Page 3 - Newsletter_September_2026

Basically, most ‘off the shelf’ systems do what the manufacturer wants – not always what you want. Plus, they
hold your data, and I don’t trust ‘them’. Their systems could be transmitting sound and/or pictures more than
you realise. Maybe for most people this might not be an issue, but if they won’t be clear on how they use your
data, I’m not going to send them anything. I did have an Arlo system years ago, but I wasn’t impressed when the
camera required a hard reboot and the staff their didn’t consider this a real problem!

There are all sorts of technical features you may want –

Still images vs video
PIR type motion detection vs ‘picture’ differences vs ‘always on’

Transmission of images/videos to recorder
Plus, lots more, and each manufacturer would make you believe that their system is best.

You have probably heard about Raspberry Pis and MotionEyeOS before – if not from me than from Mick. Mo-
tionEyeOS is no longer being actively developed, but it is still working!!

I had two internal cameras and one external and these all-recorded images (didn’t bother with video – kept
things small and quick) and directly uploaded to my Google Drive.

Originally, I had the systems email me when changes occurred – but there were just too many emails.
One of the PIs was a tiny PI ZeroW that hung in a window.
Wyze is a company that offers a ‘full’ CCTV service – but I really only wanted their camera.