this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2025
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Hello selfhosters!

I have what is hopefully a simple ask. I am looking for some outdoor cameras for my sister, who is not at all tech savvy. I am, to an extent, and I'd like to get her set up with a small, remotely-manageable system to view and record the outside of her home. I'd wager there's a plethora of selfhost software that can be run on a number of systems (I'm thinking something cheap like a Raspberry Pi), to connect to an external HDD for camera storage.

I'm also looking for camera suggestions for this purpose. Wi-Fi cameras are ideal, since we don't have the means to run ethernet for PoE.

Thank you for your time, and I hope you all have a wonderful week :)

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[–] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 week ago

Look for a Dahua or Hikvision DVR and cameras. Put the DVR (and cameras if they are IP) on its own isolated subnet that doesn't have any internet access. Use a VPN to access it remotely.

Don't buy them from amazon, buy from one of their authorized distributors. I learned that the hard way when I ended up with a grey market camera with no warranty or firmware updates.

WiFi cameras are much easier to jam if someone wants to break in without being recorded. Don't use them if you can run a cable.