Exterior security camera systems

[Gman]

My experience with battery powered cams is that their motion triggers miss a lot. The powered cameras are basically always recording, so if there's a trigger it will jump back in the buffer to something like 5 seconds before the trigger.

With the my experience with the Ring cameras, the motion zones for the battery cams are very rudimentary. With the powered cams, you have multiple zones that you can stitch together to get a really refined detection while ignoring a shrub/grill cover/furniture cover that may flap in the breeze. My rear LED flood light cam for example, does not pickup squirrels running across the top of the fence or people in my neighbors' yards. As soon as something enters my yard space, they're being recorded, including several seconds before the activation. If someone climbs over the fence I'll know. If a critter happens to come down the fence, I'll know. If anyone/anything is near my gate, same thing. Motion sensing for triggering the lights (on cameras equipped with them) is an independent activation range, which may be different than the activation settings for camera motion.

If I could afford it and had better access in the attic (we have very high vaulted ceilings), I'd go hardwired with on-prem recording and cloud backup with everything on UPS. It's cost prohibitive for me and I get plenty of coverage to satisfy my curiosity and comfort level. I live in a pretty safe neighborhood with neighbors that look out for each other.

ETA: I also have a spare powered cam that I put inside the house when we're away for peace of mind. The monitored alarm with the ability to detect smoke detectors and glass breakage via Alexa set in "Away Mode" provides extra coverage.