I've been told countless times by banks and stores that I should not click on links that are in emails, since those emails might be fraudulent.
Yet every email I get from my banks has links in them!
I am not a rube -- I know to check any links from emails to make sure that the links go to something like chase.com. But still, WTF, banks!
Hey banks! Stop using links in your emails if you are going to lecture your customers over and over that they should never click on links in emails!
A friend asked me about IP cameras, or surveillance cameras. He wanted to put one outside to monitor package deliveries, and also wanted to use a solar panel instead of running a power wire to the camera. Here's some of my answer to him, and more.
I've been using web-based IP (Internet Protocol) cameras starting with D-Link DCS-900 "Fast Ethernet Internet Cameras" back in 2008 or so. Those were a pain to set up -- you had to learn "port forwarding" -- but worked very cool at the time and worked well. I've since used Amcrests, Arlo, Wyze, Eufy (not extensively), and Reolink cameras.
I generally use my cameras to keep an eye on several structures and houses, but after the fact. I don't rely on them to tell me if a person is walking around the house in that moment, for example. I use the cameras to confirm that garage doors are closed, and as evidence after the fact, in case someone breaks into the house or steals a package - which luckily I do not have ongoing problems with. I generally put my cameras inside windows and they look out. I don't want to deal with cameras getting stolen if they are placed outside; and I don't care if the cameras match the interior decor.
One big criteria for IP cams is that I want the cameras to send stills or videos to the cloud or to an email address for no fee. Many companies originally did that and then changed their plans. Wyze cams will store your videos for 7 days, for no fee. It's called Cam Lite Plus and is a bit difficult to figure out. They'd rather you pay. of course. One issue with Wyze cams is the 5 minute cooldown period between recording motion events unless you pay for Cam Plus, a monthly fee. I don't pay and I don't mind the cooldown period.
I bought two Arlo systems in 2018 and 2019 based primarily on the company's promise of free 7-day cloud storage of motion events. Just a few days ago (January 2023), the company announced that it would no long offer free cloud storage for my model of cameras. I would not recommend Arlo cameras to anyone due to this broken promise (and the clearly specious excuse that the cameras were "end-of-life" but hey, if you want to pay for a subscription plan, they won't quite be "end-of-life".) Arlo has proven that it can't be trusted to honor its promises to customers.
I've used Amcrest 720P and 1080P IP cameras since the D-Link cameras, since 2014 at least. I use Amcrests for their ability to email motion-activated still images. I don't use them for cloud recording. The Amcrests can be a pain to set up, but once set up, they are pretty reliable. Amcrests can work off wifi and also hardwired with Ethernet cables.
Here's an Amcrest camera at Amazon:
Amcrest ProHD 1080P WiFi 2MP (1920TVL) Indoor Pan/Tilt Security Wireless IP Camera IP2M-841B (Black)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0145OQTPG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
I see from Amazon that I bought one in 2018; all of mine except one are still going strong. White one is $36; black one is $40. This is about what I have paid over the years, they have not gone down in price.
Amcrests are not perfect. The setup can be a PITA compared to Wyze cams. The web interface is OK but old. The Phone app interface is OK but old. I do recommend them since they are pretty rock solid once set up.
Reolink allows you 7 days of free cloud recording but you are limited to one camera (sure, you could create a second account, which I have done) and you have to effing renew your $0 plan every month, for every account. I hate that kind of corporate busywork. The Reolinks are unreliable in my experience. The Android phone app more often than not tells me that it cannot connect to the Reolink. The Reolink clips to the cloud don't match the clips that are recorded on the SD card on the camera itself. Like Amcrests, Reolinks can email stills of motion events, but the stills are not as sharp as the ones from the Amcrests.
I have heard good things about Eufy and tried a couple. One simply would not connect to my router at the time. The other would connect. I returned both. The Eufys seemed fine, and folks in online forums liked them MUCH better than Wyze. However, Eufy (same company as Anker) made a huge mistake. They actually lied about the security of their cameras.
Anker’s Eufy lied to us about the security of its security cameras:
https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/30/23486753/anker-eufy-security-camera-cloud-private-encryption-authentication-storage
As you do your research, you will find that vital information whether one has to pay subscription fees to have images or videos recorded in the cloud is VERY difficult to find, even in third-party reviews!! This kind of informatoin must purposely be lacking from these review sites since they take advertising dollars. A lot of reviews will say hey, you can put an SD card in the camera and it will record 24/7 or something like that, and you can view events from the SD card from weeks past. But WTF -- what if someone breaks in your place and steals the camera and SD card in it (even easier if the camera is outdoors)? Unless you have stills or video sent to the cloud, that SD card is useless.
I researched many if not most of the other options out there -- TP-Link, Nest, Blink, Ring. They all have subscription fees AFAIK to work like you'd want.
