this post was submitted on 14 Dec 2023
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[–] [email protected] 108 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (4 children)

There's a very good reason my cameras stay internal only and are blocked 100% from the internet. I can access them via the NVR with a Wireguard tunnel when I'm away from home if need be.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Same here; LAN only with a VPN to get into the LAN. There is no reason to send my camera feeds to another party. All that can come from that is trouble.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

What cameras/setup do you use (or just recommend)?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Currently using BlueIris to read/record streams from Ubiquiti IP cameras* set to run in standalone mode. I chose that software since it is a one-time purchase rather than something monthly; and chose the cameras as they were fairly inexpensive when I bought them (5ish years ago) and they supported power over ethernet, which makes running cables to them so much easier (just have to run a single ethernet cable to them, don't need to run a separate power cable).

I'll probably be redoing my setup in the future. Most notably swapping out BlueIris (Windows) for something Linux based as my trust in Microsoft has steadily declined.


*I do enjoy the irony of these being mentioned given the thread we are in. I at least have them banned from talking to the internet.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I never ran BlueIris as I couldn’t bear to install windows. For Linux try Frigate NVR.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I am still shocked that so many people are okay with cloud-based camera systems. It just seems like a security and privacy nightmare.

Granted, setting up a DIY NAS to host a server and store footage is a whole technical challenge for most people, but still...

[–] [email protected] 10 points 9 months ago

Thing is, Ubiquiti cameras aren't cloud based. At least not to the same extent. The authentication system is cloud based, but the controller and storage is local.

You can pay for several years of a cloud subscription for the cost of either a NAS or a Ubiquity storage server.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Ditto. "The Cloud" is just another name for somebody else's computer which you don't control

[–] [email protected] 17 points 9 months ago

As always, relevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/908/

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (3 children)

What cameras/setup do you use (or just recommend)?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

Reolink has always been a good choice. Very good hardware for the price and they support onvif on most devices, which you can then use however you like.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Reolink, Ubiquiti, Dahua, Amcrest, and Wyze. Nice thing about a third-party NVR is you can mix and match whatever is cheapest or best for a given spot. I'm currently using iSpy Agent for the NVR as it's runs nicely in docker. Then I layer Codeproject.AI over top for person detection rather than just generic motion alerts. I'm using a 2090 Ti GPU (which is WAY overkill but I got it for free) to make the AI detection very fast.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago

If you want cheap and good cameras: Some Annke cameras like the C800 are rebranded Hikvision models. Add a NVR like Frigate and you have a cheap and powerful local surveillance system.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 9 months ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Wyze users: first time?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (2 children)

What's the low down on this? I just bought a Eufy system thinking it was great because all the video storage is local.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/30/23486753/anker-eufy-security-camera-cloud-private-encryption-authentication-storage

https://www.theverge.com/23573362/anker-eufy-security-camera-answers-encryption

Basically there are instances where e2ee was promised but not actually present.

I believe that images sent alongside notifications may lack e2ee as well but am unsure.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Still remote access so... 🤷🏻‍♀️

[–] altima_neo 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

As a eufy user, now I don't feel so bad

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] altima_neo 3 points 9 months ago

I mean I still feel bad

Just not as bad.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 9 months ago (3 children)

If you can access the data, so can someone else.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 9 months ago

Yep, just confirmed there is no end-to-end encryption and that they can see anyone's cameras at any time (or anyone that compromised ubnt)

[–] [email protected] 18 points 9 months ago (2 children)

That's not true! I bet you can't see this comment cuz I'm real super sneaky on the security.

bFxPnS*Z4

Shit, I accidentally pasted my password into a comment again. Guys? How do you delete a password from a comment?

[–] [email protected] 29 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (3 children)

Hey, Lemmy's security works awesome! All I see is

'********

Hey, someone else try posting their password here to see if it works!

[–] [email protected] 34 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago

Yup. Works!

How about mine: hunter3

[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Jokes on you, my password is just 8 asterisks... Wait crap.

Brb changing all my passwords.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

Actually, it's a best practice to not reuse passwords, so any site would block you from reusing one! You're fine.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (2 children)

hunter2 jokes aside, that's a pretty good password.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

Not anymore.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

Thank you! I launched NordPass and generated it just for the bit!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 months ago (3 children)

The only safe data is data that no one can access, including yourself?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago

Best place to start if you're taking security seriously; Implementing file encryption for example has to start with "I would rather that I myself potentially lose access to this data than for it to possibly fall into another person's hands."

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

When I lose things it's almost always because I've put them in a safe place. Safe from me!

But yeah it's really about factoring in likelihood and opportunity. I think it helps to compare physical and digital spaces. If you have a CCTV system, then anyone could watch the monitors and see what's happening - however they'd have to get into the building, find their way to the secure room, log in to the system, etc. When something is online it creates better opportunity for surreptitious access and also greater likelihood in terms of the number of people who could potentially come across it. While in the physical space you might get away with having staff control access during the day and locking the door at night, online you have to have far more robust security measures to achieve the same level of safety.

So it's maybe better to say: the easier it is for you to access data, the easier it is for someone else to.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago