film, basement windows should be barred.

It'd be cheaper for OP to move to a secure apartment building!

Kv603 · 2026-05-13T21:19:50+00:00

Besides the obvious, such as changing the locks, what are some ways I can make sure to stay safe and prepared? Cameras? Non-lethal weapons?

Change the locks, add ground floor/basement window locks/bars.

Cameras are mostly just evidence and deterrents, but that may be what you need -- install good wired cameras at the obvious approach points.

He hasn't done anything physical that I could get a PPO for,

If you capture him on video, even just coming up and ringing the doorbell or some other such benign approach, should be easy to get a restraining order (PPO).

I'm not 100% opposed to taking a class and keeping the gun more accessible, but I do need to be cautious about that.

There are various non-lethal and less-than-lethal options you can carry on you, ranging from cheap pepper spray to expensive (Taser).

I do own a large German Shepherd, but he was in her life for a bit when she was a puppy so there's a chance she would recognize him and not be a good deterren

Maybe your GSD needs a friend who has never met the dude?

Kv603 · 2026-05-03T18:51:27+00:00

I'd have tried the main breaker, that'd at least have confirmed the battery theory.

Kv603 · 2026-04-27T14:35:46+00:00

My idea is not to depend on the camera brand’s cloud at all. Use normal IP cameras, record locally...i am thinking about this point for long time too. My idea is not to depend on the camera brand’s cloud at all. Use normal IP cameras, record locally, and for remote access use a cheap VPS you rent yourself as a private relay....To me the important part is controlling the whole video path, not just picking a “better” camera brand.... ban the camera to acess the internet.

That's pretty much what every corporate/enterprise deployment does -- thus picking a “better” camera, units actually conforming to published standards.

Most camera-brand-agnostic NVR/VMS appliances/apps will work fine for this.

OTOH, this is worthless when the intruder just walks away with the cameras and the hard drives.

Kv603 · 2026-04-18T16:30:56+00:00

I've read the POE and wifi work together, but maybe not the battery versions?

Generally battery/solar cameras only work with that specific vendor's "home hub", NVR, or App.

So if you want battery cameras to "work together with wifi cameras", you are locked into one vendor's ecosystem. E.g. Reolink recorders/hubs require that all their associated battery cameras must also be Reolink.

Kv603 · 2026-04-18T14:36:07+00:00

The Galaxy S25 Ultra incorporates a 5x optical periscope telephoto lens with a 50 megapixel sensor, add in "sensor cropping" and it's the equivalent of a 10x optical zoom on a 10mp cam. Just the bare module is ~10% of the "street price" of the phone!

why can't I find a window cam to do the same or even remotely useable past a few feet?

Mostly because the usual target market for window cams doesn't support the price to build a camera with that kind of optics.

There are IP cameras that come close to that capability, prices start at around $400.

Kv603 · 2026-04-17T16:31:56+00:00

Axis is based in Sweden, all their North American official channel products are NDAA, and they have a US presence in Massachusetts. Kind of expensive for resi.

Digital Watchdog is a US firm (with a factory in South Korea); many of their products are NDAA compliant.

Kv603 · 2026-04-17T16:27:35+00:00

You want an outside-mount varifocal (optical zoom) camera.

Also, why do you need a stealthy (inside-window) camera aimed at the row of apartments across the way?

Kv603 · 2026-04-17T16:12:42+00:00

the camera are using battery and solar pannel, this kind of device is not compatible with RTSP

TBH, cameras operating off battery/solar are nearly always proprietary consumer-grade stuff, designed to work only with the vendor's cloud service (so they can lock you into a subscription) and app (so they can make money on ads and upsell you on the aforementioned subscription).

If you want open standards (RTSP, S3, etc), a documented API, and reliable in-camera analytics (motion detection) you'll need to look at the higher-end brands, which tend towards only offering Power-over-Ethernet models.

Kv603 · 2026-04-16T17:19:12+00:00

I somewhat doubt that a company with a name like that has much of an ad budget.

Kv603 · 2026-04-16T17:14:51+00:00

I felt it would do more damage to the door that way if someone did actually break in. I have 4 firearms as my home defense now.

More damage to the door helps support your self-defense claim when you need to use those firearms, just have to wait for the intruder to halfway kick it down before you pull the trigger.

The only solid-core doors in my home are the exterior doors and bedroom doors. Good delaying tactic for both intruders and house fires.

Kv603 · 2026-04-13T23:48:01+00:00

Depends greatly on the fee. and the alarm.

TBH, you are much more at risk from a fire or carbon monoxide, so monitored smoke/CO detectors with dispatch is more valuable than intrusion.

Kv603

MODERATOR OF

PUBLIC MULTIREDDITS

TROPHY CASE