Here are some somewhat random notes and observations:
All IP cams that I know will only take 2.4Ghz wifi, not the 5Ghz band.
The best thing about Amcrest and Reolink is that they will send email alerts with still images. Getting the email alerts set up can be a pain, however. Reolink has the same email settings as Amcrests -- and better online documentation and forums. If you have trouble getting an Amcrest camera to send email notifications, then check what Reolink's forums recommend.
Once I tried to see a license plate from my Amcrests (and then tried with all my cams, most of which are 1080p). I generally could NOT decipher a license plate from the still image from any 1080p cams.
I like Wyze cams because they are quick to set up, easy to use, and have a good phone app that lets me see if my cameras at various structures are on or off. The phone interface is great -- well-designed. There's no way to view the cameras or events on a desktop computer, unless you use outside tools like tinycampro or an Android Bluestacks simulator.
I turn the Wyze cameras on and off from the phone app all the time. This is near-impossible to do with Amcrest cameras. I can see what cameras are completely off, either no internet or power, which is useful if I need to know if power or internet has gone off at a property. There's sometimes significant time lag between the time power comes back on and the Wyze app shows cameras back on; sometimes you have to push the ON button in the app for the Wyze app to realize and show that all cameras in a home are indeed "on".
Reolink has cameras with solar capability. They seem to have everything you or I would want. 7-day cloud recording, what seems like good support, tons of models, indoor and outdoor cams. I am just not impressed with the still images sent by email (very low-res), the finicky nature of the cameras, and the poor layout of the apps. I have had to mess with my basic E1 cameras an inordinate amount. They often are disconnected on the phone app but are later accessible. They often do way too much motion detection, too many alerts, using up my a data plan at one house. The events in the SD cards in the cameras don't match what's in the cloud or what was sent over email. If the camera detects motion, shouldn't the stills sent via email match what is stored on the SD card and in the cloud? Not with Reolink. Granted, I bought the cheapest version of the brand.
I have the original Arlo outdoor cameras (VMC3030, but of course this model of camera came in a ton of confusing other names, matched with base stations). They require a base station (cameras don't connect directly to wifi, have to put a damn base station connected to your router, WTF) and take rechargeable CR123A batteries or something like those. They gave free 7 day cloud recording. I still use them but believe that free 7-day cloud recording is gone from newer models. These cameras are cool -- I do use them outdoors and the rechargeable CR123A batteries last about 3 months -- so the cameras are completely wireless. The cameras have a good design with mounts that use strong magnets (so does Wyze). When they work, they are OK. But one of them (10 feet from the base station, at the front door) constantly disconnects, it's a "bad" camera because the second camera is a good 100 feet away from the base station and does not disconnect as often. Arlo cameras get great reviews and might do what you need, but they are more expensive. They are also a pain in the butt, requiring constant fiddling since they require base station, need to recharge batteries, and often disconnect. With Wyze and Amcrest cameras, you set the camera up, and you are pretty much done -- they can go and go with no issue for months and months. Amcrests take long time to set up, and you will have to consult forums to get things like email settings. Setting up Wyze cams is pretty much dead simple, with the phone app to set up and get going. Of course, figuring out the best way to set up Wyze cams takes a while; there are some tips and tricks to know.
Yowzy! I went to nextdoor.com to try to turn off some notifications that I was getting. Holy crap! Take a look at all the options someone is supposed to go through.
This proliferation of choices is proliferating everywhere! It's making people crazy!
Have you noticed how ridiculous making coffee has become? All the experts, sippers, methods, varieties, etc? All the techniques and machines?
I must admit that I have been drawn into the coffee scene a bit myself. I love good ice coffee and actually spend $5 to $6 to buy it at Vietnamese cafes every other week when I am in the Bay Area. Anyone who knows me would know that is a lot of money to spend on a frigging drink, for me. I've bought several superautomatic espresso machines (I had to look up what type I have been buying) due to an Italian diver friend of mine from long ago that my friend Steve Drogin introduced me to -- Sergio Angelini. Thanks Sergio!
I started with a Saeco Vienna machine as did many of Drogin's pals. That finally broke and I have stayed with the Saeco machines, all refurbed, most from woot or Seattle Coffee Gear (which is where woot used to get their refurbed espresso machines). I know what I like in beans and what I get out of these machines, and they all use the same main part, so I've become familiar enough to maintain them and even fix them to some extent when something goes wong.
I have French presses and moka stovetop espresso makers. I have cheapo American style brewers like you find in every hotel room in America. I have a couple of Lavazza Blue machines that use capsules. I was somewhat conned into buying a cold-coffee maker -- which turned out to be just a plastic French press that you put in a fridge rather than using hot water in! Same effing thing -- I already had several of them!
The newest rage is "pour over coffee." There's a great coffee place in Olympia that makes great lattes. But I am a plebe. The real coffee artists and aficionados gather around the counter where there are glass beakers and lab stuff, making and drinking "pour over coffee." I would see them over there at the counter, separated from us commoners, sipping, pursing their lips, and savoring their fine coffee pour-overs.
Therefore I paid attention when slickdeals, a site that I peruse often, mentioned this deal on an OXO Brew Single Serve Pour-Over Coffee Maker. I read through the forum discussion, which went on for more than 10 pages (well, I did not finish it). I attach the first two or three pages for your benefit. Huge discussion about glass versus plastic, filters, etc. So I bought the thing. Imagine my surprise --- it's just a plastic cup with some holes in it (which disperse hot water evenly). Then just a plastic funnel with a hole in it, in which you place a standard paper coffee filter! Everything just goes from the holes at the top, through the filter, into a coffee mug! Voila! no difference really from hot water going through a plastic funnel/filter in my $10 Black and Decker coffee machine which I bought for visitors who could not figure out how to use my Saeco automatic espresso machine!
Seriously, first, why do Americans absolutely have to have coffee makers in their hotel room? Every effing hotel room in the US has a coffee machine. And now the endless discussions on pour-over coffee, which is just hot water poured on coffee, like any hotel coffee machine?
And how the eff is Starbucks still making money? Their drinks are nothing but candy, coffee-flavored milk shakes, that get all gummy and lose their flavor after the first sip!
We Americans sure are rich as hell to be spending so much time and moola on coffee and its endless permutations.
The discussion above is from a Slickdeals forum:
For folks wanting to protect their cars from thieves going after catalytic converters, registration tags, etc: I bought one of these Hosmart driveway motion detectors with alarm, and I am surprised at how well this thing works! I use it when parking somewhere and going on a hike with my dog. I have an RV and would hate to come back to find the RV stolen or broken into. I just mount the motion detector in the inside of the RV and carry the alarm with me -- it works at least 1/4 mile away by my testing and probably more. It does not give many (really, any) false alarms -- just alarms when it senses motion from a human or other warm body.
https://www.amazon.com/Hosmart-Rechargable-Driveway-Wireless-Weatherproof/dp/B07PRGGRGW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=4IUS76GA0D06&keywords=hosmart&qid=1669140591&sprefix=hosmart%2Caps%2C817&sr=8-3
1/2 Mile Hosmart Driveway Alarm Wireless Sensor System & Driveway Sensor (I agree that the name of the thing is not the greatest!)
I imagine that if you park your car on the street in front of your house, you would put the motion sensor under the car, hidden by a tire, and it would alert you if someone (or maybe a cat) crawls under the car. Of course, a friend of mine said that maybe you would not want to do anything if the alarm goes off when I was on a hike, since the thieves might have weapons. I'd rather know than not know.
The alarm unit can be powered by 4 AA batteries, or an AC adapter. The motion sensor is charged using a USB cable and any phone charger, and the battery in it still had a charge, enough so the alarm worked fine after sitting six months in storage
I went on a hike last month at a remote area in Puget Sound, and I had a second phone with a working cell data plan (just $10 per month from tello). I put this phone in my car and made sure that it was turned on, that it could get a cell signal where or near I was hiking. I used Google's Find Device app to make sure that my phone was indeed being located and hid it in the car. If the car had gotten stolen, I'd know where the car was. I guess Apple Airtags can do the same thing without a cell phone plan.
I have not complained on this blog for a while, so here goes:
WTF is up with clerks and flight attendants, anyone in any small position of authority, deciding to make up rules all by themselves? It seems to be happening more and more.
Here are some examples that happened in the past:
Home Depot has policy that allows dogs in their stores. This was six years ago, before the dog-loving craze of today. I walked in a Home Depot with my dog Max. I've been in numerous different Home Depot stores in the past with my dog, and I do it because the dog really enjoys exploring new spots (and my current Lab, Moose, loves eating the bits of cardboard on the floor, which is a pain since he can get plugged up). This time, however, a male Home Depot staffperson stops me and says that dogs aren't allowed. I don't argue and leave, and put the dog in the car (which I don't like to do, since it can get hot in the car after just a few minutes; the alternative of leaving the windows fully rolled down is unsafe for the dog AND the car). Later, I do some research and the rule is that all dogs are allowed in all Home Depot stores! This guy just didn't like dogs and made up a rule all on his own!
I saw on the news and later on Youtube, a Delta Airlines flight attendant (pre-Covid) full of authority, tells a family that their kid will be put in a foster home if they don't give up their paid seat!
Flight attendants told the Schear family that if they didn’t give up the seat, they would be removed from the flight. “Then it’s going to be a federal offense,” a crew member warned Brian. “I mean, you and your wife will be in jail and your kids will be put in foster care,” the flight attendant continued.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOeI26r3w6w
The flight attendant just made this crap up!
Yesterday, I go into Ace Hardware and take advantage of their sale -- buy two air filters, get one of lesser or equal value free. I bought two of one size and one of another, and both are the same price. The clerk rang it up and I did not realize that the machine actually did the calculation just fine. I asked him why I did not get the third free.
He made up a new rule, just like that!, "All air filters have to be the same size, sorry man." I did not argue, I just told him to ring up the two that were the same size and I would go and get a third of the same size since it was free. No, he had to ring it all up again. I went to the back and got a third filter that was the same price and the size I wanted. The ad is attached is pretty clear. Why did Ace Hardware clerk have to make this crap up? Because he is lazy!
I have both inflatable kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. I like them both as does my dog Moose. I use my Tower SUPs more than my tandem IKs; they are smaller, lighter, and just easier to lug around. The IKs are more stable in whitewater. I've only used them in very low Class 2 rapids. They are great, but since I bought tandems (for why else than so Moose could come with me!) they are heavier and longer.
My grouchy friend in Portland wrote me recently:
"Hey- what kind of pump should I get for my IK? Foot pump or NRS Wonder Pump 6?"
And my much less grouchy friends in Denver asked what kind of pumps I'd recommend for their new SUP: "You are correct. We need to get an electric pump. Took me longer than I wanted to pump this sucker up in 100 degree temperature. I need to find the message you sent with your recommendations."
*****
IKs need to be inflated to about 2 psi, whereas SUPs should be inflated up to 6 to 10 psi. This is a pretty big difference.
From the Aire inflatable kayak manual:
Top off each chamber in the same pattern. If you hear a humming sound in the floor valve, it’s the pressure release indicating the floor has reached maximum pressure (2.5 psi) and you can stop pumping. For the other chambers, using your thumb you should be able to depress about ½” from the top center of the tube.
For IKs, here's what I recommend these days:
I think the best all around (for IK) is a foot pump.
However, I am always confused as the best Bravo foot pump to get and how many frigging models there are.
I have lately been using a Bravo! 9 Double Chamber High Volume and High Pressure 14.5 PSI Foot Pump to inflate my inflatable kayak (an NRS Outlaw II) so that they are semi-rigid. This is overkill for an IK, which only needs 2.5 psi.
Here's an inexpensive Bravo foot pump that will work for a while:
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--bravo-7-foot-pump--10967644
Bravo 7 foot pump only $20, that's a deal.
I'll then pull out the awesome K-100 pump to finish off the pumping task. The K-100 pump is just great. I bought this pump with the internal check valve so air won't go back into the pump. The internal check valve only cost $2.95 more, so it's a no-brainer to order it along with the pump.
I also bought a K100 hand pump:
https://www.nrs.com/product/1714/k-pump-100
I love this thing. It is great. The Bravo foot pump will get you just about the whole way you need (for IKs, not SUPs). I use K100 hand pump to top off the IKs (and to pump my SUP sup to 6 to 10 psi).
To get the IK inflated initially, rather than a foot pump, I'll often use an electric high-volume inflator as I describe below.
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To inflate a SUP (6 to 10 psi):
Any of these will work to get your SUP up to 1-2 psi (initial high-volume inflation):
Bravo foot pump
Ryobi high volume inflator with battery or dual inflator
any electric inflating pump, like this one or the $11 one below:
https://smile.amazon.com/Electric-Portable-Quick-Fill-Inflator-Inflatable/dp/B074NZY3SQ/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=air+pump&qid=1598152824&sr=8-5
Here's an inexpensive pump that would work for initial high volume inflation:
https://slickdeals.net/f/14288885-outdoormaster-op420-0-64-ps-electric-air-mattress-pump-11-19-amazon?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1
$11.19 @ Amazon with code W76U5FDK
I have also used this pump, which works great off my car battery:
Sevylor SUP and Water Sport Electric Pump, 12V, 15-PSI
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sevylor-SUP-and-Water-Sport-Electric-Pump-12V-15-PSI/35395714
(No longer at Amazon, probably temporary)
Electric air pumps work great when you are putting stuff together in your garage, but when you get to a parking lot, it's hot, you have a dog that is in a rush and wants to run around, there are lots of people, then having to hook an electric pump up to your car and inflate the SUP is just not advisable or workable. Usually, I get my SUP initially inflated in my garage up to 1 to 2 psi -- I get it mostly filled up but nowhere near full with an electric inflator.
I've been using a Ryobi high volume inflator or dual inflator for the initial high-volume inflation:
https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/one-18v-high-volume-power-inflator
https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-18-Volt-ONE-Dual-Function-Inflator-Deflator-Tool-Only-P747/308746324
